Austrian Post Horn Stamps

This article features my collection of Austrian post horn stamps. The post horn was a small brass instrument that was blown to announce the arrival or departure of the mail rider or coach in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The sound of the horn elicited excitement in those waiting for a package or a letter and the instrument became an international symbol of the postal service. To this day, the instrument is a symbol on postal logos and uniforms world wide. The instrument has also been used on postage stamps from many different countries. Make sure to check out my post about post horn stamps.

While post horns do appear on stamps from Argentina to Iran, they are primarily issued by European countries and have been historically popular in northern and central Europe. One country that has issued a number of postage stamps with post horns is Austria. This page features the Austrian post horn stamps in my collection.

1919 Definitives

The earliest Austrian post horn stamps in my collection date from 1919. In that year, Austria issued a large set of definitive postage stamps that included a post horn design that appeared on six different stamps of different denominations.

Each of the stamps is a different monochromatic color. The stamps have a beautiful sort of art nouveau design with floral and vegetal ornamentation around the post horn. The design of these stamps is by Wilhelm Dachauer.

This stamp dates from 1919 (see above), but in 1921 the overprint of “Nachmarke” and 7 1/2 K was a postage due stamp.

1921 Express Mail Stamp

1945 2nd Vienna Provisional Issue

1945 Definitive Series

In 1945, Austria was liberated by the Allied troops from its German Nazi occupation. Like Germany, Austria had zones controlled by the different allied powers. This series of post horn stamps were printed by the United States for use in the portions of Austria controlled by the United States, Britain, and France (not Vienna). Read more about these stamps here. Also, read this blog and see the stamps that were issued for the Soviet areas of Austria.

1946 Postage Due

1949 – 75th Anniverary of the Universal Postal Union

Stamp Day 1970

In 1970, a small post horn appears alongside other traditional objects of the postal carrier. The stamp includes a horse collar, saddle, knapsack to carry mail, and the post horn.

Europa Post Horn Stamps of 1973

In 1973, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) chose the post horn as a common theme to appear on stamps for all of its members. Most of the countries used a nearly identical design, however, Austria was one of two countries (the other was France) that made their own unique design. Check out my full collection of the Europa stamps here.