Austrian 41 Stamp: A Priceless Piece Of History

Austrian stamps are highly sought-after by collectors, with some of the rarest stamps fetching tens of thousands of dollars at auction. The Austrian Empire newspaper stamps, issued between 1851 and 1856, are particularly valuable, with the red Mercury stamp considered the rarest. Other factors that can increase a stamp's value include sheet watermarks and the early date and limited area of issue.

The value of Austrian stamps varies depending on their rarity

A fine copy of a 45c Lombardy-Venetia stamp was sold for 17,000 EUR (roughly $19,895) at a David Feldman auction in May 2014. Another example of a highly valuable Austrian stamp is the classic stamp with a catalog value of $33,500, although it often doesn't reach this price at auction.

Austria also issued stamps during the hyperinflation of the early 1920s, with denominations reaching 10,000 kroner in 1924.

The Austrian Empire newspaper stamps are considered rare and valuable

The Austrian Empire newspaper stamps are highly sought-after by collectors due to their early date and limited area of issue. The rarest type of newspaper tax stamp last sold for US$100,000. Stamps showing the sheet watermark are also highly collectible, especially those with the common design of the Coat of Arms of Lombardy-Venetia. A fine copy of a 45c Lombardy-Venetia stamp was sold for 17,000 EUR (or roughly $19,895) at a David Feldman auction in May 2014.

The 30kr rose Mercury newspaper stamp is one of the earliest items in the series and is often called a Mercury because it pictures the Roman god of communication, Mercury. The Mercury stamps are considered the first class of philatelic desirables and have a catalog value of $33,500, although they don't often fetch their estimated price at auction.

Lombardy-Venetia stamps are uncommon, especially unused

The Lombardy-Venetia stamps are uncommon, especially unused. The cheapest of these stamps cost around $3. The stamps are inscribed with "KKPOST / STEMPEL" or "Kaiserlich Konigliches Handels-Ministerium POST STEMPEL", which means "Imperial and Royal Ministry of Commerce Postage Stamp". The stamps feature the Coat of Arms of Lombardy-Venetia.

A fine copy of a 45c Lombardy-Venetia stamp was sold for 17,000 EUR (or roughly $19,895) at a David Feldman auction in May 2014. This is a high price for a stamp, but not unheard of. The rarest type of newspaper tax stamp last sold for US$100,000.

The Austrian Republic's hyperinflation in the 1920s led to stamps with high denominations

The Austrian Republic was caught in hyperinflation in the early 1920s, which led to the printing of new stamps with ever-increasing denominations. The hyperinflation was caused by the policies of the new Austrian government, specifically the Social Democrats, who imposed artificially low price controls on agricultural products and tried to forcibly requisition food for the cities. By 1921, over half of the Austrian government's budget deficit was attributable to food subsidies for city residents and the salaries of a bloated bureaucracy. The Social Democrats also regulated industry and commerce, and imposed higher and higher taxes on the business sector and the shrinking middle class.

The Austrian government paid for its expenditures by printing more money, which led to exponential increases in prices and interest rates, redenomination of the currency, consumer flight from cash to hard assets, and the rapid expansion of industries that produced those assets. The hyperinflation drew significant interest from economists, as many of the dramatic and unusual economic behaviours now associated with hyperinflation were first documented systematically during this time.

Finally, in late 1922 and early 1923, the Great Austrian Inflation was brought to a halt. The Austrian government appealed for help to the League of Nations, which arranged a loan to cover part of the state's expenditures. However, the loan came with conditions that required an end to food subsidies and a 70,000-man cut in the Austrian bureaucracy to reduce government spending.

Austrian stamps with sheet watermarks are highly collectible

Austria was among the first countries to issue stamps purely for use on newspapers. The 30kr rose Mercury newspaper stamp is one of the earliest items in this series, often called the Mercuries because they picture the Roman god of communication, Mercury. The Austrian Empire newspaper stamps were issued between 1851 and 1856. They are typographed on unwatermarked, machine-made paper, and imperforate. Their design shows the left-facing profile of Mercury. The red Mercury stamp is considered the rarest; however, there are some other examples of this issue that are worth collectors' attention. For example, the 6kr yellow newspaper stamp is thought to be an extremely fine gem of Austrian philately.

Because of the early date and limited area, all Lombardy-Venetia stamps are uncommon, especially unused, the cheapest costing US$3 or so. The rarest type of newspaper tax stamp last sold for US$100,000. Near the end of World War I, Italy captured the Austrian territories of Trentino and Venezia Giulia.

The first issues of the Republic of German Austria were overprints reading "Deutschösterreich" on stamps of the empire, issued beginning in December 1918. In 1919, the Republic of Austria issued stamps with new designs: a post horn, the coat of arms, a kneeling man representing the new republic, and the Parliament building, all done in a vaguely Art Nouveau style, and inscribed "DEUTSCHÖSTERREICH" ("ÖSTERREICH" appeared in 1922). However, Austria was caught in the hyperinflation of the early 1920s, and was forced to print new stamps in ever-increasing denominations, topping out at a 10,000 kroner value in 1924.

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