Yugoslavia Kingdom postage stamp year 1921 Mi 158 – 10 Din

Yugoslavia Kingdom postage stamp year 1921 Mi 158 – 10 Din MNH

The year 1921 was highly significant in the philately of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – SHS), the predecessor to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It marked the first unified, definitive postage stamp issue for the entire new state, replacing the various provisional stamps of the constituent regions (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.).

There were two main sets issued in 1921:

1. Definitive Issue (Regent Alexander and King Peter I)

• Date of Issue: January 16, 1921
• Theme: Portraits of the ruling members of the Karađorđević dynasty.
• Composition: A large set of stamps, typically comprising 14 to 17 values (depending on the catalogue), in denominations of both para (p) and dinar (D).
• Designs:
  • Lower Values (Para): Featured the portrait of Crown Prince (Regent) Alexander I (who became King later that year upon the death of his father).
  • Higher Values (Dinar): Featured the portrait of King Peter I.
• Inscriptions: Inscribed with the full name of the state: KRALJEVSTVO SRBA, HRVATA I SLOVENACA (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) in both Latin and Cyrillic script.
• Printing: Printed using line engraving, largely by the American Bank Note Co., New York, and later by the Serbian State Printing Works in Belgrade.