Italy has issued national postage stamps since 1862. In that year, the various Italian states were unified as the Kingdom of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel II. Rare Italian stamps from this time featured the King but not the actual name of the country. They can be identified by the inscription FRANCO BOLLO, Italian for “postage stamp”. Ever since these first true Italian stamps, there have been endless varieties and sub-categories of rare Italian stamps to appeal to every type of collector.
Rare Italian Stamps’ Early History
In 1863, stamps with the inscription FRANCO BOLLO ITALIANO were issued. These again showed the King, and finally added an explicit reference to the country’s name. Another inscription around this time was POSTE ITALIANE, which would prove to be the preferred one for many decades after.
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The World’s First Air Post Stamps
King Humbert I (a.k.a. Umberto) was crowned in 1878 and subsequently appeared on several rare Italian stamps. When Umberto was assassinated in 1900 he was succeeded by Victor Emmanuel III. The change at the top was of course reflected in the postage stamps of Italy at the time. The new King ruled until 1946 and, notably for stamp collectors, oversaw the world’s very first air post stamps, in 1917.
Italian stamps throughout the reign of Victor Emmanuel III continued to use the inscription POSTE ITALIANE, although occasionally the shorter ITALIA would be used. The King supported the fascists led by Benito Mussolini, and the Italian government became a dictatorship (while the country itself remained technically a Kingdom) in 1922. In World War II, Mussolini was killed and the fascists fell. In 1946 Humbert II (Umberto II) became King. All of these head spinning and momentous changes can be seen on the rare stamps of Italy which were designed and issued throughout the era.
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Rare Italian Stamps of the Modern Republic
King Humbert II’s reign lasted less than a month as the Italian people voted to abolish the monarchy and become a modern republic. A new constitution, approved in 1948, was commemorated on a postage stamp that same year, bearing the legend PROCLAMAZIONE DELLA COSTITUZIONE. For collectors of modern Italian stamps this is an obvious great place to start.
Continuing to cast about for something everyone could agree on, in 1952 the inscription on Italian postage stamps was changed again, this time to REPUBBLICA ITALIANA. (This in turn was sometimes shortened to REP. ITALIANA, sometimes with the U shaped like a V and sometimes with the word POSTE added.) In 1956, POSTE ITALIANE was revived but in 1969 the name on stamps was changed again, to the simple ITALIA. Finally everyone seemed to agree that the issue was settled and ITALIA has been the preferred inscription on Italian stamps ever since.
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Modern Italian stamps, rare and otherwise, have featured a wide range of subjects, including Italian history, art, movies, music, sports, national heroes and buildings, Christian scenes, and much more. Philatelic collectibles, like maximum cards, souvenir sheets, and joint issues abound. There are almost literally an endless variety of rare Italian stamps out there for collectors, as well as covers bearing canceled Italian stamps and other related collectibles. Online sellers change their selections of offers constantly and new sales are always available.
Remember that if you are collecting Italian stamps, also look at the sales of nearby countries that may have issued stamps mentioning or honoring Italy or Italian subjects, such as Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, France, and Switzerland.
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Just choose an era or an approach that sounds good to you and start looking for great Italian stamps and collectibles. Good luck and happy hunting!
