For a time after the Anschluss in 1938, letters from Austria to Germany were required to add German stamps, resulting in a mixed franking.

Postal history is the study of the development of postal systems. Its basis is the activity of postal authorities which issue postage stamps and control the means of collection, sorting and delivery of mail. The subject includes the study of rates charged, routes followed and special handling of letters. Areas of special interest include disrupted or transitional periods, such as wars and military occupations, and mail to remote areas. The term has also come to refer to collections of covers and other material illustrating episodes in postal history. Scan of 1938 Austrian cover, made by User:Stan Shebs File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scan of 1938 Austrian cover, made by User:Stan Shebs File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... German troops march into Austria on 12 March 1938. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... In philately, a mixed franking is an occurrence of the postage stamps of more than one country or issuing entity occur on a single cover. ... A British pillar box The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ... A postal authority organises collection and delivery of mail (US) or post (UK) within its area of control. ... This 1974 stamp from Japan depicts a Class 8620 steam locomotive. ... Postbox redirects here. ... In philately, a cover is an envelope or package, typically with stamps that have been cancelled. ...

Postal history grew out of philately. As that discipline developed, philatelic students discovered that understanding and authentication of stamps depending on knowing why postal authorities issued particular stamps, where they were used and how. For instance, a stamp apparently used before any other stamp of its type could be proved a forgery if it was postmarked at a location known not have received any stamps until three weeks later. Close examination of the Penny Red, left, reveals a 148 in the margin, indicating that it was printed with plate #148. ...

Postal history has since become a speciality in its own right. There is much that is still not known about the workings of postal systems, and millions of old covers have survived, constituting a rich field of "artifacts" for analysis. I archaeology, an artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human culture, and often one later recovered by some archaeological endeavor. ...

See also: timeline of postal history the pony express was made in the year 1632 16639 - The General Court of Massachusetts designates the tavern of Richard Fairbanks in Boston as the official repository of overseas mail, making it the first postal establishment in the 13 colonies. ...