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This is a complicated area, though from the outside world it was a block, internally it had different areas with different ethnic mixes, not always in line with accepted boundaries.
Telegrams used in Osijek, ostensibly in north-east Croatia, are often found with the Serbian Coat of Arms.
This map may help. It may therefore be practical to subdivide this according to the Coats of Arms on the Stationery.
Stationery also includes the seals used on them, which I have previously listed separately since Steve Hiscocks did.
That means there is a lot of overlap in this area. See also the Seals Index.
I'm not sure of the status of these, or the date.
They say "For Telephone Orphan" in Cyrillic and Latin script and this cancel looks like Sarajevo.
They are probably charity stamps like the 'Huérfanos de Telégrafos' stamps of Spain.
A catalogue written in Croatian describes them as:
"1939. Doplatne marke Saveznog humanog društva Telefonsko siroče za podizanje doma za djecu telefonskih službenika i drugu siročad."
which according to Google Translate means:
"1939. Additional stamps of the Federal Human Society Telephone Orphan for raising a home for the children of telephone officers and other orphans. "
The face value is 1 Dinar. The first seems to be dated May 1940 and used in Sarajevo.
A recent (May 2016) eBay lot describes these as 'POSTER STAMPS-FOR TELEPHONE ORPHAN-1939'.
An eBay lot (May 2014) describes these as 'SUPPLEMENTARY POST STAMPS' of 1928, and
'MADE IN SERBIA - KINGDOM OF YUGOSLAVIA ... FOR TELEPHONE ORPHAN'
The same seller (in Novi Sad, Serbia) listed 2 Dinar (purple) and 4 Dinar (blue) stamps of 1930/31 with a different design inscribed
in Cyrillic only which he describes as 'MADE FOR HELPING KINDERGARTEN AT BULBOLDER (BELGRADE)'
So it would seem that these are charity stamps. The Scott and Michel catalogues do not list them.
A crucial factor regarding listing is whether these were obligatory or entirely voluntary in usage. Anybody know ?
On the initial formation of what came to be Yugoslavia, Telegraph stations continued to use what they had until they got replacements.
These are the types of Logo that I have on examples, together with their date range. This is just my examples.
Click the logo to go to the beginning of that section. Click the date-range beneath to go to the summary of it.
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| Serbian Logo 1923 - 1943 | Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Logo, 1926 - 1943 | Croatian Logo, 1941 - 1943 | Yugoslavian Logo, 1947 - 1960 |
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| No Logo, 1943 - 1952 | PTT Logo, 1981 - 1982 |
"Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" is abbreviated as C.X.C. in Serbian, or S.H.S. in Bosnian and Croatian.
No form number ! Used in Vrshats, to the northeast of Belgrade in 1923. At the top-left is "Post Office S. C. S." in Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian.
Perforated down right side.
No form imprints.
A form 5a from Zagreb, used in Osijek, Slavonia on 14 April 1925. At the top is "Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs" in Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian.
I have another, from Belgrade to Osijek used 24 April 1925, also with the number 214.
Form imprint at bottom-left.
A form 205 from Gospić, West Croatia used in Šid, Vojvodina (west of Novi Sad) in 1929. At the top-left is "Post Office S. C. S." in Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian.
I hve four examples, all used in 1929 and three of them in Šid, with the other used in Belgrade.
A similar one used in 1923 is shown above with short "ТЕЛЕГРАМ - TELEGRAM" and no form number.
Form 205 (Oбразaц 205) imprint at bottom-left.
A form 205 from Novi Sad, Vojvodina used in Belgrade, Serbia in 1930. At the top-left is "Post Office S. C. S." in Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian.
A similar one is shown just above and another used in 1923 is shown above with narrow "ТЕЛЕГРАМ - TELEGRAM" and no form number.
Form 205 (Oбразaц 205) imprint at bottom-left with Б456929.
A form 205 used in Sombor, Vojvodina in 1933, for a telegram from Belgrade. At the top is "права пошта Југославијe" and "Administration Post Yugoslavia" in Serbian and Slovenian.
"Post Administration Of Yugoslavia". Perforated on the right side.
Truncated imprint "Oбразaц 205. — 1195—36..." at bottom-left.
A Telegram form 205 used in Daruvar, North Croatia in 1935 for a telegram from Zagreb. At the top-left is "Savska Directorate of post and Telegraph in Zagreb" in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
With Received Telegram in the middle in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian. "Br. 98" in the top-right corner.
This is very similar to another used in Daruvar the previous year with a SCS logo, but that had the imprint at bottom-left, the heading in Capitals and Br. 59 at top-right.
Form T. br. 205. imprint at bottom-right.
A Telegram form 205 used in Sveti(Saint) Ivan Zelina, (32km northeast of Zagreb) in 1939 for a telegram from Sarajevo. At the top-left is "Savska Directorate of post and Telegraph in Zagreb" in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
With Received Telegram in the middle in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
Form T. br. 205. imprint at bottom-left.
A form 205 used in Osijek, Slavonia (Date ?). "Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones" in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
From Novi Sad. There is a "056 *" at top-right.
Imprint at bottom-left "Obrazac T. 205." (Obrazac = Form in Bosnian and Latin Serbian)
A form 205 used in Erdevik, Vojvodina (near the border west of Novi Sad) in 1940. At the top-right is "Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones" in Croatian/Bosnian.
There is a "34" at top-right. Another example used at Vinkovci (a bit further west in Slavonia) in 1941 has the number 56.
Imprint at bottom-left "Obrazac T. 205." (Obrazac = Form)
A form 205 from Zagreb to Osijek, Slavonia, used in 1940. At the top-right is "Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones" in Croatian/Bosnian.
The seal is probably not the original one.
Imprint at bottom-left "Obrazac T.205. Š. G." (Obrazac = Form)
A form 205 from Berlin to Belgrade, Serbia, used in 1941. At the top is "Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones" in Serbian only, with a large Serbian logo on the left.
I have Seven examples of these, all to the Serbian National Bank in Belgrade from 4 October 1941 to 12 January 1942. After that it switched to a smaller SCS Logo type.
The imprint at bottom-left reads simply "Oбразaц 205"
A form 201/a, unusually in red. This is marked "State Telegram" in Serbian and Slovenian/Bosnian.
Used in Vrshats, Serbia in 1943.
Form 201/a imprint at bottom-left.
Summary :
| Logo | Heading 1 | Heading 2 | Language | Earliest | Notes | Imprints - (click one to see the telegram) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serbian | Post Office S. C. S. | TELEGRAM (narrow) | Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian | 1923 | - | NONE |
| Serbian | Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs | TELEGRAM | Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian | 1925 | - | |
| Serbian | Post Office S. C. S. | TELEGRAM (wide) | Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian | 1929 | - | |
| Serbian | Post Office S. C. S. | TELEGRAM (wide) | Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian | 1930 | - | |
| Serbian | Post Administration Of Yugoslavia | TELEGRAM | Serbian and Slovenian | 1933 | - | |
| Serbian | Savska Directorate of post and Telegraph in Zagreb | Received telegram | Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian | 1935 | Br. 98 | (on bottom-right) |
| Serbian | Savska Directorate of post and Telegraph in Zagreb | Received telegram | Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian | 1939 | No. 40 | |
| Serbian | Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones | TELEGRAM | Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian | ? | 056 * | |
| Serbian | Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones | TELEGRAM | Croatian/Bosnian | 1940 | 34 or 56 | |
| Serbian | Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones | TELEGRAM | Croatian/Bosnian | 1940 | 26 * | |
| Serbian on left | Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones | TELEGRAM | Serbian | 1941 | - | |
| Serbian | - | State Telegram | Serbian and Slovenian/Bosnian | 1943 | In Red | |
A form 205 used in Belgrade, Serbia in 1926. At the top is "Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs" in Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian.
From Lausanne written in German.
Form 205 imprints at bottom left and right. I presume Бр. is an abbreviation for Brzojavka meaning Telegram.
Looking at others, the "IX-25" part could indicate September 1925.
A form 205 used in Osijek in 1933. At the top is "Post Office of the kingdom of Yugoslavia" in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
Brzojavka = Telegram in Croatian and Bosnian.
Form T. бр. 205. imprint at bottom-left.
A form 205 used in Novi Sad in 1934. At the top is "Administration Post Yugoslavia" in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
It is badly cut with the top being on the bottom of the previous form.
Imprint "Oбразaц 205" (Form 205) at bottom-left.
A form 205 used in Belgrade in 1935. At the top is "Administration Post Yugoslavia" in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
Similar to last, but with thick borders.
Imprint "Oбразaц 205" (Form 205) at bottom-left.
A Telegram form 205 used in Daruvar, north Croatia/Slavonia in 1934. At the top-left is "Savska Directorate of post and Telegraph in Zagreb" in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
With Received Telegram underneath in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian. See also a similar Serbian one numbered 98.
Form T. br. 205. imprint at bottom-left.
A Telegram form 205 used in Zagreb in 1936. At the top-left is "Directorate of post and Telegraph in Zagreb" in Bosnian and Serbian.
