Why The Gold Bar On The Austria Stamp?

This is a stamp just in on an envelope from a seller in Austria.

I don't see many postmarks from Austria so the date means July 15, 2010. The 3424 at the bottom of the cancel is the post code for that area I guess, as the return address of the send has that number in it also.



Question is, why stick a reflective gold bar on this stamp?

The stamp is an international rate from 2008 about Austrian Airlines. There are no markings in the gold area, the stamp fluoresces all over, the gold area no less and no more than the rest of the stamp.

Is it a visual clue to sorters or does Austria have sorting machines that are optical and can read a higher reflectivity? Or . . . ?

Puzzler, is it an overprint; maybe there is a value under it and 140 is a re-value?

It is not an overprint. It is an actual piece of metal foil affixed to the stamp during the production process.

I've heard this called a "scratch stamp". Apparently, you could scratch off the strip to see if you had won a competition prize such as a trip or a model aeroplane.

As usual, Nigel beat me to it!

Finally found the news release...

http://www.post.at/en/8400_7258.php

Don't scratch it off, Puzzler... it's already too late to claim the prize!

k

Thanks for posting this link Kim.

It's good to have a reference describing the winning codes.

Well if he scratches it and it is a rare prize, then the stamp is rare!

I can see the catalog editors scratching their heads...

MNHNS -- mint never hinged never scratched
MNHPS -- mint never hinged previously scratched
MNHWS-NR -- mint never hinged winning stamp never redeemed (since you still have the stamp!)

UNS -- used never scratched
UPS -- used previously scratched
UPS-MM -- used previously scratched but voided by the Marker Monkey!

k

I wonder if he or she got to keep the stamp when they claimed a prize?

Would you want the model aeroplane or a rare stamp if you had to chose?

Would you want the airline ticket or an even rarer stamp?

Imagine the pricing categories: mint never hinged unscratched, used unscratched, postally used then scratched, scratched then postally used...

You beat me to it this time Kim!

Ah, that is so neat! I looked at Austria Post www.post.at but even with the English translation could not get much of anywhere. Newbie at it.

I did find that they called this a 'Special Issue' stamp for some reason and when you look at the 'Black Print' of the stamp that they sell you can see another plane (A-320 airbus?) underneath the gold foil.

Can't get the pic to load sorry.

So I thought maybe it was an overprint hiding the mistake of showing a new plane they decided not to order after the stamp design was finalized or something of the sort.

The pic I lifted from Austria Post did not post ( ! ) so I removed it. There were stamps on it showing different prizes under the foil.

Leider Kein Preis means No Prize
Airbus A-320 means one of 5000 model planes
Flug Gewinn translates in Google as 'aerial gain' but I think it means Win Flight, as there is a 3-letter city code there.

CDG is Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. Woo hoo!

It is neat that they have different numbers and 3-letter codes for cities under the foil. They are the codes they use at airports to say which city you are headed to and from. For luggage and freight also. Couriers use the codes. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada is YHZ for some reason.

I so want to scratch the darn thing now. I must put it in plastic to prevent 'accidental' scratching.

It would be neat to collect just these stamps and see if you could get all the destinations and numbers and such.

How many of these could you collect without scratching just one?

I've been non-stop thumbing through the pages of Nigelpedia, is it any wonder I'm thinking the same things as you?

k

Contest ended December 31, 2008.

You had to hand your winning stamp over it sounds like. I wonder if someone kept them? Does the airline president collect stamps?

Possible prizes:
5000 models.
70 tickets to cities.
Nice stamp. I won!

I like it. Thanks for all the info. This is my trip to Paris I never had (yet)! In my imagination anyway.

i think the name on the cancel is 3424 Zeiselmauer in Austria. Some of the ink is on the foil part but most of the foil has a kind of enamel paint wrinkly kind of finish.

Just Googled it. Amazing what little things will start me off on a new collecting interest. Austria has a lot of fascinating history and art.

Why do they put a 0 at the end of the cancel? Is that a time stamp or lack of one? o hour? Midnight?

And what is the little 'a' at the top of the cancel mean?

So scratch it! Then, get it re-foiled. You will create new type of forgery: FOILED AGAIN!

No, I can't scratch it! Not unless I get another one so I can leave this on cover.

You know, I bought some Canada stamps from this guy ( ebay seller manfred0060 ) because he has the same name that my (great-great?) great-grandfather did. He puts a nice stamp on the envelope and also gives me two (one bent) nice envelopes from Canada too, one from Vancouver 1913 with KEVII and QV stamps on SON CDS too. I will post a pic tomorrow when it is noisier here. Shhh!

He sells in German so probably not a lot of folks not in German speaking lands see his listings. Some nice old lots he has. Writes English though.