Austria Stamps
Issues of 1918-1919
The new Austria stamps appeared December 1918 with the overprint "Deutschösterreich", about four weeks after the Armistice that ended World War I. This interim state of "German Austria" was established in the German-speaking areas of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. The leaders of this frail state envisioned their eventual unification with the new Republic of Germany, but that would never happen. The state of German Austria would soon evolve into the First Republic of Austria, and it would eventually survive to become a thriving European democracy, but during the post-World-War-I years and the Great Depression, life would become very difficult for the people of this new republic, both politically and economically.
The fifteen Imperial Austria stamps shown above were issued in 1918 and 1919 with the overprint "Deutschösterreich". These stamps are all perforated 12 1/2.
The catalog attributes, for stamps that are perforated 12 1/2 and printed on normal paper, are as follows.
- 03 H. (1918 - Mi. #228, Sc. #181) - Bright Violet.
- 05 H. (1918 - Mi. #229, Sc. #182) - Light Green.
- 06 H. (1918 - Mi. #230, Sc. #183) - Deep Orange.
- 10 H. (1918 - Mi. #231, Sc. #184) - Magenta.
- 12 H. (1918 - Mi. #232, Sc. #185) - Light Blue, Greenish Blue.
- 15 H. (1918 - Mi. #233, Sc. #186) - Dull Red.
- 20 H. (1918 - Mi. #234, Sc. #187) - Deep Green.
- 25 H. (1918 - Mi. #235, Sc. #188) - Blue.
- 30 H. (1918 - Mi. #236, Sc. #189) - Dull Violet.
- 40 H. (1918 - Mi. #237, Sc. #190) - Olive Green.
- 50 H. (1918 - Mi. #238, Sc. #191) - Deep Green, Opal Green.
- 60 H. (1918 - Mi. #239, Sc. #192) - Deep Blue.
- 80 H. (1918 - Mi. #240, Sc. #193) - Orange Brown.
- 90 H. (1918 - Mi. #241x, Sc. #194) - Red Violet.
- 01 K. (1918 - Mi. #242, Sc. #195) - Carmine on Yellow.
The catalog attributes, for stamps that are perforated 12 1/2 and printed on thick paper, are as follows.
- 90 H. (1918 - Mi. #241y, Sc. N/L) - Red Violet.
The Krone denomination Imperial Austria stamps shown above were also overprinted "Deutschösterreich", and they were issued in 1919. These stamps exist in two sizes and with two different perforation gauges, as indicated below. Both the Prussian Blue and the Dark Blue shades of the 2 Kr. denomination are shown above.
The catalog attributes, for stamps whose design measures 25 x 30 mm and that are perforated 12 1/2, are as follows.
- 10 K. (1919 - Mi. #246IA, Sc. #199a) - Dark Brownish Violet.
The catalog attributes, for stamps whose design measures 26 x 29 mm and that are perforated 12 1/2, are as follows.
- 02 K. (1919 - Mi. #243IIA, Sc. #196) - Dark Blue, Prussian Blue, Greenish Blue.
- 03 K. (1919 - Mi. #244IIA, Sc. #197) - Lilac Red.
- 04 K. (1919 - Mi. #245IIA, Sc. #198) - Yellow Green.
- 10 K. (1919 - Mi. #246IIA, Sc. #199) - Dark Brownish Violet.
The catalog attributes, for stamps whose design measures 26 x 29 mm and that are perforated 11 1/2, are as follows.
- 02 K. (1919 - Mi. #243IIB, Sc. #196c) - Prussian Blue.
- 04 K. (1919 - Mi. #245IIB, Sc. #198a) - Yellow Green.
The newspaper stamps shown above, originally issued in 1916, were re-issued in January 1919 with the "Deutschösterreich" overprint. As with the previous newspaper stamp issue, these are all imperforate.
The 1917 special handling stamps shown above, were re-issued in January 1919 with the "Deutschösterreich" overprint. These stamps feature the profile of Mercury, and they come in four different perforation gauges.
The most common of the four perforation gauges are 12 1/2 and 11 1/2. Stamps of the other two perforation gauges, 11 1/2 x 12 1/2 and 12 1/2 x 11 1/2 are very scarce.
The re-valued special handling stamp shown above was actually issued in December 1921, but since it incorporates the "Deutschösterreich" overprint, the Michel catalog includes it here in their listings.
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Return to Austria Stamps of the First Republic
from Issues of 1918-1919
