First, I need to point out that I do not have even a novice’s knowledge of the Czech language. The below translation was done to ease my frustration at finding so little technical information in English about the Hradcany issues, especially with respect to the production of full printing sheets. I am confident that any competent Czech speaker will be amused (and hopefully not offended) by my attempt. I would also hope to encourage other novices to try their hands at translation. At any rate, I offer below my rendition of theTiskova forma section of the description of the Hradcany issues from theMonografie ČCheskoslovenských znmek, Dil I, starting on page 97. I have substantially modified the Table found in the original text. That modified table appears as an appendix to this article.

The illustrations from the Monografiecan be found following this article. As an aid to the novice, I would like to note that on first glance the sheet arrangement diagrams might appear a bit confusing. For instance, illustration 136 Aappears to describe plates for non-existent 51h and 101h stamps. Actually, the ë1′ really represents the stamp’s design. Thus, the plates described in illustration 136 A are for the 5h and the 10h stamps in the first Hradcany design. Some additional valuable information contained in the drawings indicates gutter sizes and plate numbers, and if the plates represent non-Hradcany issues, the type and value of those stamps.

Sheets (Printing Forms)

In order to take full advantage of the printing press and to achieve the required production levels,  sheets printed from four plates were manufactured as a unit. Sheets containing two panes were produced only by exception. The individual plates were fixed to a single wooden supporting frame with small nails. Gaps between the plates ranging in width from 13 to 35.5 mm for the horizontal gutter, and from 62 to 77 mm for the vertical gutter, were filled with blank padding [1] .  

To satisfy the simultaneous need for various types of postal items, Hradcany stamps were printed on sheets alongside newspaper and postage due stamps. They were even tied to an entirely new issue. These combined printing sheets are illustrated in figures 132-135.

By splitting the roller, it was possible to apply different colors to each half of the full sheet. Plates for like-denomination stamps were placed one above the other, originally inverted with respect to each another, but later placed facing in the same direction. That is why, as a rule, full sheets produced pairs.  If during this whole period only one plate was needed, a plate from another value or even a different type of stamp could be used with it.

In one instance, to take advantage of identical colors, an Hradcany plate was deliberately used with another plate on the same half-sheet and the other half of that sheet used for something entirely different. This happened when the 300h Hradcanyplate with the 500h postage due plate was placed on one half-sheet, and two 80h Hradcany plates were used for the other half-sheet [fig. 139: C1].

Stamps of the 1000h value were printed alone on a half-sheet with the 200h stamp (leaving the other half sheet blank). This may be seen in figure 139: D2. In a like instance, the 500h value was printed alternately on each half-sheet with the 30h newspaper stamp. The sheet was run through the press repeatedly but rotated so as to print each type on both half-sheets [fig. 14: A].  Examples of these compound sheets are displayed in the Postal Museum. The juxtiposition of two different values brought about many variations in horizontal gutter pairs.

The tete-beche arrangement of 2h and 10h newspaper stamps were part of the initial December 16, 1918 printing. After printing 9000 sheets the 10h plates were removed from the printing form. Subsequently, after another  1500 2h sheets were printed, the 2h newspaper stamp plates (again in tete-beche form) were joined with the 3h Hradcany plate. Printing in this arrangement resumed on December 19th, and the stamps continued being printed that way from then on [fig. 137: A1, A2].

The useful output for a printing form was 40,000 sheets. When this level was reached, the form was taken apart, the needed plates cleaned, then placed in reassembled or new forms. Technical evidence for these rearrangements may be found in vertical gutter differences and changes in the nail marks.

For the initial printings, Lešetický [2] released many of these details. During the later printing period, however, less information was made available. Sheets printed after the initial runs are found with wide margins, in trial prints, and in ruined sheets (figures 136-144).

Sheets from these printings were cut into individual panes. But these cuts were often not parallel, because pieces come to light with both very wide and very narrow margins. We might well wonder if the sheets put into use were cut in only one direction as well-preserved half-sheets cut in the same direction are often found. Whole sheets are on display at the Postal Museum.

Every day 4 or 5 million stamps were printed. This adds up to a total Hradcany issue of approximately 750,000,000 perforated and 414,000,000 imperforate stamps. It is a wonder that 250 working days over 22 months could actually satisfy this need for more than a billion stamps.  The enormity of the effort undertaken in servicing the issue of these Hradcanycombined sheets, together with newspaper stamps, postage dues, express stamps, the Legion issues, the SO overprints of 1920, the Red Cross issue, and the airmail stamps of 1920, as well as new types of annual issues, must in part explain production lapses and errors.

The official bulletins first announced stamps bearing the image of the Hradcany in the values of 3, 5, 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 100, 200, and 400. They establish the date of the first printing as December 16, 1919 [sic. 1918]. The first to be printed were the 5h and 10h, released on December 18, 1918. On that occasion a commemorative sheet bearing the signatures of those responsible for the creation of the first Czechoslovakian postage stamp was issued. [3]

Mark Wilson

Winchester, Va.

November 2001

Appendix

Stamps known to have been printed together are: [4] ^, [5]

Hradcany Alone

1 with 5   (5th)	Fig. 141A	20 and 10 (both 5th)	Fig. 140E
1 with 10 (1st)	Fig. 141B	20 and 25 (both 1st)	Fig.136B1; 137C3
3 with 20 (1st)	Fig. 137C2	20 and 30 (both 1st)	Fig. 136B2
5 only (1st)	Fig. 140A1	25 (1st) and 15	Fig. 140B1
5 only (5th)	Fig. 140C2     [6]	25 (5th) alone	Fig. 140D
5 and 10 (both 1st)	Fig. 136A	25 (5th) and 15	Fig. 140B2
5 (sic1st) and 400	Fig. 140A2    [7]	40 and 100	Fig. 139A2      [8]
5 + 15 (both 5th)	Fig. 141E	60 and 3 v	Fig. 139B
5 (5th) and 100	Fig 141C	80 and 100	Fig. 139C3
5 (5th) and 120	Fig. 140C1, C3	200 and 100	Fig.138, 139A1,D1
10 and 30 (both 1st)	Fig. 141D	200 and 500	Fig. 141G
10 (5th) and 15	Fig. 141F	200 and 1000	Fig. 139D2
20 only (1st)	Fig. 137C1     [9]	400 and 100	Fig. 139A3

With Newspaper Stamps

3 and 2	Fig. 137A1,A2     [10]	30 (5th a) and 2	Fig. 142E
5 (5th) and 2	Fig. 142A	50 (3rd) and 2	Fig. 142F
5 (5th) and 10 (nov)	Fig. 142B	50 (3rd) and 6	Fig. 142G
10 (1st) and 2	Fig. 136C1,C2     [11]	75 and 2	Fig. 142H
15 and 2	Fig. 142C     [12]	75 and 20 (nov)	Fig. 142I
15 and 6	Fig. 142E     [13]	500 and 30 (nov)	Fig. 142K

With Postage Due Stamps

5 (5th) and 50 (dop)	Fig. 143A     [14]	80 and 300 and 500 (dop)	Fig. 139C1
10 (1st) and 50 (dop)	Fig. 137B	400 and 1000 (dop)	Fig. 143C
200 and 25 (dop)	Fig. 143B

With Carrier Pigeon Stamps

30 (5th a) and 15 (hol)

Fig 144

 

 

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