Austrian Post in Turkish Empire year 1900 10p/1g Mi 30 B MH/ perf 12½: 12½
That is a very specific and interesting stamp! You are referring to an issue from the Austrian Post Offices in the Ottoman Empire (often called the Austrian Levant Post), which used Austrian stamps surcharged with values in Turkish currency (Para and Piaster) to accommodate local postal rates.
The stamp you are asking about, the 10 Paras on 1 Groschen, is highly likely a collector’s misinterpretation or a mix-up of the denomination.
🇦🇹 Austrian Post in the Turkish Empire 1900 Surcharges
In 1900, the Austrian stamps were re-denominated in the new Austrian currency of Heller and Kronen (instead of Kreuzer and Gulden). These stamps were then immediately overprinted in the Turkish currency of Para and Piaster.
There was no 1 Groschen (1g) stamp in the Austrian base set that was overprinted in 1900. Groschen was a secondary unit of the Schilling, which came much later (after the 1920s). The 1900 issues were overprinted on the Heller and Krone denominations.
It is highly probable you are referring to one of these two stamps, both of which are common and were issued in 1900:
| Turkish Value (Overprint) | Austrian Base Stamp (Original Value) | Michel Catalog Number (Mi. Nr.) | Description (Color/Portrait) |
| 10 Para | 5 Heller (H) | Mi. Nr. 32 (Type I) | Emperor Franz Josef I (Rose) |
| 10 Para | 3 Kreuzer (Kz) | Mi. Nr. 21 (1890 Issue) | Emperor Franz Josef I (Green) |
The Likely Stamp: 10 Para on 5 Heller (Mi. Nr. 32)
Given your reference to the year 1900, the most likely stamp is the 10 Para surcharge on the 5 Heller rose stamp, which was part of the first series of Heller/Kronen surcharges.
- Catalog Number: Michel No. 32 (or Scott No. 32)
- Original Stamp: 5 Heller (H)
- Surcharge: 10 Para (10 P.)
- Design: Portrait of Emperor Franz Josef I facing left.
The 10 Para stamp was a commonly used postal rate and is a key item for collectors of Levant Post offices.
