Pope Pius XI (1857-1939) died 10 February 1939. To mark the interregnum (the period between the death of a pope and election of a new pope), Vatican City overprinted a series of seven Papal Arms stamps. The February 20, 1939, black overprint consists of a canopy, crossed keys, SEDE VACANTE, and MCMXXXIX (1939).
The set includes 5-, 10-, 20-, 25-, 30-, 50-, and 75- centessimi values. The same horizontal stamp design (crossed keys below the papal tiara) was used in 1929 for the first set of stamps issued by Vatican City, a design also used in 1931 (with differing overprints) for postal cards, postage due, and some of the parcel post issues.
The 5-centessimi issued February 18, 1939, is brown rose in color. It measures 2.5 cm. x 2 cm. and is perforated 14 x 14. No watermark appears on the stamp. The color of the 10-c stamp is gray/green, and the other values are 20-c (violet/lilac), 25-c (blue/azure), 30-c (black/yellow), 50-c (black/salmon), and 75-c (carmine/gray).
A total of 160,000 of the 5-c stamp were printed. The quantities of the 10-c, 20-c, 50-c, and 75-c stamps totaled 300,000, and the 25-c and 30-c values totaled 170,000. The set was withdrawn on March 2, 1939.
References:
“Vatikanstaat,” Michel Europa Katalog, band. Südeuropa, Unterschleißheim, Germany, Schwanberger Verlag GMBH, 2008.
“Vatican City,” Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue, part 8, 7th ed. Ringwood, Hampshire, England, 2010.
“Vatican City,” Scott Standard Stamp Catalogue, vol. 6. Sidney, OH: Scott Publishing Company, 2006.
Crimando, Thomas. “Introduction to the Stamps of Vatican City,” revised by Daniel Piazza. Vatican Philatelic Society. http://www.vaticanphilately.org/vc.htm (accessed 21 January 2010).
