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Rare Austrian stamps

Rare Austrian stamps worth money

The rarest Austrian stamps are the 1850s newspaper stamps known as Mercuries, above all the 1856 Red Mercury, printed in a run of only 120,000. Unused copies of the 1850 first issue, the 1922 Musicians set, the 1933 WIPA stamp and souvenir sheet, and a few heller-era overprints and varieties also bring real money. Ordinary heller, groschen and schilling stamps are common.

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Which Austrian stamps are rare?

Austria printed its stamps in very large numbers from the start. About 470.3 million stamps of the 1850 first issue were printed, so a used 1850 stamp is old but not automatically rare. Value comes from the exceptions: values that were barely used, stamps sold only at a surcharge or only at an exhibition, short-lived overprints and printing errors.

The heller period is the one most people ask about. Heller stamps were issued from December 1899 until the schilling replaced the krone in 1925. Most of them are cheap. The ones that are not are listed below, together with the details that separate them from their common twins.

10 notable rare Austrian stamps

Listed roughly in date order, not ranked by price. Figures are only given where a named source records them.

  1. 1850 coat of arms issue: unused copies and the unissued 12 kreuzer

    1850 · ANK/Michel 1–5

    Why it is rare
    The issue itself is common: about 470.3 million stamps were printed. Unused copies are scarce because nearly every stamp went on mail. A 12 kreuzer value was also printed, one million of them, but it was never issued and virtually all were destroyed.
    What drives the value
    Unused condition, the paper (hand-made paper of 1850–1854 versus the machine-made paper used from 1854), the printing type, four clear margins and the cancellation. Covers and multiples sell for far more than singles.
    How to recognize it
    A coat of arms with the words KK Post-Stempel and a value in kreuzer. There is no country name. Imperforate. The early hand-made paper is rough and can show part of a sheet watermark; the later machine-made paper is smoother and unwatermarked. A matching issue for Lombardy-Venetia is valued in centesimi.
    Documented figures
    About 470.3 million stamps of the 1850 issue were printed. Of the 12 kreuzer, one million were printed and virtually all were destroyed (First Issues Collectors Club).

    Sources: First Issues Collectors Club, Wikipedia (German)

  2. Yellow Mercury newspaper stamp

    1851

    Why it is rare
    It paid postage on a bundle of 10 newspapers. Like the other higher Mercury values, it went on newspaper wrappers that were usually thrown away, so few copies survive.
    What drives the value
    Margins, color, whether the stamp is unused, and an expert certificate. Blue Mercuries chemically recolored to look yellow are a known trap, so a certificate matters more here than on most stamps.
    How to recognize it
    The head of Mercury, messenger of the gods, with the inscription K.K. Post-Zeitungsstämpel and no value printed on the stamp. The color gives the rate: blue for a single newspaper, yellow for a bundle of 10. Imperforate and typographed.

    Sources: Wikipedia (German), Wikipedia

  3. Rose Mercury newspaper stamp

    1851

    Why it is rare
    It paid for a bundle of 50 newspapers, a rate that was hardly ever needed. The post office stopped issuing it, and from October 1852 the remaining rose stamps were sold at the price of the ordinary single-newspaper stamp.
    What drives the value
    Margins, freshness of color and soundness. As with every Mercury, expert certification is standard.
    How to recognize it
    The same Mercury head design as the blue and yellow stamps, printed in rose. Imperforate, with no value shown.

    Sources: Wikipedia (German), Wikipedia

  4. Red Mercury newspaper stamp

    1856

    Why it is rare
    Only 120,000 were printed, against 136 million blue Mercuries. It took over the 10-newspaper rate from the yellow stamp, was valid only until the end of 1858, and most copies were thrown away with the wrappers.
    What drives the value
    Original gum, four clear margins, color and pedigree. Some copies trace back to the Ferrary collection.
    How to recognize it
    The Mercury head design in bright scarlet to vermilion. Compare it carefully with the softer pink of the 1851 Rose Mercury, and with forgeries.
    Documented figures
    Rapp in Switzerland sold a copy with original gum for CHF 80,000 plus buyer's premium on 7 May 2007 (lot 1238). Felzmann in Düsseldorf hammered an unused copy with original gum at €40,000 plus commission on 5 November 2015.

