Austrian Registered Post Rates, 1789 to today

The research for the ‘Anschluß article’ has made it possible to provide a correct list of Austrian Registered Post Rates, including the Anschluβ period for which the rates normally given in the major catalogues cannot be justified. Note that these are surcharges, payable as well as the normal postage on the item. The currency abbreviations used are: Kr = Kreuzer; H = Heller; K = Kronen; Gr = Groschen; S = Schilling; Rpf = Reichspfennig; Eu = Euro. See the ‘rates index’ for details of the currencies themselves.

‘Inland’ also included Germany for most periods up to 1945. Individually-negotiated foreign rates existed even before 1850; above we list the UPU rates. See Ferchenbauer for more pre-UPU detail.

The data above has been taken from Michel and cross-checked with several Austrian publications, and with members of Merkur Innsbruck. There is unanimity on all rates except the 1919/20 change and on those for 1938-1946. As explained above, and as shown in the tables reproduced in Dr Kainz article in Wurth III (1980), when in 1938 the Austrian system moved (in steps) over to the German, everything which was not explicitly changed remained unaltered. The registered rate is not in the 4th April list, so it remained as 40 Gr internal, 70 Gr foreign. In the 8th July list, this is restated in dual currency as 27 Rpf/ 40 Gr and 47 Rpf/ 70 Gr, the Rpf amounts being simply 2/3 of the Groschen, rounded up. It is not until the August list that the rate was changed to 30 Rpf, and following the normal German system it was the same for internal and foreign. The 30 Rpf inland & foreign rate shown in Michel & ANK for 4th April is wrong. Nor is there any record of the 30 Gr foreign rate which Michel gives for 1.1.1947; the 100 Gr rate of post-war 1946 remained in force.

Some 1938 examples are here.

The rate calculations for the examples are worked out as follows:

The 1st rates period (13th March – 3rd April 1938)

No change from previous Austrian practices and rates. Only Austrian stamps valid (ignoring the 3rd April Graz event)

The 2nd rates period (4th April – 31st July 1938)

The basic rates were calculated in Reichspfennig, payable by Rpf, or Groschen stamps at 1½Gr=1Rpf (or a mixture). The ancillary charges for all services not explicitly changed (eg express, airmail, registered, pneumatic) remained unaltered at the Austrian rate and were expressed in Groschen. They were payable by Groschen stamps, or Rpf at 1Rpf=1½Gr (or a mixture). Initially, all fractional amounts were ignored; later they were rounded. So if ‘too much’ of one currency was affixed for its rate, the surplus was converted to the other. Examples:

(a): “excess Rpf”. A registered inland letter is franked with 36 Rpf and 4Gr stamps; the letter rate of 12Rpf leaves 24Rpf which is multiplied by 1½ to make 36Gr plus 4Gr making a total of 40Gr, the registration rate.

(b) “excess Groschen”. A registered local letter is franked with 48 Gr and 3 Rpf stamps. Registration fee 40Gr, leaving 8Gr which is divided by 1½ to make 5Rpf plus 3Rpf makes 8Rpf, the local letter rate.

The 3rd rates period (1st August – 31st October 1938)

The German tariffs were now in force for all rates. They were payable by Rpf stamps, and/or Groschen stamps at 1½Gr=1Rpf.

Many examples are available to prove the usage and rates:

16 March. Vienna to USA, Washington arrival backstamp 30 March. Franked with 165 Gr. Foreign registration fee 70 Gr + 60 Gr postage for 20 gram + 35 Gr for next 20 gram makes 165 Gr.

21 March. Vienna to USA, arrival backstamp 1 April. Franked with 130 Gr. Foreign registration fee 70 Gr + 60 Gr postage for 20 gram makes 130 Gr.

On the reverse is the handwritten note ‘Sent to me 3/21/38 after Germany occupied Austria’, and three seals with blue on white printing ‘The best is always the cheapest’..

2 April. Vienna-to-Vienna letter, but Austria had abolished local rate in 1925 so inland rate applied; receipt cachet ‘Poststelle des Beauftragten der Führers Gauleiter Bürckel 3 APR 1938’ (ie the post-receiving office of the Führer’s delegate, Gauleiter Bürckel). It was sent by the Stenographische Gesellschaft Wien. Franked with 64Gr. Inland registration fee 40 Gr + 24 Gr for 20 gram makes 64 Gr.

4 April. Vienna to Sweden, franked 71 Rpf + 1 Gr; foreign registered fee 70 Gr = 47 Rpf plus 20-gram postage of 25 Rpf makes 72 Rpf.

4 April. 40 Gr registration fee and 8 Rpf local letter rate, each paid by the corresponding stamp.

4 April. Postcard to Czechoslovakia. Franked 10Gr plus 10Rpf makes 16Rpf. Foreign postage to Czechoslovakia 10Rpf; foreign registration fee 70Gr/47Rpf. Clearly massively underfranked: was the registration label added later, or simply ignored?

7 May. Franked (12+5+24) = 41 Gr plus 24 Rpf. The 41 Groschen would pay the unchanged registration fee of 40 Gr; the 24 Rpf was the inland rate for a 20-250 gram letter. The Winterhilfe stamp was valid at that date.

3 July. Registration fee 40 Gr; express fee 30 Gr; inland letter 12 Rpf. Each paid with an appropriate stamp! Note the manuscript “Tel” on the R-label to indicate the Haupttelegraphenamt.

4 July. Bockfließ to Wien. Franked 39 Rpf making up inland letter rate of 12 Rpf plus registration of 27 Rpf.

9 July. Franked 48 Gr and 3 Rpf. Registration fee 40 Gr, leaving 8 Gr = 5 Rpf plus 3 Rpf makes 8 Rpf, the local letter rate.

9 July. Franked (4×12 + 2×3) = 54 Gr and 3 Rpf. Registration fee 40 Gr leaving 14 Gr = 9 Rpf plus 3 Rpf makes the required 12 Rpf for inland postage.

11 July. Laa an der Thaya to ??. Franked 36 Rpf + 4 Gr; inland letter rate of 12 Rpf leaves 24 Rpf times 1.5 makes 36 Gr plus 4 Gr makes 40 Gr, the inland registration rate.

15 July. Kitzbühel to Switzerland. Franked 27 Rpf + 67 Gr. Foreign letter rate 25 Rpf, leaving 2 Rpf = 3 Gr plus 67 Gr makes 70 Gr, the foreign registered rate.

16 July. Franked 72 Rpf which makes up the foreign registered rate of 70 Gr / 47 Rpf and the foreign 20-gram letter rate of 25 Rpf.

2 August. Local Vienna registered cover, addressed to an office which might be Auslaenderrewision. 8 Rpf postage plus the newly-introduced 30 Rpf registration fee makes a requirement for 38 Rpf. Counting ‘properly’ gives franking of 23 Rpf + (5×1+12+3) = 20 Gr = 13 Rpf, total only 36 Rpf. The five 1 Groschen stamps must have been counted as 1 Rpf each, plus 15 Gr = 10 Rpf plus 23 Rpf to make the total of 38 Rpf.

13 August. Local registered letter to government agency; rate 30 Rpf registration plus 8 Rpf postage; franked 12 Gr = 8 Rpf plus 30 Rpf makes 38 Rpf.

25 September. Destination unknown; the M on the registration label is from the special Grazer Messe post office. Registration fee 30 Rpf plus inland postage 12 Rpf needs 42 Rpf. Franked (25+8+5+12)Gr = 33 Rpf + 1 + 1 + 6 = 41 Rpf – near enough? Or, charged at the old registration rate of 27 Rpf? Strictly speaking, the two Winterhilfe stamps had been invalid since 1 July 1938!

21 October. Franked 65 Rpf; registration fee 30 Rpf + foreign postage 25 Rpf for 20 grams: 10 Rpf overpaid. If it was a bit heavier, postage was 40 Rpf and it’s 5 Rpf underpaid!

12 December. Franked 55 Rpf which equals the registration fee of 30 Rpf plus the foreign postage of 25 Rpf.