The stamps of many Eastern European countries have gained tremendously in popularity and price in the last ten years and Hungary has been at the top of the second tier in this regard. Philatelically, the most active Eastern European country has been Russia. Even despite a pull back in the last few years, Soviet period Russian stamps have enjoyed enormous price gains and have been in a class by themselves.The second tier has been made up of Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary. These three countries have seen great increases in the popularity and price of their stamps due to economic growth fueled by the fall of communism. Romania and Bulgaria started from a much lower base than Hungary and these countries have benefited by being low wage satellite countries for European manufacturers, similar to role that Mexico has for the United States. Despite the Soviet crackdown on Hungary after the 1956 Revolution, the Hungarians have always maintained one of the most independent governments in Eastern Europe and probably had the most thriving economy in 1990. Economic liberalization has certainly helped Hungary but since it was growing from a higher base the effects are not as dramatic as they have been in other Eastern European countries. The stamps of Hungary and among the most interesting and well designed in our hobby and if you are looking for an area to specialize in you could do far worse than this.