Postcard Rates
Local rates applied to items posted and delivered in the same place; however a few special cases exist, notably the whole of Vienna being counted as one area despite having many delivery offices. Dates are expressed as day-month-year. “Postcard” is very carefully defined!
What’s a Postcard anyway?
The following is taken from Austrian Post Office information in ArGe Öst. 36 and the Tarife. Obscurities in translation partly reflect the originals!
I outline below the postal regulations concerning postcards applicable in the provinces, which are in accordance with the international regulations.
Postcards are rectangular cards, posted unwrapped, with a minimum size of 140 mm x 90 mm and a maximum of 148 mm x 105 mm. A tolerance of 2 mm is allowed on these measurements. The thickness of a postcard may not be less than that of the postcards published by the Post Office [which are 0.2mm thick], nor over 1mm more [so the max thickness is 1.2mm], . The right hand half (at least) must be reserved for the address, the sticky label, the postal markings, and the stamp. Alternatively, the address may be on a tape of the length and at most half the width of the postcard, having its long sides continuously fastened to the postcard.
In case of doubt clarity may be obtained by comparison with a postcard issued by the Post Office. Non-rectangular picture postcards may not be posted unpacked. Picture postcards which are too big to qualify as postcards and are posted unpacked must be franked at letter rate.
Postcards may contain no projecting parts or relief displays. Nor may they have attached commercial samples or similar objects, photos, sections and folding flaps; nor have attached as embellishment pieces of material, embroidery, tinsel or similar material; nor may these be joined to a postcard. Paper slips, sticky labels or strips with the address can however be placed on the entire front side.
On 1.1.2001 the category of “Inland postcard” was abolished.
Empire
Currency: 1 Gulden = 100 Kreuzer till 1.1.1900; then 1 Krone = 100 Heller
At times, adjacent countries were charged the inland rate – notably Germany from 1869 to 1938 – and others a reduced foreign rate. There were also special reduced rates for items sent to addresses in Switzerland just over the border.
| Date rate began | Inland |
|---|---|
| 1/10/1869 | 2 Kr |
| 1/1/1900 | 5 H |
| 1/10/1916 | 10 H ** |
** Special 8 H internal rate for cards with pre-printed stamps until 1.9.1918
First Republic
Currency: 1 Krone = 100 Heller till 31.3.1925; then 1 Schilling = 100 Groschen till 1.4.1938. Groschen stamps were not issued till 1 June 1925. Some Kronen stamps valid till 30th June 1925 (so mixed frankings were possible during June), and valid as supplements on preprinted cards till 30 September 1925.
| Date rate began | Inland |
|---|---|
| 15/1/1920 | 25 H |
| 15/4/1920 | 50 H |
| 1/2/1921 | 1 K |
| 1/8/1921 | 2 K |
| 1/12/1921 | 5 K |
| 1/5/1922 | 12½ K |
| 21/8/1922 | 50 K |
| 18/9/1922 | 100 K |
| 1/11/1922 | 200 K |
| 1/8/1923 | 300 K |
| 1/12/1923 | 500 K |
| 1/12/1924 | 700 K |
| 1/3/1925 | 7 Gr |
| 1/10/1925 | 8 Gr |
| 1/12/1926 | 10 Gr |
| 1/9/1932 | 12 Gr |
Second Republic.
Currency reverted to 1 Schilling = 100 Groschen on 1.1.1947. Currency Revaluation (3:1) on 10.12.1947. Rates remain unchanged (but in real terms cost 3 times more). New stamps issued.
| Date rate began | Inland |
|---|---|
| 1/1/1947 | 8 Gr |
| 1/9/1947 | 20 Gr |
| 10/12/1947 | 20 Gr |
| 1/6/1949 | 30 Gr |
| 1/9/1951 | 100 Gr / 70 Gr local |
| 1/2/1963 | 100 Gr ## |
| 1/1/1967 | 150 Gr |
| 1/1/1976 | 250 Gr |
| 1/3/1981 | 3 S |
| 1/2/1984 | 3½ S |
| 1/2/1986 | 4 S |
| 1/1/1990 | 4½ S |
| 1/1/1992 | 5 S |
| 1/1/1994 | 5½ S |
| 1/7/1997 | 6½ S |
## local rate stopped 1.2.1963 (HGW)
On 1.1.2001 the category of “Inland postcard” was abolished.