Some articles from the Austrian Philatelic Society journal 'AUSTRIA' and elsewhere.

Expanded versions of articles from our quarterly journal 'AUSTRIA' (and some brand new ones!) with additional or coloured illustrations, or with added political and social background, will appear on this site. So will original articles on Austrian matters with lesser philatelic relevance, or which require coloured illustrations.

"The Austro-Hungarian Army 1914-18, for collectors of its postal items" by the late J Dixon-Nuttall (completed in 1990) gives a comprehensive survey of its organisation and nomenclature. The work is available here in draft for your further comment and enhancement.

K itzbühel in the Tirol has an interesting postal history - indeed the town itself has much more to offer (particularly to the summer visitor) than simply being "that place at the bottom of the Hahnenkamm". There's a brief history of Kitzbühel and its Post Office here. All the cancellations of Kitzbühel known to me (ie Andy Taylor) are described and (if I have a specimen) illustrated, which also shows all the Austrian stamps which depict aspects of the town of Kitzbühel, on FDC if I have one.

Old letters can seem an impenetrable mystery, written in flowery handwriting on thick paper decorated with mysterious markings. This article provides a simple introduction to Austrian pre-philately, ie letters written before 1 June 1850. While it goes beyond the ‘points’ valuations in the postmarks catalogues, it avoids confusing specialist areas and contributes only towards the essential basic knowledge needed to make the greater part of old letters comprehensible. It was written for the English-speaking readers of "Austria" by Hubert Jungwirth of PKMI, Tirol; the primary translation was by Hans Smith with further input from Henry Pollak.

One of Austria's more interesting obscurities used to be the yellow slot machines found outside Post Offices and elsewhere from 1980 to 1999. When working, they dispensed a credit-card size plastic & cardboard wallet of stamps when you inserted a 10 Schilling coin. Why did the contents never correspond to those in the little window? Who decided which stamps to put in? Why when the machine is empty did the rejected coin always fall down a conveniently placed drain? What would happen with the change to Euro coinage? Here's the answers to some of these questions.

The classification of the cancellations used on postage stamps in Austria from 1900 has long been a difficult area. The APS has developed a system, which (we modestly assert) is better than anybody else's, and it is described in detail here, with many pictures.

The Anschluß was a complex period in terms of the transitions from the Austrian to the Third Reich postal systems. Here are the details of the changes, with a contemporary commentary and a sketch of the key political dates. Postage Dues and Registration Rates are covered, and the demise of the Schilling currency.

Registration Labels are an increasingly popular field of study; the history thereof is outlined here. A spin-off from the Anschluss article is a table of Registration Rates from 1850 to 2002.

P osthorn-series is the American-printed stamps used in the Western Zones of Austria in 1946-6 (and sometimes longer...)

Perforations on Austrian stamps come in a large number of different types and varieties - some philatelists feel that the number is unreasonably large, but that's another story! As you would expect, some perforations are more expensive than others. Curiously, sellers of stamps tend to be optimists, and it is more common for a cheaper perf to be mis-classified as an expensive one than the opposite... This article, written by the APS's Packet Secretary, describes the characteristics and occurrences of the different types of perforations.

Postablagen and Posthilfstellen cancellations were introduced in the 19th century when a need emerged to provide letter collection facilities in rural areas. Following trials, an official system of rural agencies was set up on 1 July 1900, and was progressively integrated over the decades into the postal system. Initially, cancellations had only the name of the rural agency; later joined by the name of the Post Office to which it was attached. However, they had no date, so were (in theory!) not allowed to be used to cancel the postage stamp. This section describes, illustrates and codifies all the known types of Postablagen and Posthilfsstellen cancellations.

The Austro-German Postal Union of 1850 came into being to simplify the exchange of mail between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the various states of Germany and, most importantly, to provide a uniform postal rate structure. It proved to be extremely successful and was to be the model for the creation of the U.P.U. from 1874 onwards. Its workings are illustrated by a parcel letter sent in 1862.

Austria's military occupation of the Oltreticino Novarese in 1849 is described in this article, translated from La Voce Scaligera by our member Salvatore J. Rizza.

Gurahoncz in Hungary, and the 'fine vs coarse' printing of a 5Kr 1867 stamp cancelled there, turned out to require weeks of work and pages of explanation!

Vienna's Combined Town and Registration Cancellers (used from 1824 till the 1880s) are discussed and illustrated in this 2-part article

Austria is Free describes the signing of the Austrian State Treaty in 1955 as seen by one who took part in the negotiations - our member Salvatore J. Rizza.

Kleinwalsertal is an isolated valley, part of the Austrian federal state of Vorarlberg but with the only road access being through Germany. Its unusual postal history is described in this article.

The postal history of a letter sent from Vienna to Warrington in 1857 is explained here.

S cenic view Postcards showing Austrian scenes were issued by the Third Reich postal authorities soon after the Anschluß. An overview and a comprehensive list are given here.

A philatelic journey from the mouth of the River Danube to its source 2840 km (1,870 miles) away in the Black Forest is briefly described. At one time all the countries traversed (apart from Germany) had postal links with Austria either through shipping companies (the Austrian Lloyd or the Danube Steam Navigation Company - D.D.S.G.) or through Consular Offices.

N inety years of aviation in Austria is a historical development which parallels the opening and eventual closing of the airport at Aspern near Vienna.

R eprints of the 'classical' stamps are both common and confusing! This article lists them in different ways. It also has descriptions of the 1881 and 1890 Philatelic Exhibitions in Vienna.

K lein's catalogue even in Rieger's revised edition and its supplement does not include all the cancellations that can be found on pre-1900 Austrian postage stamps. Other varieties exist, which may be major, minor, or trivial. This article lists those found by APS members up to about 1980.

W echsel is the Austrian for a "Bill of Exchange", and this article illustrates an example ofrom 1879, explaining most of the markings, cachets, annotations and handwritings on it.

©APS; last changed 3 July 2008