100 years - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2006 - 55 Euro Cent

There have been stamps for 166 years, collected and traded for about 160 years, stamp collecting clubs have existed for about 140 years, there have been dealer associations for 120 years, and in 2006 the Austrian Stamp Dealers Association has also become 100 years old. Seven Viennese stamp dealers: Rudolf Friedl, Moritz Grünberg, Otto Waldemar Friedl, Karl Körner, Leopold Traub, Dagobert Wlaschim and Mrs. Fanny Grossmann founded the Austrian Stamp Dealers Association in 1906. Rudolf Friedl, known throughout Europe, became his first chairman. As late as 1906/07, two Germans, one Swiss and one Luxembourg merchant, joined the club. In 1911, collectors and dealers from all over the world flocked to the International Postage Stamp Exhibition in the Secession in Vienna. In 1914, the Austrian Stamp Merchant Association counted 18 Viennese and 45 foreign members, 37 of them from other countries. The First World War brought a huge setback for organized, international philately. The participation of the dealership in the International Postage Stamp Exhibition in October 1924 in the Vienna Dorotheum and the Vienna International Postage Stamp Exhibition 1933 (WIPA) gave the Austrian Stamp Dealer Association a lot of praise and recognition. In the general assembly 1936 the name was changed to Austrian stamp dealer federation. 1937 was the dissolution of the Association. In April / May 1945, the Austrian Stamp Dealers Association formed again. The problems of the association during the occupation 1945-1955 were only mitigated by the founding of the IFSDA (International Federation of Stamp Dealers Associations) in 1952 and enabled the cooperation with the dealer associations of other countries. The association was instrumental in the organization of the International Stamp Exhibitions in Vienna, thus gaining international recognition for Vienna. The annual stamp and coin exchange "NUMIPHIL", which has been taking place since 1992, led to the change of the name of the association to "Österreichischer Briefmarken und Münzenhändler-Verband" (Ö.B.M.H.V.) and to a not to be underestimated degree of recognition of this stock exchange and its organizers in Central Europe. For decades, various designs of Austrian Merkur newspaper stamps have been emblems of the Austrian Stamp Dealers Association. What could be more natural than to choose the "Vermilion Merkur", the rarest Austrian stamp, on the occasion of its 150th birthday as a motif of the anniversary stamp.