Turul Watermarks
Watermark III 1900
Watermark IV 1904/06
Watermark V 1908
Watermark VI 1909
Watermark VII 1913 upright
Watermark VIIa 1913 sideways
Watermark III - Large Crown (1900)
The large crown watermark is found on the 1900 Turul stamps. In the case of this watermark, numeral watermarks and star patterns can also be found on certain stamps. The diameter of the circles is approx. 45 mm, the maximum width of the crown is approx. 30 mm. The numeral watermark and star pattern (factory watermark) repeat every 12 circles.
Occurrence: 1899 Kreuzer (krajcár) with black numerals, 1899 Newspaper stamp, 1900 Turul series, 1900 Newspaper stamp, 1903 Green postage due, 1915 Provisional postage due.
| Position | Crown image | Numeral watermark | Catalog sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | ![]() |
VI | a) |
| A2 | ![]() |
IV | b) |
| A3 | ![]() |
IΛ | c) |
| A4 | ![]() |
ΛI | d) |
| B1 | ![]() |
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a) |
| B2 | ![]() |
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b) |
| B3 | ![]() |
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c) |
| B4 | ![]() |
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d) |
Positions of Watermark IV - Small Crown (1904–1906)
The small crown watermark is found on the 1904 and 1906 Turul stamps. The size of the small crown watermark was designed to fit entirely within the Turul design stamp, but this is rare. At the same time, the asymmetrical, spatial design of the small watermark allows us to recognize any watermark position even in the absence of the cross. The numeral watermark repeats every 400 designs (once per printing sheet).
Occurrence: 1904 Newspaper stamp, 1905-1906 Green postage due, and 1915 Provisional postage due.
| Position | Crown image | Numeral watermark | Catalog sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | ![]() |
VI | a) |
| A2 | ![]() |
IV | b) |
| A3 | ![]() |
IΛ | c) |
| A4 | ![]() |
ΛI | d) |
| B1 | ![]() |
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a) |
| B2 | ![]() |
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b) |
| B3 | ![]() |
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c) |
| B4 | ![]() |
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d) |
Positions of Watermark V - Crown (1908)
The crown watermark is found on the 1908 Turul stamps. The upper curve of the crown is more regular and rounder than that of the 1909 issue, making it easy to distinguish. The two outer rectangles of the crown are almost identical, unlike the 1909 version. Every 400 watermark designs, the numeral watermark is located in a rhombus shape (it occurs only once per printing sheet). The exact position can only be identified on stamps where the cross is visible!
Occurrence: 1908 Turul series, Newspaper stamp, and Green postage due
| Position | Crown image | Numeral watermark | Catalog sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | ![]() |
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a) |
| A2 | ![]() |
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b) |
| A3 | ![]() |
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c) |
| A4 | ![]() |
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d) |
| B1 | ![]() |
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a) |
| B2 | ![]() |
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b) |
| B3 | ![]() |
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c) |
| B4 | ![]() |
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d) |
Positions of Watermark VI - Crown (1909)
The crown watermark is found on the 1909 Turul stamps. There is no numeral watermark on this watermarked paper. Its size matches the 1908 issue. There are only formal differences. The curve of the crown is angular. The rectangles at the bottom of the crown have different sizes, which helps to distinguish it from the 08 version. It occurs in an upright position on letter and newspaper stamps, and in a sideways position on postage due stamps, with four positions in both orientations. The orientation of the watermark can be determined on all stamps, but the exact position can only be established on specimens that include the cross of the crown.
Occurrence: 1908 Turul series, Newspaper stamp, and Green postage due
| Position | Crown image | Position | Crown image |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | ![]() |
B1 | ![]() |
| A2 | ![]() |
B2 | ![]() |
| A3 | ![]() |
B3 | ![]() |
| A4 | ![]() |
B4 | ![]() |
Watermark VII / VIIa - Double Cross (1913)
The 1913 double cross watermark is symmetrical in all directions, so the exact watermark position cannot be determined. Only the upright or sideways orientation can be distinguished. The latter is also called the VIIa watermark. For both upright and sideways watermarks, the cross is visible in 2 directions, so there is no right-facing or left-facing variant. Although on the stamp, it may happen that you only see one of them.
Occurrence: Very common from 1913. 1920 and 1922 Newspaper stamp, Flood Relief stamp I, 1916-1924 Harvester series, 1916-1923...
| VII | VIIa |
|---|---|
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