Fabulous Firsts: Sardinia (January 1, 1851) (Much of this article comes from a “World of Stamps” study of Sardinia by Geir Sør-Reime in Mekeel’s & STAMPS.)

Sardinia Sc. 1-3, above, and on Italy Sc. 587-89 for the 1951 Centenary of the first Sardinia issue The (or rather the Kingdom of Sa- voy, Piedmont and Sardinia, as the official title was known) became the first Italian state to issue its own postage stamps, on January 1, 1851. The only part of Italy that was ahead of Sardinia was the Kingdom of Lombardy-Ve- netia, which was ruled directly as a part of the . Distinct stamps for Lombardy-Venetia were first issued June 1, 1850.

A rare cover with an 1851 First Issue 5 centesimi black vertical pair (Sc. 1) plus a 40c light rose (Sc. 4), all tied by mute small lozenge cancels, on a let- ter from (16 MAG. 52, then under Sardinian rule) to Paris (19 MAI 52 back- stamp). This is an example of the 50c single weight letter rate to .

Issue 40 - April 4, 2014 - StampNewsOnline.net  If you enjoy this article, and are not already a subscriber, for $12 a year you can enjoy 60+ pages a month. To subscribe, email [email protected] The Kingdom of Sardinia was to become the leading force in uniting Italy under one government, when in 1860, the King of Sardinia became king of Italy, although was not united with the rest of Italy until 1870. As the Kingdom of Sardinia and then the Kingdom of Italy, at various times leading up to Unification, its stamps were used in other areas.

Three covers with Sardinia issues used from other areas. Top, the 1855-63 5c light yellow green and 10c bistre Fourth Issues cancelled by a rare red Sardo-Italian “Lonato” of Lombardy boxed handstamp. The 1863 cover was sent from Lonato (22 DIC 63 c.d.s.)—the only known use of the “Lonato” boxed cancel on these two values. Center, an 1863 cover that bears a bisect of the 1862 20c used from the Papal States and tied by an Orvieto “29 Gen. 63” c.d.s. Bottom, an 1861 cover with the 1859 20c dark blue Fourth Issue tied by a rare boxed red Fanano cancel of Modena, sent to Siena via Mon- talcino (backstamp 6 Feb. 61). See also page 3. As is evident from its official title, the Kingdom of Sar- dinia comprised various areas. The royal house of originated in the French-speaking Savoy. This area was eventually transferred to France in 1860 along with the area around Nice. Until then, the small principality of Mo-

Issue 40 - April 4, 2014 - StampNewsOnline.net  This cover demonstrates the political geography of Sardinia. It is one of only three known covers showing a France 80c , Sc. 20, cancelled by a Sardinian Chamonix cancel. By the Treaty of , signed by Napoleon III of France and Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy and Sardinia on March 24, 1860, Chamonix, which is located at the foot of , was annexed by France—the border defined in the treaty as being at the top of Mont Blanc, with Savoy, in which Chamonix is located, being on the French side. The July 26, 1860 Sardinian cancel is after that date of annexation. It was only briefly used, thus the rar- ity of this cover and its estimated value of more than $50,000. naco was totally surrounded by Sardinian territory, and now, is surrounded by French territory. The main area of Sardinia was Piedmont, the area sur- rounding the capital of Turin. And then came the island of Sardinia, which was acquired by the Duke of Savoy in 1720 as King. During the French occupation 1792-1814, the King of Sardinia resided on the island of Sardinia. After the fall of Napoleon, Piedmont was restored to the King- dom, and the former republic of Genoa was also united with Sardinia. The first postage-stamps of Sardinia were issued Janu- ary 1, 1851. The stamps featured a portrait of King Victor Emmanuel II. Unlike Tuscany, Sardinia at that time used a decimal currency, of 100 centesimi to the lira. The first series denominations were 5 centesimi (gray), 20c (blue), and 40c (rose). In common with all Sardinian stamps issued prior to unification, they were imperforate (see page 1. The Minister of Posts, Senator Pollone, started with the printers in France to have the stamps prepared. But they were designed and lithographed by Francisco Matraire in Turin, why is not clear. They are difficult to find and very expensive, the printing consisting of 30,000 5c; 100,000 20c; and only 20,000 of the 40c.

Issue 40 - April 4, 2014 - StampNewsOnline.net  1853 20c embossed 1854 5c, Sc. 7 1855 5c, Sc. 10 on dull blue paper, Sc. 5

The three denominations were reissued in October 1853 embossed in albino on colored paper. This series proved unsatisfactory and in an attempt to improve the appear- ance of the stamps they were reprinted in April 1854 by a very complicated process. The frame was lithographed in color on white paper and on this the design was embossed as before in such a way that the king’s profile showed up on the white oval. The color of the frame varied con- siderably, prominent shades being recorded for all three denominations. Matraire next experimented with a combination of typography and embossing, with better results. In July 1855 the stamps were produced with the lettering typo- graphed in white with a colored frame, the profile alone being embossed as before. In 1858 10c and 8Oc values were introduced, and a 3 lira stamp added to the series in 1861. The color of the 40c stamp was changed from vermilion to scarlet in 1857. Similar stamps, with colored lettering on a white background, were issued by the Neapoli- tan Provinces, while similar stamps with Italy first issue, perforations appeared in 1862 and are Sc. 17 regarded as the first issue of Italy. The last stamps of Sardinia consisted of 1c and 2c stamps for use on newspapers. They were designed and printed by Matraire and released in January 1861. The numeral of value was embossed in the center, replacing

Issue 40 - April 4, 2014 - StampNewsOnline.net  the king’s profile. The frame was typo- graphed in black and the central medal- lion was still in colorless embossing.

1861, Newspaper issue, Sc. P1

The Cavallinis: First Stamps? Although most collectors disagree, some philatelists feel that Sardinia should be credited with having issued the first postage stamp more than 20 years before the 1840 British Penny Black. That claim is based on the Caval- linis, which were letter sheets printed with stamps of 15, 25, and 50 centesimi in 1819. These sheets showed a Horse- men, but were marked for the payment of fiscal rather than postal duty, thus ruling them out as postage stamps. Sardinia Cavallini 15c in round relief design of a boy on a horse.

An 1820 Second Issue 50c Cavallini stamped letter sheet dry relief print on watermarked paper; and Italy Sc. 848, the 1961 Stamp Day issue.

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