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 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.
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.
“When The Cat’s Away The Mice Will Play”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.
ChristmasEasterPsyanky
Lunar New Year
“Year of The Tiger” stamp offerings from Armenia, Hungary and Romania.
Europa
Europaare 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”.
EUROPA “Stories & Myths”Europa : Hungary Stories & 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.
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.
Bosnia (Muslim) Europa 2004Bosnia (Croat) Europa 2004Greece Europa 2004Lithuania Europa 2004Latvia – Baltic Coast Landscapes
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.
Bosnia Visit …Croatia Tourism – National Parks, Lakes and CastlesCroatia Plitvice Lake & WaterfallsTurkey Coast of OrduUkraine Carpathian National Park
Europa
Some of these delightful stamps we have selected for our Coastal Eastern European Philatelic holiday are Europastamp 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.
Montenegro 2012 Europa Visit …Bosnia Croat 2012 Europa Visit …Romania 2012 Europa Visit…Ukraine 2012 Europa Visit…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.
Romania Black Sea FaunaAlbania Mediterranean Sea Life
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.
Bulgaria UkraineUkraine
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) Europa2004Holiday
For the outdoor enthusiast, who can resist hiking in Greece represented by stamps Greece – 2012 Nature Tourismstamp set orhiking 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.
TraditionalGastronomy 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!
BosniaCroatiaGeorgiaGreeceLatviaSloveniaRomania
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.
CroatiaCroatia Joint IssueMontenegroAlbania
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!
BulgariaCroatiaYugoslaviaHungary Stamp Day
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.
All of us at HSE wish you a good start to the New Year as we turn the page on 2021 which for many reasons seemed to be a year of ups, downs and arounds. With all of that taking place, we were so glad to hear from many of you about philatelic events and happenings as well as your renewed or continued interest in stamp collecting.
We do thank each of you for your continued support and interest in the offerings from the Hungaria Stamp Exchange and look forward to working with you in the New Year.
Looking forward on the philatelic horizon it is now time for us to share highlights of HSE’s eclectic new issues of Eastern European philately for 2021 with a strong focus on protecting the environment and other offerings which we are sure will delight both topical and country collectors.
Always seem to be popular stamp issuances. We found the following hard to resist. Whether Czech Republic Young Animals: Puppies Booklet or Romania Man’s Best Friend is a heartwarming set of 4 stamps of service dogs helping people and dogs with children.
Croatia Children’s World: Cats III is a set of colorful captivating stamps of cats from four parts of the world: Bengal cat, Bombay cat, Egyptian Mau and the Norwegian forest cat.
Children’s Stories & Fairytales
Did you ever wonder where the story of Puss in Boots originated? In Czechoslovakia! And, now there is a wonderful issuance celebrating the famous 1935 work of writer and illustrator Josef Lada which was dedicated to his daughters. Nico in boots and jacket setting out on a journey depicted from the original book about the small black pussy cat in boots called Mikeš (the name was translated into English as Nico) and 38 other languages.
· Czech 2021 Tomcat Mikeš ( Nico Puss In Boots)
Cartoon & Fairytale Characters
Hungary continues its series of cartoon and fairytale characters with a delightful miniature stamp sheet celebrating Kukori and Korkoda.
Protection of the Resources of Eastern Europe
Many of the new issues of 2021 focused on the protection and restoration of Eastern Europe’s natural resources and landmarks, preservation of endangered species (Europa 2021) and natural resource management.
Europa: Endangered Species
Europaare special stamps issued by European postal administrations which focus on Europe as the central theme. HSE is pleased to continue its offerings of Europa stamps from several Eastern Europe countries. The theme for Europa 2021 is Endangered National Wildlife and the range of wildlife covered in this collection is amazing. One of the stamp offerings from Poland, the Eurasian Lynx, was voted most beautiful Europa stamp in 2021!
Poland – 2021 Europa: Endangered National Wildlife
Europa Endangered Species: Russia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Armenia, RomaniaEuropa Endangered Species: Czech Republic, Macedonia and Greece
Europa Endangered Species: Estonia 2 Pairs Tete Beche
Europa Endangered Species: Hungary Miniature Sheet
Preservation of Natural Resources
These stamp issuances are beautiful in their own right but even more amazing are the actual natural resources of Eastern Europe that they represent.
The Czech Rare Rock Formation Divic Kameny stamp depicts unique rock formations formed during the Ice age, while the Czech Milovice Nature Preserve is the first in the world to include and cohabitate three species: bison, wild horses and aurochs(an extinct wild ox of Eastern Europe). The Czech Ramsar Convention issue celebrates the 50th Anniversary to protect wetlands, while Slovakia issuance celebrates the Demanovska Cave of Liberty.
Preservation of Resources : Slovakia & Czech Republic
Preservation of Resources: Czech Republic
Hungary One With Nature Exhibition is set of 8 stamps or sovenir sheet spotlighting the One With Nature Exhibition where hunting, forestry, fishing themes combine with sustainability of nature. The 8 stamp set represents the animals and the souvenir sheet has portraits of Zsigmond Szechenyi (Hungarian hunter), Kalmon Kettenberger (Hungarian Africa researcher) and Józef Attila (prize winning writer)
Hungary One With Nature Exhibition
Other stamp issuances highlighting the natural resources of Eastern Europe include Hungary Pollinating Insects, Romanian birds and desert fauna (yes, Romania has a desert) and Croatian fauna. The Croatian issuance includes Bottlenose Dolphin, Devil Ray and Loggerhead Sea Turtle.
A truly special issuance is the one from the Ukraine, “Look Into the Future”, which commemorates the 35th Anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Ukraine “Look Into The Future”
Czech Republic EXPO Dubai 2020. This issuance celebrates the first EXPO of its kind held in the Middle East and will house international exhibits of participating countries.Czech Republic EXPO Dubai 2020 was originally scheduled in 2020 later moved to October 2021-March 2022. The Czech Republic presentation is a unique oasis project developed by the scientists from the University Center for Energy at the Czech Technical University in Prague. Using Solar power only, the system is designed to convert air to water overnight.
Planet Budapest issuance highlights the Sustainability Summit held in Budapest. The summit is the joint effort of the Visegrad countries dealing with sustainable development. The purpose is to draw attention to adverse environmental, social and economic processes and to show these negative changes can still be reversed. The Visegrad countries (V4) include Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.
Joint Issues in 2021
include the Visegrad Group (V4) 30th Anniversary, Croatia/Kyrgyzstan Protected Bird White Winged Woodpecker, Croatia/PolandSton Saltworks and Bochnia Salt Mine.
Visegrad Group (V4) includes the countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The Visegrad Group was created with the aim of moving away from Communism and implementing the reforms required for full membership into the Euro-Atlantic Institutions. The 1991 Visegrad Declaration is part of the tradition of cooperation between neighboring countries with a common destiny. This joint issue celebrates 30 years of close political, economic and social relations.
Joint Issue Celebrating 30th Anniversary of the Creation of the Visegrad Group (V4)
Croatia-Kyrgyzstan Protected Bird Series : White Winged Woodpecker. The white-winged woodpecker is a relatively little-known species of Central Asian woodpecker. It extends from the western shores of the Aral Sea to the east along northern Kyrgyzstan and southern Kazakhstan to western China, south to the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
Bochnia Salt Mine & Ston Saltworks issuance is a beautiful depiction of The Saltworks which are the oldest in Europe with a tradition over many centuries starting with the Romans. Salt provided the means for the Romans to overpower the indigenous Illyrian population starting in 36 BC. The quality of the salt is exceptional and is now a historical treasure to be protected.The Bochnia Salt mine’s greatest treasure is it’s unique microclimate providing it with unique therapeutic properties and as such in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Trains & Cars (Vintage and otherwise)
Eastern Europe new stamp issues of 2021 find trains in the most unusual places from the Czech Republic stamp of the Negrelli Viaduct, to Armenia locomotive to the Classic Rock music stamp from Hungary featuring the band Locomotiv GT.
Czech Alois Negrell Railway pioneer is celebrated on the issuance of the Negrelli Viaduct train bridge stamp. Since the completion of construction in 1849 it continues to be the longest railway bridge in Central Europe and the first constructed of granite.
Car issuances range from the Czech Wikow sports roadster to another Czech issuance honoring stamp designer Vaclav Zapadlik. This is complemented by the absolute opposite with the Croatia Crypto stamp withRimac Nevera, a fully electric hypercar able to achieve a top speed over 400 kilometers per hour and able to provide anunprecedented level of performance. It is completely designed, developed and manufactured at the company Rimac Automobili in Croatia.
Music
Eastern European stamp issuances continue to cover a wide range of musical offerings from the stamp celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Slovakia teachers choir, to the Croatia issuance offering of the 150th Anniversary of the Zagreb philharmonic orchestra, to the Hungary stamp celebrating the 50th Anniversary of rock band Locomotiv GT. The Czech Republic stamp honors Jazz Musician Gustav Brom who narrowly escaped arrest by the Gestapo at 18 years old to become the greatest Czech musician and longest lasting Eastern European big band leader of all time.
Works of Art on Stamps
Art on stamps as well as the recognition of Eastern European Artists are well represented in the new issues of 2021. Czech Republic issuances include celebrations of the works of sculptor Theodor Pistek, artist Frantisek Ronovsky and sculptor Bohumil Zemanek. Romania stamp celebrates the 190th Anniversary of the birth of Theodor Aman, Hungary celebrates the 550 anniversary of the birth of Albrecht Durer, while Bosnia (Serb) issuance is a depiction of “Luncheon on the Grass” by Sava Sumanovic.
Slovakia Bratislava Galeria Engraving by Matthaus Merian & Bosnia (Serb) “Luncheon On The Grass” by Sava Sumanovic
The issuance from Slovakia Adoration of the Magi from Zlaté Moravce, Souvenir Sheet, is one of the most beautiful depictions of this special event.
Sports & Olympics
What an interesting year 2021 was for sports and stamp issuances! The 2020 Summer Olympics were held in 2021 with stamp issuances having dates of 2020 and 2021. And now we are awaiting the start of the 2022 Winter Olympics! We hope you will watch for additional stamp issuances coming in the next few weeks.
Other sports issuances include HU Driving European Championship for Four In Hand celebrates the event staged at the “One with Nature” World of Hunting and Nature 50th Exhibition.
Hungary European Driving European Championship for Four In Hand
Armenia Football ChampionshipCseka Hiking TrailsSlovakia Petra Vihova Alpine World Cup ChampionHungary European Football Championship
Summer Olympics many of which were issued in 2020 but run in 2021 include issuances from Slovenia, Estonia, Moldova, Romania and Azerbaijan.
Cultural Stamps of Eastern Europe: Folk Festivals, Costumes, Jewelry & Gastronomy
Continue to provide some of the most entertaining and colorful stamp issuances of Eastern Europe. Here are some highlights of just a few of our favorites with many more to offer in the online store.
Czech Kyjov Folk Festival depicts highlights of the annual folk festival in Kyjov, capital of Moravian Slovakia region while there is also a stamp issue celebrating the Festival of Carnivals. Armenia stamp is a Traditional Cuisine offering featuring Ghapama (stuffed pumpkin).
Stamp issuances from Croatia include Procession of Za Krizen (Following the Cross) on the island of Hvarand Euro Med: Jewelry of the Mediterranean. One of the most luxurious forms of Dubrovnik traditional jewellery are gold earrings. These are the earrings worn by women from Konavle. They are called fjočice, and women from Konavle wear them as the traditional festive way of dressing on their wedding day and in the first year of marriage.
Croatia Annual Spring Procession of Queens (Ljelje from Gorjani). On Pentecost Sunday this ritual is celebrated in Slavonia, Baranja and Srjem and is known as Kings and Queens. There is a ritual procession by young girls through the village in colorful silk clothes. At the head of the procession are the Kings flowed by Queens. They are accompanied by musicians. The procession stops to perform at individual houses and there they are treated to food and drinks. Both of these Croatia Procession stamp offerings are included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage series.
Castles, Landmarks & Tourism
Eastern European stamp offerings are filled with beautiful castles and landmarks and many other interesting locations for tourism. Croatia series on Tourism features Nin, a Liburnian site and first capital of the Croats while also having stamp issuances on bridges, viaducts and castles. An ancient Fortress is depicted on the stamp from Armenia. Beautiful Stamps of Castles continue to be issued by Croatia, Czech Republic and Hungary.
Croatia, Czech, Hungary, Armenia Landmarks
Regions and Towns series also continue to celebrate amazing locations in Hungary. Perhaps one of the most unusual landmark buildings celebrated on stamps is the Czech issuance featuring The Dancing House, a contemporary art gallery.
Religion & Holidays
Stamp issuances present a wide range of lovely presentations from many Eastern European countries including Christmas and Easter Faience (glazed ceramic ware) from Slovakia; Easter and Christmas stamp issuances from Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia. Special religious issues include the Founding of the Dominican Order in Hungary, the 52nd Eucharist Congress in Hungary and Armenia Printing House of the Holy Etchmiadzin 250th Anniversary.
Croatia has continued its devotional series of the Marian shrines and Slovakia celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Consecration of the first Slovak Bishops.
And of course there is the fun celebration of Valentines Day of Bosnia (Croat) and Greetings of Love of All Kinds from Slovenia.
Space Exploration
Celebration of Space Exploration is an important focus this issue year with the 60th Anniversary of the first manned space flight of Yuri Gagarin and the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 14 with John Glenn. Special stamps celebrating the triumph of Gagarin were issued by Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia. Kyrgyzstan also issued a stamp of the orbital space station.
Bulgaria issued the celebration of the Apollo14 with John Glenn. And, who can resist the Bosnia issuance celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Orville Wright ?
Science & Health
With a world wide pandemic still taking its sad toll around the globe for a second year, many Eastern European countries have issued stamps honoring the medical professionals who have fought tirelessly against the Covid-19 Virus.
Other Science issuances include the 150th Anniversary of the Hurbanovo Observatory from Slovakia, Macedonia’s issuance to honor the 100th Anniversary Discovery of Insulin, Croatia stamp offering to celebrate the 100th Anniversary Création Association for Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Youth
Hungary has issued a stamp to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the birth of French writer, Jean De La Fontaine, with a Miniature Sheet.
On a different note, Croatia stamp issuance highlights UNICEF work in Croatia with a celebration of the 75th Anniversary with “A Smile for Every Child”.
Lunar New Year of the Ox
Is celebrated with stamp issuances from Bulgaria, Hungary, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Slovenia.
Philately & Postal History
Continue to be popular topics for both topical and country collectors alike. Czech Republic has issued a stamp to honor the tradition of stamp design (Vintage Car) while Slovakia has a Stamp Day issuance to honor Mikulas Klimcak. Hungary stamp issuances include celebration of 150 years of stamp production, honors to eminent philatelists, 94th Stamp Day and a continuation of postal history series which started in 2017.
HUNFILEX 2022
Hungaria Stamp Exchange is pleased to preview an exciting event scheduled for Spring 2022. Hunfilex 2022 is the first International philatelic exhibit of this magnitude in 50 years that Hungary is hosting. In 2022 Budapest will again be the venue for the World Stamp Championship.
One host of the event,the National Association of Hungarian Stamp Collectors (MABÉOSZ) will be celebrating the 100th year anniversary of its founding. This prestigious event will be co-hosted by the Organization of European Philatelic Associations (FEPA) welcoming stamp collectors from all over the world to Budapest. During the celebration several special issuances will be released. HSE will be sharing more information closer to the event.
We look forward to hearing from you in 2022 with tales of your stamp adventures.All good wishes for the New Year,
Looking at the Balkan area geographically, with a peninsula being a “piece of land almost entirely surrounded by water but connected to the mainland on one side”, let’s see what happens if we apply this definition to the Balkan States. Lands bordering the Balkan States in the North, Northwest and Northeast are Hungary, Italy and Moldova. Seas surrounding the Balkan States are the Adriatic in the West, Aegean in the South, Ionian in the Southwest and the Black Sea in the East. If we agree on the definition of the peninsula, then let’s look at who the current countries are on that peninsula and then their unique philatelic issuances. The former part appears to have an audience with varying opinions.
Our premise here at HSE is to include the following countries into the Balkans: Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Montenegro, Kosovo, (Republic of North) Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece and Turkey.
While some people may choose to exclude Greece and Turkey from the Balkans because only part of these countries actually sit on the peninsula, with only half of these two countries residing on the peninsula, both have played major roles in the development of the Balkan States. Besides, who could possibly deny Turkey being a Balkan country when the name Balkan is Turkish for mountain?
The Balkan States or The Balkans have been described by some people historically, culturally or along ethnic lines. The rugged terrain of the mountains, the containment of the four seas combined with the ethnic and cultural diversity of the people of the Balkan peninsula create an eclectic presentation in the amazing stamps of Eastern Europe.
As we launch into the beginning of summer, we here at Hungaria Stamp Exchange hope you are enjoying your continuing philatelic journey. We extend our appreciation for your support of the many magnificent topical and country stamps of Eastern Europe as part of your stamp collection process. With that in mind we are pleased to offer this newsletter on the Olympics, Sports and Music stamps of Eastern Europe.
Modern Era Olympics are well celebrated on the stamps of Eastern Europe and what could be more fitting than a review of these offerings in light of the most unusual circumstances for the 2020 Summer Olympics. First being scheduled during a global pandemic and now finally being played in 2021. We wish for success for each and every athlete at the Summer Games this year.
Philately and the modern day Olympics have a symbiotic relationship starting with the first modern day Games held in Athens in 1896 when Greece issued a series of stamps to mark the occasion. These stamps actually contributed to the financial success of the event which had been impacted by the financial and political crisis of the times.
Demetrios Sakorafos, the founder of the Greek philatelic association, had the idea of issuing a set of commemorative stamps with a nominal value higher than that of common postage stamps, with the proceeds going toward the fund for holding the Olympic Games. The stamps, with designs featuring ancient Greek athletic competitions, earned a considerable sum of money and the Greek Post became the first sponsor of the Modern Day Olympic Games. Initially only the Olympic host countries issued stamps to commemorate the Olympics. This tradition later ended when other countries alongside France issued stamps for the 1924 Paris Olympics. As the Olympic movement gained in popularity, interest in commemorative stamps grew among philatelic collectors. More stamps were published featuring specific athletes and sports. For more philatelic information on the Modern Day Olympics please refer to an earlier HSE Newsletter on Philately and The Modern Era Olympics.
Soviet stamps issued for the 1980 Moscow Olympics featured various sports and Olympic venues: the Krylatskoye Rowing Canal, the cycling track, and the sailing center, as well as Red Square and the 1980 Olympics mascot, Mishka the Bear. When more than 50 countries boycotted the games, these countries also cancelled their planned postage stamp issues or destroyed the issues printed. (As a trivia question, who can remember why countries including the United States boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics is Moscow?)
