ITALY Overview

Italia - Italie - Italien

Return To Catalogue - King Victor Emanuel II - Issues of 1862-1899 - Issues of 1900-1929 - King Victor Emanuel III - Imperial issue of 1929 - Italy 1930-1944 - Italy socialist republic

Modena - Naples - Neapolitan Provinces - Papal States, (Roman States) 1851 issue - Papal States, 1851 issue 50 b and 1 Sc values - Papal States, 1867 issue - Parma 1852 issue - Parma 1857 issue - Parma 1859 issue - Romagna - Sardinia - Sicily - Tuscany part 1 - Tuscany part 2 - Austrian Italy

Airmail - Official stamps - Postage due stamps - Fiscal stamps, part 1 - Fiscal stamps, part 2 - Parcel stamps - Local issues - Miscellaneous - Italian occupation of Austria - Italian occupation of the Aegean Islands - Italian post offices in China - Italian post offices Abroad (Turkey, Albania etc.) - 'ESTERO' on Italy (foreign offices, general issues) - 'La Canea' on Italy (Crete)

San Marino - Vatican - Fiume - Campione (Italian exclave in Switzerland)

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them:
evert@klaseboer.com.


The earliest Italian stamps did often only have the value written on it, the following table gives the meaning of the value inscription:

1/2 = Mezzo 1 = Un 2 = Due 5 = Cinque
10 = Dieci 15 = Quindici 20 = Venti 25 = Venticinque
30 = Trenta 40 = Quaranta 50 = Cinquanta 60 = Sessanta

Italian States

Image obtained thanks to Lorenzo Image otained thanks to Lorenzo
Modena 1852 issue 'POSTE ESTENSI' and Modena 1859 issues 'PROVINCIE MODONESI' or 'TASSA GAZETTE''


Naples (1858 issue or 1860 issue) and Neapolitan Provinces


Papal States or Roman States) 1851 issue or 1851 issue part 2 or 867 issue, inscription 'FRANCO BOLLO POSTALE'

Image obtained thanks to Lorenzo Image obtained thanks to Lorenzo
Parma 1852 issue ('STATI PARM') - 1857 issue ('DUC. DI PARMA') - 1859 issue ('STATI PARMENSI')

1/2 b black on yellow, image obtained thanks to Lorenzo 40 c red 2 g blue
Romagna ('FRANCO BOLLO POSTALE') - Sardinia (part 1), part 2 ('FRANCO BOLLO') - Sicily ('BOLLO DELLA POSTA DI SICILIA')

2 s brown, image obtained thanks to Lorenzo Image obtained thanks to Lorenzo
Tuscany part 1 - Tuscany part 2 ('FRANCOBOLLO TOSCANO')

5 s red, wide perforation
Austrian Italy


Italy, King Victor Emanuel II

For stamps in the following or similar design with King Victor Emanuel II, click here.

10 c brown 15 c blue, image obtained thanks to Lorenzo5 c green


Italy, other issues from 1862 to 1899

For stamps of Italy issued from 1862 to 1899, click here. Examples of this period:

5 c green, 1899 type 10 c red


Italy 1900-1929

Examples of stamps issued from 1900 to 1920:


Stamps other than those with image of King Victor Emanuel III

40 c brown
With image of King Victor Emanuel III


Italy Imperial issue of 1929


Italy 1930-1944


Italian Socialist Republic

This republic was founded by Italian fascists after the retreat of the Germans in the Northern part of Italy. Stamps of Italy were overprinted 'G.N.R.' or 'REPUBLICA SOCIALE ITALIANA' and/or an axe.

Other examples of this period:


1945 Onwards

Just after the end of World War II, due to the chaotic situation, letters are known to have been posted with fiscal stamps, postage due stamps etc. instead of normal postage stamps.

1945 Reconstruction set, various designs, inscription "POSTE ITALIANE" (7 different designs), sometimes called 'democratic set'

  10 c brown (hammer breaking chain)
  20 c brown (family with justice scale in background)
  25 c blue (hand holding torch of freedom)
  40 c black (hand planting tree)
  50 c violet (design as 10 c)
  60 c green (man pruning tree)
  80 c red (design as 10 c)
  1 L green (design as 40 c)
  1.20 L brown (design as 25 c)
  2 L brown (design as 60 c)
  3 L red (design as 25 c)
  4 L orange (design as 25 c) 
  5 L blue (design as 20 c)
  6 L violet (design as 40 c)
  8 L green (design as 10 c)
  10 L red (design as 20 c)
  10 L black (design as 10 c)
  15 L blue (design as 40 c)
  20 L violet (design as 25 c)
  25 L green (broken tree with goddess of Italia in background, larger size)
  25 L blue (design as 25 c)
  30 L blue (design as 25 c)
  50 L brown (design as 25 L)
  100 L red (family design, but larger size)

Stamps in the above designs, exist with overprint 'A.M.G. V.G.' and were issued by the Allied Military Government of the United States and Great Britain for use in Venezia Giulia (1945). The overprint exists on the values 25 c green (hand holding torch), 2 L brown, 3 L red, 4 L orange, 6 L violet, 20 L violet, 25 L green, 50 L brown and 100 L red (on this stamp the overprint is larger).

Type I overprint Type II overprint Type III overprint

The overprints 'A.M.G. F.T.T.' were used in Trieste.


A private overprint made for Trieste.


Private airmail overprint on the white center between two stamps.


I've been told that this is a postal forgery of the 10 L value, I have no further information.