    Sources: Wikipedia (German), Wikipedia

  5. 1908 Jubilee issue varieties (heller)

    1908 · ANK 139–156

    Why it is rare
    The normal stamps are common. Collectors look for the varieties: imperforate stamps, paper differences and printing errors. These are scarce, but even they rarely reach big money.
    What drives the value
    The exact variety, which needs a specialized catalogue and often a certificate, and the top Kronen values in fine condition.
    How to recognize it
    Designs by Koloman Moser for 60 years of Franz Joseph's reign. The 1 to 35 heller values are typographed on chalk-surfaced paper; the 50 heller to 10 Kronen values are engraved. The 1910 birthday issue reuses the designs with the dates 1830 and 1910 added.
    Documented figures
    The complete 1–35 heller values imperforate on normal paper, each in a horizontal pair, sold for €200 at Heinrich Köhler (sale 383, March 2024).

    Sources: Austrian Philatelic Society, Heinrich Köhler (via Stamp Auction Network)

  6. 1919 Deutschösterreich overprints: high values and errors

    1919 · ANK 228–246

    Why it is rare
    The low values were printed by the tens of millions, but the 4 Kronen and the violet 10 Kronen sold out quickly under speculation. Inverted, double and missing overprints exist but are rare.
    What drives the value
    Which value, whether the overprint is genuine, and errors. The 80 heller and 1 Krone are known with inverted overprint.
    How to recognize it
    Imperial-era Austrian stamps overprinted with the word Deutschösterreich. A broken s in Österreich is a common plate flaw, not a rarity.
    Documented figures
    Print runs: 10 heller 78,030,000; 4 Kronen 442,500; 10 Kronen violet 298,000 (Austrian Philatelic Society).

    Source: Austrian Philatelic Society

  7. 1922 Musicians (Composers) charity set

    1922 · ANK/Michel 418–424

    Why it is rare
    It was sold only at selected post offices at ten times face value and was valid only until 22 May 1922. Print runs were 480,000 to 530,000 per value, small for inflation-era Austria.
    What drives the value
    Perforation above all. The normal stamps are line perforated 12½, but all values except the 5 and 50 Kronen also exist perforated 11½, and the 7½ Kronen in that perforation is especially rare. A hundred sets were printed on Japan paper for presentation.
    How to recognize it
    Seven engraved portraits: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Bruckner, Johann Strauss and Hugo Wolf. Measure the perforation before assuming you have the scarce version.
    Documented figures
    480,000 to 530,000 printed per value; 100 sets on Japan paper (Austrian Philatelic Society).

    Source: Austrian Philatelic Society

  8. 1932 Painters charity set

    1932 · ANK 545–550

    Why it is rare
    Only 50,000 sets were made. They were sold at selected post offices, only as complete sets and at double face value.
    What drives the value
    Never-hinged condition and centering. Used sets need a genuine period postmark.
    How to recognize it
    Six portraits of Austrian painters from Waldmüller to Egger-Lienz, including Gustav Klimt on the 64 groschen. Line perforated 12½.
    Documented figures
    50,000 sets made, sold only as complete sets at double face value (Austrian Philatelic Society).

    Source: Austrian Philatelic Society

  9. 1933 WIPA stamp and souvenir sheet

    1933 · ANK 555–556A; Scott B110, B110a, B111

    Why it is rare
    It was sold at the Vienna International Philatelic Exhibition, and buyers needed an exhibition ticket. 40,000 were printed on ordinary paper, 20,000 on granite paper and 10,000 as souvenir sheets of four, of which 3,500 were cut up.
    What drives the value
    Granite paper over ordinary paper, intact souvenir sheets, never-hinged gum, and a certificate, because forgeries and fake cancellations exist.
    How to recognize it
    Granite paper shows fine colored fibers, as if hairs were embedded in it. Sheet stamps are line perforated 12½, while the souvenir sheet is perforated 12, so a single cut from a sheet is easy to spot with a perforation gauge.
    Documented figures
    At Rumsey Auctions (sale 75, lot 1800) a never-hinged souvenir sheet catalogued at $3,050 by Scott realized $850. Catalogue value and selling price are rarely the same.

    Sources: Austrian Philatelic Society, Rumsey Auctions

  10. 1936 Dollfuss 10 schilling

    1936 · ANK/Michel 588; Scott 380

    Why it is rare
    It is scarcer than most Austrian stamps but not truly rare: 100,000 were printed. The Austrian Philatelic Society notes that although the catalogue value is high, copies abound, and so do forgeries.
    What drives the value
    Never-hinged gum, genuine postal use and real covers, which are much harder to find than mint copies.
    How to recognize it
    Portrait of Engelbert Dollfuss in slate blue, 31 x 38 mm, recess printed, perforated 12½, issued 25 July 1936.
    Documented figures
    At Rumsey Auctions (sale 75) a never-hinged copy catalogued at $1,100 realized $350 (lot 1796) and a hinged copy catalogued at $725 realized $170 (lot 1797).

