One of the things I love most about stamp collecting is how varied collector interests are. We are all stamp collectors, but one person may focus on the philatelic history of early airmail routes of Guatemala while another could collect Pokemon on stamps for the bright colors. To each their own!
When I share that I collect U.S. and Hungary (primarily used), as well as several topical areas, I’m often asked, “Why Hungary?” Admittedly, the 2020s may not be the most politically neutral time to dive into any Hungarian-based interests. But my stamp collection started WITH Hungary and was started IN Hungary by my grandfather. And I’m happy to keep it up. In our crowd, usually that explanation seems good enough.
For reasons I’ll never know the specifics of, my dad didn’t immerse our household in the Hungarian language when I was growing up. And so—even after several years now of getting a “Hungarian word of the day” to my email inbox—my ability to recognize Hungarian vocabulary is low.
I can say phrases like “red striped tie” and “the woman is thirsty”, but the need for those particular expressions when examining stamps is surprisingly scant. Go figure.
On the other side of the coin, many philatelic materials I find presume some understanding of Hungarian. That’s not to say that these sources do not define terms or that I can’t put two and two together. But in glossaries of “common philatelic terms translated”, French, Spanish, German, and even Chinese tend to take precedence over Hungarian. And I would benefit from having a list of terms all in one place.
And so, it occurred to me to create a little cheat sheet of my own. A simple glossary of common philatelic terms, like “air mail” or “postage due”, as well as other words that appear frequently on postage stamps of Hungary. For instance, once you know that “éves” (pronounced AY-vesh) means “annual”, it’s a lot easier to zero in on stamps commemorating specific national events and anniversaries. And for good measure, how about listing a few famous Hungarian figures, as well?
Editor’s note: I’d like to give credit to my friends at the Society for Hungarian Philately for creating the foundation for my list! They have a wonderful cross-reference dictionary for English, Hungarian, and German terms upon which I built my list. I have further tailored my list to suit my individual needs as a beginning collector.
This little glossary is designed primarily for my use. But I hope that it can also help you, dear reader. If you have any ideas, questions, or suggestions, please do let me know!
>> GO TO MY HUNGARIAN PHILATELIC GLOSSARY
This glossary remains a work in progress. Check back for additions (and probably some corrections) along the way.
Armchair Philately 
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