Several nations have reprinted their earlier stamps for collectors. The United States did so in 1876, reprinting scores of out of print issues for the 1876 Centennial Exposition so that the Post Office could have for sale examples of all of the postage stamps that had ever been issued. Most were sold in quantities of less than 500 which shows you how few serious collectors were around in 1876. Portugal had a large number of official reprints. But the winner in terms of scarcity and availability for the price is Austria. Most Austrian stamps of the Nineteenth Century were officially reprinted and often more than once with specialized catalogs distinguishing between different printings. Overall there are more than a hundred different reprints made by the government printing office, using the original plates in the original colors and on paper that is very similar to the paper on which the original stamps were issued. In most cases the Michel Austria specialized catalog lists these stamps at prices in the 50 Euro range. They are very scarce and are not often seen or offered in this country and can sometimes be purchased for as little as $20 per stamp. If you are a collector of Austria you should consider these stamps to complete your Nineteenth Century section of you album as most people are hardly able to afford the originals. And another nice things about government issued reprints is, that because they were usually issued directly to collectors, they have been saved and handled with great care so that even today they can often be found in Very Fine condition.