With Received Telegram underneath in Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian.
Form T. br. 205. imprint at bottom-left. The "Lj" could be a reference to Ljubljana in Slovenia.
A Telegram form 205 used in Podgora, Croatia (on the coast south of Split) in 1938. "Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones" in Serbian and Croatian.
From Vienna. Perforated on right edge.
Imprint "Oбразaц 205" (Form 205) at bottom-left.
A Telegram form 205 used in Belgrade 30 April 1942. At the top-left is the Logo, followed by "Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones" in Serbian.
I have 13 examples of these, all to the Serbian National Bank, Belgrade, dated 14 April 1942 to 1 May 1942. They follow on from a series with the Serbian logo at left.
Form 205. imprints at bottom left with "368-244-II-42-c" - could be February 1942.
A Telegram form 205 used in Belgrade 9 January 1943. At the top-left is the Logo, followed by "Ministry of Posts, Telegraphs and Telephones" in Serbian.
The blue stamping at the top is in German as it was occupied at the time. I have another example dated 12 May 1943.
Form 205. imprints at bottom left and right - could be August 1942.
Summary :
| Logo | Heading 1 | Heading 2 | Language | Earliest | Notes | Imprints - (click one to see the telegram) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S,C,S | Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs | TELEGRAM | Serbian and Croatian/Bosnian | 1926 | - |
|
| S,C,S | Post Office of the kingdom of Yugoslavia | Telegram | Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian | 1933 | - | |
| S,C,S | Administration Post of Yugoslavia | TELEGRAM | Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian | 1934 | - | |
| S,C,S | Administration Post of Yugoslavia | TELEGRAM | Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian | 1935 | Thick borders | |
| S,C,S | Savska Directorate of post and Telegraph in Zagreb | RECEIVED TELEGRAM | Croatian/Bosnian and Serbian | 1934 | Br. 59 | |
| S,C,S | Directorate of post and Telegraph in Zagreb | Received Telegram | Bosnian and Serbian | 1936 | No. 57 | |
| S,C,S | Ministry of Posts Telegraphs and Telephones | TELEGRAM | Serbian and Croatian | 1938 | - | |
| S,C,S on left | Ministry of Posts Telegraphs and Telephones | TELEGRAM | Serbian | 1942 | - | |
| S,C,S on left | Ministry of Posts Telegraphs and Telephones | TELEGRAM | Serbian | 1943 | - | |
A Telegram form 205 used in Donji Miholjac 22 April 1942. At the top-left is "Ravnateljstvo pošta, brzojava i brzoglasa." meaning "Director posts telegraph and telephones" in Croatian.
I have 2 examples of these, This has "91 *" on the right, the other used at the same place 29 April 1942 has "45 *" on the right.
Form 205. imprint at bottom left suggesting 700,000 printed December 1941 by C. Albrecht.
A Telegram form 205 used in Osijek 26 March 1945. At the top-left is "Ravnateljstvo za poštu, brzojav i brzoglas." meaning "Director for posts telegraph and telephones" in Croatian.
I have 2 examples of these, This has "93" on the right, the others were used in Zagreb; a March 1944 with "34" and a February 1945 with "27".
Form 205. imprint at bottom left suggesting 1,500,000 printed May 1943 by H. D. T.
According to Wikipedia: "During World War II, Zagreb became the capital of the Independent State of Croatia,
which was backed by the Nazi Germany and Italians. The city was liberated by the partisans at the end of the war."
The (half size) fragment of telegram below is dated 30 September 1946 and was used in Zagreb with a Yugoslavian seal, shows the Croatian arms at the top overprinted with the arms of Yugoslavia.
This similar one, used 9 October 1946 in Donji Miholjac, Slavonia
has the Croatian arms overprinted with a star.
This has "81" over on the right. I have another used at Zagreb, dated 24 November 1946 with 64 on the right.
These should be considered as Croatian Arms converted for use in Yugoslavia Arms.
Summary :
| Logo | Heading 1 | Heading 2 | Language | Earliest | Notes | Imprints - (click one to see the telegram) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croatian | Telegram | Director posts telegraph and telephones | Croatian | 1941 | 45* or 91* | |
| Croatian | Telegram | Director of posts telegraph and telephones | Croatian | 1943 | 27, 34 or 93 | |
| Cancelled Croatian | Telegram | Director of posts telegraph and telephones | Croatian | 1946 | 34, 64 or 81 | |
A Telegram form 205 used in Varaždin to the north of Zagreb, Croatia in 1947.
Under the top strips is "Telegram" with "ŽIG" to the right (Mark in Croatian). That is where the date-stamp should go.
