MONTENEGRO STAMPS

An Independent principality in European Turkey,  issued her first stamps depicting Prince Nicholas on 1 May 1874 and also joined the UPU in 1874 although was not a founder member. This first Montenegro stamp design issued from 1874 to 1898, is a great favourite with stamp collectors due to the exceptionally wide range of papers, watermarks, perforation gauges and hole sizes, colour & value changes and also overprint varieties available.

During WWI Montenegro declared war on Austria-Hungary in support of Serbia. After the defeat of its ally in 1915, Montenegro was occupied by Austrian troops in January 1916 and a range of variously overprinted stamps were issued including by a Government in Exile at Bordeaux. On 26 November 1918, the country was declared to be united with Serbia. No further stamps of Montenegro were issued and those of Serbia issued for the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes were used. The union with Serbia was recognized on 13 July 1922 and Montenegro became part of Yugoslavia.

Although part of Yugoslavia during WWII, overprinted stamps were issued during the Italian occupation of the former territory of Montenegro, and then further stamps were overprinted for the subsequent German occupation. These issues continued until the area was liberated by the Russians and they were replaced by Yugoslav issues. From 2003 stamps of the Republic of Montenegro were issued, although only for internal use. We recommend the stamp listings in the Stanley Gibbons Part 3 Balkans catalogue, as well as the Michel Volume 3 “Sud – Europa” catalogue.

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