HUNGARY STAMPS 

The first Hungary stamps were Austrian stamps issued 1 June 1850, then for Austria and Hungary on 1 June 1867, and Hungary alone on 20 June 1868. An independent Hungarian postal administration was created in May 1867, as a result Austrian stamps were withdrawn on 31 May and demonetized on 15 June. A joint issue was used throughout the Dual Monarchy for just over a year and the first stamps for Hungary alone were Newspaper stamps issued on 20 June 1868. However the first postage stamps of Hungary were issued 1 May 1871 and some of the rarest Hungary stamps come from this Lithographed provisional issue.This Dual Monarchy entered World War I on 28 July 1914 when war was declared on Serbia in retaliation for the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand at Sarajevo. Throughout the war, Hungarian forces fought with the Austrians on the eastern and southern fronts. All occupation stamps were overprinted on Austrian military post stamps. On 16 November a People's Republic was formed. Overprinted stamps were issued on 23 November 1918.

The People's Republic was replaced by a Bolshevik regime under Bela Kun on 22 March 1919. Stamps for this government were issued on 14 June. At the same time a national government was formed in opposition under Admiral Horthy at Szeged and overprinted stamps for this were issued on 28 June 1919. This area was under French occupation. The French were also in occupation of the region of Arad and issued overprinted stamps for this area in May 1919. On 1 March 1920 Admiral Horthy was appointed Regent of Hungary after the National Assembly declared that Hungary was still a kingdom. The link with Austria was finally dissolved. Admiral Horthy continued as Regent of Hungary until October 1944. On 1 February 1946 the kingdom, which had lasted without a king since 1918, was replaced by a republic. Stamps for the new constitution were issued on 12 February 1946. We recommend the stamp listings in the Stanley Gibbons Part 2 “Austria & Hungary”, also the Michel “Mittel- Europa” Volume 1.

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