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Catalog Data

Medium:
paper; ink(multicolored)
Type:
Postage Stamps
Place:
VATICAN CITY (independent city state)
Date:
June 16, 1934
Description:
Vatican City issued a series of six provisional stamps on June 18, 1934. The stamps, each featuring a portrait of Pope Pius XI (1922-1939), were overprinted with different values for stamps originally issued in 1929.
Provisional stamps were printed to meet new postal rates authorized the previous year. Only 18,000 complete sets of the provisional stamps were printed. The stamps were valid until withdrawn on December 31, 1940.
The overprint consists of two sets of three black, short, horizontal lines over the original value on stamp’s bottom and the new value printed in black, also on the stamp’s bottom center.
The original 1929 design was by E. Frederici, and the stamps were printed by photogravure. The stamp contains no watermark, and its perforations are 14 x 14. The stamp measures 2 cm x 2.5 cm. The surcharge was added by Tipografia Camarele Vaticana, Rome.
A second printing of the surcharges occurred in 1937. The surcharges of the second printing are generally wider than those of the first printing, and in both printings there are variations of spacing and font. These variations do not occur on the 40-centessimi on 80-centessimi stamp.
Numerous forgeries exist of surcharges in this series of stamps.
References:
“Vatikanstaat,” in Michel Europa Katalog, band 3. Sudeuropa, Unterschleissheim, Germany: Schwanberger Verlag GMBH, 2008.
“Vatican City,” in Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue, part 8, 7th ed. Hampshire, England: Stanley Gibbons, Ltd., 2010.
“Vatican City,” in Scott Standard Stamp Catalogue, Vol. 6. Sidney, OH: Scott Publishing Company, 2006.
Lietermann, David. “Members Favorite Items,” located on the Vatican Philatelic Society website: http://www.vaticanphilately.org/favorites.htm. (accessed 10 January 2010).
Crimando, Thomas. “Introduction to the Postage Stamps of Vatican City.” Updated in 2006 by Daniel Piazza. Located on the Vatican Philatelic Society website: http://www.vaticanphilately.org/vc.htm (accessed 12 January 2010).
Topic:
International Stamps & Mail  Search this
Object number:
2008.2009.32
See more items in:
National Postal Museum Collection
Data Source:
National Postal Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8ae9743e0-e793-4649-b1f0-9d72171972ac
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npm_2008.2009.32