SARDINIA, THE FIRST IN ITALY
In the collection of Italian postage stamps, those from the Kingdom of Sardinia have always been the most sought-after by collectors, and the latest series of Bolaffi auctions in December 2013 proved that they still are so.
Graphically, the first stamps that Sardinia issued on 1 January 1851 were clearly inspired by the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black. Issued in England in 1840, it featured Queen Victoria in profile, surrounded by a frame with the denomination at the bottom. The most salient difference between the two was that Victor Emanuel’s profile faced right, while Victoria’s faced left. The three stamps were the 5-cent black, the 20- cent blue, and the 40-cent rose. The most important first issue stamps included in the collection auctioned off were a 40-cent on a onestamped cover postmarked 1 May 1852 from Geneva to Moutiers (France). What made this piece exceptional was its outbound use beyond the Sardinian Kingdom’s borders. In fact, only one other such case is known, that of another 40-cent cancelled in Tunis. This stamp was deemed valid even in a foreign country, and an additional fee was charged on delivery, since the letter contained an attachment and its postage was therefore insufficient.
Sardinia’s second issue, replacing the first, took effect on 1 October 1853, even though the denominations had already been sent out to post offices beforehand, which is why some cases of use prior to that date have been recorded. Correspondence with stamps from the entire series (including the 5-, 20- and 40-cent denominations) is very scarce and especially sought-after by the most demanding and advanced collectors. One of these extremely rare letters, stamped with six specimens in three different colors for a total of 1.50 lire, scored top price in the whole philatelic auction. Since the second issue was monochrome and thus made the King’s image hard to see, a new series was prepared a few months later. The colors were the same, but his profile was featured inside a white oval. Numerous specimens new, used and on cover from the third issue, which came out on 18 April 1854, were listed in our catalog. Of these, there were two pairs of 5-cent pieces in especially good condition, on a letter from Cagliari to Sassari, postmarked 2 September 1855.
The Kingdom of Sardinia’s fourth and last issue came about in 1855 and remained valid until the end of 1863 in all the lands that, in the meantime, had become part of the Kingdom of Italy. What characterizes these stamps is the varied color gradations of the denominations (5-, 10-, 20-, 40-, 80- cent and 3-lire), which had numerous runs over the years. A horizontal strip of four 5-cent pieces on cover to Turin, dated 1857, was a highlight among the contested lots, as were four 10-cent stamps on cover from Milan to Geneva by way of Turin, postmarked 30 July 1859 (during the Lombard-Venetian Provisional Government). Both items, of excellent quality, bore the prestigious signature of Giulio Bolaffi. One seldom noted usage of this issue was bisects, i.e. stamps that were cut (usually in half) to make up for a temporary lack of stamps with lower face value. This happened especially in some post offices in central Italy, where Victor Emanuel stamps were distributed after Sardinia’s annexation. For example, on a cover from Orvieto to Rome, postmarked 30 January 1863, there was a 40-cent specimen cut in half diagonally, and thus worth 20 cents.
An interesting chapter on turns in history, as well as stamp collecting, is mixed franking, e.g. different issues from Sardinia applied together, or Sardinian stamps combined with others issued by pre-unification or royal postal systems. One case that falls into this category is the only known combination of an 1851 5-cent first issue stamp with a 10-cent perforated stamp from the Kingdom of Italy’s first issue, used in Luserna on 16 March 1863. Another great classic in Risorgimento stamp collecting is mixed franking of stamps from Italian states and from other European countries. An interesting testimony to this is a pair of 5-cent second issue stamps from Sardinia combined with two 20-cent “Napoleon” specimens issued in France, all on the same cover from Puy l’Evêque to Turin, dated 1855. Another trait of this rare postal artifact is that one of the two French stamps is made up from two halves of stamps with different origins, thus amounting to an example of historic postage fraud. Ever since their creation, stamps worldwide have been reused with intent to fool postal authorities, something that the most specialized and discriminating collectors particularly value.
By Alberto Ponti
Graphically, the first stamps that Sardinia issued on 1 January 1851 were clearly inspired by the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black. Issued in England in 1840, it featured Queen Victoria in profile, surrounded by a frame with the denomination at the bottom. The most salient difference between the two was that Victor Emanuel’s profile faced right, while Victoria’s faced left. The three stamps were the 5-cent black, the 20- cent blue, and the 40-cent rose. The most important first issue stamps included in the collection auctioned off were a 40-cent on a onestamped cover postmarked 1 May 1852 from Geneva to Moutiers (France). What made this piece exceptional was its outbound use beyond the Sardinian Kingdom’s borders. In fact, only one other such case is known, that of another 40-cent cancelled in Tunis. This stamp was deemed valid even in a foreign country, and an additional fee was charged on delivery, since the letter contained an attachment and its postage was therefore insufficient.
Sardinia’s second issue, replacing the first, took effect on 1 October 1853, even though the denominations had already been sent out to post offices beforehand, which is why some cases of use prior to that date have been recorded. Correspondence with stamps from the entire series (including the 5-, 20- and 40-cent denominations) is very scarce and especially sought-after by the most demanding and advanced collectors. One of these extremely rare letters, stamped with six specimens in three different colors for a total of 1.50 lire, scored top price in the whole philatelic auction. Since the second issue was monochrome and thus made the King’s image hard to see, a new series was prepared a few months later. The colors were the same, but his profile was featured inside a white oval. Numerous specimens new, used and on cover from the third issue, which came out on 18 April 1854, were listed in our catalog. Of these, there were two pairs of 5-cent pieces in especially good condition, on a letter from Cagliari to Sassari, postmarked 2 September 1855.
The Kingdom of Sardinia’s fourth and last issue came about in 1855 and remained valid until the end of 1863 in all the lands that, in the meantime, had become part of the Kingdom of Italy. What characterizes these stamps is the varied color gradations of the denominations (5-, 10-, 20-, 40-, 80- cent and 3-lire), which had numerous runs over the years. A horizontal strip of four 5-cent pieces on cover to Turin, dated 1857, was a highlight among the contested lots, as were four 10-cent stamps on cover from Milan to Geneva by way of Turin, postmarked 30 July 1859 (during the Lombard-Venetian Provisional Government). Both items, of excellent quality, bore the prestigious signature of Giulio Bolaffi. One seldom noted usage of this issue was bisects, i.e. stamps that were cut (usually in half) to make up for a temporary lack of stamps with lower face value. This happened especially in some post offices in central Italy, where Victor Emanuel stamps were distributed after Sardinia’s annexation. For example, on a cover from Orvieto to Rome, postmarked 30 January 1863, there was a 40-cent specimen cut in half diagonally, and thus worth 20 cents.
An interesting chapter on turns in history, as well as stamp collecting, is mixed franking, e.g. different issues from Sardinia applied together, or Sardinian stamps combined with others issued by pre-unification or royal postal systems. One case that falls into this category is the only known combination of an 1851 5-cent first issue stamp with a 10-cent perforated stamp from the Kingdom of Italy’s first issue, used in Luserna on 16 March 1863. Another great classic in Risorgimento stamp collecting is mixed franking of stamps from Italian states and from other European countries. An interesting testimony to this is a pair of 5-cent second issue stamps from Sardinia combined with two 20-cent “Napoleon” specimens issued in France, all on the same cover from Puy l’Evêque to Turin, dated 1855. Another trait of this rare postal artifact is that one of the two French stamps is made up from two halves of stamps with different origins, thus amounting to an example of historic postage fraud. Ever since their creation, stamps worldwide have been reused with intent to fool postal authorities, something that the most specialized and discriminating collectors particularly value.
By Alberto Ponti