{"product_id":"archive-008-red-mercury","title":"Archive 008 — Red Mercury","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRed Mercury\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA stamp created for newspapers — and almost lost with them.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e1856\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the Austrian Empire issued the extraordinary \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRed Mercury\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, a newspaper stamp depicting Mercury, the Roman messenger god.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUnlike ordinary postage stamps, the Mercury issues carried \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eno printed denomination\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Their value was identified by color. The vermilion-red version represented the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e6-kreuzer rate\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, used for bundles of ten newspapers. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Red_Mercury_%28newspaper_stamp%29\"\u003eWikipedia\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Red Mercury was attached to the wrappers surrounding newspaper bundles. Once the newspapers reached their destination, those wrappers were commonly torn away and discarded — taking most of the stamps with them. Its period of use was also short, and only a very small number survived. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/austrianphilately.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/austrian-nppr-post-temp.pdf\"\u003eaustrianphilately.com\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat began as a practical tool for distributing news ultimately became one of the great rarities of Austrian philately.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArchive 008\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, the Red Mercury takes on a new form. Reimagined as a 100-piece miniature puzzle, this remarkable survivor of postal history becomes an object to assemble, contemplate and collect.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFinished with a delicate soft-touch surface for a refined, tactile feel.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e100 pieces · 10 × 14 cm · Collectible mini puzzle · STAMP → OBJECT™\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Swiderski Philatelic Art","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58975080087887,"sku":"SPA-ARCH-008","price":22.9,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1042\/7239\/6623\/files\/20.jpg?v=1790866828","url":"https:\/\/swiderskiphilatelicart.com\/products\/archive-008-red-mercury","provider":"Swiderski Philatelic Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}