175 years - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2015 - 220 Euro Cent

The invention of the stamp is attributed today mainly to three people: The Scottish newspaper publisher and printer owner James Chalmers (1782-1853) developed in 1834 small, rubberized paper strips with nominal, but submitted his designs only four years later and found despite the relevant preliminary work the first edition of the "One Penny Black" no mention. Laurenz Koschier (1804-1879), from Slovenia, had the idea for "pressed paper wafers" to settle the postage in advance. He presented his proposal to the K. K. Allgemeine Hofkammer, where it was tested long but finally rejected. Only the British postal reform, which was carried out under the direction of Sir Rowland Hill in the years 1839 to 1840, helped the stamp to their worldwide triumph. This postal reform was preceded by a competition for the design of the stamps. Rowland Hill chose the portrait of the then 21-year-old Queen Victoria as a motive - and on 6 May 1840 it was finally time: The "One Penny Black" was issued and reformed the postal system worldwide. The new special stamp block shows next to the three significant inventors of the stamp the famous "One Penny Black". It was made in intaglio, the letters in the lower corners indicate the position on the sheet, which included 240 stamps. A country name does not exist. The "One Penny Black" was only one year in use, before it was replaced by the "Penny Red". The first Austrian stamp, the coat of arms edition from 1850, is also shown on the special stamp block.