AUSTRIA 1850 - 1862

Return To Catalogue - Austria overview - Austria 1863-1889

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1850 Two headed eagle, imperforated, inscription 'KKPOST STEMPEL'

  1 k yellow (orange)
  2 k black
  3 k red
  6 k brown
  9 k blue

For cancels on these stamps click here. These stamps with value in 'CENTES' were issued for Austrian Italy. The stamps were printed on thick or thin paper.

For the specialist, these stamps exist with together with an imprinted cross, example:

(Reduced size)

The 9 k exists in three types, differing in the value part at the bottom.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

I've seen (privately?) rouletted stamps (6 k and 9 k) used in Tokay (see http://www.sandafayre.com/gallery/country_27_1.htm for examples).

Rouletted 1 k stamp used in Tokay

Reprints

Official reprints were made in 1865, 1871 and 1884. They are difficult to distinguish from genuine stamps. Sometimes the colours, paper and gum are slightly different. The last reprint of 1884 has a sheet watermark 'BRIEFMARKEN'.

1871 (or 1870?) reprint of the 6 k and 1884 reprint of the 9 k value.Note the break over the 'TE' in the inner upper frameline in the 6 k value.

I have also seen stamps in similar designs, but with the bottom value inscription changed to '1881.' or '1890'. They were produced 'on the spot' at the Vienna 1881 and 1890 stamp exhibitions organized by Sigmund Frield:

In the 1881 design I have seen: blue, blue on yellow, blue on red, blue on yellow (all imperforate) and blue (perforated). I have also seen partly perforated and doubly perforated stamps.
In the 1890 design: perforated: yellow, orange, green, black, lilac, blue, red; imperforate: yellow on blue, black, red on red, green, green on lilac and brown on brown.
I have seen the 1890 brown on brown stamps in a sheet of 16 stamps (4 x 4).

Forgeries

Examples:

First forgery of Album Weeds. Badly done with inscription 'TEMPEL' instead of 'STEMPEL'.

(Forgery; stamp and cancel forged)

Forged 2 k stamp, with the leaf pattern different

Unissued 12 k stamps:

A 12 k blue value was prepared, but not issued. The 7 or 8 remaining stamps were cancelled 'Franco' as shown above.

A forgery of the non-issued 12 k blue stamp (I've seen other forgeries of this stamp, all with the 'WIEN 10/11 8A' cancel). Next to it a forgery of Austrian Italy (10 c); apparently made by the same forger. And some 2 kr forgeries from the same source with a 'KALOCSA' cancel. Note the emptiness of the curved ornaments coming out of the bottom of the crown. Also, the letters are not nicely done. The heads of the eagle are too white.

1858 Emperor Francis Joseph I, facing the left, no inscription, except value and 'kr'

  2 k yellow
  3 k black
  3 k green (1859)
  5 k red
  10 k brown
  15 k blue

These stamps are perforated 15 (reprints have different perforation). Specialists distinguish two types of these stamps; in Type 1, the ribbon at the back of the head is thin and in the shape of a '3', furthermore the spikes at the front of the head are not very large. In Type 2, the ribbon at the back of the head is thicker and forms a '8', the spikes at the front of the head are more prominent.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

This issue also had Andreas crosses (Andreas Kreuz) in the sheets, now the cross is white on a background in the colour of the stamp, example:

(Andreas Cross of a red 5 k stamp)

Forgeries, example:

These stamps with value in 'SOLDI' were issued for Austrian Italy.

For the specialist: these stamps were perforated 15. Reprints exist perforated 10, 10 1/2, 11, 12, 12 1/2 or even imperforate. Reprints are always in Type 2. Examples of reprints:

What is this? An imperforate 10 k stamp in the wrong colour red.... A proof maybe?

Similar designs, with inscription 'K.K. ZEITUNGS POST STEMPEL' are newspaper stamps.

1861 Francis Joseph in an ellipse facing the right, embossed, inscription 'KREUZER'

  2 k yellow
  3 k green
  5 k red
  10 k brown
  15 k blue

These stamps are perforated 14. Similar stamps with value in 'SOLDI' were issued for Austrian Italy. Envelopes with the same design exist, I've seen the following values: 3 k green, 5 k red, 10 k brown, 15 k blue, 20 k orange, 25 k brown and 30 k lilac

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Similar design, inscription 'K.K. ZEITUNGS POST STEMPEL' is a newspaper stamp.

Reprints:

Reprints exist, they have a different perforation (the originals have perforation 14). Three different kinds of reprints seem to exist; made in 1865, 1871 and 1884.

(reprint)

Essays

This is probably a reprint of an essay of 1860; so-called Radnitzky essay. The inner frame line in the upper right hand side is very weak (a distinguishing characteristic of the reprint according to the reprint book of Ohrt).

Forgeries:

I posess some imperforate forgeries of a (non existing) 20 k brown value (block of four stamps). This might have been ment to forge the postal stationary. They are imperforate and have no embossing. The hair on the forehead of the Emperor points towards the bottom of the 'Z' of 'KREUZER', in the genuine stamps it points exactly to the middle of this letter. They are cancelled with a rectangle with dots (probably the fastest way to recognize them). I have also seen whole sheets of the 25 k brown and 35 k light brown value (also cancelled with dots). The above forgery of the 10 k was probably made by the same forger. They are possibly made by Spiro, similar forgeries exist for Austrian Italy.

Two other primitive forgeries. Possibly badly printed ones from the same origin as the forgery shown above.

For issues of Austria from 1863 to 1889 click here.

Stamps - Briefmarken - Timbres-Poste

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