Many collectors will probably recognise this stamp issue, designed after works by Gyula Tóth and depicting medieval warriors with their weapons. The combination of historicist subject matter, monumental presentation and Art Deco makes the issue unique not only for its period but also in the history of Hungarian philately.
But have you ever noticed that the designs of the 3+1-fillér and 4+1-fillér stamps are almost identical? Apart from their colours and, of course, their denominations, there is one small but highly significant difference between them. What is it?
The Post originally planned to issue a surcharged set of eight denominations. The surcharge was intended to support war-relief work. The eight-denomination set was placed on sale on 15 March 1943.
Only afterwards was it discovered that the original design submitted to the State Printing House had been altered without authorisation. The shield, originally designed with only an oval central field, had been given an Arrow Cross, one of the symbols of the Hungarian far-right National Socialist movement.
After the sabotage was discovered, the Post withdrew the 3+1-fillér value from sale on 8 April. On 27 April it reissued the stamp inscribed “CSATABÁRDOS” (warrior with battle-axe) at a denomination of 4+1 fillér and in a different colour. Even then, however, the stamp did not fully conform to Tóth’s original design, since his drawings showed no symbol on the shield. On the 4+1-fillér stamp, the much-discussed shield instead bore a cross-shaped ornament.
Thus the War Relief issue, originally planned with eight denominations, ultimately consisted of nine different stamps, and naturally the used 3+1-fillér value is considerably scarcer than the other denominations.
The highest-denomination stamp in the set also deserves mention, as it is an interesting historical document of the first half of the 1940s. By then, Regent Miklós Horthy, head of a kingdom without a king, had already appeared on several Hungarian stamp issues. His deceased son, his wife and his son’s widow had also appeared on Hungarian stamps.
Perhaps the final value of the War Relief issue is the most revealing stamp of the period. Above the Hungarian coat of arms, almost completely covering it, appears the central motif of the Horthy family coat of arms, presenting the Horthy family at an almost dynastic level.
It is remarkable how much history these tiny pieces of paper can preserve.
