Austria — Stamps & Postal Service

Postal Service Overview

Österreichische Post AG is Austria’s national postal operator, privatised in 1999 and listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange. Austria’s philatelic heritage spans the Habsburg Empire — one of Europe’s largest postal jurisdictions — through the First Republic, Anschluss period, Allied occupation, and the modern Second Republic. Austrian stamps are highly regarded for their technical quality, with a particularly strong tradition of engraved (recess-printed) issues.

Notable Stamp Issues

Austria’s first stamps, issued 1 June 1850, were the Coat of Arms machine-printed issues in five denominations. These served the entire Habsburg Empire, including modern-day Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, and parts of Poland and Italy. The Mercury newspaper stamps (1851–1856), used for newspaper postage, are unique to Austrian philatelic history and are among the world’s most elegant early stamps. The 1908 Imperial Jubilee issue celebrating Franz Joseph’s 60 years of reign is a landmark set. Post-WWII Austrian stamps are noted for their artistic engraved designs.

Collecting Tips

The ANK (Anfermann Katalog) is the standard Austrian reference. Imperial Austrian stamps require study of postal districts and cancellations to determine provenance within the vast Empire. The newspaper stamps (Zeitungsstempelmarken) are a distinct specialist area. Austrian field post stamps from WWI are widely collected. The Allied occupation period (1945–1955) produced distinct stamps. Austria’s modern philatelic programme through the Austrian Post philatelic bureau is highly regarded.

Part of the Europe Postal Directory.