Serbia Principality postage stamps year 1866-Belgrade edition

Serbia Principality postage stamps year 1866-Belgrade edition MH

📮 Historical Context

• In 1866, the Principality of Serbia issued its first regular postage stamps. These were produced shortly after the postal service was formalized that same year.
• The stamps were issued under the inscription К. СРБСКА ПОШТА (K. Srb­ska Pošta – Royal Serbian Post) with imperial connections still influencing production.

📅 The 1866 Stamp Issues

🟦 Prince Michael III Series (Regular Issue)

These were the first definitive stamps for regular postal use in Serbia:

• Depiction: Portrait of Prince Mihailo Obrenović III.
• Denominations & Colors:
  • 10 para – typically orange/yellowish
  • 20 para – red
  • 40 para – blue
    These three shared the same design, differing only in color and face value.
• Printers & Printings:
  There were two main printings of these stamps:
  1. Vienna printing — perforation 12, produced at the Imperial State Printing House in Vienna.
  2. Belgrade printing — perforation 9½, done locally in Belgrade (often on pelure — very thin — paper).
• Scarcity:
  • Vienna printing 10 pa is considered very rare (RR).
  • Belgrade printing versions are rare (R) — both unused and used — because fewer were printed and survival rates are low.

These issues are highly collectible and represent key classic Serbian philately.

🛡️ Newspaper Stamps (Separate 1 pa & 2 pa issues)

• Also in 1866, a separate newspaper tax stamp issue was produced for mailing newspapers, featuring the Serbian coat of arms and the same inscription К. С. ПОШТА.
• These were issued in small quantities in two nominal values: 1 para and 2 para.
  These are distinct from the Prince Michael regular stamps and are rarer still in good condition.

📊 Print Characteristics & Collecting Notes

🖨️ Printing Variants

• Vienna Printing (Perf 12):
  • Sharper detail, typical of foreign production.
  • These are scarce, especially the 10 pa.
• Belgrade Printing (Perf 9½):
  • Usually on thin pelure paper.
  • Slight color and paper variations exist, which are of great interest to specialists.