Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country in southern Europe with a turbulent history and a somewhat twisted postage stamp situation. Opportunities for collectors abound.
The first Bosnia and Herzegovina stamps: 1879 — 1918
The earliest stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina were issued in 1879, just after Austro-Hungarian Empire was awarded jurisdiction over the formerly Turkish territory. These stamps showed a coat-of-arms and a numeric value, with no country name. In 1908, Austria annexed Bosnia and soon released a series of stamps inscribed K.u.K. Militar Post.
In 1918, Yugoslavia was formed (at first briefly called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes) and Bosnia and Herzegovina-only stamp issues stopped for several decades.
The three simultaneous stamp-issuing authorities of post-1993 Bosnia and Herzegovina
In 1992, Yugoslavia began breaking apart, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was caught in the middle of events. The Croats controlled part of the country, which they called Herzeg-Bosnia, and began issuing stamps themselves in 1993. The Muslim government in Sarajevo also began releasing stamps that year. Finally, the Serbs, who called their area Republika Srpska, also issued their own stamps beginning in 1993. All three entities have continued issuing their own stamps until the present day, giving quite a range of possibilities for collectors to fashion their own personal collections of Bosnian and Herzegovinian postage stamps.
See also: Poland rare stamps: buying and collecting Poczta Polska
Check our subcategories for more information and to shop for specific types of Bosnia and Herzegovina stamps from different areas, eras, and issuing authorities. We also have B&H stamp sheets, maximum cards, joint issues, and other collectibles that may appeal to different buyers worldwide. Our selection changes daily, so come back often to see the newest sales.
