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Stamps of Hungary

Definitives of 1916-1918

King Charles IV, Queen Zita, and their son Archduke Otto
Hungarian Coronation Portrait

The stamps of Hungary had a big year in 1916, beginning with the coronation of a new Austro-Hungarian Emperor, and ending with the introduction of brand new definitive postage stamp designs.  These new stamp designs were very popular, and they would serve as Hungarian definitive stamps for years to come.



The two new definitive pictorial stamps of Hungary shown above were issued in October 1916.  They are typographed on paper with WMK 137, and they are perforated 15.

The new design features farmers harvesting wheat.  The stamps are inscribed "MAGYAR KIR POSTA" or "Hungary Royal Post", and the corner tablets feature white numerals on a solid color background.

The catalog attributes are as follows:

  • 10 F.  (1916 - Sc. #106) - Rose.
  • 15 F.  (1916 - Sc. #107) - Violet.

These stamps also exist imperforate, valued at about twenty times the price of the perforated stamps.



The eleven wheat-harvesting-type definitive stamps of Hungary shown above were issued between 1916 and 1918.  The production attributes are the same as the previous issue.

The new definitive stamps included new colors and denominations.  The revised designs feature corner tablets with solid color numerals on a white background.

The catalog attributes are as follows:

  • 02 F.  (1916 - Sc. #108) - Brown Orange.
  • 03 F.  (1916 - Sc. #109) - Red Lilac
  • 04 F.  (1918 - Sc. #110) - Slate Gray.
  • 05 F.  (1916 - Sc. #111) - Green.
  • 06 F.  (1916 - Sc. #112) - Greenish Blue.
  • 10 F.  (1916 - Sc. #113) - Rose Red.
  • 15 F.  (1916 - Sc. #114) - Violet.
  • 20 F.  (1916 - Sc. #115) - Gray Brown.
  • 25 F.  (1916 - Sc. #116) - Dull Blue.
  • 35 F.  (1916 - Sc. #117) - Brown.
  • 40 F.  (1916 - Sc. #118) - Olive Green.

These stamps also exist imperforate, valued at about fifteen times the price of the perforated stamps.



The eight new high-denomination pictorial definitive stamps of Hungary shown above were issued in 1917.  They are typographed on paper with WMK 137, and they are perforated 14.

The common design features the
Parliament Building in Budapest, as seen from the Danube River.

The catalog attributes are as follows:

  • 50 F.  (1917 - Sc. #119) - Red Violet & Lilac.
  • 75 F.  (1917 - Sc. #120) - Bright Blue & Pale Blue.
  • 80 F.  (1917 - Sc. #121) - Green & Pale Green.
  • 01 K.  (1917 - Sc. #122) - Red Brown & Claret.
  • 02 K.  (1917 - Sc. #123) - Olive Brown & Bister.
  • 03 K.  (1917 - Sc. #124) - Dark Violet & Indigo.
  • 05 K.  (1917 - Sc. #125) - Dark Brown & Light Brown.
  • 10 K.  (1916 - Sc. #126) - Violet Brown & Violet.

These stamps also exist imperforate, valued at about fifteen times the price of the perforated stamps.



The six portrait definitive stamps of Hungary shown above were issued on August 30, 1918.  These stamps are perforated 15.

The new designs feature King Charles IV and Queen Zita in coronation regalia.

The catalog attributes are as follows:

  • 10 F.  (1918 - Sc. #127) - Scarlet.
  • 15 F.  (1918 - Sc. #128) - Deep Violet.
  • 20 F.  (1918 - Sc. #129) - Dark Brown.
  • 25 F.  (1918 - Sc. #130) - Bright Blue.
  • 40 F.  (1918 - Sc. #131) - Olive Green.
  • 50 F.  (1918 - Sc. #131) - Lilac.

These stamps also exist imperforate, valued at about twenty times the price of the perforated stamps.

The end of 1918 would be a catastrophic time for Hungary.  World War I would end in November 1918 (with a loss), the Austro-Hungarian monarchy would end, and the once immense Austro-Hungarian Empire would be dissolved and broken up, along ethnic lines, into many individual nations that would change the face of Europe forever!





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Definitives of 1916-1918





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The 10 F. denomination stamp shown above (Sc. #103A) was issued on July 1, 1916This stamp is actually a postal savings stamp, but it was also valid for regular letter postage.

The design features the Crown of Saint Stephen.



The two portrait definitive-type stamps shown above (Sc. #104-105) were issued December 30, 1916, on the occasion of the Coronation of King Charles IV and Queen Zita.

Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Josef I (1830-1916) died on November 21, 1916.  At that time, Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Marie of Hapsburg Lorraine (1887-1922) became Austro-Hungarian Emperor Charles I and Hungarian King Charles IV, and his wife, Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese of Bourbon-Parma (1892-1989) became Austro-Hungarian Empress Consort and Hungarian Queen Consort.

Sadly, King Charles IV was forced to abdicate the thrones of Austria and Hungary at the end of 1918.  He died of pneumonia, while in exile, on the Portuguese island of Madeira.  He is buried there, in the
Church of Our Lady of Monte. 

Queen Zita lived to a very advanced age, and surprisingly, she was buried in the Hapsburg Imperial Crypt in the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria.