high value vatican airmails: a postal history...

2 Vatican Notes July-August 2008 (Vol. 57 № 1, Whole № 339)

High Value Vatican Airmails:High Value Vatican Airmails: A Postal History Journey A Postal History Journey

GREG PIROZZI—[email protected]

From the first set of airmail stamps issued by the Vatican Post in 1938 until the last set in 1996, a total of 22 series were produced encompassing 95 different stamps. Typically, airmail stamps were the highest denomination in use during any period. This was generally necessary since airmail rates were, and still are, considerably higher than surface mail rates and produced a need for stamps with high face values to frank letters and packages conveniently. The sub-jects depicted on Vatican airmail stamps range from traditional Christian symbols evocative of flight to the world travels of Pope John Paul II. This ‘cover essay’ will focus on the postal history of the highest-value airmail denomina-tion stamp from each issue, with an illustration of a specific usage and rate analysis provided. I hope the reader will find Vatican airmail stamps a fascinating collecting endeavor and perhaps embark on a specialized study of these wonderful stamps on or off cover.

◄ Fig. 1: 1938 ₤10 first airmail issue (Scott C8) on an airmail cover that weighed 37g and was transported by the Pan Am Clipper. Post-marked 20 October 1941 to Lansing, MI and franked with ₤24. Rate calculation: ₤1.25 basic letter rate for the first 20g + ₤0.75 for the second step in weight + ₤22 airmail rate to the U.S. (8 × ₤2.75 per 5g) = ₤24. ▼Fig. 2: 1947 ₤100 second airmail issue (Scott C15) on an airmail cover that weighed 30g. Postmarked 28 May 1949 to New Haven, CT and franked with ₤395. Rate calculation: ₤40 basic letter rate for the first 20g + ₤25 for the second step in weight + ₤330 airmail rate to the U.S. (6 x ₤55 per 5g) = ₤395.

Continued on page 6

July-August 2008 (Vol. 57 № 1, Whole № 339) Vatican Notes 3


The Blue Pencil DANIEL A. PIAZZA—[email protected]

2008 writing award winners Despite the mix-up involving the list of nominees included with the last issue, reader interest in the VERITAS award was very strong. Ninety-eight votes were cast, and Greg Pirozzi won the award with 26 votes for the first installment in his ongoing series on the 1933 Gardens and Medallions issue. The results were as follows:

July-August 2007 (Vol. 56, No. 1) "Vatican Scientific and Cultural Institutions-Part III: Vatican Apostolic Library" (Greg Pirozzi)—9*

"Vatican Europa Issues" (Michael B. Lamothe)—7

September-October 2007 (Vol. 56, No. 2) "Vatican Scientific and Cultural Institutions-Part IV: The Vatican Observatory" (Greg Pirozzi)—9*

November-December 2007 (Vol. 56, No. 3) "Watercolors of Aldo Raimondi" (Greg Pirozzi)—10

"Vatican City and the Golden Age of Ocean Liner Travel" (Greg Pirozzi)—8

January-February 2008 (Vol. 56, No. 4) "'Le Forme Belle' of Antonio Canova" (Daniel A. Piazza)—7

"Vatican Mourning Covers" (Greg Pirozzi)—12

March-April 2008 (Vol. 56, No. 5) "An Interview with Irio Fantini" (Michael B. Lamothe)—7

"Vatican Philatelic Ephemera, Part I-Philatelic Show Folders" (Michael Krejci)—6*

May-June 2008 (Vol. 56, No. 6) "Vatican Philatelic Ephemera, Part II-Philatelic Show Sheets and Cards" (Michael Krejci)—6*

"Eleazar Albin and Vatican City's Only Bird Stamp Is-sue" (Matthew V. Cassetta)—6

“Gardens & Medallions 75th Anniversary Retrospec-tive, Part I” (Greg Pirozzi)—26

* multipart article totals have been combined into one figure I have also established a new Editor’s Choice Award to be given, at the discretion of the editor, to an article that dem-onstrates originality, creativity and initiative in writing about Vatican or Pontifical State philately. (This is along the same lines as the President’s Award, which is given by the president and not awarded by vote of the membership.)

Normally, the recipient of the Editor’s Choice should not be the same as the winner of the VERITAS award.

The recipient of the first Vatican Notes Editor’s Choice award is Michael B. Lamothe, for his in-terview with Vatican stamp de-signer Irio Ottavio Fantini in the March-April 2008 issue. Mi-chael’s resourcefulness and ini-tiative in obtaining an interview with Sig. Fantini gave all of us an insight into stamp design selection at the Vatican and led to publication for the first time of several of the artist’s drawings, including one unused model.

Vatican philately in other journals There have been numerous mentions of Vatican philately in the philatelic press recently. The August 2008 issue of Scott Stamp Monthly carried Barbara M. Soper’s article “Mosaics on Stamps Reveal Ancient History” (pp. 26-29). She writes that “Rome’s embrace of the Christian faith in the last years of the empire...led to many striking mosaics with Christian themes” and illustrates her point with the April 23, 1974 Universal Postal Union Centenary issue and the June 5, 1990 Caritas International set. The author does not make a distinction between the two sets; the 1974 se-ries only mimics a mosaic appearance, while the Caritas set shows details from actual mosaics preserved in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Rome. Another section of the article pictures the August 29, 1987 OLYMPHILEX set of four, which shows mosaics from the Caracallan baths in Rome.

Dave Kent’s new issues column in the June 13, 2008 issue of Mekeel’s and Stamps Magazine (“Dave Kent’s World,” p. 5) caught up with the Vatican’s 2007 stamp series cele-brating the new philatelic and numismatic museum and the 250th anniversary of the Christian Museum. The for-mer were illustrated in color on the cover of the magazine.

The fourth quarter 2008 issue of the Philatelic Literature Review, received in late June from the American Philatelic Research Library, included part twelve of Theodore M. Tedesco’s country-by-country bibliography of philatelic literature in the English language concerning fakes and forgeries. Only two entries were noted for Vatican City; both were articles by the American Philatelic Society’s ex-pertiser, Mercer Bristow, that appeared in the now-defunct magazine Stamp Collector. Tedesco is apparently unaware of this journal’s existence, because he does not include any Vatican Notes articles in his bibliography, such as the long

Each 2008 VPS award win-ner will receive a personal-ized and framed certificate.


-running series from the 1960s covering forged overprints on Scott #35-40, still the best treatment in English.

Vatican philately made another appearance in Mekeel’s and Stamps on July 25, 2008. Charles A. Fricke’s Postcard Collector column for that issue was a one-page piece on the souvenir airmail postcards offered by the Vatican Pa-vilion at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.

Most recently, in Linn’s Stamp News for September 1, 2008, dealer Henry Gitner recommends buying the first set of the Popes of the Holy Years issue (Scott #1065-72) re-leased in 1998. Gitner notes that “Dealers in Europe are paying as much as €14.50 for the mint set” with se-tenant labels attached (“Stamp Market Tips,” p. 70).

Vatican postal treaty with Order of Malta The July 28, 2008 issue of Linn’s Stamp News carries on page 39 an item about the postal treaty concluded on June 24 between the Holy See and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Curiously, the Vatican was the last state on the peninsula to recognize SMOM stamps; Italy and San Marino did so in 2004 and 1991 respectively. Mail franked with SMOM stamps may now be delivered within Vatican City as long as it is properly posted from the Order’s headquarters at 68 Via dei Condotti, Rome (pictured below). Linn’s re-ports that a joint stamp issue marking the treaty is sched-uled for November.

Because they do not belong to the Universal Postal Union, the Order of Malta must negotiate postal treaties with indi-vidual countries. The United States does not recognize the Order’s stamps, but Canada and 47 other countries do.

A view of the Magistral Palace of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in Rome, from which mail may now be sent to Vatican City. The Magistral Postal Service is administered from this building by Order’s Receiver of the Common Treasure, a post currently held by Marquis Gian Luca Chiavari.

Changes on eBay The online auction site eBay has reconfigured the subhead-ings in its stamp listings. Receiving their own distinct cate-gory heading for the first time are philatelic hucksters such as Christmas Island, Cook Islands/Aitutaki/Penrhyn, Bhu-tan, and a host of ‘sand dunes’. Even Table Tennis rates a separate subcategory (under Topicals)! Vatican City, how-ever, continues to be lumped with ‘Italy and Area’.

Auction Watch column returns I’m really grateful to long-time VPSer John Schorn for try-ing his hand at the Auction Watch column, which proved popular with readers the first time it appeared. I ambushed John at the recent NAPEX show and he has gamely given the column a go. His first installment appears on pages 18 and 20 of this issue. I think he did a great job, but if you appre-ciate the column why not drop him an E-mail or tradi-tional letter and let him know?

Letters Received

I recently joined the Vatican Philatelic Society and received a copy of Vatican Notes (May-June 2008). It is a fine and most useful publication, and I applaud your efforts in this regard. However, as a new member of the VPS, I was sur-prised (to say the least) with the President's Message. It certainly does not reflect any of the joy of stamp collecting and in fact exudes a bitter tone. And what about the enig-matic "I will also be moving to a more rural area and be breaking in a new woman at the same time?" I have no idea what he means; can it be of any interest to members? I hope the new president can convey a more positive, upbeat tone, with more consideration of members' needs and sen-sitivities, and less emphasis on personal matters. Regards.

Jean-Luc Plat Montreal, Quebec

I’m 47 years old and a new member of the VPS (#4020). I have a collection of Roman States covers and would like to ask which catalogue you recommend (the more specialized on covers the better).

Eric de Wasseige Colombia

Editor’s reply: Sassone includes Roman States postal history in Volume 2 of their specialized catalogue of Italy and States to 1900. It is the best catalogue but can be expensive and difficult to purchase in North and South America. A good compromise for you might be the Vaccari cata-logue. It also covers Italy and States to 1900 and includes postal history, but does it all in one volume with separate valuations for solo frankings, combination frankings, etc. Also it can be conveniently ordered online from the publisher (http://www.vaccari.it) at a very reasonable price.


₤10 brown violet Flight of the Holy House of Loreto

June 22, 1938

₤100 red orange Obelisk and Cupola of St. Peter’s November 10, 1947

₤500 ultra Raphael and Tobias on the Road to Media

December 28, 1948

₤1000 green Universal Postal Union 75th Anniversary

December 3, 1949

₤500 blue Seventh Centenary of Gratian’s Decretum

December 20, 1951

◄ Fig. 5: ₤500 Gratian commemora-tive (Scott C21) on a registered airmail cover that weighed 70g. Postmarked 10 June 1952 to Elizabeth, NJ and franked with ₤1,070. Rate calculation: ₤60 basic letter rate for the first 20g + ₤105 for the addi-tional weight (3 × ₤35 per 20g) + ₤60 registry fee to foreign destinations + ₤840 airmail rate to the U.S. (14 × ₤60 per 5g) = ₤1,065. The letter is over-paid by ₤5.

► Fig. 4: ₤1000 UPU commemorative (Scott C19) on a registered airmail cover that weighed 250g. Post-marked 31 October 1951 to Forest Hills, NY and franked with ₤3,550. Rate calculation: ₤55 basic foreign letter rate for the first 20g + ₤420 for the additional weight (12 × ₤35 per 20g) + ₤60 registry fee to foreign destinations + ₤3,000 airmail rate to the U.S. (50 × ₤60 per 5g) = ₤3,535. The letter is overpaid by ₤15.

◄ Fig. 3: ₤500 Archangel Raphael issue (Scott C17) on a registered airmail cover that weighed 40g. Postmarked 4 April 1949 to Phila-delphia and franked with ₤620. Rate calculation: ₤40 basic letter rate for the first 20g + ₤25 for the second step in weight + ₤60 regis-try fee to foreign destinations + ₤495 airmail rate to the U.S. (9 × ₤55 per 5g). = ₤620.

Continued from page 2


₤300 deep violet Archangel Gabriel (First Issue) February 12, 1956

₤1000 magenta Dome of Saint Peter’s (Second Issue)

January 31, 1958

₤500 orange brown Roman Obelisks

October 27, 1959

₤1000 ultra Dome of Saint Peter’s (First Issue)

August 10, 1953

► Fig. 8: ₤1000 Domes II (Scott C34) on a reg-istered airmail cover that weighed 305g. Postmarked 27 Octo-ber 1959 to Boyertown, PA and franked with ₤4,335. Rate calculation: ₤60 basic letter rate for the first 20g + ₤525 for the additional weight (15 × ₤35 per 20g) + ₤90 registry fee to foreign destinations + ₤3,660 airmail rate to the U.S. (61 × ₤60 per 5g) = ₤4,335.

◄ Fig. 7: ₤300 Arch-angel Gabriel I (Scott C32) on a registered airmail small packet that weighed 60g. Post-marked 8 October 1956 to Columbus, OH and franked with ₤405. Rate calculation: ₤175 small packet rate + ₤65 registry fee to foreign desti-nations + ₤165 air-mail rate to the U.S. (3 × ₤55 per 20g) = ₤405. The U.S. col-lected a 5¢ small packet fee and a 10¢ customs clear-ance fee.

The Vatican small packet (scatolette) rate was only slightly more economical than the letter rate and is very scarcely seen.

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► Fig. 6: ₤1000 Domes I (Scott C23) on a registered airmail cover that weighed 285g. Postmarked 1 October 1954 to Bridgeport, CT and franked with ₤4,000. Rate calculation: ₤60 basic letter rate for the first 20g + ₤455 for the additional weight (13 × ₤35 per 20g) + ₤60 registry fee to foreign destinations + ₤3,420 airmail rate to the U.S. (57 × ₤60 per 5g) = ₤3,995. The cover is overpaid by ₤5. This package was subject to a U.S. 5¢ small packet fee and a 10¢ customs clearance fee, indi-cated by the violet marking at center left. However, there is no evidence the fee was collected.


₤500 light and dark brown Eleventh Airmail Issue

March 7, 1967

₤1500 black Archangel Gabriel (Third Issue)

March 12, 1968

₤1000 black and lilac Four Evangelists

September 30, 1971

₤1500 dark blue Archangel Gabriel (Second Issue)

March 13, 1962

◄ Fig. 10: ₤500 Eleventh Airmail Issue(Scott C52) and ₤1500 Archangel Gabriel III (Scott C54) on a registered printed matter cover that weighed 250g. Postmarked 3 October 1984 to Hamburg, Germany and franked with ₤3,400. Rate calculation: ₤300 basic printed matter rate for the first 50g + ₤1,600 for the additional weight (4 × ₤400 per 50g) + ₤1,500 registry fee to for-eign destinations = ₤3,400.

◄ Fig. 9: ₤500 Roman Obelisks (Scott C44) and ₤1500 Archangel Gabriel II (Scott C46) on a registered airmail cover that weighed 885g. Postmarked 4 February 1963 to Washington, D.C. and franked with ₤12,575. Rate calculation: ₤70 basic letter rate for the first 20g + ₤1,720 for the additional weight (43 × ₤40 per 20g) + ₤90 registry fee to foreign destinations + ₤10,680 airmail rate to the U.S. (178 × ₤60 per 5g) = ₤12,560. The cover is overpaid by ₤15.

◄ Fig. 11: ₤1000 Four Evangelists (Scott C58) and ₤2500 Seraph (Scott C59) on a registered printed matter cover that weighed 1000–2000g. Postmarked 2 September 1985 to Konstanz, Germany and franked with ₤6,300. Rate calculation: ₤4,600 printed matter rate for 1000-2000g + ₤1,700 registry fee to foreign destinations = ₤6,300.


₤2500 salmon, blue, and brown Last Judgment

February 19, 1976

₤3000 multi World Telecommunications Day

July 11, 1978

₤2500 multi Seraph from St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice

February 21, 1974

₤3000 multi Voyages of Pope John Paul II during 1979

September 18, 1980

► Fig. 12: ₤2500 Last Judg-ment (Scott C62) on a reg-istered printed matter cover that weighed 1000-2000g. Postmarked 8 Octo-ber 1985 to Hamburg, Ger-many and franked with ₤6,300. Rate calculation: ₤4,600 printed matter rate for 1000-2000g + ₤1,700 regis-try fee to foreign destina-tions = ₤6,300.

► Fig. 13: ₤3000 World Telecommunications Day (Scott C65) on a registered printed matter cover that weighed 500–1000g. Post-marked 29 October 1983 to Konstanz, Germany and franked with ₤3,700. Rate calculation: ₤2,500 printed matter rate for 500–1000g + ₤1,200 registry fee to foreign destinations = ₤3,700.

► Fig. 14: ₤3000 Apostolic Voyages During 1979 (Scott C72) on a regis-tered cover that weighed 460g. Post-marked 8 May 1984 to Hamburg, Germany and franked with ₤6,500. Rate calculation: ₤5,000 letter rate for ₤250–500g + ₤1,500 registry fee to foreign destinations = ₤6,500.


◄ Fig. 15: ₤5000 World Communica-tions Year (Scott C74) on a registered printed matter airmail cover that weighed 650–700g. Post-marked 22 June 1984 to Chicago and franked with ₤10,460. Rate calculation: ₤2,800 printed matter rate up to 1000g + ₤1,500 registry fee to foreign destinations + ₤6,160 airmail rate to the U.S. (14 × ₤440 per 50g).

₤5000 multi Saint Paul Preaching in Athens November 10, 1983

₤5000 multi Voyages of Pope John Paul II during 1983-84

November 20, 1986


October 27, 1988


November 27, 1990


November 24, 1992

◄ Fig. 16: ₤5000 Apostolic Voyages Dur-ing 1983-84 (Scott C82) on a registered airmail cover that weighed 200–250g. Postmarked 31 May 1988 to Sacramento, CA and franked with ₤5,250. Rate calculation: ₤1,350 foreign letter rate + ₤2,400 registry fee to foreign des-tinations external registration + ₤1,500 airmail rate to the U.S. (5 × ₤300 per 50 grams).

◄ Fig. 17: ₤5000 Apostolic Voyages During 1987 (Scott C87) on an airmail cover that weighed 420–440g. Post-marked 22 June 1996 to Princeton, NJ and franked with ₤16,500. Rate calculation: ₤7,700 for-eign letter rate for up to 500g + ₤8,800 airmail rate to the U.S. (22 × ₤400 per 20g) = ₤16,500.

Concludes on page 23


On May 29, 1933, Nazi Reichsminister of Public Enlighten-ment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels departed for Rome by train. His mission was to cement ties with Mussolini and make overtures toward a concordat between the Holy See and the Reich. Perhaps to ensure that Goebbels’ visit captured Italy’s attention, the German LZ127—Graf Zep-pelin—followed him to Rome. Departing Friedrichshafen shortly after midnight on May 29, the Graf arrived at Ciampino Airfield at 4:30 in the afternoon. It carried Ital-ian dignitaries and some covers on an aerial tour over Rome (known to collectors as the volo circolare), then be-gan the return trip to Germany (the volo di ritorno) at about 7:30 p.m.1

Background of Vatican zeppelin mail Vatican mail had been accepted on Graf Zeppelin flights since 1930. Such covers from 1930 and ’31 are almost al-ways triple franked with Vatican stamps to pay the basic letter rate; Italian stamps to pay for airmail service; and German stamps to pay the zeppelin fee (see Fig. 1).2

These rules were in flux during 1932–33. Triple franking ended with the South American flight in March ’32, for which airmail and zeppelin fees could both be paid by Ital-ian stamps. Then, starting with the South American flight in April ’32, Vatican-only franking was permitted (see Fig. 2). For the Rome flight, mixed frankings of Vatican regular postage and Italian airmail stamps were again required.3

Return leg of the Rome flight Most Vatican mail carried on the return leg of the Rome

Flight carries the large round flight cachet (in varying shades of blue and green) applied by the Italian post office as well as an aqua straightline A FRIEDRICHSHAFEN auxiliary marking applied by the Vatican.

Postmarks used include the standard Vatican circular date stamp (CDS) to cancel Vatican postage; an Italian CDS (two types known) and a machine slogan cancel used to obliter-ate the Italian airmail stamps; and a round CDS in green, dated 30 May 1933, that indicates receipt in Frie-drichshafen. Less commonly encountered is the green ma-chine slogan applied to some covers at Friedrichshafen.

Vatican covers bearing the proper cachet, but franked with the Gardens and Medallions series issued on May 31 and cancelled on that date, were not actually flown. Nor were cacheted covers with a May 30 Italian machine cancel.4

Endnotes 1 The itinerary is given in greater detail in E. Violino, Catalogo degli Aerogrammi Zeppelin (Florence, Italy: G. Orlandini, 1971), p. 45.

2 The exceptions are foreign flights that had specially-issued stamps to pay both airmail and zeppelin fees, such as the 1931 Liechtenstein flight. These typically do not bear Italian airmail postage.

3 Some philatelists (notably Violino, op. cit.) have asserted that these changes proceeded from agreements between the postal administrations involved and the Zeppelin company. However, no one has been able to locate these agreements. In any event, the rules were not strictly enforced. From 1932 onward, technically improper frankings continued to be accepted if the total face value was correct. In short, the Zeppelin company was not picky so long as they got their money.

4 Wilcsek, Bob. “Unflown Mail from 1933 Romfahrt.” Zeppelin Post Journal 2:2 (Summer 2008), pp. 6-17.

Vatican Mail on the Vatican Mail on the Graf ZeppelinGraf Zeppelin’s’s Return from RomeReturn from Rome TEXT BY DANIEL A. PIAZZA—[email protected]

COVERS FROM THE COLLECTION OF REV. EDWARD J. MULLOWNEY, SSJ

▲Fig. 1: The cover shown above, from the 1930 South American flight of the Graf Zeppelin, bears the triple franking typical of early Vati-can zeppelin covers. A ₤2.50 Vatican stamp pays the double letter rate to destinations outside Italy; a ₤2 Italian stamp pays the airmail fee; and two German stamps pay the 8 reichsmark zeppelin fee. The signature at far left is that of Hugo Eckener.

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▲Fig. 2: A lovely Vatican solo franking from the sixth South American flight of 1932. A ₤10 stamp pays the Vatican letter rate and registration fee; Italian airmail fee; and German zeppelin fee.


Vatican Covers from the Return LegVatican Covers from the Return LegThe Collection of Rev.The Collection of Rev.

▲Fig. 7: The ₤3 and ₤5 low values of the April 24, 193on Vatican mail from the return leg of the Graf Zeppelpostcards to Europe and letters to Europe, respectivelvalid only for the Rome flight. Usages of the four highcovers each franked with a different value of the serie

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▲Fig. 3: Marked for a fictitious mail-drop over Leghorn (Livorno) that was never on the itinerary for the return flight, this card was instead received in Friedrichshafen on May 30, 1933. It is franked at ₤3.25, which equals the 25 centesimi Vatican postcard rate to Italy plus the ₤3 fee for dispatch by zeppelin to Europe. A scarce Vatican-only franking for this flight that was technically invalid but accepted anyway.

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▲Fig. 8: Properly franked with Vatican postage totaling ₤2.25 (to pay the 75 centesimi foreign postcard rate plus the ₤1.50 foreign registry fee) and the ₤3 Italian zeppelin stamp to pay the zeppelin fee for postcards addressed to Europe. The zeppelin stamp is cancelled with an Italian Posta Aerea Zeppelin CDS rather than the machine slogan cancel.

▲Fig. 4: This cover was properly franked pay the ₤1.25 foreign letter rate plus the Italian zeppelin stamp to pay the zeppelinShown below the cover are the backstamgan cancel applied on arrival at Friedrichscancel applied at Rome before dispatch. Tand the time slug (5:00-6:00 p.m.) confirm


g of the g of the Graf ZeppelinGraf Zeppelin’s Rome Flight:’s Rome Flight: . Edward J. Mullowney. Edward J. Mullowney

33 Italian airmail set (C42-43) are commonly found elin’s Rome flight. They paid the zeppelin fees for

ly. The entire series consisted of six stamps that were values are rare, and only five complete sets of six

es, are known.

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▲Fig. 5: This postcard was marked for a scheduled mail-drop over Naples that occurred over Nettuno instead. The lack of a Naples receiving mark and the presence of the green CDS indicating receipt in Friedrichshafen indicate that it missed the drop. Like the card in Fig. 1, it is an improper but tolerated Vatican-only franking at the 25 centesimi + ₤3 rate for Rome flight postcards addressed to Europe. Not pictured is the Italian machine slogan cancel on reverse, identical to the one in Fig. 3, that proves the cover was flown.

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▲Fig. 6: This postcard was endorsed for a maildrop over Barcelona, Spain during the second South American flight of 1933, which began on June 3. (The A BARCELONA marking is visible between the airmail etiquette and the registry label.) It was carried on the return leg of the Rome flight in a sealed mailbag and so did not receive the customary green arrival post-mark at Friedrichshafen or the red cachet for the Barcelona maildrop. It departed with the Graf Zeppelin on June 3 and was properly dropped over Barcelona, where it received the black, octagonal Barcelona regis-tered mail marking at upper left.

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with Vatican postage totaling ₤2.75 (to ₤1.50 foreign registry fee) and the ₤5 n fee for letters addressed to Europe. ps: the uncommon green machine slo-shafen and the black machine slogan The date of this Italian cancel (May 29)

m that the cover was actually flown.


The collecting of archival philatelic material such as essays, proofs, and specimens has been a full-blown specialty in the arena of United States philately for many decades. An entire section of the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers is devoted to them. Some of the most revered American philatelists studied them—Edward H. Mason, Clarence Brazer, George T. Turner, and Morton Dean Joyce to name just a few. The Essay-Proof Journal, edited by Barbara R. Mueller, remains one of the best philatelic journals ever published in the United States.

Collectors of Vatican City philately have not embraced this important specialty to the same degree. A major reason is lack of knowledge. In the 57 years that this journal has been published, for example, there has never been an arti-cle devoted to essays, proofs, or specimens, and only the Italian-language Catalogo Enciclopedico Italiano attempts to record proofs and specimens. This article aims to intro-duce readers to the subject through the prism of airmail issues. It concludes with a comprehensive table showing just what sort of material is available for each airmail issue.

Essays1 During the Second World War, preliminary stamp draw-ings by the great designer Corrado Mezzana were pur-chased by Major General Edgar Erskine Hume (1889-1952), Chief Medical Officer for the Allied Military Gov-ernment in Italy from 1943-45. Following Hume’s death, his Mezzana essays were exhibited at the now-defunct Na-tional Philatelic Museum in Philadelphia on two occasions: the 1953 International Exhibition Postage Stamp Design [sic] and the 1954 Vatican Marian Year Philatelic Exhibi-tion. The former NPM was famous for its well-illustrated exhibition catalogues, and five of Mezzana’s airmail draw-ings were reproduced in them.2 These are pictured below (Figs. 1-3, 5, and 7); doubtless there are more.

The top three are progressive pencil studies for the 50 cen-tesimi and ₤2 values of the 1938 airmail series (Scott C1-8). These were published in the catalogue3 for the 1954 Vati-can show, but I have rearranged them in what I believe to be their correct order. From right to left: the rough con-cept; a more anatomically detailed study of the dove for the

Essays, Proofs, and Specimens of Vatican City Airmail StampsEssays, Proofs, and Specimens of Vatican City Airmail Stamps DANIEL A. PIAZZA—[email protected]

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

▲Figs. 1-4 (top row, left to right): Rough sketch by Mezzana of a dove of peace in St. Peter’s Square; detailed study for the dove; essay of the stamp essen-tially as approved; the finished stamp as issued in 1938 (Scott C2 and C6). ◄ Figs. 5-7 (bottom row, left to right): Essay by Mezzana for the 1947 airmail series that was used with major modifications; the finished stamp as issued (Scott C12, C14-15); an unused design for the same series.


vignette; and the final design almost exactly as produced, with correct de-nomination and lettering.

The bottom two Mezzana essays were scanned from the 1953 catalogue for the Stamp Design show.4 They were prepared for the 1947 second airmail issue. The sketch at right is an early version of the design that was adopted for the ₤15, ₤50, and ₤100 values of that series (Fig. 6), while the striking and dra-matic design on the right went sadly unused.

Mezzana also designed the 1948 and 1951 airmail issues before his death in 1954. Essays for these almost certainly exist; Mezzana was a very methodical artist and always made numerous preparatory studies for all his stamp de-signs. The Mezzana essays are not believed to have been publicly exhibited since 1954, and their whereabouts are something of a mystery (although there are theories). If any reader knows where they are, or remembers seeing them anytime after the Marian Year Philatelic Exhibition closed on November 5, 1954, the author would appreciate hearing from you!

The second—and thus far last—major collection of Vatican stamp essays to reach the philatelic market were by Piero and Andreina Grassellini, prolific husband and wife designers of the 1950s and early ‘60s. In October 1980, VPS member and former New York Tribune stamp news editor Ernest A. Kehr purchased them for an undisclosed amount.5 Earlier this year, Grassellini es-says were being offered for sale by George Alevizos Philatelic Auctions of California and Auktionshaus Christoph Gärtner GmbH of Germany with the notation that they were ‘ex-Kerr’ [sic].

Seventeen essays for the 1959 Roman Obelisks (the only airmail set designed by Grassellini) were sold as one lot: first by Alevizos on eBay for $500 and then by Gärtner in their May 28-30, 2008 live auction for €380 plus an 18% commission (approximately $750). One piece was really cachet art executed for the Golden Series covers, reducing the number of stamp essays in the lot to sixteen. However, another Grassellini Obelisks essay owned by Kehr was not sold by either Alevizos or Gärtner.6 All of the artwork is either watercolor on vellum or pencil on parchment and is similar to the issued stamps (Figs. 8-10).

The Grassellini Obelisks essays retain the character of real, working artists’ sketches. Most of them have pinholes in the corners or tape where they were affixed to drafting boards. Erasures and redrawing are common. One essay for the ₤25 and ₤200 values, showing the Egyptian obelisk of Ramses II in the Pi-azza del Popolo, has an unrelated, hastily drawn map in the corner; another has a study of the letter “O”. Piero Grassellini (1912-1963) was an architect by training, and through these essays it is possible to trace the careful develop-ment of detail in the obelisks and nearby buildings.

Proofs The next step after approval of an artist’s essay is production of the die (for intaglio and lithography printed stamps), plate (for offset), or color separation

► Fig. 8 (top): Rough sketch by Grassellini of the Sallustian Obelisk and the façade of Trinita dei Monti church in the Piazza di Spagna. Note the placement of text at the top of the stamp, its tall format, and ₤100 denomination. Fig. 9 (middle): An intermediate study in watercolor. The perspective has changed and there is a lack of fine detail, but the in-scription tablet has moved to the bottom. Fig. 10 (bottom): Another watercolor study. This is essentially the vignette as approved, except that on the finished stamps (Inset, Scott C35 and C39) the obelisk and façade (but not the balustrade) are shifted to the left.

8

9 10

10


negatives (for gravure). These are used to create the print-ing plate (intaglio), stone (lithography), blanket (offset), or cylinder (gravure). At both points in the process, proofs are taken for quality control purposes, and collectors of U.S. philately are familiar with the array of proof material that results. These include large die proofs, small die proofs, and plate proofs (either as singles or, occasionally, in multiples).

Vatican airmail proofs are not as multifarious. Die proofs are unknown except for the 1971 airmail series, which was produced by a combination of intaglio and gravure meth-ods. All other known airmail proofs are imperforate singles or (rarely) multiples cut from a sheet-size plate proof printed on thin cardboard or, for the 1951 Gratian and 1956 Archangel Gabriel I issues, pink paper.

The only post-1971 airmail proofs that may have come on the market would be for the November 27, 1990 issue, de-picting the apostolic voyages of Pope John Paul II during 1989. This set was printed by Hélio Courvoisier of La Chaux–de–Fonds, Switzerland, whose archives were sold at a charity auction conducted by David Feldman, S.A. of Ge-neva on April 21, 2007. Two volumes with more than 1,000 pieces of Vatican proof material, offered as a single lot, brought €48,000. It is probable—but not confirmed—that material for the 1990 airmails was included. The Courvois-ier archives consisted mostly of imperforate, single pro-gressive color proofs cut from full sheets. According to the sale catalogue, only one specimen from each proof sheet escaped destruction.7

Specimens Specimens were created by postal administrations for sub-mission to the Universal Postal Union, which in turn dis-tributed them to other member nations to ensure that le-gitimately issued stamps could be recognized in the mail-

stream. Exactly how and when these came on to the philatelic market is un-clear, but they have and can be col-lected. They are considered scarce; the 2004/2005 edition of the Catalogo En-ciclopedico Italiano sets €25 (about $33) as the minimum value for a single Vatican specimen stamp; complete sets generally command a premium.8

Vatican City produced specimens for most new issues, including airmails, from 1929 until the 1970 Apostolic Voyage of Paul VI to Uganda issue. During that period, only the 1958 Domes II airmail series does not have any known specimen copies.

Until 1958, Vatican specimens were produced by over-printing ordinary copies of the stamp with the word saggio in black, blue or red (a bit misleading since this is actually the Italian word for “essay”). Starting with the Antonio Canova issue, specimens were instead created with a perfed-in annullato. The overprint or perfin rendered the stamp invalid as postage. Both the overprinting and perfin meth-ods of creating specimens are relatively easy to forge, and specimen overprints should be expertized.

Endnotes 1 Artist’s sketches for stamp designs are described here as “essays,” an expedient usage that requires some elaboration. George T. Turner de-fined a philatelic essay as an impression “taken from a die...for stamps that were not adopted.” According to Turner’s definition, essays must be made from an engraved die, lithographic stone, or typesetting and be either incomplete (e.g., vignette only or frame only) or a complete de-sign that was rejected. Artifacts of the design process were not essays in Turner’s estimation, and not considered to be collectible by most phi-latelists as late as the 1970s. Only production material was important. During the 1980s, however, preliminary artwork increasingly came to be called essays (probably in response to more of this material coming on the philatelic market). This is Philately, published in 1982, stated that “an essay may take the form of an artist’s submitted rough sketch, inter-mediate or final artwork...providing that...the stamp is either not pro-duced at all or is produced with subsequent modification.” In 1992, the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers began including sketches under the rubric of essays. 2 Non-airmail Mezzana essays pictured in the aforementioned cata-logues include studies for the 1936 Catholic Press Conference issue; the 1940-46 Small Medallions definitive series; the 1946 Council of Trent Quadricentennial issue; and the 1950 Holy Year commemoratives. 3 Kehr, Ernest A., ed. Vatican. Philadelphia: National Philatelic Mu-seum, 1954. The essays for the 1938 airmail series are pictured on pages 191, 193, and 194 as part of an article contributed by Ernest A. Kehr. 4 Freehafer, John, ed. Postage Stamp Design. Philadelphia: National Philatelic Museum, 1953. The essays for the 1947 airmail series are pic-tured on page 205 as part of an article contributed by Steven Bozsoky. 5 According to an unsigned and untitled article on page 3 of the Novem-ber-December 1980 issue of Vatican Notes. 6 The missing seventeenth essay was pictured on page 16 of The Phila-

Fig. 11 (left): A plate proof pair of the ₤1000 high value of the 1949 UPU 75th Anniversary issue (Scott C19). These are unrecorded in CEI. Fig. 10 (right): An imperfo-rate plate proof single on pink paper for the ₤500 high value of the 1951 Gratian issue (Scott C21).

Fig. 12: UPU speci-men copy, 75 cen-tesimi value from the 1938 airmail series (Scott C3).


telic Nuncio 3:2 (April 1981). It and possibly others are still “out there” somewhere. 7 David Feldman, S.A. The Courvoisier Archive. Catalogue of Public Auction Sale, April 21, 2007, p. 99. 8 Catalogo Enciclopedico Italiano 2004/2005: Citta del Vaticano/

Repubblica di San Marino, p. 300. For more information on UPU speci-men stamps, see James Bendon, UPU Specimen Stamps: The Distribu-tion of Specimen Stamps by the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union (Limassol, Cyprus: by the author, 1988). Generally fewer than 400 specimen sets of each issue were produced.

Table of Known Essays, Proofs and Specimens of Vatican City Airmail Stamps If a stamp series is not listed, there is no essay, proof, or specimen material known.

Scott Issue Date Name Essays Trial Color Proofs Plate Proofs Specimens C1-8 6/22/1938 First Airmail Issue Three progressive

pencil sketches by Corrado Mezzana for the design of the 50c and ₤2 values (pictured). There are probably more.

Red saggio overprints on all values except 75c and ₤10, which have black overprints. Both horizontal and diagonal varieties are known.

C9-15 11/10/1947 Second Airmail Issue Two pencil sketches by Corrado Mezzana; one for the design of the ₤15, ₤ ,50, ₤100 values and another unadopted design (pictured). There are probably more.

Saggio overprints on all values.

C16-17 12/28/1948 Raphael & Tobias Known for the ₤500 value.

Known for the ₤500 value.

Saggio overprints on both values.

C18-19 12/3/1949 UPU 75th Anniversary Known for both val-ues; unlisted (pictured).

Saggio overprints on both values.

C20-21 12/20/1951 Gratian Known for the ₤500 value; on pink paper (pictured).

Red saggio overprints on both values.

C22-23 8/10/1953 Domes I Red saggio overprints on both values.

C24-32 2/22/1956 Archangel Gabriel I Known for the ₤5 and ₤35 values; on pink paper.

Black saggio over-prints on all values.

C35-44 10/27/1959 Roman Obelisks 10 pencil sketches (on parchment) and 7 watercolor studies (on paper or parch-ment) by Grassellini (some pictured). There is certainly one additional pencil sketch and possibly others.

Known for all values. Annullato perfins on all values.

C45-46 3/13/1962 Archangel Gabriel II Annullato perfins on both values.

C47-52 3/7/1967 Eleventh Airmail Issue Annullato perfins on all values.

C53-54 3/12/1968 Archangel Gabriel III Annullato perfins on all values.

C55-58 9/30/1971 Four Evangelists None, but die proofs of the engraved vi-gnettes are known for all values.

C88-91 11/27/1990 Apostolic Voyages of Pope John Paul II

One possible set of progressive color plate proofs.


The Auction Watch column in the January-February 2008 issue of Vatican Notes (p. 20) received very positive responses from several members. Regrettably Darrell Downam was unable to continue the column, but Editor Dan Piazza enlisted me to try to continue the good work that Darrell started, and I promise to do my best. The purpose of this column is, as Darrell wrote, to share with readers some interesting or unusual Vatican City and Pontifical States items offered in recent live or online auctions. I welcome your comments, and would appreciate your sharing with me any auction lots that you run across and believe would be of interest to other members. Any submissions used will be credited to the contributor.

This month, in keeping with the airmail theme of this issue, I am highlighting several Vatican City covers that were part of the award-winning Gerhard Wolff Collection of Zeppelin covers auctioned on May 21, 2008 by the Heinrich Köhler

firm in association with both H.R. Harmer and Nutmeg. At the time of the auction, the exchange rate was €1=$1.57. Prices real-ized do not include the 18% commission paid by bidders. I am also including two Vatican lots that recently sold on eBay.

◄ 1930 South American Flight This cover is from the first batch of zeppelin mail dispatched by the Vati-can. It carries a triple franking of ₤2.50 Vatican postage, ₤2 Italian airmail rate, and 8 German reichsmark Zeppelin fee. Brought €1,600 against a presale estimate of €1,000.

► 1936 Vaduz-Lausanne Flight Dispatched from Vatican City on June 6, 1931, this cover has June 10 postmarks from Vaduz (Liechtenstein) and Lausanne (Switzerland). It bears a 1-franc Liechtenstein “Zeppelinpost” stamp in addition to the Vatican City franking. The catalogue described it as “very scarce.” It brought €5,000 against a €1,000 estimate, mak-ing it the most expensive Vatican cover auc-tioned in this sale.

◄ 1933 First South American Flight Dispatched from Vatican City, this cover was carried on the Graf Zeppelin from its home port in Friedrichshafen to Brazil, on one of the many flights that the airship made on that route. The Vatican City franking includes an example of the lowest value of the 1933 Holy Year semipostal set. The action catalogue states that Italian stamps are on the back of the cover. The blue-and-white “Posta Aerea Zeppelin” etiquette is commonly found on Vatican zeppelin covers of 1933, but the Vatican post office corner card and “Poste Vaticane” official cachet are not. Brought €460 against an estimate of €320.

(Continued on page 20)

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Terms of Sale 1. All lots sold to highest bidder at one raise above the second high bid. 2. All bids in U.S. Dollars. Purchase limit will be respected. Minimum bids (MB) are the lowest bid accepted for lot. 3. Equal bids will be considered in order of receipt. 4. Ceiling bids are encouraged. 5. Catalogue numbers are from Scott, unless otherwise noted. Numbers separated by a dash (1-9) indicate a complete set, numbers separated by a slash (1/9) indicate a series is incomplete, and the first and last stamp are listed. A number will be indicated to show how many stamps are in the lot. 6. The right is reserved to withdraw any lots prior to the closing date. 7. Any lot incorrectly described is returnable within 10 days of receipt. Lots and collections of ten or more items and/or lots of undescribed stamps are not returnable for any reason. 8. Submit bids on auction bid sheet or a reasonable facsimile. If time is short, you may email your bids to [email protected]. 9. Invoice will be sent and lots forwarded upon receipt of full payment. Payment in U.S. Dollars only. 10. Placing a bid constitutes acceptance of the foregoing conditions of sale. 11. Postage, insurance, and/or registration will be added to each invoice.

Abbreviations Used A—Average (Perfs touch/in design) M—Mint F—Fine (Perfs clear design) U—Used VF—Very Fine (Premium Quality) NG—Unused, no gum S—Superb (Perfect Centering) Blk—Block LH—Lightly hinged S/S—Souvenir Sheet HH—Heavy hinged Pmk—Postmark HR—Hinge remnants FDC-First Day Cover Faults - Not normally noticeable from front of stamp Defects - Minor and noticeable from face of stamp Filler - Damaged, but fills the space

Vatican Philatelic Society — Auction Bid Sheet

Auction # 147 Closing Date: December 1, 2008 Mail bid sheet to: Dennis Brady, 4897 Ledyard Dr., Manlius, NY 13104-1514

Please purchase for me the following lots at or under the limits stated, and in accordance with the conditions of sale:

VPS Number: □ Check if this is a new address

Name: □ Check if you desire to limit purchase Street: City: State/Zip: Signature:

Vatican Philatelic Society Auction

Lot # Bid Lot # Bid Lot # Bid

Lot Description MB 1 ACTA C55-58 4.00 2 ACTA 362-4 4.00 3 ACTA 365-8 4.00 4 ACTA 375-8 4.00 5 ACTA 392-4 4.00 6 ACTA 395-6 5.00 7 ACTA 400-3 4.00 8 ACTA 423-32 4.00 9 ACTA 513-4 4.00 10 ACTA 515-17 4.00 11 ACTA 518-20 6.00 12 ACTA 526-7 4.00 13 ACTA 528-30 4.00 14 ACTA 531-3 4.00 15 ACTA 534-6 4.00 16 ACTA 537-40 4.00 17 ACTA 545-7 4.00 18 ACTA 558-60 4.00 19 ACTA 561-71 4.00 20 ACTA 641-4 4.00 21 ACTA 673-6 4.00 22 ACTA 664-7 4.00 23 ACTA 679-80 4.00 24 ACTA 687-90 4.00 25 ACTA 582-4 4.00 26 28 MH 1.50 27 29 MH 5.00 28 30 MH 13.00 29 41-45 MLH F-FV 46 MNH F-VF 120.00 30 127a 12 copies MNH Perf 14x14 3.50 31 158-168, E13-14 MNH F-VF 2.20 32 169-70 MH 7.00 33 171, 172 MHR 3.00 34 242a MNH 18.00 35 416-19 MNH Blk of 4 of each stamp 1.50 36 420 Blk of 9, 421 Blk of 12, 422 Blk of 12 3.00

Lot Description MB 37 C35-44 3 Sets, MNH 1 single, 1 pair 3.00 38 C47-52 3 Sets MNH. 1 single, 1 pair of each 1.50 39 520a S/S MNH 10 sheets 20.00 40 717a S/S MNH 2.25 41 717a S/S MNH 2.25 42 718 S/S MNH 3.00 43 718 S/S MNH 3.00 44 719 S/S MNH 3.00 45 720 S/S MNH 4.00 46 720 S/S MNH 4.00 47 1224 MNH 1.50 48 1245 MNH 4 in Blk of 8 5.00 49 1257 MNH 1.50 50 1307 S/S MNH 3.35 51 1314 S/S MNH 3.35 52 1341 S/S MNH 3.50 53 1328 S/S MNH 3.50 54 Aerogram #12 (1975) Mint Folded 20.00 55 Aerogram #21 (1984) w/FD Cancel, unused 5.00 56 1991 Aerogram Mint Folded 4.00 57 1992 Aerogram Mint Folded 4.00 58 1993 Aerogram Mint Folded 4.00 59 1994 Aerogram Mint Folded 4.00 60 1992 Postal Cards Set of 4 7.00 61 1982 Booklet MNH 8 each 694-5, 698-9 45.00 62 B1-4 LH F-VF 32.00 63 E7-8 LH VF 3.50 64 J13-18 MLH F-VF 2.00 65 Automatic Vending Stamps 1 – 5 20.00 66 685-686 MNH Full Sheets 16 each 30.00 67 707-709 MNH Full Sheets 10 each 35.00 68 239-42 FDC, Unaddressed, Sent Registered backstamped Zurich & Yonkers, NY 4.00 69 110-21, E9-10 3 Sets MNH total 42 stamps 4.00 Lot Description MB 70 761 & 773d Commercial cover w/contents 1.00


Lot Description MB 71 1-7 MLH VF S 5.10 72 14 Used F 1.25 73 19-27 MNH VF 1.70 74 19-24 MNH VF 1.00 75 32-34 MNH S 1.00 76 42 MNH S 1.20 77 47-18 MNH F 1.40 78 46 Used F 20.00 79 49 Used F 8.75 80 52-52 Used F 42.00 81 55-57 MNH S 1.00 82 1983 Vatican City Yearbook 99.00 83 1984 Vatican City Yearbook 79.00 84 1985 Vatican City Yearbook 79.00 85 1986 Vatican City Yearbook 79.00 86 1987 Vatican City Yearbook 79.00 87 1988 Vatican City Yearbook 79.00 88 1989 Vatican City Yearbook 79.00 89 1990 Vatican City Yearbook 79.00 90 1991 Vatican City Yearbook 79.00 91 1992 Vatican City Yearbook 89.00 92 1993 Vatican City Yearbook 89.00 93 1994 Vatican City Yearbook 89.00 94 1995 Vatican City Yearbook 89.00 95 1996 Vatican City Yearbook 89.00 96 1997 Vatican City Yearbook 89.00 97 1999 Vatican City Yearbook 99.00 98 2000 Vatican City Yearbook 120.00 99 2001 Vatican City Yearbook 109.00 100 2002 Vatican City Yearbook 109.00 101 2003 Vatican City Yearbook 109.00

◄ 1933 Chicago Flight This cover was dispatched from Vatican City and went via Milan to Frie-drichshafen, where it was loaded aboard the Graf Zeppelin for its flight to the Century of Progress exposition in Chicago. However, this cover didn’t make it to Chicago; instead, it was offloaded when the zeppelin stopped in Miami, Florida. Sold for €1,050 against a presale estimate of €800.

► Used Set of 1934 Provisionals A complete set of the 1934 provi-sional set accompanied by a 1964 Diena certificate stating that all stamps are from the first printing. Sold by Ruby Stamps on eBay for $521.44. (2008 Sassone = €1750) ◄ ₤100 Third Issue Revenue Stamp Lastly, and just to show that not all auction lots command sky-high prices, is this ₤100 revenue stamp

from the 1954 third issue. Vatican City revenues are not fre-quently encountered but odd lots such as this can be found on eBay from time to time. This copy was sold by Eric Jackson on eBay for a modest $3.25, likely because of its rough perforations and poor centering.

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Secretary-Treasurer’s Report

JOSEPH G. [email protected]

Election update I have received only one nomination for the office of Presi-dent (Greg Pirozzi) and one nomination for the office of Secretary-Treasurer (Joseph Scholten). Thus, an election for those offices will not be necessary and the nominees will take office immediately. There have been no nomina-tions for the office of Vice President. I will continue to ac-cept nominations for that office only until December 1. If more than one nomination is received there will be an election; if no nomination is received the officers and gov-ernors-at-large will appoint a Vice President to fill the two year term of office.

Dues reminder A number of members have not yet paid their dues. You should have received your dues envelope in the last issue of Vatican Notes. Please don't make it necessary for me to spend the Society's money to send you a final notice. I don't like to spend the Society's money that way or to have to drop members for non-payment of dues.

New members As of July 1, 2008, your Society has 381 members. Of these, 353 reside in 37 U.S. states and 28 reside in 12 foreign na-tions. We welcome the following new members admitted since my last report:

3980 Lloyd Nutter, Jr., P.O. Box 1106, McDonough GA 30253

3981 Paul Snezek, Jr., 917 Countryside Dr., Wheaton IL 60187

3982 Edward Burns, P.O. Box 460 Stockton Springs ME 04981-0460

3983 Joseph Magel, 35 Grandin Rd. #30, St. Albert AB T8N 5W2

3984 Dan Casey, 2211 Sherobee Rd. #7803 Mississauga ON L5A 2H5

3985 James W. Bosinger, 7642 Bonnier Brook Rd., Sylvania OH 43560-3712

3986 John Stenberg, Rullstensgatan #28 Umea Sweden 90655

3987 Rev. Robin E. Rodriguez, 234 Congress St., Brooklyn NY 11201

3988 Budd Sanford, 313 Lilac Dr., Los Osos CA 93402

3989 Theresa L. Young, 7054 Woods West, Flushing MI 48433-9463

3989A Fredrick N. Dukie, 390 Whitetail Cir., Lafayette CO 80026-9069

3990 Dawn Fanshier-South, 10019 SE Pardee, Portland OR 97266

3991 Michael M. Patrick, 2001 N. 15th St. #308, Arlington VA 22201

3992 Hector Cairns, 4 Forbes Rd., Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland FK1 1SS

3993 Robert Scoble, P.O. Box 63 Maroubra, NSW Australia 2035

3994 Leonard T. Becker, 2021 Pineview Dr., Spartanburg SC 29307

FISCAL YEAR 2007-2008 FINANCIAL REPORT

BALANCE ON HAND (July 1, 2007)

Petty Cash ($5.53)

Checking $984.21

Savings $3,233.58

Certificates of Deposit $32,846.92

Total $37,059.38

INCOME YTD

Interest $1,422.39

Advertising $0

Postage $338.00

Dues $2,998.00

Donation $299.41

Sales/Auction $0

Total + $5,057.80

EXPENSES YTD

Membership $188.18

Notes printing & mailing $6,589.99

Secretary-treasurer exp. $137.44

Total - $6,915.61

BALANCE ON HAND (June 30, 2008)

Petty Cash $.23

Checking $347.95

Savings $3,644.44

Certificates of Deposit $31,208.95

Total $35,201.57


◄ Fig. 18: ₤5000 Ap-ostolic Voyages Dur-ing 1989 (Scott C91) on an airmail cover that weighed 300– 350g. Postmarked 12 December 1992 to Nutley, NJ and franked with ₤11,900. Rate calculation: ₤7,700 foreign letter rate for up to 500g + ₤4,200 airmail rate to the U.S. (7 × ₤600 per 50g) = ₤11,900. Although labeled as printed matter (STAMPE), this cover was franked at the ordinary letter rate plus the airmail fee for printed matter.

Continued from page 10

Fig. 19: ₤6000 Apostolic Voyages During 1991 (Scott C95) on an airmail cover that weighed 240–250g. Post-marked 20 November 1993 to Nutley, NJ and franked with ₤12,500. Rate calculation: ₤7,700 foreign let-ter rate for up to 500g + ₤4,800 air-mail rate to the U.S. (12 × ₤400 per 20g) = ₤12,500. Scott C95 was the highest-ever lire-denominated stamp issued by the Vatican Post.

If not delivered, return to:

Vatican Philatelic Society Joseph G. Scholten Secretary-Treasurer 1436 Johnston St. SE Grand Rapids MI 49507-2829

THIS ISSUE WENT TO THE PRINTER ON OCTOBER 22, 2008.

This Vatican cover presents a number of interesting features. It was mailed to Los Angeles, California on August 1, 1929, the day that the Vatican post office opened for business. It is also a first day cover for the Conciliation issue; a complete set pays the rate for a registered surface letter with special delivery service many times over. The sender also used a single copy of U.S. Scott #C11, the then-current 5¢ Beacon airmail stamp issued in 1928, to assure airmail service in the United States between New York (where virtually all incoming Euro-pean mail entered the U.S. mailstream) and California. Such foreign-origin covers of the Beacon airmail are very desirable. The three-line purple "Fee Claimed by Office / of First Address. / AUG 11 1929" handstamp was applied in Los Angeles to indicate that a special delivery messenger was dispatched to deliver the letter and thus was entitled to his fee (10¢ in 1929). Pursuant to an international postal treaty that took effect on January 1, 1923, the U.S. Post Office Department was required to honor foreign special delivery stamps; before that date, covers originating abroad had to carry U.S. special delivery stamps in order to receive the service. This very showy cover was offered on the German eBay site in December of 2007. There was no scan of the reverse; only a backstamp would definitively prove that it received the paid-for U.S. airmail service, but it seems likely since the letter was received in Los Angeles only 10 days after being posted. Thus it is a Vatican airmail cover that predates the introduction of Vatican airmail service by nine years! The 162 Vatican covers carried on an August 2, 1929 first flight to Genoa are generally considered to be the earliest known Vatican airmail covers, but this one precedes it by a day.

A PreA Pre--Airmail Airmail CoverAirmail Airmail Cover

high value vatican airmails: a postal history...

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