Slovakia Liberation Overprints 1944/5.
Peter Valdner (2011, updated 2022)
As Czechoslovakia was gradually liberated in the closing stages of the Second World War, so-called revolutionary overprints began to appear in the liberated territories. Their use was based on the Constitutional Decree on National Committees and the Provisional National Assembly of December 4, 1944 (Official Gazette 18/1944).
Literature and Sources
For Bohemia and Moravia, the revolutionary issues are well documented in the book Seznam revolučních přetisků 1944–1945 by publicist and collector K. Holoubek (2011). Holoubek also mentions issues from Chust, Rimavská Sobota, Rožňava, and Skalica. However, more detailed literature on Slovak revolutionary issues remains scarce.
The most important and internationally recognized reference is the monumental work of Spanish collector Juan Santaeugenia, whose book Checoslovaquia – sellos y sobrecargas revolucionarias, 1944–1945. Emisiones locales has received numerous awards at world exhibitions. For many collectors, this remains the key source on Slovak revolutionary overprints.
First Revolutionary Issues
The earliest overprints in the former First Czechoslovak Republic appeared in Subcarpathian Ruthenia on Hungarian stamps, in the towns of Berehovo, Chust, Mukachevo, and Tereshva. The Chust issue was introduced on December 4, 1944, and even appeared in Košice by March 1945.
Overprints from Mukachevo are also known with Košice postmarks.
As the Red Army advanced from the southeast, Hungarian-occupied territories were liberated. The best-known issues came from Rimavská Sobota and Rožňava in January 1945, sold until March 14 of that year. Remaining stocks were then transported to Košice, and their use was officially terminated by Slovak Postal Commissariat Circular No. 12 of April 29, 1945.
Other provisional issues, attributed to local authorities in Rimavská Sobota, include overprints from Bidovce, Čergov, Číž, Kalinovo, Kelča, Krásnohorské Podhradie, Kunova Teplica, Lučenec, Streda nad Bodrogom, apparently by order of the county office in Rimavská Sobota. And also from Dolná Úľa—do you know where that is? Probably near Horná Úľa. But where is that one? There is also Hodejov.
In the next illustration, there is a letter mailed in Rimavská Seč.
In the next illustration, there is a letter mailed in Rimavská Seč.
Liberation from the West
The Allied armies liberated Czechoslovakia from the west. First came the territories that Czechoslovakia had ceded to Germany after Munich,
where German stamps were in use,
and gradually also the territory of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, where Bohemia and Moravia stamps were overprinted. By decree of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs of May 12, 1945, their validity ended on May 16, 1945.
The Slovak State Issues
From the territory of the wartime Slovak State, provisional issues are known from Spišská Belá,
while definitive stamps were issued in Skalica on May 4, 1945 (valid until July 10, 1945).
Collectors, however, are most interested in overprinted issues. According to Santaeugenia, these originated from Banská Bystrica, Bratislava, Javorina, Kežmarok, Kremnica, Muráň, Nitra, Spišská Nová Ves, and Žilina. He also once listed Turčiansky Svätý Martin, but later corrected this as a 1919 issue.
Postwar Overprints and Forgeries
In his final (1998) edition, Santaeugenia identified two further groups of overprints. The first consisted of postwar creations by Karel Veselka and the enigmatic Parvan. Veselka produced overprints on Hungarian stamps from numerous towns, including Komárno, Nové Zámky, Šamorín, and Tornaľa. Parvan offered additional types from Gúta, Kolárovo, Vráble, and others.
These postwar overprints are today quite rare. Unfortunately, fakes are widespread, particularly on internet auctions, often offered by sellers in Hungary. Thankfully, errors in Slovak spelling sometimes make the counterfeits easy for local collectors to recognize.
The second group listed by Santaeugenia remains unidentified: 13 types on Slovak State stamps and 6 on Hungarian stamps. Here, input from Slovak collectors—or even living witnesses—would be invaluable.
The Role of Reference Literature
Instead of a conclusion, a few words about the literature mentioned. K. Holoubek’s book is titled Seznam revolučních přetisků 1944–1945, published in 2011, and it should not be difficult to obtain. If you are interested in the postal history of Czechoslovakia, it is exactly what you need. It clearly disproves the opinion that all revolutionary stamps were merely private speculation. However, it is not suitable for identifying overprints.
For collectors of ASFE and Czechoslovak stamps, on the other hand, the book by J. Santaeugenia remains indispensable for identifying overprints. The book was published as Checoslovaquia – sellos y sobrecargas revolucionarias, 1944–1945. Emisiones locales.
I strongly recommend the expanded and revised 6th edition from 1998; it contains color photographs of all the types of overprints known to the author. The book is not cheap, currently (as of 2022) selling for €300, and with today’s extraordinary inflation it will certainly get even more expensive, but it quickly pays for itself by helping collectors avoid costly forgeries. The previous five editions were in black and white and identification is more difficult, but they are cheaper. Older editions are essential for specialists and possibly dealers, since some overprints are identified differently in newer editions and the numbering always changes.
Collecting Challenges
You may think this is a false alarm. But entire sheets of BuM stamps are still available on the market for just a few CZK, which can be “enhanced” by overprinting. I know of two collectors in the Czech Republic who invested millions of CZK into overprints, but managed to obtain only a portion of genuine revolutionary overprints. And that only because some types of overprints are still inexpensive enough that they are not yet being forged. Examples include Brno III, České Budějovice I, Domažlice I, Frýdek, Hluboká, Cheb, Jičín, Josefov, Konice, Kostelec nad Orlicí, Olomouc I, some types from Pardubice, Plzeň and Prague, Přerov II, Pustiměř, Říčany, Sušice, Svatý Kopeček, Svitavy, Teplice, Ústí nad Labem I, and others—but even here a collector must know what they look like. For this, a black-and-white publication suffices.
Instead of words, here is one striking example: the Netolice near Liberec overprint. The first picture is from Grau,
the second from an auction, where the buyer wasted thousands of CZK. Whoever does not see the difference should probably not collect revolutionary overprints.
An alternative solution would be to build a reference collection of covers and commemorative sheets, whose authenticity would be unquestionable. But this would be financially extremely demanding. This approach was in fact carried out by J. Santaeugenia himself; in the color 6th edition, more than 150 of them are reproduced.
Unfortunately, Mr. Santaeugenia will not publish further editions as he has passed away.
Sources: Internet and archives of the author
Contact: valdpete@yahoo.com