 

1945 Express stamps, inscription "ESPRESSO"

  5 L red (foot with wings)
  10 L blue (man with horse)
  15 L red (design as 10 L)
  25 L orange (design as 5 L)
  30 L violet (design as 5 L)
  50 L lilac (design as 5 L)
  60 L red (design as 10 L)
  75 L lilac (horses with wings)

The 10 L and 30 L stamps exist with overprint 'A.M.G. V.G.' (Venezia Guilia). Other values exist with "A.M.G. F.T.T." or "AMG-FTT" to be used in Trieste.


'AMG-FTT' overprints used in Trieste

 

1950 Large sized stamps with people representing different regions of Italy, 'Italy at work'

  50 c blue ('LA FUCINA VALLE D'AOSTA')
  1 L blue ('L'OFFICINA PIEMONTE')
  2 L black ('IL CANTIERI LOMBARDIA')
  5 L grey ('IL TORNIO TOSCANA')
  6 L brown ('IL TOMBOLO ABRUZZI EMOLISE') 
  10 L green ('IL TELAIO CALABRIA')
  12 L blue ('IL TIMONE VENETO')
  15 L blue ('LO SCALO LIGURIA')
  20 L violet ('LA SCIABICA CAMPANIA')
  25 L light brown ('LE ARANCE SICILIA')
  30 L lilac ('LA VENDEMMIA PUGLIA')
  35 L red ('LE OLIVE BASILSCATA')
  40 L brown ('IL CARRIO A VINO LAZIO')
  50 L violet ('LE GREGGI SARDEGNA')
  55 L blue ('L'ARATRO UMBRIA')
  60 L red ('IL RACOLTO MARCHE')
  65 L green ('LA CANAPA EMILIA ROMAGNA')
  100 L brown ('IL GRANOTURCO TRIULI VENEZIA GUILIA')
  200 L olive ('IL LEGNAME TRENTINO ALTO AORTE')

All these stamps exist with overprint 'AMG-FTT', issued for Trieste.


Trieste overprints

 

1953 So-called Siracusana issue (head in a circle), inscription "POSTE REPVBBLICA ITALIANA"


(Stamp issued in the 1950's, 'Siracusana', reduced size)

On coloured background 
  1 L grey 
  5 L grey
  10 L red
  12 L green
  13 L lilac
  15 L violet
  20 L brown
  25 L violet
  30 L light brown
  35 L red
  50 L olive
  60 L blue
  70 L green
  80 L light brown
  90 L brown
  ......

Larger size
  100 L brown
  200 L blue

On white background (small sized stamps)
  100 L brown
  150 L violet
  ......

So-called 'Falsi di Roma' or Rome forgeries of this Siracusana design:


Rome forgeries

Book: "Siracusana La Variazione Infinita" (1995) issued by the Italian Post Office printed by Fotolito Polycrom Bologna; contains 192 pages description about these stamps, including debut, sheets, coils, postcards, technical details and forgeries.


Several stamps exist with overprint 'AMG-FTT', issued for Trieste.

 

1961 Michelangelo's work, various designs

  1 L black
  5 L brown
  10 L red
  15 L lilac
  20 L green
  25 L brown
  30 L violet
  40 L red
  50 L olive
  65 L brown
  70 L blue
  85 L green
  90 L lilac
  100 L grey
  115 L blue
  150 L brown
  200 L blue
  500 L blue (larger size)
  1000 L brown (larger size)

 

1961 Visit of president Gronchi to Peru

  205 L lilac (with error in the map of Peru)

The 205 L stamp was withdrawn quickly and replaced by another stamp. Forgeries exist of these error stamps.


CAPRERA

A bogus stamp with inscription 'POSTALE CAPRERA ITALIA' should exist (I have never seen it, issued in 1860?). It is mentioned in Lewis and Pemberton (1863) "Forged Stamps". The text of this book is (page 12):

The following barefaced forgery is now being sold in London as a Caprera stamp. It is hardly necessary to say that there never have been stamps for that island. We borrow the description from DrGray:—" It was a water-colour drawing, somewhat like the Tuscan arms and crown ; but the frame was inscribed, ' Postale Caprera Italia1 (which means nothing, the literal translation is ' Postal Caprera Italy'), 1 scudo, and dated 1.8.6.0 in the angles. The letters are painted on withwhite lead, instead of being left white by the printing, as they would b in a real stamp."


Small Italian dictionary

annullamenti, annullo = cancel
Antichi Stati = Italian States
autentico = genuine
dentellatura = perforation
estero = foreign
falsi = forged stamps
falsi d'epoca = postal forgery
foglio = sheet
francobolli = stamps
francobollo di stato = official stamp
giornali = newspaper
Lombardo Veneto = Austrian Italy
molto raro = very rare
Napoli = Naples
Non emessi = non issued
nuovo = unused
pachi postali = parcel stamp
Pontificio = Papal States, Roman States
Province Napoletane = Neapolitan Provinces
raro = rare
regno = referring to the period before 1945
ristampe = reprints
saggio = test, essay
Sardegna = Sardinia
Sassone = famous Italian stamp catalogue
segnatasse = postage due
senza gomma = no gum
Stato Pontificio = Papal (or Roman) States
Toscana = Tuscany
usato = used
valore = value


Websites

Signatures of Italian experts can be found on: http://digilander.libero.it/regnodisardegna/le%20sigle%20dei%20periti%20filatelici.html (in Italian).


Stamps - Francobolli - Timbres - Briefmarken - Postzegels

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