Winter Newsletter 2023: New Stamp Issues of Eastern Europe

Dear Friends and Philatelic Collectors,

Join us in welcoming 2023!

Turning the page of the calendar to the New Year is our favorite time of year for us here at Hungaria Stamp Exchange. Why? Because we can now share most of our exciting information about the 2022 New Stamp Issues of Eastern Europe. ≈ there are offerings of mischievous mice and literary cats, prehistoric animals, bomb sniffing dogs, trains and planes, bridges and more. For Country collectors we will be offering full year sets for Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Moldova, Armenia, Ukraine and the Baltic nations Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

HSE is pleased to offer 2022 Europa stamps of Eastern Europe on the topic of Stories and Myths. We continue to offer the stamps of Eastern Europe and selected other countries in support of Peace for Ukraine. And for a special surprise we are delighted to share a preview of our newest collection “Royals” on Stamps.

Art on Stamps

Art stamp offerings of Eastern Europe continue to be an eclectic group of offerings with cubist artists, classical portrait painters, gothic church murals and even children’s art.

Czech gothic mural paintings : The background mural, connecting both stamps in the sheet, comes from the former St Anna’s Church in Prague’s Old Town. The quality of this Assumpta with the apostles Philip and James was absolutely unique at the time of its creation.

Read more: Winter Newsletter 2023: New Stamp Issues of Eastern Europe

Music

Music depicted this year on stamps include two countries honoring rock musicians.  Hungarian Rock Classics celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Band Lord. Czech Republic stamps commemorate the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Czech rock band Olympic. The band was founded in 1963 by Miroslav Růžek under the original name Karkulka. The debut album Želva is considered one of the breakthrough albums of Czech big beat. The band won numerous awards during its existence.

Hungary stamp issuance celebrates the opening of the beautifully renovated Opera House.

Animals

Depicted on stamps of Eastern Europe this year come in all varieties of both cuteness and fierceness. From the carriage horses of the Czech Republic to their cuddly kittens to the pre-historic animal Triceratops of Armenia. It seems, however, that the dog that has endeared stamp collectors from all countries is Patron, the bomb sniffing dog of Ukraine.

Patron

Nature Protection & National Parks and Gardens

Czech Nature Protection: Wildlife Around Macha’s Region. For almost 100 years, Mácha Lake and its surroundings have been one of the top recreational areas in this country, and it is currently probably the most famous summer recreation centre in the Czech Republic

Science

Offerings on Eastern European stamps include Slovakia commemoration 150 years of Scientific Observations of the Earth and 50th Anniversary of the Launch of the International System for the Transmission of Gas via Slovakia. Hungary offerings include 200th Birth Anniversary of Louis Pasteur, the French microbiologist and chemist who developed the vaccine against rabies, commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Polar Explorer, Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) and Croatia Minerals and Rocks.

Philately & Authors

Transportation

Transportation on stamps of Eastern Europe include electric trams, trains and planes.

Czech stamp features Tram No. 18, the oldest electric tram in Central Europe that can still be used in transportation. It was built in the Pilsen auto body shop of Václav Brožík and Czech electrotechnical inventor František Křižík. It was the first tram to run on the newly opened tramways in Pilsen on 29 June 1899. The second Czech offering commemorates the 150 years of the KOŠICE-BOHUMÍN RAILWAY and displays the symbolic motifs of a railway engine with a historical map shown in the background of the  miniature sheet; it is a Joint Issue with Slovakia.

Armenia stamp Means Of Transportation features a tram against the background of a building on Abovyan Street in Yerevan; while the Hungary stamp celebrates the 150th anniversary of the founding of GYSEV, a Hungarian-Austrian railway company based in Sopron, Hungary. The company is a joint enterprise of the states of Hungary and Austria.

Landmarks, Museums, Castles & Culture

Landmarks, Museums and Castles have a rich cultural heritage in Eastern Europe and continuing to be an inspiration for many of the beautiful stamp issued.

Eastern Europe has a vast group of resources for stamp offerings of landmarks, museums, castles and culture. Stamp offerings include the Slovakia 150th Anniversary of the East Slovak Museum and Hungary Museum of Ethnography. Armenia’s stamp issuance on Historical and Cultural Monuments includes Royal tomb of Aghdzk, located in Aghdzk village in the Aragatsotn Region, and Khoranashat monastic complex  located in Chinari village of the Tavush Region.

The Croatia issuance of Ancient cities of the Mediterranean: Pula – Pola is part of the – EuroMed Postal Union issues. The Postal Union for the Mediterranean (PUMed) was established in Rome, 2011, by 14 Postal Operators across the Mediterranean Region under the Universal Postal Union (UPU) umbrella.  Today, PUMed counts up to 23 members. It is mainly composed of Arab Permanent Postal Commission  and PostEurop.

Sports & Olympics

Stamp Issuances of Eastern Europe include Moldova, Croatia and Kazakhstan and Slovakia, Poland Olympics and Paralympics, Armenia FIFA World Cup and Slovakia Summer European Youth Olympic Festival.

Celebrations & Holidays

Christmas, Easter and even the celebration of Friendship are important events for stamp issues of Eastern Europe.

Lunar New Year

“Year of The Tiger” stamp offerings from Armenia, Hungary and Romania.

Europa

Europa are special stamp issues offered by European Postal administrations to promote cooperation across postal domains and philately. These stamps help build awareness of common culture, roots and history of Europe. The common topic of the 2022 EUROPA series issued by the participating countries is “Stories and Myths”.

Peace For Ukraine

Stamp Issuances include offerings from Ukraine to support the war and humanitarian efforts as well as issuances by many other Eastern European countries in a display of solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

“Royals” On Stamps Of Eastern Europe

HSE is delighted to preview its newest collection of “Royals” on Stamps of Eastern Europe. This collection ranges from Maria Teresa, Holy Roman Empress Joint issue with Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Austria and Ukraine to St. Vladimir, Kvivan Prince to the Hungarian Crown of St. Stephen.

We have also included” in memoriam issuances” of Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II. While Queen Elizabeth may have not been a ruler in Eastern Europe, her kinship runs through the Romanov line in Russia and Hapsburgs in Austria Hungary.

From All Of Us at Hungaria Stamp Exchange, we wish you a Peaceful and Healthy New Year.

Going On a Philatelic Holiday through the Coastal Countries of Eastern Europe

Whether  you enjoy taking a holiday indoors or outdoors in the summer or winter, alone in solitary reflection or with family and friends, we here at Hungaria Stamp Exchange are sure you will delight in enjoying the colorful engaging stamps of the Coastal Countries of Eastern Europe as we embark on our Philatelic Holiday.

Which are the Coastal Countries of Eastern Europe?

While some of us may associate Eastern Europe with landlocked countries, the majority of countries in Eastern Europe have a coastal border. In the north, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as well as the Russian city of Kaliningrad have a border on the coast of the Baltic Sea. In the West, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, and Albania each have a coastal border on the Adriatic Sea. In the South, Greece has a coast on and many islands in the Aegean Sea while Turkey has a coast on the Aegean Sea as well as on the Black Sea. On the East, in addition to Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia and Russia have coasts on the Black Sea.

It sounds like we have lots of Eastern Europe Coastal countries for enjoying our philatelic holiday! Now we can decide on our holiday venue, whether the mountains and streams of a national park, the splendor of a world heritage site, or beaches.

Europa

Some of these delightful stamps we have selected for our Coastal Eastern European Philatelic holiday are Europa stamp issuances. Europa are special stamp issues offered by European Postal administrations to promote cooperation across postal domains and philately. These stamps help build awareness of common culture, roots and history of Europe. Each year Europa stamps are issued by European postal administrations and enterprises and bear the official EUROPA logo, Europe being the central theme with a specific topic selected annually.

Lithuania 2012 Europa Visit… Tete Beche

The Romania set includes a Crane in Danube Delta and Castle and mountains while the Ukraine offering is a mini-souvenir sheet and the Lithuania issuance is a delightful Tete-Beche depicting hills, trees and rivers and buildings.

Holiday Venues

Of course now we need to decide whether to fish, hike, sunbathe, take in the magnificent species of the marine life of the sea, or just enjoy the gastronomic experience of these amazing countries.

The dramatic Romania sheet features a Seahorse, Dolphin, Loggerhead Turtle and Tub Gunard. The colorful Albania souvenir sheet issuance features a Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Dolphin, Blue shark, Torpedo fish and Octopus.

The Black Sea Marine Life Joint stamp issues of Bulgaria and Ukraine depict dolphins and barnacles while the souvenir sheet of Ukraine Black Sea Marine life features sea horse, dolphins and birds.

Bosnia (Serb) Europa 2004 Holiday

For the outdoor enthusiast, who can resist hiking in Greece represented by stamps Greece – 2012 Nature Tourism stamp set or hiking in the Carpathian Garden of Romania depicted in the Romania set – Carpathian Garden, unless it is to kayak in Slovenia in the Mine Beneath Mount Peca.

Gastronomy

Naturally, there can not be a complete holiday unless it includes a gastronomic experience and the stamp issuances of the Coastal Eastern Europe countries certainly will not disappoint.

Traditional Gastronomy in the Mediterranean, set issued by Greece  includes Spanakopita (Spinach pie) Octopus, Lamb, and  Moussaka. Croatia issuance Protected Foods set includes Croatia issued Traditional Mediterranean Gastronomy, The Rab Cake is so much more than a dessert made of meticulously chosen local ingredients: almonds, aromatic lemons, and tart cherry liqueur, with a touch of the sun. It tells the history of the town and the island where every stone house remembers dozens of generations. Of course we should complete our Slovenia Philatelic Gastronomy experience with this 2005 Europa Issuance of a glass of wine!

Who can possibly resist the the delightful Bulgaria stamp issuance which includes Man Diving Through Flaming Heart, Baby Emerging From Chalice, Grapevine, bird, wine coming from vat, Waiter carrying tray with glass and bottle of wine.

Tourism

Our philatelic holiday is filled with many opportunities for Tourism in the Coastal Countries of Albania, Montenegro and Croatia.

Croatia presided over the European Union in 2020 and designated the European Capital of Culture as Rijeka! Nested within northern coastal Croatia’s stunning landscapes, Rijeka is a place beaming with life and a bastion of free-spirited, peaceful coexistence and progressive thinking. Having developed under no less than seven different countries within the last hundred years, Rijeka and its residents offer a plethora of cultural and historical heritage sites. This joint issuances with Ireland celebrating their coastal city of Galway is truly a spirit of coastal cooperation.

Transportation

Deciding how to get to our holiday location gives us many  Eastern European philatelic choices whether it be planes or trains, boats and ships or car. Eastern European Coastal Countries give us a wide variety of boat and ship choices: from a fishing dinghy to sailing ships to Viking ships,  but we should definitely avoid the war ships. How exciting would a trip on the Orient Express be?

How exciting would a trip on the Orient Express be?

Romania

Carnivals and Festivals

Let’s not forget those of us that might be traveling with children, grandchildren or nieces and nephews, who can resist carnivals, festivals and the circus or even stamp collecting with the next generation!

We hope you enjoyed “Going On a Philatelic Holiday through the Coastal Countries of Eastern Europe” with us here at HSE and will spend some time browsing through these many exciting stamp offerings in our online store.

The Bauer Family

Hungaria Stamp Exchange

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