Postage stamps 1913–1918

After the great flood of 1913 Turul stamps were overprinted 'árvízkárosultaknak külön' – extra, for the flood victims – and sold at a premium for those affected. In 1914 they were overprinted again, 'Hadi segély', as war aid for widows and orphans.

Sources: Hungarian Stamps: Charity issues

Right at the start of the war the 1913 flood stamps were overprinted again with 'Hadi segély' – war aid – and 'özvegyeknek és árváknak két (2) fillér': the 2-fillér surcharge went to the widows and orphans of the fallen. The 5 and 10 f appeared on 7 October 1914, the rest of the 17 values on 1 November 1914.

Sources: Hungarian Stamps: Charity Issues, StampWorld: Hungary 1914 – Hadi segély

As stocks of the flood stamps had run out, in January 1915 the same 'Hadi segély' overprint with a 2-fillér surcharge for widows and orphans was put on ordinary 1913 Turul stamps as well – hence the name Hadi segély II.

The reason for the second issue (the flood stamps running out) is not stated outright in the sources; treat it as likely rather than certain.

Sources: Hungarian Stamps: Charity Issues

Hungary's 1916 express stamp is headed MAGYAR KIR. POSTA and has the word SÜRGŐS (urgent) in red in the centre. After the republic was proclaimed it was overprinted KÖZTÁRSASÁG in 1919, and later that year it appeared with the new inscription MAGYAR POSTA.

Sources: Stamp Encyclopedia: Hungary – back of the book issues

The new postal tariff took effect on 1 October 1916, and that day the first Reaper stamps appeared – just the 10 and 15 fillér, with a white numeral on a coloured ground. From 1 November 1916 the full Reaper and Parliament series followed, and both values were then printed like the rest, with the numeral in the stamp's colour. The white-numeral stamps were overprinted in 1917–18 for Archduke Joseph's war exhibition.

Sources: Magyar Posta: 100 éves az Arató–Parlament bélyegsorozat, Hungarian Stamps: Harvesters Issues

After the overprinted flood-relief and ordinary Turul stamps of 1914 and 1915, further war-charity stamps appeared on 15 November 1916 – the 10+2 and 15+2 fillér. The 40+2 f followed only on 1 May 1917; it is usually counted with the set, but according to T. Clayton it does not really belong to it.

Sources: Hungarian Stamps: Charity Issues

Charles IV was crowned King of Hungary on 30 December 1916 in the Matthias Church in Buda. Prime Minister István Tisza asked for stamps with portraits of the royal couple, the king agreed on 15 December, and they appeared on coronation day, valid until 31 December 1917. Charles was the last crowned King of Hungary.

Sources: Otto von Habsburg Foundation: A royalist stamp designer, Wikipedia: Coronation of the Hungarian monarch

Hungary's new definitives came with the postal tariff in force from 1 October 1916 and, after seventeen years, replaced the Turul. The lower values (2–40 f) show reapers – the design of Ödön Tull, winner of a 1909 competition – and the higher ones (50 f – 10 K) the Parliament building in Budapest after Vilmos Brandmayer, who came third. The Parliament stamps were printed in two colours. The series outlived the monarchy: in 1918 the new republic overprinted it 'Köztársaság' (Republic).

Sources: Magyar Posta: 100 éves az Arató–Parlament bélyegsorozat, Hungarian Stamps: Parliament Issues, Stamp Encyclopedia: Hungary – 1871-1944 issues

Hungary's new definitives came with the postal tariff in force from 1 October 1916 and, after seventeen years, replaced the Turul. The lower values (2–40 f) show reapers – the design of Ödön Tull, winner of a 1909 competition – and the higher ones (50 f – 10 K) the Parliament building in Budapest after Vilmos Brandmayer, who came third. The Parliament stamps were printed in two colours. The series outlived the monarchy: in 1918 the new republic overprinted it 'Köztársaság' (Republic).

Sources: Magyar Posta: 100 éves az Arató–Parlament bélyegsorozat, Hungarian Stamps: Parliament Issues, Stamp Encyclopedia: Hungary – 1871-1944 issues

For Archduke Joseph's war exhibition the white-numeral Reaper stamps were overprinted in Hungarian (in translation, 'Archduke Joseph, Colonel General. War Exhibition') with a surcharge of 1 korona. The 10 f appeared on 15 September 1917 and the 15 f only on 1 May 1918; 560,000 of each were printed.

Sources: Hungarian Stamps: Charity Issues, Hungarian Stamps: Harvesters Issues

Hungary's first airmail stamps appeared on 4 July 1918 for the air post from Budapest to Vienna and on to Kraków and Lviv: two Parliament stamps of 1916 were overprinted REPÜLŐ POSTA with new values of 1 K 50 f and 4 K 50 f. The air fee was 1 K 50 f per stage – once to Vienna, twice to Kraków, three times to Lviv – plus a 1-korona handling fee and 60 fillér for express. They were sold only until 24 July 1918, with 70,000 of each printed; the Vienna–Budapest line flew twice a day, but complications and accidents ended it after a few weeks.

Sources: Wikikönyvek: 1918. évi magyar bélyegek, Hungarian Stamps: Parliament Issues, Austria-Forum: 100 Jahre Flugpost

On 30 August 1918 Hungary issued a new series with portraits of the royal couple designed by Imre Földes: King Charles IV on the 10–25 fillér and Queen Zita on the 40 and 50 fillér. They were on sale only until 23 November 1918 – soon after they appeared the Aster Revolution broke out and a people's republic was proclaimed. The stamps in circulation, the Zita values included, were then overprinted in black 'Köztársaság' (Republic).

Sources: Habsburg Ottó Alapítvány: 'I would design a memorial stamp for Queen Zita', Wikikönyvek: 1918. évi magyar bélyegek