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Commemorative stamps March
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A useful beauty
With a beautiful floral illustration, Austrian Post thanks its subscribers for their loyalty by issuing a commemorative stamp. This year’s motif features a blooming common mallow (Malva sylvestris).
The common mallow is widespread across Southern and Central Europe, where it grows along sunny roadsides and fallow land. Due to its abundant blooms, it is also a popular and undemanding garden plant. Thanks to its unusual seeds, it self-seeds easily and can reach heights of up to two metres.
The striking five-petalled flowers range from pink to violet, adorned with dark veins. They bloom from May to September and are mainly pollinated by bumblebees, as well as bees and hoverflies. The plant also serves as a host for various caterpillars and insect larvae. Its round seeds, which resemble miniature cheese wheels and were once used to make a type of porridge for children, have earned the plant its traditional nickname “cheese poppy”. The unripe seeds can even be eaten as a snack. Thanks to its mucilaginous properties, the common mallow is a proven medicinal plant. It soothes irritated mucous membranes in cases of dry cough and sore throat by forming a protective film. In the past, a mash of unripe seeds was used as a poultice to aid wound healing. The dried leaves and flowers are often prepared as tea, while fresh parts can be added to salads. Cooked leaves may also be used to thicken soups.
A small duck under great threat The Eurasian Teal, Austria’s Bird of the Year 2025, is the second subject in Austrian Post’s new stamp series “Native Birds”, created in cooperation with BirdLife Austria to spotlight endangered species.
At just 34 to 38 centimetres in length, the Eurasian Teal is Austria’s smallest duck—but its challenges are enormous. Over the past decades, its breeding population has drastically declined to only 80 to 130 breeding pairs. It is now classified as critically endangered on Austria’s Red List. Contributing factors include wetland drainage, habitat changes, and increasing disturbances.
Teals breed in quiet, shallow waters with dense vegetation—such as reedy oxbow lakes, peat pools, and small ponds. During migration and in winter, they can also be found in more open shallow waters. Males in breeding plumage are easy to recognise by their chestnut-brown heads with striking green eye patches. Females, juveniles, and non-breeding males are harder to distinguish from other ducks. When the distinctive green wing patch is hidden under their mottled plumage, the best identifying feature is a white stripe at the base of the tail.The protection and restoration of wetlands—vital as breeding and resting habitats—are essential for preserving the Eurasian Teal. These conservation efforts also benefit many other species, from various waterbirds and waders to amphibians and dragonflies.
The Alpine dollar For many decades, the Schilling was a constant in the daily lives of the Austrian people. To mark its 100th anniversary, Austrian Post is issuing a special commemorative miniature sheet.
After the First World War and the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy, Austria experienced extreme inflation. Government loans flooded the market with currency, massively devaluing the Krone. A currency reform was urgently needed to restore economic stability: on 1 March 1925, the Schilling was introduced as Austria’s new currency. At an exchange rate of 10,000 Kronen for 1 Schilling, prices quickly returned to normal levels.
Despite the global economic crisis, the Schilling developed into one of Europe’s most stable currencies—earning the nickname “Alpine dollar.” One Schilling was subdivided into 100 Groschen. During the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945, the Schilling was replaced by the Reichsmark. After the Second World War, it was reintroduced and remained in circulation until the transition to the euro: since 1999 as book money, and from 2002 also in physical form, the euro has been the common currency of the euro area. The commemorative miniature sheet features in the background a 20-Schilling banknote designed by Rudolf Junk and Karl Sterrer, from the first issue in 1925—which at the time still used the plural “Schillinge.” Also shown is a 1-Schilling coin from 1925, designed by Heinrich Zita.
When? 15 March 2025, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Presentation at 10:00 a.m. Where? Stadtwerke-Hartberg-Halle, Wiesengasse 43, 8230 Hartberg Group pictures, picture 1 Picture of presentation: © Österreichische Post AG Martina Prinz (interim Head of Philately, Austrian Post), Lisa Filzi (stamp designer), Bernhard Schwarz (President, ABSV Hartberg), Monika Pratter (BSV Hartberg), Helmut Kogler (President, VÖPh), Brigitte Heiden (stamp designer), Marcus Martschitsch (Mayor), Armin Lind (VÖPh, Region South)
