Kaiser Wilhelm II 5 Mark – Inverted Centre Error
This German stamp depicts Kaiser Wilhelm II giving a speech in 1896 to mark the 25th anniversary of the German Empire. The definitive stamp was first issued in 1900 and remained in use in s…
Read →STORIES BEHIND STAMPS
Stamp Stories
Stories, people and remarkable moments told through stamps.
1931 Zeppelin
The Hungarian Automobile Club, together with other affiliated associations and under the direction of the relevant federation, organised the Graf Zeppelin airship’s visit to Hungary and its…
Read →
The First Hungarian Souvenir Sheet – 1934 LEHE
The first souvenir sheet appeared in Luxembourg in 1923. Its issue sparked a new collecting craze, sometimes described as “souvenir-sheet mania”, and other countries soon followed. Great Br…
Read →
Space Rocket? Moon Rocket? Soviet Flag? Which One Is the Error?
Like the Nagymánya error, the stamps shown above have caused plenty of confusion. When collectors see an image of a valuable error, their eyes often light up in the hope that the same stamp…
Read →
Inverted Jenny – The Stamp Error Worth 540 Million Forints
A major error regarded by stamp collectors as one of philately’s Holy Grails. It is easy to see why: 105 years ago a collector bought a sheet of 100 for $24, while today individual examples…
Read →
Embroidered and Paprika-Scented Stamps – Kalocsa
Many people think of stamps as boring little pieces of paper. Yet Hungary can be remarkably creative when producing special stamps, especially when presenting national traditions and cultur…
Read →
Which One Is the Error Worth Millions?
The stamps above have caused a great deal of confusion. When less experienced collectors see pictures of a valuable major error, their eyes immediately light up because they think the same …
Read →
A “Pöttyös Jóska” Sold for 2.2 Million Forints!
Hungary’s first postage stamp was issued in 1871 and depicted Emperor Franz Joseph I. The printing turned out so badly, however, that the stamps were not allowed to enter circulation.
Read →
Stamp Collectors as Patrons of Sport
The world’s first “football” stamp was issued in Hungary in 1925. Today, in an age of footballers earning millions of dollars and stadiums springing up everywhere, the inscription on the re…
Read →
Let the Stamp Stories Begin
In Hungary, the korona and fillér replaced the forint and krajcár in 1900, so the Royal Hungarian Post also had to replace its earlier Krajcár stamps. People probably did not mind: by then …
Read →
The $3.5 Million Stamp Error
Major stamp errors are usually born in the printing works, but the fate of this stamp was decided at the design stage. It is not a rarity—4.9 billion (!) examples entered circulation—yet a …
Read →
How Much Is a Stamp Worth? – Stamps at Face Value
Some people find their parents’ or grandparents’ carefully preserved stamp albums and immediately think they have won the lottery. Looking at the neatly arranged old pieces of paper, they i…
Read →
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary was born in Sárospatak on 7 July 1207, 816 years ago. She was the third of the five children of King Andrew II of Hungary and Gertrude of Merania. In accordance w…
Read →
Sir Isaac Newton Was Born 380 Years Ago Today
🍎 Sir Isaac Newton, the English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher and alchemist, one of the outstanding scientists of modern history, was born 380 years ago today. 🍎
Read →
1917 Margaret Island – Transylvanian War Exhibition
In the autumn of 1917, the peaceful island of walkers, runners and couples was transformed into a battlefield. Had we visited it then, we would have seen ruined houses, shell craters, gun p…
Read →
1949 World Festival of Youth and Students
During the Cold War, the World Festival of Youth and Students—commonly abbreviated in Hungarian as VIT—was an important propaganda instrument and ideological platform of the socialist “peac…
Read →
Let Me Show You My Stamp Album
Did you think stamp collecting was already extinct? Do you imagine that loving stamps is a hobby only for grumpy old men? Believe me, you are mistaken! Thousands of us in Hungary still enjo…
Read →
Audrey Hepburn’s $176,000 Cigarette
One of the most widespread myths about stamps is that the older a stamp is, the more valuable it must be. Few examples disprove that idea better than this German stamp, which is not old at …
Read →
The Earliest Mailed Penny Black Goes to Auction
A remarkable Penny Black is about to go under the hammer in an online Sotheby's auction. Experts estimate a sale price of between $1.5 million and $2.5 million. If it reaches the estimate, …
Read →
1936 Winter Olympics
The 1936 Winter Olympic Games, officially the IV Olympic Winter Games, were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Germany, from 6 to 16 February 1936.
Read →
Inverted Crowned Madonna
The most valuable and probably the most famous Hungarian major error belongs to the Crowned Madonna series printed between 1921 and 1925. On one sheet of the 5,000-korona value, the central…
Read →
The Penny Black: The World’s First Postage Stamp
On 6 May 1840, postal history reached a major milestone when the Penny Black, the world’s first officially issued postage stamp, entered use in the United Kingdom. This tiny piece of paper …
Read →
Discover the Green Book
A database of Hungarian stamps, all in one place. Market prices, auction offers, a community knowledge base and collection management.
Read →
Inflation Record Holders
We Hungarians like to be among the world leaders. Our outstanding scientists, athletes and artists have written their names into history. Since mediocrity is not really our style, we occasi…
Read →
The Show Must Go On – Freddie Mercury’s Stamps Live On
The Show Must Go On – Freddie Mercury’s stamps live on Did you know that one of the greatest singers of all time, Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, was also a stamp collector? His collection …
Read →
Which Was the First Hungarian Stamp?
Which was the first Hungarian stamp? For many countries, the answer is straightforward. The United Kingdom is proud of the 1840 Penny Black and France of its 1849 Ceres stamp, but in Hungar…
Read →