Form T. br. 205. imprint at bottom-left suggests that 3,000 books were printed in 1946.
A Telegram form 205 used in Zagreb, Croatia in 1948. At the top-right is "Direkcija pošta Zagreb" in Slovenian/Bosnian, meaning "Directorate Post Zagreb".
With simply "TELEGRAM" underneath. This has "No 27" on the right. I have another used in Zagreb 30 December 1947 from Prague with "29 *".
Form T. br. 205. imprint at bottom-left suggests that 5,000 books were printed in 1946.
A Telegram form 77, with "MINISTARSTVO POŠTA" at top-left, Croatian/Latin Serbian for "Ministry of Posts". Used in Donji Miholjac, Slavonia, Croatia in 1948.
Marked "Prispjeli Telegram" or "Arrived Telegram" in Slovenian. There is a "Br. 77" at top-right. I have another used in Osijek 23/4/48 with "Br 4".
Br. 2008. imprint at bottom-left. I make the form 194 x 167mm. Perforated on the right side.
Looking at the one below, the "170x148" should have been "70x148".
A Telegram form 78, with "MINISTARSTVO POŠTA" at top-left, Croatian/Latin Serbian for "Ministry of Posts". Used in Zagreb in 1949 for a telegram from Osijek.
Marked "Prispjeli Telegram" or "Arrived Telegram" in Slovenian. There is a "Br. 78" at top-right.
Br. 2008. imprint at bottom-left. I make the form 182 x 155mm. Perforated on the right side.
Looking at the one below, the "170x148" should have been "70x148". Presumably "Zgb" is Zagreb.
A Telegram form, similar to the last but smaller headings, and written in Slovenian. Used in Zagreb 29 September 1949.
This has "17" over on the right side. Another example of mine, used in Zagreb 12 December 1949, has "16".
Small 2008 imprint on the left of "Obr. 2008".
A Telegram form, almost identical to the last but larger, clearer text. Also written in Slovenian but used in Suttivan Brač Island (off Split), Croasia on 22 July 1950.
No number over on the right. The imprint is larger and higher.
Large 2008 imprint on the left of "Obr. 2008". This is closer to the line above.
A Telegram form very similar to the last, but without the confusing "Br. 77", and written in Serbian. Used in Belgrade, Serbia in 1948.
This was from Tirana in Albania.
Бр. 2008. imprint at bottom-left. I make the form 210 x 148mm. Dashed-line on the right side.
A Telegram form very similar to the last, but written in Slovenian. Used in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 1948.
This was from Ptuj in East Slovenia.
2008/205. imprint reading upwards on the left. "Tisk." appears to mean Tiskarna, Slovenian for Printing house. Lj is presumably Ljubljana.
3 layers of tape is obscuring the last part, which reads "(5000 bl -IV/48.)".
A Telegram form, again very similar to the last, and written in Slovenian. Used in Stara Fužina, Slovenia in 1949.
2008 imprint reading upwards on the left which reads "2008 FTMPL 168/48".
A Telegram form, again very similar to the last, and written in Slovenian. Used in Skopje, Macedonia in 1951.
The telegram was from Veles in the center of Macedonia.
2008 imprint reading downwards on the left which reads "Obr. 2008" and "Tisk. Minpost Lj. 356/50" indicatig that the printer was Minpost in Ljubljana.
By the end of 1952 (in Zagreb at least), telegrams were sent in envelopes so that seals were no longer needed.
Logo on the left. This has "Generalna direkcija PTT" at the top-left, meaning "General Directorate of PTT" in Slovenian, Croatian or Latin Serbian.
"Dolazni telegram" meaning "Incoming telegram" in Croatian/Latin Serbian underneath. Used at Osijek, Croasia in 1960.
Telegram dated 12/1/60 used in Osijek, Croasia. The imprint is "Obr 2008".
This arrived at Zagreb. "Prolazni telegram" is Bosnian/Serbian for "Transient Telegram".
The 3 columns are labelled as "Transient." meaning "Taken over"; "Primljen" meaning "Received"; and "Otpravlen" meaning "Sent away".
The back has a date-stamp of 18 July 1950, manuscript note "telegram poste Bohemian" and a registration mark numbered 127.
The imprint is "Obr 2005".
