This website is dedicated to the Hungarian born stamp dealers Béla, Géza, Eugen and Frank Sekula.
Each one of them ran his own stamp business with emphasis on international stamp trade, likely driven by their business acumen rather than a particular preference for philately.
All four assumed Swiss nationality and were based in Lucerne side by side for years.
Especially Béla’s business ideas provoked more than one scandal during his career.
However, the history of philately would arguably be poorer without the Sekula brothers.
Géza Szekula postmark on German stamp of 1903Ad. for Austrian reprints (Rossica 1934)
Géza Sekula (1886–1946), born on February 17, 1886 in Szeged, is probably the least known of the four.
From 1903 to 1904 he lived at Béla’s place, the Villa Philatélie, in Geneva.
Initially, the main reason for his stay in the French speaking city was probably to learn the languange, and not the stamp business – on one occasion a newspaper article referred to him as a journalist.
However, when his elder brother left Geneva he went back with him to Budapest where he followed in his footsteps, as an employee in Béla’s company and as publisher of a philatelic advertising magazine, the Philatelistisches Offertenblatt.
In early 1913 he returned with Béla to Switzerland, and in May of that year he started his own Briefmarken-Grosshandlung (= stamp wholesale business) Géza Szekula in Lucerne at Alpenstrasse 3.
On March 2, 1914 he married Elisabeth Rudolfine Gusenbauer in Lucerne.
On August 26, 1918 Géza became a naturalized Swiss citizen of Geuensee.
In October 1919 he closed his Briefmarkengrosshandlung at Alpenstrasse 3 and reopened at Dreilindenstrasse 17.
Like Béla and Eugen he changed the spelling of his name to Sekula in March 1923.
During the next ten years Géza’s business address changed three more times: Sälihügel 7 (January 4, 1927), Brunnhalde 14 (January 15, 1932) and Werchlaubengasse 2 (September 26, 1934).
Apparently, he was not involved in any scandal until 1937 when the Federation of Philatelic Societies of Switzerland (Verband der Schweizerischen Philatelisten-Vereine) filed a lawsuit against him and his eldest son Tibor for selling forged Turkish 25 piastre stamps of 1884 and 1888.
Géza had probably bought the stamps in good faith himself, but he made the mistake of selling them as guaranteed genuine.
While his son was acquited of the charges Géza was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison and loss of honor.
On September 2, 1937 the stamp wholesale Géza Sekula was deleted from the company register.
After having served two thirds of his sentence Géza was released early for good conduct on July 19, 1938 and joined his wife and children in Lausanne.
Géza Sekula died on April 13, 1946 in Lausanne at age 60, after a severe and long illness.
Postcard — June 10, 1905
Sent on June 10, 1905, from Budapest, Hungary, to Naumur, Belgium. Arrived on June 11, 1905.
Scans provided by David Rossall.
Cover — July 1, 1912
Registered mail sent on July 1, 1912, from Budapest, Hungary, to Paris, France. Arrived on July 3, 1912.
Postal Card — March 5, 1914
Sent on March 5, 1914, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Essen, Germany.
Double Reply Card — April 4, 1914
Sent on April 4, 1914, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Bar-le-Duc, France. Arrived on April 5, 1914.
Sent on December 22, 1928, from Germiston, South Africa, to Lucerne, Switzerland.
Scan provided by Max Brack.
Cover — March 27, 1929
Registered mail sent on March 27, 1929, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Cottbus, Germany. Arrived on March 28, 1929.
Cover — November 8, 1929
Registered mail sent on November 8, 1929, from Rabat, Morocco, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on November 12, 1929.
Postcard — November 30, 1929
Sent on November 30, 1929, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Casablanca, Morocco.
Cover — January 10, 1930
Registered airmail sent on January 10, 1930, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Miroslav, Czechoslovakia (today Czech Republic). Arrived on January 11, 1930.
Postcard — January 25, 1930
Sent on January 25, 1930, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Eichwald, Bohemia (=Dubí), Germany (today Czech Republic).
Cover — May 13, 1930
Registered mail sent on May 13, 1930, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Newtonville, Massachusetts, United States. Arrived on May 26, 1930.
Cover — August 1, 1930
Sent on August 1, 1930, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Duchcov, Czechoslovakia (today Czech Republic). Arrived on August 1, 1930.
Postal Card — August 23, 1930
Sent on August 23, 1930, from Cairo, Egypt, to Lucerne, Switzerland.
Cover — October 4, 1930
Registered airmail sent on October 4, 1930, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Berlin, Germany. Arrived on October 7, 1930.
Cover — March 1931
Sent in March 1931 from Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, to Lucerne, Switzerland.
Cover — June 1931
Registered mail sent in June 1931 from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Bad Homburg, Germany. Arrived on June 6, 1931.
Cover — June 1931
Registered mail sent in June 1931 from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Glaubitz, Germany. Arrived on June 17, 1931.
Postcard — August 6, 1931
Sent on August 6, 1931, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Steinach, Thuringia, Germany.
Cover — October 24, 1931
Registered mail sent on October 24, 1931, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Dresden, Germany. Arrived on October 26, 1931.
Covers — November 7, 1931 – December 18, 1931
Two covers sent from Géza’s PO box in November and December 1931 from Lucerne to Saint-Vigor-le-Grand, France.
Cover — December 20, 1931
Sent on December 20, 1931, from Liepāja, Latvia, to Lucerne, Switzerland.
Cover — March 8, 1932
Registered mail sent on March 8, 1932, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Krefeld, Germany. Arrived on March 9, 1932.
Cover — March 28, 1932
Sent on March 28, 1932, from Los Angeles, California, United States, to Lucerne, Switzerland.
Postcard — April 18, 1932
Sent on April 18, 1932, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Oudjda, Morocco.
Cover — February 1, 1933
Registered mail sent on February 1, 1933, from Tokyo, Japan, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on February 21, 1933.
Cover — February 25, 1933
Registered mail sent on February 25, 1933, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Görlitz, Silesia (today Saxony), Germany. Arrived on February 26, 1933.
Cover — March 4, 1933
Registered mail sent on March 4, 1933, from Port Sudan, Sudan, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on March 14, 1933.
Cover — June 20, 1933
Registered mail sent on June 20, 1933, from Medan, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies (today Indonesia), to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on July 6, 1933.
Cover — June 9, 1934
Registered mail sent on June 9, 1934, from Alexandria, Egypt, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on June 13, 1934.
Envelope — 1935
Géza Sekula prepaid and addressed return envelope ca. 1935.
Cover — March 27, 1935
Express mail sent on March 27, 1935, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Gossau, St. Gallen. Arrived on March 27, 1935.
Cover — August 12, 1935
Registered mail sent on August 12, 1935, from Surabaja, East Java, Dutch East Indies (today Indonesia), to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on September 5, 1935.
Postcard — December 1935
Sent in December 1935 from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Leonard, Texas, United States.
Postcard — March 22, 1937
Sent on March 22, 1937, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to San Antonio Suchitepéquez, Guatemala.
Postcard — July 16, 1937
Sent on July 16, 1937, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Palestine.