Hungarian Porto overprints - postage due stamps

Discover the fascinating world of Hungarian postal history through its unique 'Porto' stamps. This guide is your gateway to understanding, identifying, and collecting these specialized overprints used to collect postage fees for over a century.

For philatelists, Hungarian stamps with P, T, or PORTO overprints represent more than just postage due; they are tangible pieces of administrative history, reflecting the evolution of the postal system from the Austro-Hungarian Empire through the 20th century.

Hungarian "Porto" Stamps: A Collector's Guide

Introduction: What Are Porto Overprints?

Hungarian stamps bearing the overprints P, T, or PORTO are a fascinating and specialized area of philately. These are not regular postage stamps. They are "Porto Due" stamps, officially overprinted to convert regular stamps into instruments for collecting postage fees from the recipient.

• P stands for "Portó" (Porto, postage due).
• T stands for "Tartozék" (Debt, amount due).
• PORTO or P. PORTO are full-text variants.

Historical Context and Postal Use

The system of porto stamps is a direct legacy of the efficient Austro-Hungarian postal administration. After the Compromise of 1867, Hungary operated its own post within the Dual Monarchy, and this method for collecting fees became standardized. Imagine a merchant in Budapest receiving an invoice from Vienna with insufficient postage - the familiar 'P' stamp on the envelope was the bill he had to settle.

Their use persisted through turbulent times: on the stamps of the Kingdom, during the short-lived Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919), and well into the communist era. This makes them a unique collecting thread through vastly different political periods.

General worldwide catalogs like Michel often give these stamps just a single line. This is because the true complexity lies in the combination of two elements:

1: The Base Stamp:

Which regular Hungarian issue was overprinted? (e.g., the "Cornflower" definitive series, portraits of Franz Josef, Charles IV, etc.). This determines the period.

2: The Overprint Type:

This is where the specialization begins:

• Letter Design: Font, size, and style of the "P", "T", or "PORTO".
• Color: Most commonly black or red, but other colors exist.
• Layout and Direction: Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or framed within bars, circles, or other ornaments.
• Printing Method: Typographed, handstamped, etc.

For the collector

While daunting at first, collecting Hungarian Porto overprints is a deeply rewarding puzzle. The key is to start by focusing on one specific area. For example, begin by seeking all variants of the simple "P" overprint on the common "Korenbloem" (Cornflower) definitive series. This trains your eye to spot differences in font, ink saturation, and alignment.

Unlike regular stamps, the condition of the overprint itself is often more critical than the condition of the base stamp. A clear, complete, and centered "PORTO" is what gives the stamp its philatelic value.

There are a number of types:

• Overprint "P"
• Overprint "P" in circle
• Overprint "T"
• Overprint "Porto"
• Overprint "Porto" in oval
• Overprint "Porto" in rectangle
• Overprint "Porto" in circle
• Overprint "number" in circle
• and all with different ypes of fonts

Examples Hungarian postage due stamps

Here are some examples from my collection.