Czechoslovakia Stamps
Definitives of 1920-1925
New pictorial definitive Czechoslovakia stamps were introduced in 1920. The definitive stamps of 1918, featuring the Hradcany in Prague, had pretty much run-their-course, and now it was time for a more modern looking series of definitive stamps with symbolic designs pertinent to the new Czechoslovakian Republic.
The pictorial definitive stamps of 1920 to 1925 featured four basic designs.
- Carrier Pigeon with a Letter (Vertical Format) - symbolic of Czechoslovakia's postal system.
- Czechoslovakia Breaking the Chains of Bondage (Vertical Format) - symbolic of Czechoslovakia's freedom from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
- A Hussite Priest (Vertical Format) - symbolic of the Bohemian Reformation, the forerunner to the later Protestant Reformation.
- Agriculture and Science (Horizontal Format) - Symbolic of Czechoslovakian industry and prosperity.
The seventeen definitive Czechoslovakia stamps shown above were issued in 1920. They are all typographed or photogravure on unwatermarked paper, and they are perforated 14.
The perforated 13 1/2 and compound perforated varieties of these stamps are scarce. Refer to the catalogs for details.
The 40 H. denomination comes in two types:
- Type I - There are 9 leaves by the woman's hip.
- Type II - There are 10 leaves by the woman's hip.
The Scott Catalog attributes are as follows:
- 005 H. (1920 - Sc. #65) - Dark Blue.
- 010 H. (1920 - Sc. #66) - Blue Green.
- 015 H. (1920 - Sc. #67) - Red Brown.
- 020 H. (1920 - Sc. #68) - Rose.
- 025 H. (1920 - Sc. #69) - Lilac Brown.
- 030 H. (1920 - Sc. #70) - Red Violet.
- 040 H. (1920 - Sc. #71) - Red Brown.
- 050 H. (1920 - Sc. #72) - Carmine.
- 060 H. (1920 - Sc. #73) - Dark Blue.
- 080 H. (1920 - Sc. #74) - Purple.
- 090 H. (1920 - Sc. #75) - Black Brown.
- 100 H. (1920 - Sc. #76) - Dark Green.
- 200 H. (1920 - Sc. #77) - Violet.
- 300 H. (1920 - Sc. #78) - Vermilion.
- 400 H. (1920 - Sc. #79) - Brown.
- 500 H. (1920 - Sc. #80) - Deep Green.
- 600 H. (1920 - Sc. #81) - Deep Violet.
The 40 H. and 60 H. denominations (example shown above) exist in tete-beche pairs. These two denominations also exist as tete-beche gutter pairs.
The ten definitive Czechoslovakia stamps shown above, featuring new denominations and / or colors, were issued between 1920 and 1925. They are all typographed on unwatermarked paper, and they are perforated 14.
The perforated 13 1/2 varieties of these stamps are a bit scarcer. Refer to the catalogs for details.
The 20 H. denomination comes in two types:
- Type I - The base of the "2" is longer. The interior of the "0" is angular.
- Type II - The base of the "2" is short. The interior of the "0" is an oval.
The 25 H. denomination comes in two types:
- Type I - The top of the "2" curves up.
- Type II - The top of the "2" curves down.
The Scott Catalog attributes are as follows:
- 005 H. (1920 - Sc. #82) - Violet.
- 010 H. (1920 - Sc. #83) - Olive Bister.
- 020 H. (1920 - Sc. #84) - Deep Orange.
- 025 H. (1920 - Sc. #85) - Blue Green.
- 030 H. (1925 - Sc. #86) - Deep Violet.
- 050 H. (1920 - Sc. #87) - Yellow Green.
- 100 H. (1920 - Sc. #88) - Dark Brown.
- 150 H. (1920 - Sc. #89) - Rose.
- 185 H. (1920 - Sc. #90) - Orange.
- 250 H. (1920 - Sc. #91) - Dark Green.
The 5 H., 10 H., 20 H., and 50 H. denominations (example shown above) exist in tete-beche pairs. These denominations also exist as tete-beche gutter pairs.
The three Agriculture and Science type Czechoslovakia stamps of 1920, shown above, were redrawn and reissued in new colors in 1923. They come in various perforation gauges. See the catalogs for details.
Each of these stamps comes in two or more types.
- Type I - Rib of leaf below "O" of "POSTA" is straight and extends to the tip. The white triangle above the book is entirely at the left of the twig. "P" has a stubby, abnormal appendage.
- Type II - Rib of leaf below "O" of "POSTA" is extremely bent and does not reach the tip. The white triangle above the book extends to the right of the twig. "P" is the same as Type I.
- Type III - Rib at the top of the left leaf is broken in two. The white triangle is the same as Type II. "P" has no appendage.
The Scott Catalog attributes are as follows:
- 100 H. (1923 - Types I,II,III - Sc. #92) - Red on Yellow.
- 200 H. (1923 - Types II,III - Sc. #93) - Blue on Yellow.
- 300 H. (1923 - Types I,II,III - Sc. #94) - Violet on Yellow.
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Hussites
The Hussites, or the Chalice People, as they are sometimes called in the Czech language, were a Christian movement in the Kingdom of Bohemia during the 15th Century that followed the teachings of Jan Hus.
Jan Hus
(16th Century Painting)
Jan Hus (1369-1415) was a Czech priest and philosopher of the late 14th Century and early 15th Century. He is considered the first Church reformer, as he lived long before Martin Luther (1483-1546) and John Calvin (1509-1564).
Jan Hus spoke out against indulgences and other forms of corruption in the Catholic Church.
In June 1415, Hus was tried and convicted of heresy against the doctrines of the Catholic Church, and on July 6, 1415 he was burned at the stake.
Afterwards, his followers rebelled against their Catholic rulers, in what is called the Hussite Wars (1419-1434). At the end of the wars, the Hussites were reconciled with the Church of Rome, and they were allowed to freely practice their variant religion.
By the beginning of the 16th Century, 90% of the population of the Czech lands were non-Catholic, and many of them still practiced the teachings of Jan Hus and his successors.
This period of the 15th Century, known as the Bohemian Reformation, resulted in the first national church, separate from Roman authority, and the first successful radical religious movement.
The legacy of Jan Hus and the Hussites would serve as the inspiration for the Protestant Reformation of the 16th Century.