Serbia 2014 "Science"

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Issue Date	08.10.2014
ID	Michel: 567-568; Scott: 675-676; Stanley Gibbons: 687-688 Yvert et Tellier: 562-563 Category: pP
Design	Boban. Savic
Stamps in set	2
Value	RSD 23 - Petar Stevanovic (geologist and paleontologist) RSD 74- Josif Pancica (botanist)
Emmision	commemorative
Places of issue	Belgrade
Size (width x height)	30.0 mm x 37.50 mm
Layout	Two sheets 10 stamp each (5x2)
Products	FDC x2, MS x2
Paper
Perforation	13.25 x 13.25
Print Technique	Offset, multicolor
Printed by	ZIN Belgrade
Quantity	25.000 each
Issuing Authority	Public Enterprise of PTT Srbija

On October 8^th, 2014, the Post Authority of Serbia in cooperation with the Natural History Museum of Belgrade, issued the set of 2 stamps, in the serie "Science", to commemorate Centenary of geologust and paleintologist Petar Stefanovic (1914-1999) and Bicentenary of botanist Josif Pancic (1814-1888).

The text about both scientists is based on the text published on the reverse side of the FDC covers. The text about fossilized shells of shellfish Lymnocardium sp. is based on other sources.

PETAR STEVANOVIC (1914–1999), was professor of geology at the University of Belgrade, member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, President of the Serbian Geological Society and scientist with high international reputation, was the last student of the prominent Serbian geologist Jovan Zujovic.

Petar Stevanovic professor of geology, paleontologist on stamp of Serbia 2014, MiNr.: 567, Scott: 675.

His career began at the Natural History Museum in Belgrade in 1938, as curator and the head of Geological and Paleontological as well as Mineralogical-petrological departments.
The period of World War II (1941-1945), Stevanovic spent imprisoned in the Osnabruck labour camp, Germany. Pedagogical and scientific activities commenced at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade in 1946. Stevanovic defended his PhD thesis “The Lower Pliocene of Serbia and neighbouring areas” at the Moscow Paleontological Institute (USSR) in 1948. He lectured the following subjects: Introduction to independent geological-paleontological investigations, Stratigraphy of Yugoslavia, the Quaternary geology. Petar Stevanovic was the author of the textbooks: "Historical Geology II-the Paleozoic Periods", "Historical Geology-the Cenozoic Periods and the Quaternary Geology".
In the field of Neogene stratigraphy of Pannonian Basen, he has introduced the two new substages (time-intervals), the Portaferrian (the Upper Pontian) and the Serbian (the Upper Pannonian) and identified forty taxa, new for science (bivalve and gastropod species and subspecies). During his long-lasting geological field research, he discovered new fossiliferous localities of different geological age in the Belgrade area, Kolubara Basin, Kostolac, Krupanj, Koceljeva, Loznica and Timočka krajina.
Good knowledge of several languages (Russian, French, German) enabled Stevanovic to follow successfully the achievements in geosciences and to participate in many international expert teams and committees. His first scientific article was issued in 1937, and up to 1999. During his career Stevanovic published more than 200 scientific and professional papers. He was appointed as a member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the Academy of Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the honorary member of the Hungarian Geological Society and the Paleontological Society of the German Federal Republic.
Stevanovic's successful and fruitful work has been awarded by several orders and rewards (Order of Labor with the Golden Wreath, two October Prizes of City of Belgrade, “Seventh July Prize”). Owing to the great working capacity and self-discipline, he has achieved excellent scientific outcomes and made significant contributions to: developing and enhancing the geology school and geological education in Serbia, teaching and training of generations of geologists and paleontologists promoting and popularizing the geology and geosciences; developing the museology, and conserving and preserving the geological heritage of Serbia.

Two fossilized shells of shellfish Lymnocardium sp. can be seen on the top-right side of the stamp of Petar Stevanovic, First-Day-of-Issue Postmark and on the cachet of the FDC with stamp of Petar Stevanovic.

Shellfish Limnocardium on the cachet of the FDC of Serbia 2014.

These shells are from fossil collection of Petar Stevanovic, which is on display at Geology Department of the Natural History Museum in Belgrade.
This collection includes over 300.000 fossilized invertebrate remains, mostly of Tertiary age, from the territory of Balkans, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Italy and Iran. It was established in 1939 as a legacy of Academy Member Petar Stevanovic (1914-1999), who spent first several yeas of his long working life at the Natural History Museum. The best represented group is of Neogene age (up to 15 million years ago). Besides the mollusks, this collection also includes fossilized remains of other invertebrate groups (trilobites and crinoids, several mya) as well as microfauna, etc.
The youngest specimens in geological sense are representatives of Quaternary mollusks (up to several tens of years ago). As Petar Stevanovic spent most of his working life at Faculty of Mining and Geology, the collection also includes the material collected for students’ Bachelor Theses. Most important part of the collection includes the holotypes of taxa new for science, as well as the rare species.
Most of the collection was used to prepare the edition Geology of Serbia (1977) as well as other expert and scientific works, primarily in the fields of stratigraphy and paleontology, but also paleoecology, paleogeography etc.

