1873 Emperor Franz Joseph - Lithographed
Austria introduced state telegraph stamps in 1873; before that, from 1870, a private company, the Wiener Privat-Telegrafen-Gesellschaft, had issued stamps of its own.
The printing method is disputed: Wikimedia Commons and some catalogues (e.g. Yvert) say lithographed, while the telegraph-stamp specialists (S. Hiscocks, J. Barefoot) say it was in fact typographed (letterpress). The month of issue also varies (July or August 1873).
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The state stamps show Franz Joseph, in values from 5 kreuzer to 2 gulden. Their perforations are notoriously erratic: the State Printing Works had many machines with different settings and used whichever was free. They were also used at the Vienna pneumatic-post stations and were valid until 31 March 1879.
Sources: Telegraph Stamps of the World: Austria (S. Hiscocks), Wikimedia Commons: Telegraph stamps of Austria
| SW | Type | Value | Colour | Mint | Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | 5 Kr | |||
| 2 | A1 | 5 Kr | |||
| 3 | A2 | 20 Kr | |||
| 4 | A3 | 25 Kr | |||
| 5 | A4 | 40 Kr | |||
| 6 | A5 | 50 Kr | |||
| 7 | A6 | 60 Kr | |||
| 8 | A7 | 1 Fl | |||
| 9 | A8 | 2 Fl | |||
| 1‑9 |
