Classic edition - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2016 - 68 Euro Cent

With the new series "Klassikausgabe" Austrian Post is dedicated to the history of stamps and presents classic stamp issues from the time of the monarchy. This time the first stamps of Austria are presented, the so-called "coat of arms issues" from 1850, which show the Austrian coat of arms with the double-headed eagle and were issued in denominations of 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 Kreuzern. The stamps for the Kingdom of Lombardo-Veneto, also belonging to the Habsburg Empire, represented the same motif in the same colors, but with the denominations 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 centesimi - they applied throughout Austria, while the Austrian edition in Lombardy and Veneto was not allowed to be used. The first day of issue was June 1, 1850. Initially, the stamps were printed on handmade paper with sheet watermark, from 1854 then on machine-made smooth paper without watermarks. The stamps were still without perforation, they were cut off with the scissors from the sheet - the first toothed postage stamp of Austria was the "Kaiserkopfausgabe" of the year 1858, which followed the coat of arms edition. Depending on how carefully the stamps were cut, as well as different paper types and printing methods, there are many different color and quality variants of the coat of arms. As the first stamp issue in Austria, it is extremely popular with philatelists and collectors today.   The brand block shows an Austrian edition with the value 2 Kreuzer and an edition from Lombardo-Veneto worth 15 centesimi. The background is a 1-Kreuzer brand, entwined with flowers and oak leaves, as shown on the stamps.