TurulBélyeg: база знаний

The 1908 and 1909 issues of the Hungarian Turul series received the same type of crown watermark. The damage to the watermark cylinders – which appear on the stamps as watermark breaks – are identical in shape between the two years. The difference lies not in the pattern but in the period of use.

Cylinder Usage and Frequency of Breaks

• 1908: The cylinder was in use for a short period, so the number of breaks is smaller, and watermark flaws occur more rarely.
• 1909: The cylinder served for four years, so the number of breaks increased significantly. The watermark breaks are more varied and more frequent.

The majority of the breaks are observable on the pendants of the crown, but breaks on the cross are also known and catalogued.

Main Types of Watermark Breaks (V1–V5)

The literature distinguishes five basic types of breaks, which refer to the pendants of the watermark:

The shape of the breaks is characteristic: bent, broken, or distorted pendants, as well as partial absence or cracks in the cross.

„Chingi-lingi” and „Ballerina” – Collector Folklore

Over the decades, a distinct collector humour has also attached itself to the Turul watermarks. Old collectors gave amusing names to the distortions:

• „Chingi-lingi watermark”: a playful name referring to the jingling, dancing shape of the crown pendants.
• „Ballerina”: the humorous name for the bent, „dancing” pendants.

These names are now more part of philatelic folklore, but they clearly show how much the watermarks of the Turul series inspired collector imagination.

Summary

The watermark breaks of the 1908–1909 Turul issues provide important clues for stamp examination. Due to the duration of cylinder use, the 1909 material is considerably richer in flaws, but the basic forms of the break types are identical for both years.