German Reich postage stamps year 1943 Vienna derby / Horses MNH

German Reich postage stamps year 1943 Vienna derby / Horses MNH

These stamps were issued by the Germany (then under the “Deutsches Reich” inscription) on 14 August 1943 to mark the horse-race event known as the Grand Prize of Vienna (Großer Preis von Wien) held at the Galopprennbahn Freudenau in Vienna.

They are semipostal (i.e., they include a surcharge above face-value) stamps, issued to support the horse-racing event.

The two denominations for this issue are:

• 6 + 4 Pfennig (face value 6 Pf + surcharge 4 Pf) — Michel catalogue number Mi 857.
• 12 + 88 Pfennig (face value 12 Pf + surcharge 88 Pf) — Michel catalogue number Mi 858.

The stamps were printed at the State Printing Works in Vienna (“Wiener Staatsdruckerei”), unwatermarked paper, perforation comb K 14.

The design features a thoroughbred race-horse in profile, with the silhouette of Vienna in the background.

The event itself: the Vienna horse race at Freudenau was integrated into the Third Reich’s horse-racing programme after Austria’s annexation in 1938.