Figure 9. First Edition stamps.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STAMPS OF CARPATHO-UKRAINE, 1939 and 1945
| The National Council Definitive Issues | Cancellations |
| First Definitive Issue | Censorship |
| Second Definitive Issue | Epilog |
| Third Definitive Issue | Conclusion |
First Edition
The overprinting of the First Edition, consisting of overprints A and B, began on 1 February 1945 (10 February according to some accounts) in the state printing shop, Litografia Lam. This was a rather limited edition as stocks for the overprinting were drawn only from post offices in the vicinity of Uzhhorod. Seventeen different Hungarian postage stamps, six postage due stamps, and three revenue stamps were overprinted into First Edition Uzhhorod Provisionals (Figure 10). Additionally, numerous other revenue stamps were prepared but not released.
Figure 9. First Edition stamps.
The First Edition stamps were overprinted in vertical strips of ten. Frequently, smaller units were pasted together to form strips for overprinting. Four major types (I through IV) and several subtypes of the A-overprint are known (Figure 11), primarily due to a shortage of capital letters (increasing the number of collectible varieties to well over 150). The following types and sub-types are recognized by most collectors:
| Type I | - | Normal; initial capital letters without serifs (positions 3, 5 early, 7, and 8) |
| Type IA | - | Broken н in Україна (position 5 late) |
| Type II | - | З in Закарпатська with serifs (position 2). |
| Type III | - | П in Пошта with serifs (positions 4 and 6). |
| Type IIIA | - | Missing final а in Закарпатська (position 1). |
| Type IV | - | Serifs on both the П in Пошта and the З in Закарпатська (positions 9 and 10) |
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| Type I | Type IA | Type II | Type III | Type IIIA | Type IV | ||||||
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Note: Some authors list our Type Ia as Type Ib, with their "Type Ia" being an overprint with breaks in the П and ш of Пошта). This variety occurs in both the first edition (position 3) and the second edition; see Figure 12. We choose to omit this and other minor varieties from the listings. (For more information on other overprint varieties, see references 22, 23, and 27.) |
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Various sources have reported the angle of the 2nd and 3rd lines of the A-overprints as follows: 34 to 36 degrees (Blaha, Rauch, and Táborský), 36 degrees (Simády), and 38 degrees (von Steiden). Computer measurements of a representative sample of stamps shows multiple examples of every angle from 34 to 38 degrees, with the majority falling at 36 degrees. The 23- and 27-degree angles mentioned by von Steiden (as being scarce) remain unconfirmed.
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Three small-format accounting revenue stamps (plus two unissued large-format accounting revenue stamps) were overprinted in a horizontal format for the First Edition. They display the numeral on the right side, and are designated as Overprint B, Type I. One sub-type, designated Type Ia, exists (т broken to resemble г, reading Закарпагська; see Figure 13). These overprinted revenue stamps were issued as ordinary postage stamps, and not as revenue stamps (or as official stamps as claimed in the Michel catalog). |
Broken т. |
In addition to these issued revenue stamps, several categories of Hungarian revenue stamps received Overprint A. These are considered to be unissued essays by most sources, although a few are known on cover. It seems likely that they were overprinted before the postage stamps, since Type Ia (broken н in Україна) has so far not been found on any revenue stamp.
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