Summary :
| Logo | Heading 1 | Heading 2 | Language | Earliest | Notes | Imprints - (click one to see the telegram) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yugoslavian | - | Telegram | Croatian | 1947 | 25 * | |
| Yugoslavian | Directorate Post Zagreb (on right) | TELEGRAM | Slovenian/Bosnian/Croatian/Latin Serbian | 1947 | 29*, No.27 | |
| Yugoslavian | Ministry of Posts | Arrived Telegram | Croatian/Latin Serbian | 1948 | Br.4, Br.77 | |
| Yugoslavian | Ministry of Posts | Arrived Telegram | Croatian/Latin Serbian | 1949 | Br. 78 | |
| Yugoslavian | Ministry of Posts | Arrived Telegram | Croatian/Latin Serbian | 1949 | 16, 17 | |
| Yugoslavian | Ministry of Posts | Arrived Telegram | Croatian/Latin Serbian | 1950 | - | |
| Yugoslavian | Ministry of Posts | Arrived Telegram | Serbian | 1948 | 2008 | |
| Yugoslavian | - | Arrived Telegram | Slovenian | 1948 | 2088/205 | |
| Yugoslavian | - | Arrived Telegram | Slovenian | 1949 | 2008 | |
| Yugoslavian | Ministry of Posts | Arrived Telegram | Slovenian | 1951 | 2008 |
Tisk.  |
| Yugoslavian (on left) | General Directorate of PTT | Incoming telegram | Croatian/Latin Serbian | 1960 | - | |
| Yugoslavian | - | Transient Telegram | Bosian/Latin Serbian | 1950 | - | |
Headed "Привaтни Телеграм" or "Private Telegram" in Serbian.
This one is interesting, it has no indication of country and was sold as being Russian, used in Saint Petersburg. However it is Петровград / Petrovgrad not Петроград / Petrograd.
Additionally it is dated (February) 1943, at which time Petrograd was called Leningrad. The top is stamped "Zulassungs-Kontrollstelle", or "Approval Control Body" in German.
It appears to be written in Bosnian. At this time, the city called Petrovgrad from 1935 to 1946 was in Vojvodina, Yugoslavia and occupied by German forces.
In 1946 the city was re-named Zrenjanin. It is to the north of Belgrade.
It has the imprint of "T. бр. 201/б." at bottom-left.
Headed "Привaтaн Телеграм" or "Private Telegram" in Serbian.
From Vienna to Belgrade, dated 20 September 1943
I have seven examples, all to Belgrade and dated 5 April to 20 November 1943.
It has the imprint of "T. бр. 201-б." at bottom-left.
This was used in Zagreb in 1952. It is marked "Prispeli Telegram" or "Arrived Telegram" in Slovenian.
The form number is 2008.
The imprint is "Obr 2008". It was purchased in the following envelope stamped "Telegraf Zagreb" at the top :
Nothing on the back.
This is an undated telegram marked "Zajednica JPTT" or "JPTT community" in Bosnian.
The only thing that could be called an imprint is the writing up the side, "Zajednica JPTT".
It was purchased in the following envelope :
"Obr TG-10" at the bottom. Nothing on the back.
Summary :
| Logo | Heading 1 | Heading 2 | Language | Earliest | Notes | Imprints - (click one to see the telegram) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | - | Private Telegram | Serbian | 1943 | - | |
| None | - | Private Telegram | Serbian | 1943 | - | |
| None | - | Arrived Telegram | Slovenian | 1952 | - | |
| None | - | Telegram | Bosnian | ? | TG-10 Env | |
Form TR. 1 - This is marked "Пojдoвнa Телеграма" or "Postal Telegrams" in Serbian, and was used in Debar, Macedonia, in 1981.
The bottom has the following imprint with the size in mm.
The back has :
"Oбр Tr. 1 (втора страна)" (side two in Macedonian) at the bottom.
A more modern (1982) item.
Note the PTT Logo and the Palmotićeva 2, Belgrade imprint on lower-left side reading "Biro za poštanske Marke, Palmotićevoj 2, Beograd".
This is Bosnian for "Postal stamp Bureau, Palmotićeva 2, Belgrade", a building built in 1926.
Summary :
| Logo | Heading 1 | Heading 2 | Language | Earliest | Notes | Imprints - (click one to see the telegram) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTT | - | Postal Telegrams | Serbian | 1981 | - | |
| PTT | - | YPTT community | Macedonian | 1982 | - |  |
There are also quite a few Telegraph Seals known for Yugoslavia.
You may also be interested in the Telegram seals of:
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| Croatia | Czechoslovakia | Estonia | |
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| Finland | Latvia | Lithuania |
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| Poland | Romania | Serbia | |
Last updated 31st. July 2023
©Copyright Steve Panting 2012/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23 except where stated.
Permission is hereby granted to copy material for which the copyright is owned by myself, on condition that any data is not altered and this website is given credit.
