In the 19th century, the sealing advertisement stamp appeared in German territory, competing with the matchbox label for the title of the smallest mass-produced advertising medium.
For many centuries, the secret of letters was preserved by sealing wax, which became commonly used in the 16th century. Sealing wax (the word is a literal translation of the Italian cera di Spagna: „Spanish wax,” referring to the fact that one of the largest sources of the red pigment used to color sealing wax, cinnabar, is found in Spain) is essentially wax mixed with shellac and other components, which was dripped onto the sealed envelope after heating and authenticated with a family or official seal before it dried. The content of the letter could only be accessed after breaking the seal. However, sealing a letter with wax and a seal was a slow and tedious process: it required preparation, as the wax had to be heated first.
The original function of the sealing stamp is the same as that of sealing wax, but it has proven to be a simpler, faster, and more cost-effective tool than its predecessor used for centuries. Its spread was facilitated not only by the development of the printing industry but also by the proliferation of stamps used for franking.
Stamp-format advertising media first spread in German territory and were already used throughout Europe from the early 20th century. Its heyday was during World War I: many beautiful, uniquely made advertising stamps were produced during this period, mostly using lithography.
The evolution of advertising stamps has many interesting milestones: For example, at the end of the 19th century, the New Zealand government placed printed advertisements on the back of postage stamps. However, this solution was not very effective, as the advertisement only reached those who purchased the stamp, and only until they affixed it to an envelope. Nevertheless, advertisements placed on both sides of advertising stamps were still common in the 1920s.
In the territory of the Kingdom of Italy, experiments were conducted in the 1920s to combine franking stamps with advertising stamps. In these cases, the advertisement was placed under the traditional postage stamp, without perforation.
In Hungary, the first sealing advertisement stamp was issued in 1896 in honor of the thousandth anniversary of the conquest. The stamp was affixed to letters and packages intended for foreign destinations at post offices.
The letter seals became a widespread and inexpensive advertising tool by the turn of the century, thanks to the mass production of printing. This charming, widely available, and diverse advertising surface has been used by many domestic businesses for brand building, but it was also eagerly used for various purposes, such as public education, supporting the needy, widows, and orphans, and during wartime, it served political propaganda purposes.
Since it provided personal contact and its use was time-limited (tied to postal delivery), it proved to be an excellent tool for supporting periodic events and exhibitions as well.
Many of our excellent visual artists, including Gyula Kaesz, István Örkényi, and Márton Tuszkay, are reflected in these advertising stamps, which often functioned as small posters and were in circulation in huge quantities until the 1930s.
Today, these small advertising carriers are cherished treasures for lovers of para-philately and fascinating little highlights of advertising history.
