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This article is in two parts. Firstly, Steve Schweighofer discusses the star-shaped marks sometimes found on Austrian airmail covers. Working on the examples led Andy Taylor to explore the rates, aided by Kainbacher's book 'Flugpost Österreich 1946-2007', volume IV, part 1 (APS Library nr 436) and courteously corrected by Henry Pollak. The material was originally published in the APS journal 'Austria', issues 167 and 176. The marks will be called 'stars', partly because 'asterisk' is prone to mis-spelling!
by Steve Schweighofer
In the 1980s I began noticing a small marking on letters and postcards from Austria. These markings were shaped like a star. I found examples in various colours, mostly shades of red and purple, and sometimes even black. So I began to accumulate these covers and cards, on the assumption I could ascertain whether there was a pattern to their appearance. These only appeared on foreign airmail.
In November of 1990 I wrote to the Austrian Post Office requesting information about this little marking and enclosed a photocopy of a recent card to help them understand what it was I was asking about. The writer regretted to inform me the meaning of the marking was not known. The reply was disappointing, but I wasn’t stopped. About a year later I wrote again, including a photocopy, requesting the same information. The person who answered this request checked with the post office that cancelled the card and provided the simple answer: The mail piece was checked for proper postage to its destination and marked so, letting other postal clerks know the mail has already been checked.
So now I knew the meaning! What I needed to know now was, where I can get more information about this program, such as its beginnings, locations of use and different types (colours, shape and size)? With my next request of the Austrian Post Office, I asked a bit too much and got no reply at all. In the meantime, I was browsing through back issues of Die Briefmarke and came across an article about these markings (Issue 72/150, 29.). The small two-paragraph article verified what I already knew.
After accumulating over 300 covers with these markings, sorting by colour, size, date and place of mailing, I thought I was ready to begin analysing my stash. I’m no closer now than I was years ago! I do, however, have quite a range. The earliest one I have is from 1958 and they seem to still be in use today. I’ve also found other markings that are possibly forerunners.
These stars can be arranged into groups by colour; they vary from very clean, clear and bright markings to what I believe to be the same device in various stages of deterioration and some other shapes of the same colour. Oddities include a device re-inked on a different coloured stamp pad, resulting in a darkened red (two of them in different shapes) and a red & black marking; an 8-pointed star, and lastly the only example I have seen of a cover being marked and rated up as postage due. Note the cover to the Rocky Mountain News. Not even the Austrian government is exempt from being checked!
This piece shows an extremely clear star; but the cover is not cancelled! That could suggest that the checking was done as soon as possible after posting or handover, and before cancellation.
Stohl's book "Postalische Abstempelungen im derzeitigen österreichischen Staatsgebiet von 1900 - heute" (APS Library nr 313) mentions these stars in part 2, picture volume pages 450A and 610A, calling them "Flugpost-Zulassungsstempel" or "Flugpost-Kontrollstempel". He says that the stars "are a confirmation mark that the franking has been checked and is correct for the weight and destination. A 6-point star is known in red and violet from 1955; violet ceased in 1962; a larger 8-point star in black is known from 1983."
Kainbacher vol IV part 2 page 721 has reference to decrees from 1957 and 1958 for the use of the stars, an explanation, and some pictures. It says that some un-named mailing and redirection post offices (Aufgabe- und Umleitungs-postämter) had been supplied with these markings. But a picture on the next page 722 seems to be from 1953. The second cancel looks a little like 58 rather than 53, and remarkably, there was no change in postal rates to the USA between 1953 and 1960. A starred item from 1978 is shown on p741.
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