Austrian Empire, Post Seal, Image & Found by Arsenbronze Eu.
Found near city Rakonitz, Czech Republic, 16mm.
Austrian Empire Arms // post horn, B?..E above II below
From the finder, "It is post/mail seal."
Austrian Post History, "In the late 15th century, Emperor Maximilian I created the first mounted courier service that linked Brussels with France, Italy (via Innsbruck) and Vienna (via Speyer and Augsburg). This service also accepted private mail. This new regular postal service soon proved to be a success. While it was the aristocratic family Thurn und Taxis that built the postal service on behalf of the empire, the counts of Thurn-Valsassina und Taxis took the project into their hands in Tyrol and in the Austrian pre-alpine regions. The Paar family was granted the postal rights in most hereditary lands of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This lasted until 1722, when Charles VI declared the postal service to be a state monopoly. Under Maria Theresa and Joseph II, the postal service was standardised by the introduction of postal carriages with regular service.
The 18th century was a time of numerous important innovations in the area of postal services. Some of these key innovations can be attributed to Austrians. We owe the first “modern-day” postmarks to the royal postal officer Johann Georg Khumer of Friesach, who introduced them in 1787."
