Postage stamps

The K. u. K. (Imperial and Royal) field post issued stamps from 1915 to 1918 for the territories occupied by the Austro-Hungarian army. The first were Bosnian stamps overprinted 'K. U. K. FELDPOST'.

Sources: WorthPoint: Austro-Hungarian Military Post 1915–1918

The Austro-Hungarian field post (Feldpost) issued its own stamps from 1915 for territory held by the army. The first, in March 1915, were Bosnian stamps of 1912 overprinted 'K.U.K. FELDPOST'; they were soon replaced by this Franz Joseph series inscribed 'K u K FELDPOST' – kaiserlich und königlich, imperial and royal. The same stamps were later overprinted for Serbia and Montenegro.

Sources: StampWorld: Austro-Hungary Military Post 1915 – Bosnian stamps overprinted K.U.K. FELDPOST, WorthPoint: Austro-Hungarian Military Post (1915 – 1918)

The field-post newspaper stamps, with the head of Mercury, god of commerce, facing left, were designed by Koloman Moser and engraved by Ferdinand Schirnböck. Newspaper stamps were meant for posting newspapers and were available only to publishers. Mercury had been the emblem of Austrian newspaper stamps since 1851.

Sources: Belvedere, Koloman Moser – Werkverzeichnis: Briefmarke K. u. K. Österreichische Feldpost (Merkur), Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues

Franz Joseph died on 21 November 1916 after almost 68 years on the throne and was succeeded by his great-nephew Karl I. In 1917 the field post therefore issued a new series with Karl's profile between ornamental columns. The stamps for occupied Romania used the same design, with a blank bottom panel for the value in bani and lei.

Sources: Wikipedia: Charles I of Austria, Dead Country Stamps: Romania, Austrian Occupation – WW1, MegaMinistore: Romania – Austrian occupation stamps

In 1918 the field post issued three charity stamps inscribed K UND K FELDPOST and KARLFONDS – 10, 20 and 45 heller, each with a 10-heller surcharge for the Karl Fund. Bosnia received a similar trio in July 1918, with portraits of Karl I and Empress Zita by Alfred Cossmann; the proceeds went to victims of the war.

Sources: Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues, Wikimedia Commons: Stamps of Bosnia and Herzegovina

In the autumn of 1918 a new field-post definitive set with Karl I was ready, similar in design to the Karlfonds charity stamps. It never reached the army post offices – the war ended first – so catalogues list it as unissued.

Sources: Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues