ISSUES OF THE SOVIET REPUBLIC Nos. 225-262

[In the present Scott Catalogue Nos. 223-305 are unassigned. These issues – 225-262 – (the szeged issue) are now listed as ‘Occupation Issues’ in the back of the Hungary listing and are assigned the numbers 1-P1.]

During this same period a government in opposition to the Soviet Republic government then in control of Budapest, was established and known as the National Counter Government in Szeged (a town in Hungary). This government surcharged Types A 9 and A 10 with the words in a square, MAGYAR / NEMZETI / KORMANY / SZEGED / 1919 (the translation reading Hungarian Government Szeged in 1919.)
On #240 and #241 new values were prepared by an additional surcharge.

#246-258 the above overprint was applied to those formerly overprinted Koztarsasag and #239 contains an additional surcharge changing the value.

William and Doris Stericker of the Austro Hungarian Philatelic society give us the following detailed information in connection with the SZEGED issues: The overprinting was started in King’s Press in Szeged, but as the printing progressed, a printers’ strike took place; a portion of the overprints were finished there, but since the owners of the press would not continue the work, the material was transferred to another print shop and there completed, so that the balance of the overprints were by non-professional hands and even by minor postal officials. Hence the preparation of the overprints was accomplished under considerable difficulty. This is noticeable in the overprints, since many errors occur in the text of the overprints. It is interesting that since the stamps were prepared in half-sheets in two different print shops, one may find a sheet in which the upper half (50 stamps) was done in one print shop and the lower half in another. One can see these differences in pairs from the middle of the sheet. Stamps with cinnabar or dark green were produced in the first print shop, and carmine or dark green in the second print shop. Also that values not given here with overprints or overprints in other than the given colors are proofs. They further tell us the overprint of print shop one can be recognized because the printing shows through strongly on the back. The following will give you a list of the number surcharged in the two print shops:

Reaper                    Issued      Press
2f. (g) Yellow brown      17,800      1
3f. (g) red lilac         51,400      1
5f. (r) yellow green      14,300      1, 2
6f. (r) green blue           900      1, 2
15f. (r) violet           11,300      1, 2
20f. (r) sepia*              400      1, 2
25f. (r) blue             22,800      1, 2
45 on 3f. (g) red lilac   50,000      1
open 4 ……………                1
Karl and Zita
10f. (g) brick red        16,400      1
20f. (r) dark brown       66,400      1, 2
25f. (r) blue              1,500      1, 2
40f. (r) olive             3,500      1, 2
Parliament
50f. (r) lilac             2,100      1
75f. (r) bright blue       9,700      1
80f. (r) yellow green      2,200      1
1k. (g) dark red          18,000      1
2k. (r) olive brown        8,600      1
3k. (r) dark violet, gray  5,500      1
5k. (r) dark brown           400      1
10k.(r) chocolate & lilac    400      1
10k. on 1 k.(g) dark red   5,000      1
Newspaper Stamps (Special Delivery)
(2f.) (g) orange          48,299      1
2f. (r) gray olive-red     3,700      1, 2
War Relief
10 (+2) f. (g) red        47,200      1
15 (+2) f. (r) violet     10,400      1. 2
40 (+2) f. (g) dark red    4,000      1

Koztarsasag Overprints on Reaper and Parliament

3f. (g) red lilac            700      1
4f. (r) slate              3,600      1, 2
5f. (r) yellow green       1,600      1, 2
6f. (r) greenish blue      2,700      1, 2
10f. (g) brick red         1,200      1, 2
20f. (r) sepia               500      1, 2
20 on 2f. (g) yell brown  50,700      1, 2
40f. (r) olive green      17,400      1, 2
3K. (r) violet and gray      800      1
Koztarsasag, Karl and Zita
10f. (g) brick red         1,300      1
15f. (r) violet            4,000      1, 2
20f. (r) dark brown          300      2
25f. (r) blue              2,000      1, 2
50f. (r) purple           22,200      1, 2
Koztarsasag War Relief
40 (+2) f. (g) dark red    2,600      1
Postage Due
2f. (r) green and red     13,600      1, 2
6f. (r)    ”  ”   ”        4,100      1
10f. (r)   ”  ”   ”       10,600      1
12f. (r)   ”  ”   ”        8,400      1
20f. (r)   ”  ”   ”        6,500      1
30f. (r)   ”  ”   ”        4,400      1
50 on 2f. (r)   ”         15,000      1
100 on 2f. (r)   ”        15,000      1

This was a very unsettled period in Hungary, and rather than take the necessary time to issue new stamps, the supplies then in the various large post offices were surcharged or overprinted to fill the need, even to the extent of using up some values for which there was no use, by surcharging them with new values. These are all known to exist on cover and are just as much a part of your Hungarian collection as any of the other stamps, but the warning against forgery overprints cannot be stressed too strongly.

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