This article is about a set of Communist Postal Ministers Conference Hungarian stamps from 1963. It is also my latest in a series of post horn stamp articles, see my main post horn page here. The meeting drew officials from European “Eastern Block” countries such as Poland, Romania, and East Germany to Budapest. In addition, communist countries in Asia including China, Vietnam, and North Korea sent representatives. To commemorate this international gathering, Hungary created a set of twelve postage stamps, one each in honor of the participating countries.
The designs of these stamps are pretty cool. Each of the stamps in the set features a “stamp on stamp” design. In this case, each Hungarian stamp commemorating the meeting features a smaller stamp from one of the participating countries. The designs of the Hungarian stamp on stamp designs are by three designers: László Kékesi, Ferenc Gall, Mihaly Fule. You can see their names on various stamps in the set.
The Hungarian stamp series feature stamps from the various countries attending the conference. These stamps appearing on the stamp set all have a common theme. They celebrate moments from the Soviet space program of the 1950s and early 1960s. The space program was obviously a major point of pride not just for the Soviet Union, but for all communist countries.
In addition to the smaller stamps, each of the Hungarian issues features symbols of international communications ranging from radio towers, to telephones, to high speed forms of transportation. Each also features a post horn, the international symbol of the postal service. Of course, it is the post horn that first attracted my attention and led to me acquiring the full set of stamps. I have also been able to acquire some of the original stamps and I will include them below.
Albania and Bulgaria
The first stamp in the series features the country of Albania. The stamp is green with a radio tower and post horn as well as the words MAGYAR POSTA (Hungarian post) and the denomination 20f. This sets a pattern for the stamps that will follow. On this stamp is an Albanian stamp, which was red with a rocket heading towards the sun.
The next stamp features Bulgaria. It has a vertical orientation. The original Bulgarian stamp from 1959 is blue with a rocket barreling away from earth. The Hungarian stamp on which it appears is a light purple.
Both of the Albanian and Bulgarian stamps commemorate the Luna 1 mission of 1959. This famous mission was the first launch with the intention of landing on the moon. However, a malfunction caused it to miss by approximately 6000 kilometers. Yet, this was still the first manmade object to come so close to the moon. Also, due to its miss, the spacecraft became the first manmade object to enter a solar orbit.
Czechoslovakia and China
Scott Numbers HU C238 and HU C239
The next two stamps are not really a similar pairing. The Hungarian stamps feature postage stamps from the countries of Czechoslovakia and of China. The Hungarian 40 filler stamp depicts a Czech stamp from 1962. A particularly beautiful stamp, due to its detailing, the Czech stamp honors the Soviet advancement of a multi-stage rocket.
A Chinese stamp appears on the Hungarian 50 filler denomination stamp of the series. The original Chinese stamp honors the Sputnik 3 Soviet satellite that was launched in May of 1958. This satellite orbited the Earth in the upper atmosphere and its array of equipment did research in this near space band around the planet.
North Korea
The next stamp in the Hungarian series commemorates North Korea. The sixty-filler denomination stamp depicts a 1961 stamp from the country of North Korea. This stamp celebrates the Luna 2 Soviet rocket. This spacecraft was launched in 1959 and was the first manmade object to reach the moon. It was the Soviet Union’s sixth attempt to reach the surface of the moon.
Poland
The eighty-filler Hungarian postage stamp features a Polish stamp that, like the Chinese stamp above, celebrates the Sputnik 3 rocket.
Hungary
In addition to a focus on reaching the moon, the Soviet space program was also interested in Venus. Between 1961 and 1984, a series of space probes in the “Venera” program were sent on flybys of the planet, and several craft were sent to the planet itself. The first launches were intended to fly by Venus without entering its orbit. However, the closest either got was Venera 1, which at its closest was approximately 100,000 kilometers from the planet.
The Hungarian postage stamp that depicts a stamp from Hungary itself is given the 1 forint denomination. The designer of the original stamp was the prolific Hungarian stamp designer Vertel József.
Mongolia
The country of Mongolia was the feature of the 1.20 forint Hungarian stamp. The Mongolian space stamp pays tribute to the Soviet craft named Luna 3. A part of the Luna program that sent craft to the moon, the Luna 3 was the very first craft to photograph the far side of the moon.
East Germany and Romania
Scott Numbers HU C244 and HU C245
The 1.40 forint stamp features the GDR (East Germany) with a 1961 stamp of the Vostok spaceship. The Vostok program was the first to carry humans into space. Yuri Gagarin was the first cosmonaut to travel into space aboard Vostok 1 in April of 1961.
The Hungarian 1.70 florint airmail stamp celebrates Romania and a 1947 stamp with the Sputnik 2 rocket, made famous for its passenger, Laika the dog.
The Soviet Union
The 2 forint Hungarian stamp features a Soviet stamp from 1961 depicting the Venera rocket of 1961, the mission to Venus previously mentioned.
North Vietnam
The final stamp features North Vietnam and another postage stamp commemorating the manned space flight of Yuri Gagarin.
