Month: February 2019

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Slovenia 1919, a hint of Slovene freedom between Carniola and Yugoslavia

This stamp does not show Millenia’s grandmother. Rather it shows a 19th century style allegory of freedom. For a brief period after World War I, the peoples of Austria-Hungary had a choice, or so it seemed. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The end of a long devastating war can bring hope. Especially with the knowledge that the Hapsburg dynasty is over and with it any allegiance to Vienna. So we have a stamp long on hope and promise. Also though the seeds of a harsher reality. The area breaking away was a amalgamation of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs. One of the stamps of this issue featured elderly Serbian King Peter I, who had avoided the disasters of WWI with a self imposed exile in the spas of Corfu. Were the Slovenes trading one aloof foreign King for another?

Todays stamp is issue A3, a 50 Filler issued by Slovenia in 1919. If was part of a 15 stamp issue in various denominations. The stamp issues remained regional for the first few issues of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. It was a time of lots of stamp variations with some of this issue printed in Vienna and others in Ljubljana. According to the Scott catalog, this stamp is worth $1.10.

Slovenia had long been part of the Hapsburg Empire both in it’s Holy Roman and it’s Austria-Hungary periods. During this period it was known as the Duchy of Carniola. The people were about 95 percent Slovenes and 5 percent German, mostly nobles and professionals. Slovenes are Slavic. It was the most economically advanced part of what became Yugoslavia. The native peoples were not completely without a voice in Austria-Hungary as they sent representatives to the Reichsrat, the Parliament. To maximize their voting block, the representatives of Yugoslav areas voted together. This voting bloc stayed together long enough to break away as one from the now former empire.

The original idea was that the various peoples would have a fair amount of autonomy with Serbian King Peter a ceremonial head of state. Peter was quite old and not likely to interfere. Slovene political leader and Catholic Priest Anton Korosec, a former Reichsrat deputy could see the mistake early on. When Peter’s son Alexander succeeded him in 1921, he determined to give himself and his fellow Serbs more power at the expense of areas like Slovenia. Korosec lobbied for more power for Slovenes and for a short while was sent into exile. King Alexander himself was assassinated by a Bulgarian working for also feeling dominated Montenegrins. See this stamp about that, https://the-philatelist.com/2018/02/08/it-is-dangerous-to-rule-the-kingdom-of-serbs-croats-and-slovenes/

Father Anton Korosec

Upon Korosec’s return, he sought closer ties with Germany for Slovenia as a hedge against the Serbs. He died in 1940 before the German invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941. After the war, many Slovene politicians went into exile as Tito’s Yugoslavia banned other parties, either regional or non communist.

Well my drink is empty and I am left wondering what would have happened in the area if the Reichsrat deputies had not made a decision amongst themselves to act as a block. Would Yugoslavia not have happened and the Serb King stayed in Serbia. Then German friendly Slovenia and Croatia would not have been invaded in 1941 and the Serbs kept their King and avoided invasion and Tito. A lot of ifs there, but it may be an excuse to have another round while we contemplate. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

 

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Liechtenstein 1967, celebrating the Royal Wedding and the economic miracle

Europe in the 19th century had many city states that mostly were absorbed by Germany and Italy. The ones that have survived often now thrive as they benefit from the stability of national institutions while having extra flexibility in areas such as finance. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This souvenir sheet is the first one we have covered at The Philatelist. Liechtenstein is fairly unique in that  the Prince has more than ceremonial powers. So the small country might take extra interest in the Crown Prince starting his family. Prince Hans Adam II was marrying Czech Countess Maria Kinsky, who grew up mainly in Germany and is five years older than the Prince. The era of absentee landed nobility was newly ended and Hans Adam was the first Prince to grow up in Liechtenstein. So the people are closer to their rulers.

Todays stamp is issue A225, a souvenir sheet issued by the Principality of Liechtenstein on June 26, 1967 to celebrate the upcoming wedding of the Crown Prince. According to the Scott catalog, the sheet is worth $2.40. This value has not kept  pace with even inflation, showing how important a vibrant local stamp collecting tradition is to values, and tiny Liechtenstein,(population 20,000) can’t provide.

The name came from a castle in the area and a family rose to nobility as advisers to Holy Roman Austrian Hapsburg Emperors. The family converted to Catholic and were eventually granted the title Prince. The Napoleonic occupation ended the duty to pay an annual suzerainty  to the larger empire. There was a gradual shift in greater ties to also neighboring Switzerland. This came to a head in 1938 when the Royal line actually took up residence in Lichtenstein as Austria was absorbed by Germany and the Royal’s Jewish connections did not bode well for continuing to live in Vienna. At wars end the country took in Russians that had fought on the German side saving their lives and seeing to their resettlement in Argentina.

Large amount of family lands that rents and tributes were lost to the Liechtenstein royals when Czechoslovakia seized German held lands. The family had to resort to selling portions of their extensive art collections which had been moved out. Over time, the financial service industry brought about an economic miracle. The big player in this. LGT is personally owned by the royal house and makes it the richest royal house in Europe with a fortune over 7 billion dollars. Now Lichtenstein has more jobs than people with over 20,000 commuting daily to jobs in Lichtenstein.

