Hungary

I have found stamp sets from four different times in Hungary.  Click on any image or date to see its page:

1959 Magyar Posta

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1959 Eight Hungarian stamps of various value celebrating children's stories.  Among them is a GA stamp for 60 filler.  The stamps are on a FDC envelope, canceled in Budapest, apparently on December 15.  Each of the stamps lists "Eva Gabor," presumably the artist.  From Waynesboro, PA, through eBay.

A jaunty grasshopper artist, with scarf and perhaps jacket, seems to stride across a wintry landscape.  In the background stands an ant with hands on hips in a gesture of displeasure.

1960 Magyar Posta

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1960 2 sets of eight stamps, each set on two FDC envelopes with a red line-drawing of Puss 'n Boots on the envelope. All are postmarked Budapest, Dec. 1, 1960. Each stamp is marked "Magyar Posta" and "Zombory Éva," and each contains a different denomination in Hungarian Forints: 1, 2, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, and 170. $19.80 from Westminster Stamp Gallery, Ltd., Nov., '04. Click on the image here to see a larger version.

The stamps for 1, 2, 20, and 30 Forints seem to picture fairy tales, like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" on the 30 Forint stamp. Puss 'n Boots is on the 60 Forint stamp. The 40 Forint stamp pictures MSA, as just above. The 80 Forint stamp is a nicely colored presentation of FC. The 170 Forint stamp presents the last phase of FS, with a quiet and reserved fox. The envelopes in one set are marked with only the FDC stamp and the postmark. The envelopes in the other set include other appendages, including "Special Delivery," "Legiposta," and "Via Air Mail."

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1960 One stamp marked "Magyar Posta," "Zombory Éva" and "40" with a simple picture of MSA. $.09 from Julie Collins of Valparaiso, IN, through Ebay, Nov., '99.

The ass seems contented enough as he is carried uphill by one older and one younger man in native costume.

1983 Magyar Posta

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1983 1 Stamp marked "Magyar Posta," "A Róka és a Holló," "Fúzesi ZS," and "2 Ft." FC. $.09 from Julie Collins of Valparaiso, IN, through Ebay, Nov., '99.

The fox holds one paw out expectantly. The crow is nicely haloed with the sun. The cancellation mark looks like the last half of "Budapest."

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1983 1 Sheet of stamps marked "Magyar Posta," "A Róka és a Holló," Füzesi ZS, and "2 Ft." FC. 10 stamps across by 5 down. 10" x 14". Scott #3103. Postmarked Budapest. $3.50 from John Ferrari, San Carlos, CA, through Ebay, May, '01.

My, the things one can find on Ebay! I had already learned to like this stamp. Now here was a chance to like it fifty times over! Abundanza! Click on the stamps to see them enlarged.

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1983 1 numbered maxicard presenting an enlarged and partially reversed image of the 1983 2 Ft FC stamp. Canceled in Budapest in 1987. #0040 of 1500. "Famous Fairy Tale Characters." 1987/5-a. Philatelia Hungarica. Design Fúzesi Zsuzsa. Hungexpo, Budapest. $20 from Peter Abel, Estheville, Iowa, through Ebay, August, '00.

On the stamp, the fox looked right. In this scene he stands under the branches of the tree and looks left. He still holds one paw out expectantly. There is no longer a sun haloing the crow.

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1983 1 Stamp marked "Magyar Posta," "A Nyúl és a Teknósbéka," Fúzesi ZS, and "4 Ft." TH. $.09 from Julie Collins of Valparaiso, IN, through Ebay, Nov., '99.

The hare rests his head on one paw as he watches the turtle go by. I recognized this and the other two scenes in a group of fifty fairy-tale stamps pictured and offered on Ebay. I saw that I could get at least these three, and of course I hoped for more in the pack that I would get….

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1983 1 numbered maxicard presenting a slightly altered image of the 1983 4 Ft TH stamp. Canceled in Budapest in 1987. #0456 of 1500. "Famous Fairy Tale Characters." 1987/5-c. Scott #3104. Philatelia Hungarica. Design Füzesi Zsuzsa. Hungexpo, Budapest. $9.95 from Peter Abel, Estheville, Iowa, through Ebay, August, '00.

On the stamp, the fox merely looked at the tortoise. In this scene he raises his hand in greeeting. There the tortoise turned his head back to look at the resting hare. Here he glances at the hare but plods on. The tree here has rather a different shape, and the daisies have moved around a little.

2021 Magyar Posta

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2021  Souvenir Sheet from Hungary of four stamps commemorating the 400th birth anniversary of Jean de La Fontaine.  $4.99 from Siew Lee Wong through Ebay, May, '22.

The artist here offers five strong and even idiosyncratic interpretations of well known fables.  Outside of the four stamps themselves there are the fox and crow with a sign commemorating the French fabulist.  TMCM and WC seem quite traditional.  The grasshopper is having a gay old time while the ant labors.  Does the fourth stamp present OF or "The Frogs and the Bulls"?  That is, does the right frog demonstrate fear with his arms up, or is he indicating the size of a bull?

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2021 FDC Envelope from the Hungarian Post Office featuring the four commemorative stamps and a cameo of La Fontaine.  $13.77 from empirefondation1965 through Ebay, Dec., '21.

The cancellation mark is a crow with a piece of cheese in his beak.  Clever!  The return address clearly marks this envelope as an FDC.  As mentioned above, there is some creativity at work in these stamps' images!