Subject:
No other stamp issue is so closely linked with the history of Austria and Hungary as the 1867 issue. Following the wars of 1859 and 1866, the Austrian Empire was weakened in its foreign policy and domestic politics. As a result, in 1867 the monarchy was divided between Austria and Hungary. Hungary became a separate state with independent legislation and administration, including its postal administration. Therefore, on 9 April 1867 an order was placed with the Austrian State Printing House to design a new stamp series. It was to comprise a neutral stamp design and a uniform value designation, to be accepted in both halves of the Empire. The result was the ‘1867 issue’ with the head of the joint monarch Franz-Josef, who ruled in Austria as Emperor and in Hungary as King. The denomination ‘kr’ stood for both the currency units ‘kreuzer’ and ‘krajczar’. The ‘1867 issue’ was only valid in Hungary for about four years until 31 July 1871, but in Austria for over seventeen years until 31 Oc