Even an overprint of an older stamp issue can take a little time. This overprint was issued to celebrate the lands gained in the (not well named) First Balkan War of 1912. By the time the stamp was in the post offices, Bulgaria had started a 2nd Balkan War to take more of Mecedonia, but ended losing more than it ever gained. 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.
Todays stamp shows the traditional old capital of Bulgaria, Tarnovo (now called Great Tarnovo). This ties the gains achieved in the First Balkan War of Slavs and Greeks against the Ottoman Empire back to the no doubt glorious exploits of the 14th Century Bulgarian Empire. The Greek and Serb allies had not divvied up Macedonia as previously agreed on so Bulgaria’s German King Ferdinand ordered a surprise attack on both Serbia and Greece with the goal of Thessalonica, the now second largest city in Greece. This happened suddenly while the postal service was just getting to talking up the last war.
Todays stamp is issue A22, a 3 Stotinki stamp issued by the Kingdom of Bulgaria on August 6th, 1913. It was a seven stamp issues of overprints on an earlier issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $2 unused. This is 5 times the value of the original version of the stamp, as the overprint did not have much of a shelf life.
A federation of Slavs and Greeks with the backing of Russia met with great success against the Ottoman Empire in the First Balkan War. The Ottoman offensive against Serbia stalled and the Greeks and Bulgarians as allies were able to clear the Ottomans from Macedonia. The Greek navy had successfully prevented Ottoman reinforcements being shipped in by sea from elsewhere in the empire. Millions of Turk Muslims streamed out of Europe where they had been for centuries to a Turkey they did not know. The Balkans being a rough place, the Serbs and Greeks had a backroom deal that cut Bulgaria out of some of the spoils including the important city of Thessalonica. Turkey could be rough itself, the general in charge of the losing effort, General Nazim Pasha, was assassinated by a group calling itself the committee of union and progress. Nazim Pasha’s family then formed its own committee of annoyed relatives of Nazim Pasha and assassinated the Pasha in charge of the progress comitee.
King Ferdinand, without consulting the Bulgarian government or Russia ordered surprise attacks on Serbia and Greece, both attacks quickly bogged down although the Bulgarians were able to hold off the Serb counter attack. The Greek counterattack was more difficult. There was a bloody battle at the then ethnically Bulgarian city of Kilkis in Macedonia that the Greeks won and then ethnically cleansed brutally. Further progress toward the Bulgarian capital of Sophia got bogged down. Then Romania and even the Ottomans joined the attack and Bulgarian King Ferdinand was forced to accept harsh Greek peace terms that lost land to Greece, Romania and even the Ottomans.
The Russians were especially hard hit by the Second Balkan War. They felt forced to side with far off unconnected Serbia and with it lost Slavic Bulgaria in a Slavic Balkan Federation where they would have had more influence in uniting the Slavic people. Darn those German Kings pretending to speak for Slavs.
Well my drink is empty and I am left wondering what number the First and Second Balkan wars would be in an accurate count? Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.