LOMBARDY-VENETIA STAMPS AND MIXED FRANKINGS
The first pre-Unification state to issue postage stamps was the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, still part of the Austrian Empire at that time. The five unperforated stamps designed for the Italian territories were practically identical to those of the mother country except for the currency designations in Italian centesimi and not in kreuzer. These stamps remained in force throughout 1858 until they were replaced by the second issue which, unlike the first, was perforated and indicated the new value in soldi. The new series was followed by three subsequent series valid until 1866, the year in which Veneto, Friuli and the province of Mantua were incorporated in the new Kingdom of Italy (Lombardy had already been annexed to the Kingdom of Sardinia after the Second War of Independence in 1859). In the period of Austrian domination, the ordinary postage stamps were also flanked by four issues to pay the postage of newspapers and two revenue stamps for the taxation of periodicals.
Due to this great variety of specimens, the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia is one of the most sought-after ancient states studied from the point of philately and postal history. One of the major collectors of the sector, Marco De Marchi (1872- 1936) deserves special mention. On his death, the Swiss industrialist bequeathed his precious stamps to the Museum of the Risorgimento of Milan, to Leopoldo Rivolta (1876-1925), founder of Corriere filatelico, and to his son Achille (1908-1992) awared with gold medal at Wipa 33, and Grand Prix at Wipa 65, to Emil Capellaro (1915-2007), a German of Italian origin whose great collection was sold by Bolaffi Auctions some years ago, and to Ottavio Masi, winner of the national philatelic exhibition at the 2008 Vienna WIPA. As in the case of other Italian states, it is worth examining the mixed franking of stamps of different issues. The auction held last December also included a letter dated July 12, 1865 posted from Vienna to Milan with a unique combination of stamps bearing a 3 soldi of the 1864 issue on the same document with three Austrian stamps: a 5 kreuzer pink and a 15 kreuzer brown, both of the same issue, and a 3 kreuzer green, corresponding to the 3 soldi but part of the previous issue of 1863. All these factors contribute to determining a set of exceptional philatelic interest in that, in addition to three stamps of different colour, it features not only different issues of the same state (in this case, the fourth and fifth Austrian issues) but also the addition of a Lombardy-Venetian stamp, therefore of a different state, despite the fact that this depended on the same postal administration and had been englobed in the Empire. This item, accompanied by a certificate of the great philatelic expert Enzo Diena, was sold for 30,500 euros.
Another two extremely rare documents were proposed in the same section. The first consisted of a letter dated August 5, 1854 from Milan to Trieste bearing a 5 cent yellow and a 10 cent black of the first issue of 1850, combined with a 25 cent buff issued by the Duchy of Modena in 1852 already cancelled and subsequently re-applied. The aim of the author who franked the letter was to save on part of the postage by combining the two stamps with a lower face value with the Duchy of Modena stamp which, due to its colour, could easily be confused with the 30 cent stamp of the same Lombardy-Venetian issue necessary to reach the postage required. However, the efficient Habsburg postal administration was not deceived and taxed the letter which was, however, sent to its destination, considering the stamp already cancelled as not valid. After some lively bidding by several collectors, the envelope, from a starting price of 2,500 euros, was finally sold for 14,640 euros. The other document, similar to the first and sent by the same person, featured, beside the same stamps of the imperial postal authorities, a 25 cent violet of the Duchy of Parma, also cancelled previously and applied in a vain attempt to mislead the postal service which obviously re-taxed the letter, in this case addressed to a lawyer in Padua. From an initial estimate of 2,000 euros, this lot also fetched a six times higher price and was knocked down for 11,590 euros. Three examples of how philately not only constitutes an excellent investment in collectibles but also makes it possible to personally experience key historical events, “interpreting” the same envelope in which the eyes of the expert and of the enthusiast perceive the interplay of the manifest and hidden influences of the period in which they were designed.
By Alberto Ponti
Due to this great variety of specimens, the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia is one of the most sought-after ancient states studied from the point of philately and postal history. One of the major collectors of the sector, Marco De Marchi (1872- 1936) deserves special mention. On his death, the Swiss industrialist bequeathed his precious stamps to the Museum of the Risorgimento of Milan, to Leopoldo Rivolta (1876-1925), founder of Corriere filatelico, and to his son Achille (1908-1992) awared with gold medal at Wipa 33, and Grand Prix at Wipa 65, to Emil Capellaro (1915-2007), a German of Italian origin whose great collection was sold by Bolaffi Auctions some years ago, and to Ottavio Masi, winner of the national philatelic exhibition at the 2008 Vienna WIPA. As in the case of other Italian states, it is worth examining the mixed franking of stamps of different issues. The auction held last December also included a letter dated July 12, 1865 posted from Vienna to Milan with a unique combination of stamps bearing a 3 soldi of the 1864 issue on the same document with three Austrian stamps: a 5 kreuzer pink and a 15 kreuzer brown, both of the same issue, and a 3 kreuzer green, corresponding to the 3 soldi but part of the previous issue of 1863. All these factors contribute to determining a set of exceptional philatelic interest in that, in addition to three stamps of different colour, it features not only different issues of the same state (in this case, the fourth and fifth Austrian issues) but also the addition of a Lombardy-Venetian stamp, therefore of a different state, despite the fact that this depended on the same postal administration and had been englobed in the Empire. This item, accompanied by a certificate of the great philatelic expert Enzo Diena, was sold for 30,500 euros.
Another two extremely rare documents were proposed in the same section. The first consisted of a letter dated August 5, 1854 from Milan to Trieste bearing a 5 cent yellow and a 10 cent black of the first issue of 1850, combined with a 25 cent buff issued by the Duchy of Modena in 1852 already cancelled and subsequently re-applied. The aim of the author who franked the letter was to save on part of the postage by combining the two stamps with a lower face value with the Duchy of Modena stamp which, due to its colour, could easily be confused with the 30 cent stamp of the same Lombardy-Venetian issue necessary to reach the postage required. However, the efficient Habsburg postal administration was not deceived and taxed the letter which was, however, sent to its destination, considering the stamp already cancelled as not valid. After some lively bidding by several collectors, the envelope, from a starting price of 2,500 euros, was finally sold for 14,640 euros. The other document, similar to the first and sent by the same person, featured, beside the same stamps of the imperial postal authorities, a 25 cent violet of the Duchy of Parma, also cancelled previously and applied in a vain attempt to mislead the postal service which obviously re-taxed the letter, in this case addressed to a lawyer in Padua. From an initial estimate of 2,000 euros, this lot also fetched a six times higher price and was knocked down for 11,590 euros. Three examples of how philately not only constitutes an excellent investment in collectibles but also makes it possible to personally experience key historical events, “interpreting” the same envelope in which the eyes of the expert and of the enthusiast perceive the interplay of the manifest and hidden influences of the period in which they were designed.
By Alberto Ponti