Contents:

• Postcodes
• Triangles
• Year
• Despatch indication
• Major ornaments
• Minor ornaments
• Slogans etc
• Short form codes
• Comments
• Postablagen & Posthilfstellen
• Text
• Tabulation of stamp issues


• References

Postcode subtypes

The modern Austrian postcode is treated as part of the name of the post office, not as an ornament. For example, GRAZ 2 became GRAZ 8020.

With the introduction of Post Codes in 1966, cancellers incorporating the four-figure Post Code became much more stereotyped, with Town Name at the top and Post Code at the foot of a single circle. Counter letter, day, month, year and time (all in numerals) were in the centre. At first both hand and machine types had these four elements in four lines; this is to be coded "P1" if a hand cancellation, "MP1" if by machine. Three examples of type MP1 follow.

Within about five years, however, the Day/Month/Year/Time were arranged in a single line across the middle. Again this was used for both hand and machine types regardless of whether the machine type had wavy lines or a slogan to the side. This is to be coded "P2" if a hand cancellation, "MP2" if by machine. Examples follow:

More recently, a variant of MP2 emerged with a line above and below the central element - probably for mechanical strength as this version has only been seen used with machine types. This is to be coded "P3" if a hand cancellation (eg on a loose stamp), "MP3" if by machine. A couple of machine examples follow.

Postcodes with small solid triangles at "5 & 7 o'clock" are from places postally separated (eg by a mountain) from the rest of their Province. A well-known example is St Wolfgang (postcode 5360) which is in Upper Austria while its post goes via Salzburg instead of via Linz. Another is the whole of East Tirol. A list of such "Triangle Offices" can be obtained from the Post Code Index issued by the Austrian Post. See here for more details of the triangle system! An example follows. Code triangles where present as "d" (from the german 'dreiecke') and their absence (when they should be present) as "(d)".

Restating the above for the sake of clarity:

1. If triangles should be present and are present (eg as in the examples above), code this 'd'.
2. If triangles should be absent and are absent (eg as in a postcoded cancel of Innsbruck), do not show this in the code.
3. If triangles should be present and are absent, code this '(d)'
4. If triangles should be absent and are present, code this 'd' and as it is most unusual explain it as a comment.

Year

It is assumed that (in the 20th century) the day and month are always present. Add "(j)" if the year is omitted, "o" for a completely undated handstamp.

Despatch indication

Add an "e" if a despatch indication is present, "(e)" if it should be present (eg as in all Postcode types) but is omitted.

Major Ornaments

Eg large floral sprays, pictures of castles etc, forming part of the cancellation. Add a "v".

Minor Ornaments

These are the various letters, numbers, stars and twiddly bits found usually at the base of the cancellation for a single place-name, or between the names for a bilingual name. Give details of any of these ornaments as a comment, if wished.

• For one or more "counter letters" (and figures) use one "b".
  
• For each star etc use one "*".
  
• For a number which is not a postcode, use "p" (eg with a comment to state the number of an Octagonal cancel, or a Reichpost zone number).
  
• For text as part of the cancel (not beside it) use "t".
  
• For the two triangles in a postcode cancel use one "d" (not "dd").
  
• If a portion of a cancel is 'sideways' - as often found with continuous roller cancels - use "s".
  

Adjacent Slogans, Pictures and lines.

Slogans pictures and lines which are adjacent to (usually to the left of) the main cancel, which will normally be a single circle and often a Postcode, are coded thus:

• Slogans: put "+T" at the end of the code. The text can be given as a comment if wished; but as so many slogans have been used (and therefore many tens or even hundreds of thousands of slogan-office combinations) it is not suggested that each occurrence of every slogan be separately recorded.
  
  
• Pictures: put "+V" at the end of the code. The description can be given as a comment. Code 'pictures with words' as +V.
  
  
• Lines (ie machine or roller cancel): put "+nL" for "n" straight lines ; "+nW" for "n" wavy lines; "+nLL" for "n" pairs of straight lines; "+nWW" for "n" pairs of wavy lines, and so on (see the examples). Further details can be given as a comment.
  

Short-form codes

• Octagons always have date with year, despatch information, and the 4-figure code, so "Aep" becomes simply "A".
  
  
• The modified double circles (ie bridge, ring and segment types) always have sanserif lettering and a counter letter, and the date always includes the year, so (taking account of the notes in Part 3 on the occurrence of stars, and the conventions that unspecified typeface is sanserif and that only the omission of the year is recorded) they can be recorded as the following short forms.
  
  

  	Full code without despatch	Short code without despatch	Full code with despatch	Short code with despatch
  Bridge	gDBjb**	DB	gDBjeb**	DBe
  Ring	gDRjb	DR	gDRjeb	DRe
  Segment	gDSjb	DS	gDSjeb	DSe

  
  
  
• Variants are coded from the new system, so that a DB with no counter letter is a DB(b), not a gDBje(b)**; a DB with 4 stars is a DB** (preferably with an explanatory comment!); a DB with no stars is DB(**); a DR with 2 stars is DR** etc etc.
  
  
• Machine cancels without postcodes are treated as Klein-type single circles. They normally have sanserif type, date in full, dispatch information and counter letter, so with our prefix M would be MgEjeb. For these, use ME, adding +nW, +nL, +V etc as appropriate.

Comments

Fuller details of variant or complex cancels may be put in the Comments column. Descriptive text can be used (eg "pale blue", "laurel wreath ornament at base"), and/or the following codes.

• Details of machine and roller cancels, eg "Chain-dotted lines".
  
  
• Details of counter letters: place between angle brackets, eg <a>, <4d>. Use eg "<a,b,c>" to mean that <a>, <b>, and <c> are all found.
  
  
• Text forming part of cancel, eg t="Ferienort".
  
  
• Number (not a postcode) forming part of cancel, eg p="1812".
  
  
• Details of slogan or picture - eg +T="TRINKE STIEGL VOM FASS!" , +V ="Sketch of twin-peaked mountain above village, with text 'Höhenluft Wintersportplatz' .".
  
  
• Details of omissions, eg (e)="black square", (d) meaning triangles omitted when they should be present for the place of cancellation.
  
  
• Number of known sub-types: put in square brackets, eg for three put "[3T]".
  
  
• Date of specimen in the Postal Impressions Book: put in curly brackets eg {10.07.1905}. Use {???} if the relevant book is available but the cancel is not there.

Postablagen & Posthilfstellen cancellations

There is a distinctive group of specific cancellations used on mail deposited in collecting boxes (Postablagen, Posthilfstellen, or Poststellen), which are described in this section. An older example is:

which we would code aLo, and a more modern example is:

to which we have given the short-form code KE. See this page for more information.

Cancellation text

When using this system to classify and record cancels (as in "Dalmatia" ), the upper, lower, or mixed case of the lettering is ignored in the code, but of course quoted correctly in the listing of the text. A slash "/" is used to separate the lines, eg "ZADAR / ZARA" means ZADAR at the top and ZARA at the bottom, in upper case letters.

Tabulation of stamp issues.

This table gives a simplified tabulation of the separate issues, for classification of cancel usage. Particularly post-1945, the divisions correspond to the major changes in cancels, so cover a wide span of dates. Numbers are from ANK, the Austrian Netto Catalogue.

References

This brief list provides an introduction to the subject. The APS library contains over 300 titles!

Warning: examples section has lots of pictures!

©Andy Taylor. Last updated 1 Nov 2000