First Austrian postage stamps issued
- When
- 1850
- Where
- Austrian Empire
- Episodes
- 1
The first Austrian postage stamps were issued on June 1, 1850, featuring the coat of arms under the text KK Post-Stempel. These imperforate typographed stamps marked the beginning of the Austrian Empire's stamp issues. The paper quality varied, initially using rough handmade paper.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. The Austrian Empire's postal history begins with the first stamp issue on June 1, 1850. These stamps were imperforate and typographed, featuring the coat of arms. The text 'KK Post-Stempel' appeared on the stamps, indicating the Imperial-Royal postal service. The word Austria did not appear on the stamps.
Design. The first issue consisted of a series of stamps featuring the coat of arms. The design was typographed and the stamps were imperforate. Initially, they were printed on rough handmade paper, though smooth machine-made paper was used after 1854. Four clichés of the 1850 issue had St. Andrew's crosses printed per pane.
Context. The 1850 issue falls within the period of the Austrian Empire, which lasted from 1850 to 1867 before the transition to the Dual Monarchy.
Sources
- Postage stamps and postal history of Austria Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-15
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