Czechoslovakia
Airmail Stamps of 1920-1939
The first Czechoslovakian airmail stamps appeared, in two different formats, during 1920.
Early in the 20th Century, airplanes or aeroplanes were basically toys for wealthy
hobbyists and inventors. During World War I, the military use of airplanes came into
being, basically in combat and reconnaissance roles. At the end of
World War I, commercial and passenger travel by air was only beginning
to become a reality.
By 1918, many countries had implemented experimental airmail postal services, but these services were very expensive and not very widely used. That can be seen in the first airmail postage stamps of Czechoslovakia. In 1920, the highest denomination stamp for airmail was 28 Koruna (dollars), but by 1922, the highest denomination stamp for airmail was only 2.50 Koruna (dollars), being less than 10% of the 1920 equivalent.
The three pictorial definitive stamps of 1918-1919, shown above, were overprinted and revalued during August 1920, for use as airmail stamps.
The catalog details for stamps that are imperforate are as follows:
- 14 K. on 0200 H. (1920 - Sc. #C1) - Ultramarine (Red).
- 24 K. on 0500 H. (1920 - Sc. #C2) - Red Brown (Blue).
- 28 K. on 1000 H. (1920 - Sc. #C3) - Violet (Green).
The catalog details for stamps that are perforated 13 3/4, as shown above, are as follows:
- 14 K. on 0200 H. (1920 - Sc. #C4) - Ultramarine (Red).
- 24 K. on 0500 H. (1920 - Sc. #C5) - Red Brown (Blue).
- 28 K. on 1000 H. (1920 - Sc. #C6b) - Violet (Green).
The catalog details for stamps that are perforated 13 3/4 x 13 1/2 are as follows:
- 14 K. on 0200 H. (1920 - Sc. #C4a) - Ultramarine (Red).
- 24 K. on 0500 H. (1920 - Sc. #C5a) - Red Brown (Blue).
- 28 K. on 1000 H. (1920 - Sc. #C6) - Violet (Green).
Most of these 1920 stamps exist with inverted and double overprints. Forgeries of all these overprints also exist.
The three perforated definitive stamps of 1920, shown above, were overprinted and revalued in June 1922, for use as airmail stamps.
All the stamps are perforated 13 3/4. The catalog details are as follows:
- 050 H. on 100 H. (1922 - Sc. #C7) - Dull Green (Black).
- 100 H. on 200 H. (1922 - Sc. #C8) - Violet (Black).
- 250 H. on 400 H. (1922 - Sc. #C9) - Brown (Violet).
Most of these 1922 stamps exist with inverted and double overprints. Forgeries of all these overprints also exist.
The nine pictorial definitive Czechoslovakia airmail stamps shown above were issued between 1930 and 1939. These stamps are all engraved on unwatermarked paper.
The designs and catalog details for stamps that are perforated 13 1/2 are as follows:
- 30 H. (1939 - Sc. #C18) - Rose Lilac - Fokker VII Monoplane over Landscape.
- 50 H. (1930 - Sc. #C10) - Deep Green - Fokker VII Monoplane over Landscape.
- 01 K. (1930 - Sc. #C11) - Deep Red - Fokker VII Monoplane over Landscape.
- 02 K. (1930 - Sc. #C12) - Dark Green - Letov S-19 Biplane over Landscape.
- 03 K. (1930 - Sc. #C13) - Red Violet - Letov S-19 Biplane over Landscape.
- 04 K. (1930 - Sc. #C14) - Indigo - Letov S-19 Biplane over Landscape.
- 05 K. (1930 - Sc. #C15) - Red Brown - Letov S-19 Biplane over Landscape.
- 10 K. (1930 - Sc. #C16) - Violet Blue, Ultramarine - Fokker VII Monoplane over Prague.
- 20 K. (1930 - Sc. #C17) - Gray Violet - Fokker VII Monoplane over Prague.
The designs and catalog details for stamps that are perforated 12 are as follows:
- 50 H. (1930 - Sc. #C10a) - Deep Green - Fokker VII Monoplane over Landscape.
- 01 K. (1930 - Sc. #C11a) - Deep Red - Fokker VII Monoplane over Landscape.
- 02 K. (1930 - Sc. #C12a) - Dark Green - Letov S-19 Biplane over Landscape.
- 04 K. (1930 - Sc. #C14a) - Indigo - Letov S-19 Biplane over Landscape.
- 20 K. (1930 - Sc. #C17a) - Gray Violet - Fokker VII Monoplane over Prague.
The designs and catalog details for stamps that are perforated 12 x 13 1/2 or 13 1/2 x 12 are as follows:
- 01 K. (1930 - Sc. #C11b) - Deep Red - Fokker VII Monoplane over Landscape.
- 02 K. (1930 - Sc. #C12b) - Dark Green - Letov S-19 Biplane over Landscape.
The designs and catalog details for stamps that are perforated 13 3/4 x 12 1/4 are as follows:
- 20 K. (1930 - Sc. #C17b) - Gray Violet - Fokker VII Monoplane over Prague.
The designs and catalog details for stamps that are perforated 12 1/2 are as follows:
- 05 K. (1930 - Sc. #C15a) - Red Brown - Letov S-19 Biplane over Landscape.
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Return to Czechoslovakia Stamps from
Airmail Stamps of 1920-1939
Letov (Smolik) S-19 Biplane
(c. 1924)
Letov (Smolik) S-19 Biplane
Boarding Passengers
The Letov S-19 biplane, designed by Alois Smolik (1893-1952), was manufactured in Czechoslovakia during the 1920's, for use as a passenger plane by Czechoslovakia Airlines. It had a fully-enclosed passenger cabin, large enough for four passengers, which was located behind the engine. The pilot sat in an open cockpit behind the passenger cabin.
The passenger cabin was very noisy, and the passengers had very poor visibility. Boarding and disembarking the aircraft was very awkward, as the passengers had to climb up and down a ladder to get into or out of the cabin.
The biplane, which flew the Prague - Kosice route, was not a success, and only five of them were ever built.
Fokker VII Monoplane
(c. 1931)
The Fokker F-VIIb monoplane, introduced in 1925, was known as the Fokker Trimotor.
In Czechoslovakia, they were used as a military transport plane and as a commercial passenger plane, capable of carrying up to 12 passengers.
Fokker IX Monoplane
(c. 1932)
The Fokker F-IX trimotor monoplanes were built in 1932, under contract with Avia, a Czechoslovakian aircraft company.
Eighteen of these monoplanes were built, with 16 of them being used as bombers by the Czechoslovakian Air Force, and two of them being used as passenger planes by Czechoslovakia Airlines. The aircraft could carry up to 12 passengers, and it had a range of about 715 miles.