The 9 kreuzer stamp, which was issued in 1850 as part of the first Austrian stamp series, not only played an important role in Austria, but was also used in Liechtenstein. At that time, the Principality had close postal ties with the Habsburg Monarchy and Austrian stamps were used there until the introduction of its own stamps in 1912. The 9 Kreuzer stamp was used in Liechtenstein to frank letters of medium distance. Postal rates were regulated uniformly and the stamp was used for mailings both within the monarchy and to neighboring territories. Letters from Vaduz or Balzers to Vorarlberg, Tyrol or other parts of the monarchy were sent particularly frequently, and their postmarks are now considered coveted collector’s items (more details in the post below – sorry only in german).
Miscancels on the 9 kreuzer stamp are also of great interest to collectors. Werner Rath has contributed three special examples for this article:
Split (Spalato): The first miscanceling comes from Spalato, today’s Split. The date “31 Giu.” is striking. – i.e. June 31. An obvious error, as there was no such date in the Imperial and Royal Crown Land of Dalmatia at that time, just as little as in today’s Croatia. It was probably an error on the part of the postal clerk, but this blunder makes the cover all the more interesting today.
Franzensbad (Bohemia): For months, a postmark was used in Franzensbad in which the “Z” was mirror-inverted. This detail makes the cancel a special curiosity.
Pecska (Hungary): In Pecska on December 2 – presumably in 1850 – there was another miscanceling: the digit “2” of the date was shown upside down.
These errors, whether caused by carelessness or technical inadequacies, lend the stamps additional fascination and are extremely popular with collectors.
Juni 2019 – Österreichische Kreuzermarken aus Liechtenstein?