The Prince and Princess are still married and are the parents of four and the grandparents of 15. Prince Hans Adam II began his rule in 1988 after having served in a regency earlier in preparation. His eldest son Prince Alois has served in a similar regency since 2004.

Well my drink is empty and so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Slovakia 2000, interesting how the EU liked dealing with the old communists

When the old system broke down and even the country split, it is understandable that everyone gets nervous. So when a bland figure from the past offers his services, maybe you give him a try. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

You may have to do a double take on this stamp. It really has a strong resemblance to the old Czechoslovakian stamps of the communist era. I doubt Slovakia was doing this consciously, but perhaps it fits with an official from that old regime is returned to power as a compromise leader. This time he would be dealing with the EU instead of COMECON, but I bet that COMECON experience was useful. This fellow even had a German name.

Todays stamp is issue A190, a 5.5 Koruna stamp issued by the independent republic of Slovakia on June 15th, 2000. It was a two stamp issue several years apart honoring Slovak President Rudolf  Shuster. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp was worth 25 cents used.

Slovakia broke away from Chechia in 1992. The 20th century had seen many border changes And so Slovakia also contained Carpathian German and Hungarian minorities. These ethnic minorities added to the massive number of political parties that formed in Slovakia after independence. In Czechoslovakia remember there was only one party the Communists. Elections work best with a clear majority, and that became difficult with the plethora of parties.

This was handled by coalition governments. There was also the issue of the old Communists wanting to stay in the game. One such fellow was an ethnically Capitanian German ex Communist named Rudolf Shuster. The Carpathian Germans were evacuated by Germany with the approach of the Red Army in 1945 but some returned post war submitting to a Slovakisation process. With the help of an old crony Pavel Rusko, that came to own a TV station, he was able to put together a new left party of civic understanding. The selling off of government assets had not gone well with the stench of corruption and this tainted the Slovak bid to join the EU. Why not add Shuster to put a new, old face on the government to be a point man on EU integration. Shuster got that job done and Slovakia joined the EU in 2004.

By then Rusko had lost interest in Shuster and the party of civic understanding. He formed a new party that more directly featured himself. Rusko was later able to cash out of his media empire with it becoming part of the international operations of AT&T. Shuster ran for reelection in 2004 as an independent but came in fourth. After this he retired from politics. He was a popular figure with the EU, despite just being just a front man. What does it say about the EU about there willingness to deal with front man, and also that when picking a front man both sides look to the old failed Communists?

Well my drink is empty and I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

 

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Chad 1962, Africanizing with Sara Chaditude

French Equatorial Africa had some borders that made more sense to the French then the native tribes. Even when it broke down into smaller states such as Chad, there was not readily the makings of a cohesive country. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

An African topical stamp. Well at least there really are antelopes in Chad. This also presents itself as a postage due issue. I have a difficult time imagining a mail sender dropping off his mail with no money, receiving this stamp to stick to the envelope. The letter than gets mailed and the receiver pays his postman 2 Francs that then gets back to the post office, all in chaotic post independence Chad. Call me cynical. As early as the 1970s, there were at least 3 government agents, including President Tombalbaye personally giving contracts to produce postage stamps for Chad, so sorting real issues is a challenge.

The stamp today is issue D5, a 2 African Franc stamp issued by the independent republic of Chad. It was part of a 12 stamp issue in various denominations that displayed African wildlife and tribal warriors. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents.

Chad was the first colony returned to the Free French after the fall of France. This was due to the efforts of Frances first black colonial governor and Sara tribesman. In revenge, in 1942 the capital Fort Lamy was bombed by the Germans. After this the French understandably favored the Sara tribe over the Arab tribesman of northern Chad. Thus it was a Sara tribesman, Francois Tombalbaye that was groomed to rule after the French left and became the last colonial governor in 1959 and the first President in 1960. Post independence he set upon a process of Africanization he called Chaditute that saw his fellow tribesman favored for government service. This cost money and new taxes were collected in what Tombalbaye called national loan. It amounted to Sara tribesman shaking down Arab tribesman and offering much less in return than the old French administration. Trombalbaye required all government employees to go through initiation in the Sara tribe. Doing so was heresy to Christians and Muslims alike. He also changed names of the capital from Fort Lamy to N’Djamena and his own first name from Francois  to Ngarta.

The Arab north was soon rebelling with help of northern  neighbor Libya. The Chad army proved incapable and President Tombalbaye had to request French help to put it down. With French soldiers came administrators to try to put the government back together and have more Muslim representation. This angered even Tombalbaye’s allies who hated the French.

As soon as French soldiers left in 1971, Tombalbaye tried to solidify his position, he purged his army in the so called black sheep affair. He arrested several officers on the crime of sorcery, for sacrificing black sheep in a ceremony designed to curse President Tombalbaye. He then got back to marginalizing the French by reaching out to Libyan strongman Qaddafi. He in turn cut off aid to the Arab rebels to the north and replaced cut off French aid. Tombalbaye was obviously trying to cover his bases but perhaps his military purge did not go deep enough. In 1975, the Army attacked the Presidential Palace and killed him without a trial. Chad’s situation did not really improve till many years later when oil was discovered. The country is now dominated by the northern Arabs.

Well my drink is empty so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting