The early usage of Hradcany issue
by Lubor Kunc
First time published in the Czechoslovak Specialist No. 6/ 2001
český obsah:
Tento text se zabývá známkami Hradčany použitými v prosinci
1918.
The first stamps of Hradcany set were issued in
December 1918 as the first stamp of newly created Czechoslovakia . The stamps
were not used very often within the month, sometimes you can find a statement,
that the entires franked with the Hradcany stamps and mailed during the
December 1918 are more rare than the first Austrian entires sent in June 1850 .
The
reasons for exceptional usage of the Hradcany set in December 1918 are as
follows :
- The first Hradcany
stamps were issued in second half of the month ;
- The old Austrian and
Hungarian stamps remained valid, the senders of mail were used to frank
with the old stamps and they have sufficient quantity of them at home or
in office . In addition postal offices franked the money orders and
another postal forms by old Austrian and Hungarian stamps to exhausted the
stock of these old stamps;
- Never before December
1918 any postal stamps had been printed on Czechoslovak territory, the
printing houses of former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy were situated in
Vienna and Budapest ; thanks to this situation, there was shortage of
printers experienced in postage stamps printing, machinery, paper, colors
etc. , so the printing house Ceska graficka unie had to use the typography
as the easiest type of printing and the quantities of Hradcany stamps
issued within the first month was very limited ;
The
Czechoslovak Postal Administration issued following Hradcany stamps in 1918 :
- on Dec. 18, 1918 the 5
Hellers yellow green (Trojan 3; Scott 2)
- on Dec. 18, 1918 the
10 Hellers rose (Trojan 5; Scott 3)
- on Dec. 21, 1918 the 3
Hellers red violet (Trojan 2; Scott 1)
- on Dec. 30, 1918 the
20 Hellers bluish green (Trojan 8; Scott 4)
- on Dec. 30, 1918 the
25 Hellers deep blue (Trojan 10; Scott 5)
Not so widely known is the fact, that the Hradcany
stamps were originally denominated in Hellers of Austrian and not Czechoslovak
currency. The Czechoslovak Crown was established first time in February 1919
(monetary reform done from Feb. 25, 1919 to March 9, 1919 known among
collectors for the end of validity of Austro-Hungarian stamps in
Czechoslovakia), so all stamps issued until its begin were denominated in
Austrian currency and during the reform they were re-denominated into
Czechoslovak currency (without any overprint, just in book keeping) . The
expectation of soon establishing of Czechoslovak own currency led to making the
face values of all Hradcany stamps just in figures without mentioning of
currency .
On December 18, 1918 and during few next days the stamps
were sold only in Prague . The quantity of stamps was in these days so small,
that every visitor of philatelic window of Main Post Office of Prague (post
office Praha 1) could buy only up to 10 pieces of each stamp. The collectors
usually asked to cancel the issued stamps as souvenir, but there are known
covers franked with them (usually registered) mailed on the day .
Austrian stamp of 3 Crowns & Hradcany
5 Heller + 10 Hellers stamps ; all used on Dec. 18, 1918
Majority of covers coming from period Dec. 18 – 19,
1918 was sent from post offices Praha 8 (sender was stamp dealer
Based on my own searching the dealer Cerny mailed
only on Dec. 18, 1918 at least 10 pieces of registered letters franked with
Hradcany stamps (no. of registered labels of post office Praha 8 known to me on
his covers are 3417 and 3426 ); the dealer Sasek at least 9 pieces of
registered letters franked with Hradcany stamps (no. of registered labels of
post office Praha 12 known to me on his covers are 732 and 740 ) and the
collector J. Baumgarten at least 16 pieces of registered letters (to Vienna,
Austria : no. of registered labels of post office Praha 1 known to me on his
covers are 6651 and 6666).
During December 1918 the printing house Ceska
graficka unie was overloaded by the printing of Hradcany stamps. The quantity
of stamps rapidly increased and after Dec. 20 the Hradcany stamps could be
distributed outside of Prague as well as to smaller post offices as well.
Block of four of
Hredcany 5 Hellers stamps cancelled on Dec. 21, 1918 on Prague 1 post office
(GPO)
From
this second period there is known more cards and covers (usually non-philatelic
like Christmas and New Year ´s cards) .
New Year card of 1918 bearing mixed
franking between two Austrian stamps and one Hradcany stamp. Total postage amounted to 11 Hellers, so the
entires was overfranked by 1 Heller, which is normal overfranking from that
time.
New Year card of 1918 franked with 10
Hellers Hradcany stamp in domestic postal traffic .
New Year card of 1918 franked with 10
Hellers Hradcany stamp in international postal traffic (sent to Vienna in
Austria) .
Majority of all existing entires of December 1918
has been franked with Hradcany 5 Heller and 10 Heller stamps. There are known
some pieces of 3 Heller stamps cancelled in December + few entires, on other
side there has not been found any entire franked in December 1918 with 20 + 25
Heller Hradcany stamp.
Hradcany 3 Hellers stamp cancelled on
Dec. 27, 1918 on Prague 1 post office (GPO)
Not
widely known among collectors is existence of commemorative sheet issued by
Czechoslovak Postal Administration to celebrate issue of first Czechoslovak
stamps (Hradcany as well as SOKOL issues) . The sheet was issued on Dec. 18,
1918 as well .
Here is its English translation: ”These first Czechoslovak stamps were
printed on Dec. 16, 1918 by printing house Ceska graficka unie in Prague as per
drawing of Alfons Mucha, when the position of first Czechoslovak Minister of
Post and Telegraphs was performed by Jiri Stribrny and the position of first
Czechoslovak General Director of Postal Administration was performed by Dr.
Maxmilian Fatka ” .
The commemorative sheet was also printed in the
Česká grafická unie printing house. Interesting are signatures of another persons
participating in issuance of first Czechoslovak stamps . The most popular
person of them is Mr. Jaroslav Leseticky, famous collector, journalist and
expert of Prague, who was employed by Czechoslovak Postal Administration (and
in past by Austro-Hungarian Postal Administration as well) .
As you know, the Hradcany issue can be collected
from various reasons: color differences, various perforations and papers,
printing errors, ”watermarks”, unissued stamps, single frankings, mixed
frankings with another issues and many others . Goal of the article was to
inform you about not so common procedure how to collect the stamps of the set.
Good luck in searching the at the moment not known
material ! If you find any new cover or card franked with Hradcany in December
1918, please be so kind to send me an e-mail (lubor.kunc@seznam.cz ) and I will list your discovery in my list of existing entires .
Resources:
- article published in
journal Filatelie 12/1999 (CZ)
- catalogs Trojan (CZ)
and Scott (USA)
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