The SMALL HEADS
We call with this name two stamps:
the first one, blue, issued in November 1st 1858 (Fig. 1) and the second one,
gray lilac, issued in August 1859 (Fig. 2). Both were valid up to May 31st
1859 They represent the Francesco Giuseppe effigy in relief, facing left,
enclosed in a rectangle with corners decorated with small ornaments: externally
there are other 4 rectangles on blue background with the labels "STEMPEL
K.K. ZEITUNGS POST" (clockwise from left to right) with at the 4
corners as many postage horns.
The scale model was made again by Ernest Meissner and the engraving by Schimdt
& Schrepfer. As usual, they were printed by the State Printing House in
Vienna in sheets of 400 pieces (4 groups of 100 each separated horizontally
by an inter-spacing of around 24 mm for the blue value and 10 mm for the gray
lilac). The stamps were used applied to a single copy of newspaper (1,05 Soldi
or 3 centesimi). The number of printed pieces in unknown.
The reason of the color change from blue to lilac was probably due to the
possibility that the first one could be exchanged with the 15 Soldi of the
second issue and therefore prone to fraudulent use. The plates used to print
this second stamp were not the same as the ones used with the blue one, but
they differ for small details: the most evident is the difference seen looking
at the royal effigy. In the blue stamp it's the same as in the second common
issue, 1st type, (open ribbon, flat curl etc) while in the lilac sample is
like in the 2nd type (closed ribbon, pointed curl etc).
Between the main varieties we see samples with group inter-spacing, offsets
and parts showing the marks of the sheet squaring.
Are also known samples of the blue value printed by mistake with the effigy
of the second type lilac. They are very rare and to this time only two are
known existent.
Official reprints were made in the years 1866, 1870, 1881, 1886, 1887 and
1894.
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| Fig. 1: blue | Fig. 2: lilac-gray |