Postage stamps 1914–1918

Bosnia's first war-charity stamps came out on 1 November 1914: the 5 and 10 heller landscapes of 1906 were overprinted in red with the year 1914 and new values of 7 and 12 heller. Postage stayed at 5 and 10 heller; the extra 2 heller went to charity. In the same way the Franz Joseph stamps of 1912 were overprinted in 1915 and 1916 – with the year in question, in red or blue.

Sources: World Stamps Project: Bosnia and Herzegovina 1879–1918, Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The two charity stamps of 1916 show a blind soldier and a wounded soldier; the 2-heller surcharge went to disabled servicemen. The engraved stamps were designed by Alfred Cossmann. In 1918 the same designs appeared again, valued 10+2 and 15+2 heller and with coloured instead of white numerals.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Big Blue 1840-1940: Bosnia & Herzegovina – a closer look

In October 1916 Bosnia received a new set with the portrait of Franz Joseph – 18 values from 3 heller to 10 kronen. The old emperor survived its issue by only a few weeks: he died on 21 November 1916 after almost 68 years on the throne. As early as July 1917 it was replaced by a set showing his successor, Karl I.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wikipedia: Franz Joseph I of Austria

In 1916 Bosnia issued two special-handling stamps – 2 and 5 heller – inscribed MILITÄRPOST / EILMARKE. Austria introduced such stamps the same year; there they were triangular and paid for priority handling of printed matter.

Sources: Stamp Encyclopedia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues, Wikipedia (de): Eilmarke

In May 1917 the 10 and 15 heller Franz Joseph stamps of 1916 were overprinted with a 2-heller surcharge. They were issued for the 'Week of the Widows and Orphans', and the surcharge went to them.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The three stamps appeared on 28 June 1917, the third anniversary of the assassination in which Gavrilo Princip shot the heir to the throne Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo. Besides their portraits they show the design for a memorial church, towards which a 2-heller surcharge on each stamp was paid. The same day a monument to the victims was unveiled by the Latin Bridge in Sarajevo.

Sources: Wikipedia: Monument to Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, Stamp Collecting World: Bosnia Herzegovina 1916–1918

Franz Joseph died in November 1916, and in July 1917 Bosnia received a set showing the new emperor, Karl I – values from 3 heller to 10 kronen, inscribed BOSNIEN HERCEGOVINA and K.u.K. MILITÄR POST. It was printed by the Court and State Printing Office in Vienna.

Sources differ on the designer: Wikimedia Commons credits Alfred Cossmann, while the Belvedere catalogue of Koloman Moser's work lists Moser, with Ferdinand Schirnböck as engraver.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belvedere, Koloman Moser – Werkverzeichnis: Briefmarke Militärpost Bosnien-Herzegowina (Kaiser Karl I.)

In July 1918 three charity stamps appeared with portraits of Emperor Karl I and Empress Zita and the inscription K u K Militärpost – Karlfonds. The 10-heller surcharge went to the Karl Fund for victims of the war. They were designed by Alfred Cossmann; the field post issued a similar Karlfonds set the same year.

Sources: Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues

When the fee for postal-stationery cards went up from 8 to 10 heller, the post needed more 2-heller stamps to make up the difference. So from 1 September 1918 it sold two older 2-heller stamps overprinted 1918 in red – the violet from the 1910 jubilee set and the blue Franz Joseph of 1912. Of the blue one, 300,000 were issued.

Sources: World Stamps Project: Bosnia and Herzegovina 1879–1918