Glossary

The German text of the Decree contains in the first paragraph "Auf- und Abgabestempeln, Amtssiegeln für Hartdruck, Stampiglien für Schwarzdruck, Geldbeutelsiegln, Kartenstempeln, Klebezettel für recommandirte Briefe, Frachtennummern und Ortszetteln"; and the Musterblatt uses yet more additional and altered terms, special forethought having been given to how best to irritate philatelists over a century after the event. A combined list follows:

Abgabestempel

Arrival canceller for incoming items [A local letter posted in, say, Wien 123 for delivery to Wien 123 would receive both an Aufgabestempel and an Abgabestempel]

Amts-siegel/Amtssiegel für Hartdruck

The Official Seal of the office, used on important documents. This may be a negative seal used with sealing-wax, but is more probably an embosser for making a ‘blind’ imprint on paper.

Aufgabestempel

Canceller for locally-posted items

Briefpacket-Adressen

Inter-office transmission label for packet of letters? [It's self-consistent: Wien 81 is 11/2]

Ex-Offo

Letters thus marked are now called "portofreie Dienstsache" or "beglaubigte Behördenpost", and should not have adhesive stamps. This terminology started to disappear in the 20th century, and was no longer used in the First Republic. Old "ex offo" registration labels were sometimes used up at the regular windows - sometimes the "ex offo" is crossed out, but not always.

Frachten nummer

This is the label for a parcel and the corresponding mini-label which is glued to the accompanying card. In the example "31" is the parcel's number. It is common for Wien parcel card labels to not have the Taxquadrat figures.

Frachten nummern für Werthstucke

The same, for a parcel of declared value - hence the *W* on the label that goes on the parcel. The card would have had a separate W-label.

Geldbeutelsiegl / Beutelsiegel

Handstamps suitable for all bags used to transport valuable and normal packages. This is probably the negative one used with sealing-wax.

Kartenstempel

[judging by illustration, these are sometimes found on some COD and other parcel cards etc. but are much more normally in the form of a glued label. Haven't been seen on a Money Letter]

Klebezettel für recommandirte Briefe

Adhesive or glued-on label; gives the unique (within a certain time period) number assigned to a registered letter. A "nicht-ärarische Postamt" had imperforate labels.

Ortszettel

[looks like an address label. The example illustrated is Wien 115 18/4 which is self-consistent although that office was called "P.A. Neustift am Walde"; however it's in the same Bezirk as the Währings]

Rohrpoststempel

Acceptance or arrival cancel for the Pneumatic Post

Siegelvignette

Prefabricated paper-seals, introduced in 1873 for less important postal items only. The idea was to save sealing-wax, the reality was to complicate work!

Stampiglie

NOTE: Stampiglie is (or was) a collective term for ALL cancellers besides being a specific term for one type! Stampiglie (from Italian stampiglia) is in Austria synonymous with Stempel, but nowadays is not very much used. During the 19th century "Stampiglie" helped to avoid misunderstandings - when the Austrian Post began to use cancels the term "Stempel" was in use by the Treasury for the prescribed fees for requests, petitions etc. Therefore in the early decades the Postal Administration had to look for other terms until "Poststempel" was accepted and well-known. (The imprint "k.k. Poststempel" on the first adhesive stamps was a mistake: it mixed up a fiscal fee with a fee for postal transport!).

This particular Stampiglie was used in 1891 "für Schwarzdruck", which means a black-inked impression. The word is today applied to a seal, cancel or cachet used on low-level Austrian official documents such as an application for a postal vote, choosing ones energy supplier in Styria, or a pharmacist processing a prescription. It signifies that the person signing is authorised to do so on behalf of an official body.