Are Alphonse Mucha's Hradčany stamps public domain?

Yes, in the archive's reading. Alphonse Mucha's Hradčany Castle stamps were first issued in October 1918, before the 1922 line for Czechoslovak stamps, and they are neither the Masaryk portrait nor the Dove design, the two exceptions to it. Mucha also died in 1939, more than 70 years ago.

Are Bohemia and Moravia stamps covered by this rule?

No. Wikimedia Commons' note on Czechoslovak stamps covers 1918 to 1939 and 1945 to 1992 and says nothing about the stamps of the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which ruled the Czech lands from 1939 to 1945. The Protectorate issued more than 100 stamps of its own.

Will the 1922 cutoff for Czechoslovak stamps change?

No. Wikimedia Commons writes 1922 as a set year for Czechoslovak stamps, not one counted back from the current year. Stamps issued from 1922 on become free one at a time, 70 years after the last of their graphic artist and engraver has died.

Czechoslovakia

Are Czechoslovakia stamps public domain?

The archive answers public domain for Czechoslovak stamps issued before 1922, on the date alone, in its reading of Wikimedia Commons. Commons excepts two designs from that line, the Masaryk portrait and the Dove, and the archive's date rule does not separate them out. Later stamps are protected until 70 years after both the graphic artist and the engraver die.

Why 1922?

Commons' note says stamps issued before 1922 are public domain, except the portrait of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and the Dove design; it does not explain the year.¹ For the stamps of 1918 to 1939 and 1945 to 1992 its general rule is 70 years after the deaths of both the engraver and the graphic artist.¹ Czechoslovakia's 1965 Copyright Act gave 50 years after death, but Commons requires a Czechoslovak work to be free in the successor state, and the Czech Republic now protects works for 70 years.¹² Commons also counts stamps of 1934 to 1939 engraved by Bohumil Heinz as public domain, with some exceptions for their graphic artists.¹

Postal history and copyright

Czechoslovakia declared independence from Austria-Hungary in October 1918, and its first stamps, the Hradčany Castle issue designed by Alphonse Mucha, appeared that month.³ Mucha died in 1939.⁴ In 1920 came Masaryk portraits designed by Max Švabinský, who died in 1962, and an allegorical set showing a carrier pigeon, known as the Dove stamps.³⁵⁶ From 1939 to 1945 the Czech lands were the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which issued more than 100 stamps of its own; Commons' note covers only 1918 to 1939 and 1945 to 1992.¹³ The last Czechoslovak stamp was issued on December 18, 1992, and the state split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on January 1, 1993.¹³

References 6

↑ Copyright rules for Czechoslovakia. Wikimedia Commons, January 31, 2025. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Copyright rules for the Czech Republic. Wikimedia Commons, December 13, 2024. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Postage stamps and postal history of Czechoslovakia. Wikipedia, September 14, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Alphonse Mucha (Q146691). Wikidata. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Dějiny poštovních známek a poštovnictví v Československu. Wikipedia, April 30, 2026. Accessed October 8, 2026.
↑ Max Švabinský (Q159074). Wikidata. Accessed October 8, 2026.

Copyright law in Czechoslovakia

The archive has not been able to settle the details of Czechoslovakia stamps specifically. Here is its reading of the copyright law of Czechoslovakia, and how it reaches a general answer from it. A design answers Likely yes or Likely no only when every term that could apply agrees, and Unclear when they disagree.

Named designer: 70 years after the designer’s death
Anonymous: 70 years from issue
Note: Czechoslovakia’s own law gave 50 years. A Czechoslovak stamp must also be free in the Czech Republic or Slovakia, which give 70, so the longer term is used.

Read from Wikimedia Commons, copyright rules for Czechoslovakia, revision 991017445, checked October 8, 2026

The rule by period

PeriodRule

Before 1922Public domain: issued before 1922, with a few exceptions.The archive answers public domain on the date alone. Commons excepts Masaryk's portrait and the Dove design from this line; the archive's rule does not tell them apart.

From 1922Protected until 70 years after the death of the last designer or engraver.Protected until 70 years after the death of the last of the stamp's graphic artist and engraver.

Czechoslovakia stamps and the public domain: questions

Are Czechoslovakia stamps public domain?: It depends on the date. The archive answers yes for Czechoslovak stamps issued before 1922, on the date alone, although Wikimedia Commons excepts two designs from that line, the Masaryk portrait and the Dove. Later stamps are protected until 70 years after both the graphic artist and the engraver have died.
Are Alphonse Mucha's Hradčany stamps public domain?: Yes, in the archive's reading. Alphonse Mucha's Hradčany Castle stamps were first issued in October 1918, before the 1922 line for Czechoslovak stamps, and they are neither the Masaryk portrait nor the Dove design, the two exceptions to it. Mucha also died in 1939, more than 70 years ago.
Are Bohemia and Moravia stamps covered by this rule?: No. Wikimedia Commons' note on Czechoslovak stamps covers 1918 to 1939 and 1945 to 1992 and says nothing about the stamps of the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, which ruled the Czech lands from 1939 to 1945. The Protectorate issued more than 100 stamps of its own.
Will the 1922 cutoff for Czechoslovak stamps change?: No. Wikimedia Commons writes 1922 as a set year for Czechoslovak stamps, not one counted back from the current year. Stamps issued from 1922 on become free one at a time, 70 years after the last of their graphic artist and engraver has died.