Croatia – Serbian Krajina stamps year 1991 private overprint set

Croatia – Serbian Krajina stamps year 1991 private overprint set

? What these stamps actually are

The 1991 “private overprint” sets from the Republic of Serbian Krajina (RSK) are a highly controversial philatelic area.

• The Republic of Serbian Krajina was a non-recognized entity created during the Yugoslav wars in 1991
• At the very beginning (1991–1992), there was no established postal system, so:
  • Existing Yugoslav or Croatian stamps were locally overprinted
  • Many overprints were done provisionally, unofficially, or privately

⚠️ “Private overprints” – key facts

These 1991 issues are usually described as:

• Provisional/local overprints (often town-specific like Knin, Vukovar, etc.)
• Produced in small quantities, often without central control
• Not officially catalogued in major stamp catalogues (Michel, Scott, etc.)
• Frequently classified as:
  • “Cinderella stamps” (philatelic creations without full postal validity)
  • or semi-postal/local emergency issues

? Many were made for collectors rather than real postal use.