ITALIAN POST OFFICES ABROAD 'ESTERO'

Return To Catalogue - Italian post offices in Turkey, Albania etc. - Italy

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General issue

Note: The stamps of Italy, slightly changed and overprinted with "ESTERO" were used in Buenos Aires (Argentine), Montevideo (Uruguay), Erithrea, Alexandria (Egypt), Tunesia, Libya and Turkey. The use of the "ESTERO" stamps was stopped at the end of 1889. Some stamps exist cancelled to order, especially with bar cancels "3364" and "3862", or also with bar cancels without any number.

1874 Stamps of Italy of 1863 slightly changed (ornaments cut out), and overprinted "ESTERO" (=abroad)

  1 c olive (number)
  2 c red (number)
  5 c olive (Victor Emanuel II)
  10 c orange (Victor Emanuel II)
  10 c blue (Victor Emanuel II, 1878)
  20 c blue (Victor Emanuel II)
  20 c orange (Victor Emanuel II, 1878)
  30 c brown (Victor Emanuel II)
  40 c red (Victor Emanuel II)
  60 c violet (Victor Emanuel II)
  2 L orange (Victor Emanuel II)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Special number cancels, examples 234 = Alexandria (Allesandria d'Egitto), 235 = Tunis (Tunisi), 3051 = Tripoli di Barberia, 3336 = La Goulette (Tunesia) and 3364 = Suez.

Paquebot cancel: "PEROSCAFI POSTALI ITALIANI" in a rectangle

Forgeries exist on normal stamps of Italy (without the ornaments cut out), example of such forgeries:

(Forged overprints on normal stamps of Italy)

The forger Mirza Hadi obtained a large quantity of remainders of the 1 c, 2 c and 60 c stamps of this issue (somewhere before 1912). After applying a forged '234' cancel he sold them to collectors (source: 'Philatelic Forgers, their Lives and Works' by V.E. Tyler).

Forgery made by Sperati of the 20 c value. There is a white spot in lower part of the upper right rectangle. Furthermore, there is a satellite dot behind the dot under the 'C' of 'FCO'.

1881 Stamps of Italy of 1879 (King Humbert), slightly changed (ornaments cut out), and overprinted "ESTERO" (=abroad)

  5 c green
  10 c red
  20 c orange
  25 c blue
  50 c violet
  2 L orange

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

The 2 L value does exist with cancel. Here a '235' cancel (image obtained thanks to Frederic Calves).

The Estero stamps were no longer used after 1 January 1890.

Stamps - Briefmarken - Timbres-Poste - Postzegels - Francobolli - Estampillas

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