Postage stamps 1867–1898

Austria · After the Compromise, in kreuzer · 94 stamps

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Common< 5Low5 – 50Medium50 – 500High500 – 5 000Exceptional5 000 +left column mint, right column used · USD, catalogue

1867

1867–1874 Issues of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy - Emperor Franz Josef. Coarse Print

Issued: 1. June
Watermark: None
Perforation: 9½

The issue of the Compromise year: a portrait of Franz Joseph, emperor in Austria and king in Hungary, kept free of any country name so that both halves of the monarchy would accept it. Hungary, which had no printer able to make stamps, used it until 31 July 1871, when its own were already out.

Sources

Sources: RPSL: Austro-Hungarian Issue, 1867, Wikipedia: Postage stamps and postal history of Hungary

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour
39	35 I. A	I	2 Kr	yellow
40	36 I. A	I1	3 Kr	green
41	37 I. A	I2	5 Kr	red
42	38 I. A	I3	10 Kr	blue
43	39 I. A	I4	15 Kr	yellowish brown
43a*	39 I. A	I5	15 Kr	dark brown
44	40 I. A	I6	25 Kr	violet
44a*	40 I. A	I7	25 Kr	purple grey
44b*	40 I. A	I8	25 Kr	brownish violet
45	41	J	50 Kr	brown
45a*	41	J1	50 Kr	brownish rose
39‑44				Set
39‑45				Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1867 Newspaper Stamp

Issued: 1. June
Watermark: None
Perforation: Imperforated

Once the Hungarian post became independent in 1867, the previous newspaper stamp with its German inscription and Austrian double eagle would no longer do, so Mercury's head of 1851 came back – with no inscription and no value at all.

It appeared on 1 June 1867 and was used in Hungary until 1871; in Austria it came into use only in autumn 1868, once older stocks ran out, but stayed valid until 30 September 1900 – over 33 years, longer than any other stamp of its day. The 'coarse print' comes from old presses with felt-covered rollers; from 1874 new machines printed sharply, which collectors call the fine print.

Sources: Vindobona: J. Gatterer – Die Zeitungsmarken-Ausgaben von 1867 und 1880 (2024), Big Blue 1840-1940: Austria & L-V 1860-64 Franz Josef & Coat of Arms issues

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour	Description	Printed	Mint	Used
46	42	XBD	1 Kr	violet	Coarse Print	2 070 000 000
46A	42	XBD1	1 Kr	violet	Fine Print

1874

1874–1884 Issues of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy - Fine Print

Watermark: None
Perforation: 9 - 13

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour	Description
47	35 II. B	K	2 Kr	yellow	Perf: 9
47A*	35 II. A	K1	2 Kr	yellow	Perf: 9½
47B*	35 II. C	K2	2 Kr	yellow	Perf: 10½
47C*	35 II. D	K3	2 Kr	yellow	Perf: 12
47D*	35 II. E	K4	2 Kr	yellow	Perf: 13
48	36 II. B	K5	3 Kr	green	Perf: 9
48A*	36 II. A	K6	3 Kr	green	Perf: 9½
48B*	36 II. C	K7	3 Kr	green	Perf: 10½
48C*	36 II. D	K8	3 Kr	green	Perf: 12
48D*	36 II. E	K9	3 Kr	green	Perf: 13
49	37 II. B	K10	5 Kr	red	Perf: 9
49A*	37 II. A	K11	5 Kr	red	Perf: 9½
49B*	37 II. C	K12	5 Kr	red	Perf: 10½
49C*	37 II. D	K13	5 Kr	red	Perf: 12
49D*	37 II. E	K14	5 Kr	red	Perf: 13
50	38 II. B	K15	10 Kr	blue	Perf: 9
50A*	38 II. A	K16	10 Kr	blue	Perf: 9½
50B*	38 II. C	K17	10 Kr	blue	Perf: 10½
50C*	38 II. D	K18	10 Kr	blue	Perf: 12
50D*	38 II. E	K19	10 Kr	blue	Perf: 13
47‑50					Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1874–1884 Issues of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy - Fine Print

Watermark: None
Perforation: 9 - 13

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour	Description
51	39 II. B	K20	15 Kr	yellowish brown	Perf: 9
51A*	39 II. A	K21	15 Kr	yellowish brown	Perf: 9½
51B*	39 II. C	K22	15 Kr	yellowish brown	Perf: 10½
51C*	39 II. D	K23	15 Kr	yellowish brown	Perf: 12
51D*	39 II. E	K24	15 Kr	yellowish brown	Perf: 13
52	40 II. A	K25	25 Kr	purple grey	Perf: 9½
53	41 II. D	L	50 Kr	brownish rose	Perf: 12
53A*	41 II. E	L1	50 Kr	brownish rose	Perf: 13
51‑53					Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1880

1880 Newspaper Stamp

Issued: 1. December
Watermark: None
Perforation: Imperforated

Newspaper sales were growing fast, so in 1879 the post decided to issue, for the first time, special delivery stamps for subscribers' newspapers delivered only within the area of the local post office; the delivery fee was ½ kreuzer.

The design was made by altering the die of the 1867 newspaper stamp – the lower meander replaced by a solid panel with the value '½ Kr.' in white – and it was printed in the same green as the postage stamp for local letters. After the change to the krone currency it was occasionally used early in 1900 as a 1-heller postage or postage-due stamp.

Sources: Vindobona: J. Gatterer – Die Zeitungsmarken-Ausgaben von 1867 und 1880 (2024)

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour	Printed	Mint	Used
54	43	XBE	½ Kr	green	131 100 000

1883

1883 Coat of Arms - Inscriptions in Black

Issued: 15. August
Watermark: None
Perforation: 9 x 11½

The 1883 set was the first purely Austrian issue: since 1871 Hungary had been issuing its own stamps. For the first time the value and the inscription KAIS.

KÖNIGL. OESTERR. POST were added in black in a second printing, and a new 20 kreuzer value joined the set. The stamps were perforated 9½ at first and 10 from 1887; for the last printing in 1890 the usual paper had run out, so the newspaper-stamp paper watermarked 'ZEITUNGS-MARKEN' was used instead. They were valid until 30 June 1891.

Sources: Austria-Forum: Freimarken 1883, Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – empire issues, 1850-1918, Austrian Stamps: 1883 issues

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour	Description	Printed
55	44	M	2 Kr	yellowish brown/black	Perf: 9
55A*	44	M1	2 Kr	yellowish brown/black	Perf: 9½
55B*	44	M2	2 Kr	yellowish brown/black	Perf: 10
55C*	44	M3	2 Kr	yellowish brown/black	Perf: 10½
56	45	M4	3 Kr	bluish green/black	Perf: 9
56A*	45	M5	3 Kr	bluish green/black	Perf: 9½
56B*	45	M6	3 Kr	bluish green/black	Perf: 10
56C*	45	M7	3 Kr	bluish green/black	Perf: 10½
57	46	M8	5 Kr	red/black	Perf: 9	1 074 400 000
57A*	46	M9	5 Kr	red/black	Perf: 9½
57B*	46	M10	5 Kr	red/black	Perf: 10
57C*	46	M11	5 Kr	red/black	Perf: 10½	1 074 400 000
57D*	46	M12	5 Kr	red/black	Perf: 11½
58	47	M13	10 Kr	ultramarine/black	Perf: 9
58A*	47	M14	10 Kr	ultramarine/black	Perf: 9½	108 300 000
58B*	47	M15	10 Kr	ultramarine/black	Perf: 10
58C*	47	M16	10 Kr	ultramarine/black	Perf: 10½
59	48	M17	20 Kr	grey/black	Perf: 9
59A*	48	M18	20 Kr	grey/black	Perf: 9½
59B*	48	M19	20 Kr	grey/black	Perf: 10
59C*	48	M20	20 Kr	grey/black	Perf: 10½
60	49	M21	50 Kr	reddish purple/black	Perf: 9½
60a*	49	M22	50 Kr	brownish purple/black	Perf: 10	1 888
55‑58					Set
55‑60					Set (* Stamp not included in this set)

1890

1890–1896 Emperor Franz Josef I, 1830-1916 - Granite Paper. Numerals in Black

Issued: 1. September
Watermark: None
Perforation: 9 - 13½
Sheet size: 100

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour
61	50	N	1 Kr	greyish black/black
62	51	N1	2 Kr	brown/black
63	52	N2	3 Kr	bluish green/black
64	53	N3	5 Kr	red/black
65	54	N4	10 Kr	ultramarine/black
66	55	N5	12 Kr	rose/black
67	56	N6	15 Kr	reddish purple/black
68	57	N7	20 Kr	olive green/black
69	58	N8	24 Kr	greyish blue/black
70	59	N9	30 Kr	dark brown/black
71	60	N10	50 Kr	violet/black
72	61	O	1 G	dark blue
73	62	O1	2 G	carmine
61‑73				Set

1891

1891 Emperor Franz Josef I, 1830-1916 - Black Numerals on White Background

Issued: 16. March
Watermark: None
Perforation: 9-13½
Sheet size: 100

Soon after the 1890 set, the higher kreuzer values of 20, 24, 30 and 50 kr were reissued on 16 March 1891 in a new design, because the rather similar colours were easily confused.

The emperor's profile stayed, but the oval frame became an ornate octagon, and the black numerals sit in plain hexagonal panels instead of round ones – easier to read, and the higher values are easier to tell from the lower. They were printed on fibre paper without watermark, in various perforations, and were valid together with the low values of 1890 until 30 September 1900.

Sources: Austria-Forum: Freimarken 1891/96, Austrian Stamps: 1891-96 issues

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour	Description
74	63	P	20 Kr	olive green/black
75	64	P1	24 Kr	greyish blue/black
76	65	P2	30 Kr	dark brown/black
76A	65	P3	30 Kr	dark blue/black	Perf: 9¼
77	66	P4	50 Kr	purple/black
74‑77					Set

1896

1896 Emperor Franz Josef I, 1830-1916 - New Colors

Issued: 1. February
Watermark: None
Perforation: 10½
Sheet size: 100

SW	Michel	Type	Value	Colour	Printed
78	67	O2	1 G	greyish violet	2 100 000
79	68	O3	2 G	green	1 750 000
78‑79				Set