Czechoslovakia stamps: the rare ones

6 notable rare Czechoslovak stamps

Listed roughly in date order, not ranked by price. Figures are only given where a named source records them.

1. 1

   Hradčany: rare perforations, types and blocks

   1918–1920

   Why it is rare

   There are 26 basic Hradčany stamps in 20 face values, and the issue totaled 1,060,816,000 stamps, from about 170 million of the red 10 haléř down to 447,000 of the 1000 haléř. The common stamps are cheap. What is rare are specific perforation types (Pofis lists seven official ones and many unofficial), imperforate high values, plate and type combinations, and gutter pieces.

   What drives the value

   Perforation type, the type of the design, shade, blocks and gutters, and an expert certificate. The top lots at Burda Auction carry Czech expert certificates.

   How to recognize it

   Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral with a rising sun. Types A and B read Pošta Česko-Slovenská at the sides and top; types C to E read Česko-Slovenská in one line under the picture, and types D and E have no sun. The first printings were imperforate.

   Documented figures

   At Burda Auction 76 in 2024, an imperforate 20 haléř block of four with joined spiral types (Pof.9N) sold for CZK 660,000, and a 30 haléř block of four with the rare comb perforation 13¾ : 13½ (Pof.13Aa) for CZK 165,000.

   Sources: Wikipedia (Czech), Burda Auction

2. 2

   Czech Scout Post (Skautská pošta)

   1918

   Why it is rare

   Czech Scouts carried mail for the new national government in late 1918 with their own 10 haléř blue and 20 haléř red stamps. The service ran until 25 November 1918 and once more on 21 December 1918. The most valuable copies carry the overprint from the day of T. G. Masaryk's arrival.

   What drives the value

   Genuine use, the Masaryk-arrival overprint and certification. These were not issued by the post office, so catalogues list them separately from regular stamps.

   How to recognize it

   The Czech lion with the text Pošta českých skautů ve službách národní vlády, in 10 haléř blue or 20 haléř red.

   Source: Wikipedia (Czech)

3. 3

   4 koruna with inverted POŠTA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ 1919 overprint

   1919

   Why it is rare

   An Austrian 4 koruna coat-of-arms stamp on granite paper with the overprint upside down. Only one copy is known, and Czech Wikipedia calls it the rarest Czechoslovak stamp.

   What drives the value

   It is unique. Its price has followed the market: Czech Wikipedia records 32,000 korun in 1927 and 2.6 million korun in 1996.

   How to recognize it

   Austrian arms design, 4 K, on granite paper, with the POŠTA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ 1919 overprint inverted.

   Documented figures

   Burda Auction reports that it realized $448,000 in its Public Auction 56. Czech Wikipedia records a 2019 auction result of 9.3 million korun.

   Sources: Burda Auction, Wikipedia (Czech)

4. 4

   Scarce 1919 overprints on Austrian and Hungarian stock

   1919

   Why it is rare

   The POŠTA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ 1919 overprints were applied to withdrawn Austro-Hungarian stock and put on sale from 12 December 1919 with a 50% surcharge. The most valuable are stamps that Austria or Hungary issued only after 28 October 1918 and that were overprinted by mistake.

   What drives the value

   The exact Pofis number, the overprint type, the watermark on Hungarian stamps and certification. Burda describes Pof.65, the red 2 haléř large numerals with type II overprint, as missing even from big collections.

   How to recognize it

   Austrian or Hungarian stamps with a POŠTA ČESKOSLOVENSKÁ 1919 overprint. Overprint types are numbered (I, II, III), and Hungarian stamps are further split by watermark.

   Documented figures

   At Burda Auction 80 in 2025, Pof.65 sold for CZK 260,000, Pof.56 (5 haléř green on an Austrian express stamp) for CZK 92,000 and Pof.118 (Hungarian 10 korona Parliament) for CZK 66,000.

   Sources: Wikipedia (Czech), Burda Auction

5. 5

   Vejprty forgery of the Hradčany 300 haléř

   1919–1920 · Pof.F23

   Why it is rare

   A period forgery of the 300 haléř Hradčany named after the border town of Vejprty. Pofis lists such forgeries in a separate F series, and this one is collected in its own right.

   What drives the value

   Provenance and an expert opinion confirming it is the Vejprty forgery and not a later fake.

   How to recognize it

   The 300 haléř Hradčany design in green-gray. Separating it from the genuine stamp is expert work.

   Documented figures

   Burda Auction 76 (2024), lot 2309: started at CZK 50,000 and sold for CZK 140,000.

   Source: Burda Auction

6. 6

   50/50 haléř DOPLATIT error

   1927

   Why it is rare

   While Liberated Republic (Osvobozená republika) stamps were being overprinted as postage dues, one sheet of 100 50 haléř stamps slipped in among the 150 haléř sheets and received a 50 haléř due overprint, which made no postal sense. Only 18 copies are known today, all postally used.

   What drives the value

   Each known copy is numbered and tracked. Condition and certification decide where a copy falls in the range of recorded prices.

   How to recognize it

   The red 50 haléř Osvobozená republika stamp with a DOPLATIT 50 overprint.

   Documented figures

   Copy no. 6 sold for CZK 4,000,000 at Burda Auction in 2024, and copy no. 5 for CZK 2,500,000 in Prague in 2025 (Czech Wikipedia).

   Sources: Wikipedia (Czech), Burda Auction

What are most Czechoslovak stamps worth?

Most Czechoslovak stamps have little value. Czech Wikipedia says plainly that most common Hradčany stamps are of no great value to collectors, and the issue ran to more than a billion stamps. The 5 haléř value first released in September 1920 was printed in 3.6 billion copies, according to Wikipedia.

The 1919 Legionnaire stamps are a good example of a famous but common issue: 5 million of each value were printed, valid for only eight days. Color shades such as the light green 15 haléř are worth more than the normal stamp.

Postwar and communist-era stamps were printed in large numbers. They are worth a look for errors and varieties, but a typical album page of them is worth little.

How to identify Czechoslovak stamps

These checks narrow a stamp down to the exact issue. That matters because a rare variety and a common one often share the same design.

For a broader walkthrough, see the stamp identification guides by country and the checklist on how to identify rare stamps.

Fakes, reprints and forged overprints

Czech catalogues warn of high-quality Hradčany forgeries, and private perforations were applied to imperforate stamps. Treat an unusual perforation as suspicious until it has been checked.

The 1938 Sudetenland local overprints on Czechoslovak stamps, such as Karlsbad 1. X 1938, have been widely forged on genuine stamps. Forgeries are also common among the Terezín ghetto parcel stamps.

For anything valuable, buy only with a certificate from a recognized Czech expert. The top lots at Prague auctions all carry one.