Yugoslavia – Serbia stamps year 2004 Serbian monasteries set

Yugoslavia – Serbia stamps year 2004 Serbian monasteries set MNH In 2004, the definitive (regular) stamps featuring Serbian monasteries were part of a long-running series that began in the late 1990s and continued under the name of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. While there was a commemorative “Art” set in 2004, the definitive set is characterized by smaller, uniform designs often used for standard postage. The 2004 Definitive Monastery Series In 2004, several existing monastery designs from the “Monasteries of Serbia” definitive series were overprinted with new denominations. This was done to adjust to new postal rates during the transition from the Yugoslav Dinar to the Serbia and Montenegro period. Official Country Name on Stamp: Srbija i Crna Gora (Serbia and Montenegro). Design Style: Simple, architectural line drawings or engravings of the monasteries. Primary 2004 Overprints: Kalenić Monastery: Overprinted with new values (e.g., 1.00 or 12.00 denominations). Mileševa Monastery: Frequently seen in this definitive run. Studenica Monastery: A staple of the definitive series. Žiča Monastery: Often included in the higher denominations or later 2004-2005 printings. Identifying the Set If you are looking at these stamps, they will differ from the “Art” set mentioned previously in a few ways: Feature2004 Definitive Set2004 Commemorative “Art” SetSizeSmall, standard rectangularLarger, more “painterly”ImageryArchitectural drawings of the buildingsReproductions of famous paintings of monasteriesUsageCommon everyday mailSpecial commemorative useKey TextOften includes “DOPLATA” or overprinted numbersHigh-quality “Srbija i Crna Gora” printing