2026Day of the Stamp - The World of Minerals - Miniature Sheet

Since 1949 Austrian Post has been issuing an annual stamp to celebrate the Day of the Stamp. The supplement charged on the stamp is used to support philately in Austria.

Stamps are not the only things that get collected: minerals do too. That is why the topic “Minerals Austria’s natural resources” was chosen as the new theme for the Day of the Stamp.

Muscovite mica is depicted on the stamp. It comes from Ambach in the Dunkelsteinerwald in Lower Austria. There is a place, known among collectors as the “Glitzergrube” (glitter pit), where interesting minerals from a pegmatite mine can be found. Pegmatite is a coarse- grained igneous rock that can contain not only muscovite but also other minerals such as feldspar, rock crystal, tourmaline and biotite. Muscovite is a commonly occurring mineral in the mica family. It is light-coloured and shimmers with a flaky structure. The table-like crystals can be split into very thin transparent sheets. In the past, huge sheets of muscovite were used as a substitute for fireproof glass, including in Moscow, hence its name, which is derived from “Muscovite glass”. Nowadays, due to its good electrical and thermal insulation properties, muscovite is used in electrical engineering and as an additive in heat-resistant construction materials. When finely ground, it is used as a pearlescent pigment in cosmetics and in automotive paints. The muscovite depicted in gouache on the stamp is part of a stratum that also contains feldspar and quartz, with the typical shape of the crystal and the schematic crystal lattice also shown.