Czechoslovakia Postal History

Czechoslovakia was formerly part of Central Europe and was once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before it officially split into Slovakia and Czech Republic on January 1, 1993. The country has had its own share of turmoil and participation in world history, but there’s no denying the country has contributed much to world affairs and culture. One important contribution comes in the form of philately and the production of stamps.

Postage stamps starting the First Republic

The first Czechoslovakian stamps were produced during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. These stamps have remained in use until March 15, 1919. When the First Republic of the country was formed, a new set of stamps was designed and printed. Some of the first few stamps printed and issued on October 1918 took inspiration from the Hradčany Castle in Czechoslovakia. The stamps that were designed by Alphonse Muncha show the sun rising behind the castle, symbolizing the emergence of a new state. There were a number of other stamp designs submitted, but this was the one selected. It was believed that the image closely resembles the national symbol and aspirations. The first issues feature two sets of  53 stamps in all, which can be categorized into five types. On the first set, the stamps feature Pošta Česko-Slovenská on the top and both sides, and set Česko-Slovenská for the second set printed under the castle figure. Though the two sets are different, the differentiation is just minimal. At the time there were also some flaws and issues with the plates. But all these problems began to subside as soon as engravers and print mills in the country started to gain some experience.

Different types of stamps printed in Czechoslovakia

Aside from the castle-themed stamps, there are other premier stamps printed in the country. There’s the stamp inspired by the country’s first president, Thomas Masaryk. There are other stamp designs which can be categorized into different types. For example, the country introduced its own version of the newspaper stamps. Muncha also designed newspaper stamps in 2h and 10h denominations printed and issued in 1918. Other values were also designed and printed, and these were released in 1920. The 5h value was important because over 3 billion were printed. The country also printed a number of military postage stamps which were released in 1919 and 1920, and were subsequently used in the Siberian railway. And on December 18, 1992, Czechoslovakia issued its last stamp, with that day dubbed ‘Stamp Day’.