HUNGARY 1871-1899

Hongrie - Ungarn

Return To Catalogue - Hungary 1916-1920 - Hungary local overprints of 1919 - Miscellaneous - Western Hungary (Lajtabansag) - Hotel post (Kurhaus Hohen Rinne)

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Stamp of Austria used in Hungary:

1871 King Franz Joseph I and arms of Hungary

  2 Kr orange
  3 Kr green
  5 Kr red
  10 Kr blue
  15 Kr brown
  25 Kr lilac

Envelopes in the same design exist in the values 3 Kr geen, 5 Kr red, 10 Kr blue and 15 Kr brown. A 2 Kr yellow wrapper and a 2 Kr yellow postcard ('Correspondenz-Karte or Levelezesi Lap') also exist.

(Left engraved, right lithographed)

For the specialist: these stamps exist both lithographed (no sign of impression on the back and no slanting shade lines near the beard according to 'The Forged Stamps of all Countries' by J.Dorn) and engraved. These stamps are perforated 9 1/2.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Postal Stationery:

Postal stationery in the values 3 k and 10 k in the same design. I've also seen 5 k red on green.

Reprints:

Reprints exist with perforation 11 1/2 and with watermark 'kr' in a circle. The original stamps are always perforated 9 1/2. Examples of reprints:

I've seen 'reprints' in yellow, green, blue, red, violet and brown in the same design, but with '1871 1921' instead of the value inscriptions:

1921 reprints. I've also seen a minisheet with such an imperforate reprint.

Budapest reprint (1971); reduced size

Another minisheet with 'reprints' was made in 1971 for the International Stamp Exhibition in Budapest (the perforation is different from the genuine stamps, see image above).

A non-official reprint or 'Reproduktion' made in 1984 for the 'Salon der Philatelie in Hamburg'

Forgeries:

Forged cancels exist (especially on envelopes), for more details see: http://www.arge-ungarn.de/forgeries.htm (in German).

Fournier made forgeries of the lithographed stamps by using the envelopes of this country and applying a forged perforation to them (3 kr and 10 kr). He offers them for 5 Swiss Francs (both values) as first choice forgeries in his 1914 pricelist. The envelopes are printed on greyish paper, while the genuine stamps are printed on white papers. Also the colours used on the envelopes are slightly different from the postage stamps. The forged cancel 'ERDOBENYE 17 12? 71' can be found in the Fournier Album of Philatelic forgeries.

(Example of a Fournier forgery made from a genuine envelope, reduced size, with 'FAUX' overprint)

Other forgeries made in Turin (Italy) exist (of all values). Some of them seem to be rarer than the genuine stamp. If anybody has more information, please contact me!

Turin forgery, image obtained from http://www.arge-ungarn.de/forgeries.htm. The perforation is clearly different from the genuine stamps.

The next stamps are Sperati forgeries. Sperati used genuine paper and cancels and made forgeries of the 2 k, 3 k and 15 k values:

(Sperati forgeries of a 2 k and a 3 k stamp)

Another Sperati forgery of the 3 k value; this forgery is very deceptive, there is a blotch of green color in the vertical part of the 'r' of 'kr' (but this can sometimes also been found in the genuine stamps).

Front and backside of a 15 k Sperati forgery, image obtained from http://www.arge-ungarn.de/forgeries.htm

Sperati used genuine stamps, removed the image (while keeping the cancel) and then printed a new value on them. In this way, the paper, perforation and cancel are all genuine! I don't know the distinghuishing characteristics of this Sperati forgery. If anybody has more information, please contact me.

1871 Newspaper stamps

  (1 Kr) red (horn to the right)
  (1 Kr) red (horn to the left)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Reprint of 1896; I do not know the distinghuishing characteristics.

1874 Arms with letter and value, inscription 'MAGYAR KIR POSTA'

  2 Kr lilac
  3 Kr green
  5 Kr red
  10 Kr blue
  20 Kr grey

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1888 Value in black or red (1 F and 3 F) 

  1 Kr black
  2 Kr violet
  3 Kr green
  5 Kr red
  8 Kr orange
  10 Kr blue
  12 Kr brown
  15 Kr red
  20 Kr grey
  24 Kr lilac
  30 Kr green
  50 Kr red
  1 F grey
  3 F brown

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Newspaper Stamp, design slightly different

  1 Kr yellow to orange

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

(3 k green envelope cut)

Envelopes in the same design exist: 3 k green, 5 k red and 10 k blue (issued in 1874). Furthermore a wrapper in the value 2 k lilac was issued in 1879. A telegraph card in the value 35 k blue was issued in 1888. A 5 k blue was issued in 1876 for money order forms.

5 k blue money order

For issues of Hungary after 1900, click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer