rarepre-1900

Austria 1851 Mercury Head Newspaper Stamp, Blue

Name: Austria 1851 Mercury Head Newspaper Stamp, Blue
Brand: Austria

Austria · 1851 · 0.6 Kreuzer

This stamp features a typographed, right-facing profile of Mercury, the Roman messenger god, symbolizing the swift delivery of news. It was designed by Josef Axmann and is notable for being one of the world's first newspaper stamps, intended exclusively for the prepayment of postage on newspapers and periodicals. The design is frameless, with the head of Mercury set against a solid background color.

Issued by the Austrian Empire, this stamp was part of a series created to simplify and regulate the postal rates for newspapers, a rapidly growing medium in the mid-19th century. The color of the stamp indicated the postage value, with blue representing 0.6 Kreuzer.

Printing Method

Typography

Themes

newspaper-stamp mythology mercury allegory

Catalog Numbers

sgN2

scottP2

michelZ2

Image: · License:

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Estimated Values by Condition

Superb(S)

Perfectly centered, fresh, no faults

$1,200

Extremely Fine(XF)

Well centered, fresh colors

$900

Very Fine(VF)

Nicely centered, minor flaws

$650

Fine(F)

Average centering, acceptable

$350

Good(G)

Off-center or visible wear

$150

Prices are approximate market estimates for educational purposes. Actual values depend on specific factors including cancel type, margins, and provenance.