JOSIF PANCICA (Ugrine: 1814 - Belgrade: 1888)

Botanist Josif Pancic on stamp of Serbia 2014, MiNr.: 568, Scott: 676.

When he decided to take up botany, Pancica never dreamed it would lead him to Serbia, where he would become the most renowned botanist and one of the great men of Serbian science. He fell in love with nature as a child, and his desire to leam as much of it as possible lead him through Gospie, Rijeka and Zagreb to Pest, where he studied and gained his PhD at the Medical Faculty. Pancica came to Serbia in 1846 and stayed forever. In two of his most significant works, "the Flora of the Principality of Serbia" (1874) and "the Supplement to the Flora of the Principality of Serbia" (1884) he listed approximately 68% of the currently known species of Serbian flora. His most important discovery is the omorica (Picea omorika), an endemite and relict conifer unknown to science at the time. Although Pancica is the most important Serbian botanist and one of the greatest Serbian scientists, he was much more than that. As a medical doctor who spoke several languages (Latin, German, English, French, Italian, Spanish), he was one of the best educated people in Serbia at the time. He was the initiator of naturalist thought and sciences in Serbia because he was the first to undertake complex studies of nature and teach natural sciences and was the professor to the next generation of renowned Serbian naturalists. Pancica wrote natural science textbooks, created professional Serbian language terminology for parts of plants, animal organs and geological phenomena, wrote about the need for careful husbandry over natural resources, wrote the first papers on the fauna of Serbia (printed in Serbia), founded the Jestastvenicki [natural sciences] Cabinet, its collection becoming the initial fund of the Museum of Natural History, and founded the first Botanical Garden. He was a renowned and respected public personality: the first President of the Serbian Royal Academy (today the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts), six times the rector of the Great School, the first manager of the Botanical Garden, vice-president of the National Assembly, state advisor and Member of Parliament. Pancica was dedicated to improving education and the spread of education and culture. He fought for peace and brotherhood among the Slavic peoples and as a doctor, participated in all the liberation wars fought by the Principality of Serbia at the time. He achieved all this because throughout his life he kept to the belief that “A man with knowledge can be of use to people in many situations, yet ignorance is always harmful to all of society.”

Products and associated philatelic items

FDC	First-Day-of-Issue Postmark	Mini-Sheets
The reverse side is here
Circulated FDC
The FDC was posted as register letter on the stamp issue date: 08.10.2014 with three stamps of paleontologist Petar Stevanovic and fossil of shellfish in the background. The price of 10gr. register letter from Serbia to Germany cost Dinar 224. Due the fact the totla value of three stamps is Dinar 69 only, Dinar 155 paid by cash at post office - see top-right corner of the while label on bottom-left corner of the cover.	The FDC was posted as regular letter on the stamp issue date: 08.10.2014 with two stamps of paleontologist Petar Stevanovic and fossil of shellfish in the background. The price of 10gr. regular letter from Serbia to Germany cost Dinar 74. Due the fact the total value of two stamps is Dinar 46 only, Dinar 28 paid by cash at post office - see top-right corner of the while label on bottom-left corner of the cover.	Regular cover posted on the stamp issue date: 08.10.2014 with six stamps of paleontologist Petar Stevanovic and fossil of shellfish in the background. The price of 10gr. register letter from Serbia to Germany cost Dinar 224. Due the fact the common value of three stamps is Dinar 138 only, Dinar 86 paid by cash at post office - see top-right corner of the while label on bottom-left corner of the cover.
For some reason, Deutsche Post (German Post Authority) almost always add their own label with their own register number on register letters sent to Germany from abroad. Usually, when there are some empty place on the cover, they put it there. However, some times they put it over stamps, as on the following examples: [1], [2]. This time it was possible to remove these labels without damage any stamp (see the covers above).
Example of circulated cover
Regular letter with both stamps of the set, shows great Serbian scientists: geologist and paleontologist Petar Stevanovic and botanist Josef Pancica. The price of big 80gr. register letter from Serbia to Germany cost Dinar 336. Due the fact the total value of three stamps is Dinar 314 only, Dinar 22 paid by cash at post office - see top-right corner of the while label on bottom-left corner of the cover.

References

Natural History Museum in Belgrade Back side of FDC covers

Acknowledgements

Many thanks tp Ugljesa Stefanovic from Belgrade

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