MAGYAR POSTA / SEES LASTO 1981 / ÁRPÁDHÁZI ZÁSZLÓ XI.52 / HUNYADI CIMERES ZÁSZLÓ XV. SZ / BETHLEN GABOR ZÁSZLÓJA 1800 / URÁKÓCZI FERENC ZÁSZLÓJA 1706 / HONVED-ZAZSIO 1848-1849 / 1919-ES CSAPATZASZLO / Stamp

Postage stamp issued by Hungary in 1981. It features the artwork of Sees László, a Hungarian painter and stamp designer who was one of the most prominent Hungarian stamp designers of the 20th century. The text lists the name of the country, the name of the artist, and the names and dates of six historical flags that are depicted on the stamp:

• Árpádházi zászló: the flag of the House of Árpád, the ruling dynasty of Hungary from the 9th to the 14th century. The flag has a red background and a white cross with four white stripes. The cross symbolizes Saint Stephen, the first king of Hungary, and the stripes represent the four rivers of the Carpathian Basin: the Danube, the Tisza, the Drava, and the Sava. The flag was used by the kings and nobles of Hungary until the end of the Árpádian line in 1301.
• Hunyadi címeres zászló: the flag of Hunyadi János, a Hungarian military leader and regent who fought against the Ottoman Turks in the 15th century. The flag has a blue background and a red shield with a raven holding a ring in its beak. The shield is the coat of arms of Hunyadi, which he inherited from his father, who was said to be a descendant of King Sigismund of Hungary. The raven and the ring are symbols of loyalty and fidelity.
• Bethlen Gábor zászlója: the flag of Bethlen Gábor, a Hungarian prince and leader of an anti-Habsburg uprising in Transylvania in the 17th century. The flag has a yellow background and a black eagle with a red crown and a green olive branch in its claws. The eagle is the coat of arms of Bethlen, which he adopted from his mother’s family, the Báthorys. The eagle represents strength and courage, while the olive branch represents peace and prosperity.
• Rákóczi Ferenc zászlója: the flag of Rákóczi Ferenc II, a Hungarian prince and leader of another anti-Habsburg uprising in Transylvania in the early 18th century. The flag has a red background and a white cross with four white stars. The cross is similar to that of the Árpádian flag, but with stars instead of stripes. The stars symbolize the four parts of Hungary that Rákóczi aimed to unite: Upper Hungary (Slovakia), Lower Hungary (Hungary), Transylvania, and Partium (Romania).
• Honvéd-zászló: the flag of the honvédség, the Hungarian national army that was established during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49. The flag has a tricolor background of red, white, and green, which are the national colors of Hungary. In the center, there is a coat of arms with a crown and a wreath, surrounded by four smaller coats of arms representing Croatia, Transylvania, Dalmatia, and Slavonia. The flag expresses the patriotic spirit and unity of the revolutionaries.
• 1919-es csapatzászló: the flag of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, a short-lived socialist state that existed in 1919 after World War I. The flag has a red background and a yellow hammer and sickle in the upper left corner. The hammer and sickle are symbols of communism and workers’ solidarity. The flag was adopted by Béla Kun, the leader of the Hungarian Communist Party and the Soviet Republic.

The stamp is part of a series of four stamps that depict different aspects of Hungarian history and culture. The other stamps feature coins, medals, and seals.