MAGYAR POSTA / 1979 VERTEL JOZSEF / 52. BÉLYEGNAP (52. STAMP DAY) / ROWLAND HILL 1795-1879 / THAN MOR 1828-1899 / Az első magyar bélyegtervrajz 1848 (The first Hungarian stamp design in 1848) / Postage Stamp

Made in Hungary

Value 10 Forint

Postage stamp issued by Hungary in 1979. It commemorates the 52nd anniversary of the Stamp Day, an annual event that celebrates the history and culture of philately in Hungary. The stamp features the artwork of Vertel József, a Hungarian graphic artist and stamp designer who was one of the most famous and prolific Hungarian stamp designers of the 20th century. The text lists the name of the country, the name of the artist, the name of the event, and the names and dates of two important figures in the history of postage stamps: Rowland Hill and Than Mór.

Rowland Hill (1795-1879) was a British social reformer and educator who is best known for his invention of the postage stamp and the postal system. He proposed the idea of a uniform penny postage in 1837, which was adopted by the British Parliament in 1840. The first postage stamp, the Penny Black, featured the profile of Queen Victoria and was issued on May 6, 1840. Hill’s reforms revolutionized postal communication and made it accessible and affordable for everyone1.

Than Mór (1828-1899) was a Hungarian painter and engraver who is considered the father of Hungarian stamp design. He designed and engraved the first Hungarian postage stamp, which was issued on May 1, 1848. The stamp featured a coat of arms with a crown and a wreath, and had a value of 6 kreuzers. It was printed in black on blue paper and had no perforation. The stamp is known as the “Mercury Head” or the “Blue Dandy” because of its resemblance to the Roman god Mercury or a dandy with a hat2.

The stamp also features a reproduction of Than Mór’s original sketch for the first Hungarian postage stamp, which he made in 1848. The sketch shows a different design than the final version, with a larger coat of arms and a different inscription. The sketch is part of the collection of the Museum of Post History in Budapest3.

The stamp is part of a series of four stamps that celebrate Hungarian stamp design and history. The other stamps feature Kner Imre, Konecsni György, and Füle Mihály.