    Sources: Austrian Philatelic Society, Rumsey Auctions

What are most Austrian stamps worth?

Most Austrian stamps are worth little. The 1850 issue alone ran to about 470 million stamps, and the low-value 1919 Deutschösterreich overprints were printed by the tens of millions (78 million of the 10 heller). Wikipedia's overview of Austrian philately notes that almost all of the 1945 occupation-related issues are common and inexpensive.

Heller stamps follow the same pattern. A typical used heller definitive is a packet stamp. The money is in specific varieties, top values in fine condition, the 1919 overprint errors and the 1922 Musicians set.

If you have an album of Austria, check the classics and the charity sets of the 1920s and 1930s first. That is where the value usually sits.

How to identify Austrian stamps

These checks narrow a stamp down to the exact issue. That matters because a rare variety and a common one often share the same design.

1

Read the inscription

Stamps of 1850 say KK Post-Stempel and carry no country name. Stamps and overprints of the early Republic read Deutschösterreich. The plain Österreich inscription arrived in 1922.

2

Use the currency to date it

Kreuzer means 1850 to 1900. Heller and Kronen (100 heller to the krone) were issued from 1 December 1899, and kreuzer stamps lost validity after 30 September 1900. Groschen and schilling arrived in 1925 at 10,000 Kronen to the schilling, with the first schilling stamps on 1 June 1925.

3

Look for varnish bars

Shiny diagonal stripes across the face were added from 1899 to make cleaning and reuse harder. They had been dropped by the 1908 issue at the latest.

4

Check the paper

Granite paper has fine colored fibers in it. It separates the WIPA granite stamp and souvenir sheet from the ordinary-paper version.

5

Gauge the perforation

The WIPA souvenir sheet is perforated 12 while the sheet stamps are 12½. The 1922 Musicians exist in 12½ and the scarcer 11½.

6

Mercuries have no printed value

Imperforate stamps with Mercury's head and no figure of value are newspaper stamps. The color tells you which one you have.

For a broader walkthrough, see the Austrian stamp identification guide and the checklist on how to identify rare stamps.

Fakes, reprints and forged overprints

The Mercuries are the most dangerous area. Numerous forgeries and reprints are recorded, the Red Mercury was forged by the dealer Sigmund Friedl and by Jean de Sperati, and cheap blue Mercuries can be chemically recolored to pass as yellow ones. Buy or sell a Mercury only with a recent expert certificate.

Reprints of the 1850 issue exist and show stronger colors than the originals. The period postal forgeries made in Verona and Milan to cheat the post are a different matter: they are collected in their own right and are rare.

Forgeries of the WIPA stamp exist, and so do fake cancellations on genuine stamps. The Dollfuss 10 schilling is widely forged too, so treat bargain copies with suspicion.

Rare Austrian stamps FAQ

What is the rarest Austrian stamp?

Among regular issues, the 1856 Red Mercury newspaper stamp. Only 120,000 were printed, it was valid for less than three years and most copies were thrown away with newspaper wrappers. An unused copy with original gum was hammered at €40,000 plus commission by Felzmann in November 2015.

Are Austrian heller stamps valuable?

Most are not. Heller stamps were issued from December 1899 until the schilling arrived in 1925, and the common definitives were printed in huge numbers. Exceptions include the 4 and 10 Kronen 1919 Deutschösterreich overprints, inverted overprints, imperforate varieties and the 1922 Musicians set, especially in its 11½ perforation.

How much is the 1933 WIPA stamp worth?

It depends on the version. 40,000 were printed on ordinary paper, 20,000 on granite paper and 10,000 as souvenir sheets. At Rumsey Auctions a never-hinged souvenir sheet catalogued at $3,050 realized $850. Check the paper and perforation first, and get a certificate, because forgeries exist.

Is the 1936 Dollfuss 10 schilling rare?

Less than its catalogue value suggests. 100,000 were printed and the Austrian Philatelic Society says copies abound, as do forgeries. A never-hinged copy catalogued at $1,100 realized $350 at Rumsey Auctions. Genuine postally used copies and covers are scarcer.

Sources & References

A useful estimate, not a professional appraisal

Stamp values are estimates for general reference. Actual value depends on condition, centering, cancellations, gum, authenticity, provenance and current collector demand. For rare or potentially valuable stamps, consult a qualified philatelic expert or appraiser.

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