Italian States Stamps
Papal States
Pope Pius IX
Two & One Half Scudi Gold Coin
The first Italian States stamps of the Papal States were issued at the beginning of 1852. All of the definitive Papal States stamps feature the Papal Crown above the Keys of St. Peter, within frames of various sizes. These emblems, in one form or the other, have been the symbols of the Holy See since the beginning of the 14th Century.
The Papal States, also known as the Roman States or the States of the Church, were established by Pope Stephen II (Lived: 715-757, Pope: 752-757) in the 8th Century, and for the next 1,100 years, this absolute Papal monarchy would rule over most of the central Italian Peninsula. The territories of the Papal States were greatly reduced during the Italian Wars of Independence (1848-1866), and they were finally conquered in 1870. The army of King Victor Emmanuel captured Rome on September 20, 1870, and the Papal States ceased to exist. In 1871, the capital of the Kingdom of Italy was moved from Florence to Rome, and the struggle for Italian unification finally came to an end.
With all the forgeries and unofficial reprints, the Italian States stamps of the Papal
States can be a "philatelic minefield" for the collector that is not familiar with them. But, if care is
taken in examining the stamps, and close attention is paid to the
design details, they are relatively safe to collect.
The following rule can save the collector a lot of agony and money. If a high-priced stamp has not been properly attributed, authenticated, and / or certified, it may be wise to assume, until proven otherwise, that the stamp could be a possible forgery or unofficial reprint.
The eleven definitive Italian States stamps of the Papal States shown above were issued on January 1, 1852. They are typographed on unwatermarked paper, and they are imperforate.
The Scott catalog attributes are as follows.
- 1/2 B. (1852 - Sc. #1) - Black on Dull Violet, Black on Gray Blue, Black on Gray Lilac, Black on Gray, Black on Reddish Violet, Black on Dark Violet.
- 01 B. (1852 - Sc. #2) - Black on Gray Green, Black on Blue Green, Black on Deep Green.
- 02 B. (1852 - Sc. #3) - Black on Greenish White, Black on Yellow Green.
- 03 B. (1852 - Sc. #4) - Black on Brown, Black on Light Brown, Black on Yellow Brown, Black on Yellow Buff, Black on Chrome Yellow.
- 04 B. (1852 - Sc. #5) - Black on Lemon, Black on Yellow, Black on Rose Brown, Black on Gray Brown.
- 05 B. (1852 - Sc. #6) - Black on Rose, Black on Pale Rose.
- 06 B. (1852 - Sc. #7) - Black on Greenish Gray, Black on Gray, Black on Grayish Lilac.
- 07 B. (1852 - Sc. #8) - Black on Blue.
- 08 B. (1852 - Sc. #9) - Black.
- 50 B. (1852 - Sc. #10) - Dull Blue, Deep Blue.
- 01 S. (1852 - Sc. #11) - Rose.
The illustration shown above is from the Serrane Guide. It features the major attributes of the original stamps of 1852 and of the Geneva Forgeries, for the 05 B., 07 B., 50 B., and the 01 S. denominations.
The Serrane Guide also offers the following notes on the characteristics of other forgeries (not including the Geneva Forgeries shown above) of the 1852 Papal States stamps.
- 1/2 B. - The left frame almost touching the oval and the acorn trimmings touching the pearl above the "B". Other forgeries have the same defect, but on the right frame.
- 01 B. - No dots in the ornament of the tiara. The paper lacks the stippled effect of the originals.
- 07 B. - The second and third wavy lines of the tiara meet.
- 08 B. - Key stems are broken.
- 50 B. - The terminal line of the right down-stroke of the "A" of "BAJ" is double that of the left stroke. The letters of "FRANCO" are too high. The serifs of the "P" and "T" of "POSTALE" are too short.
- 01 S. - There are many forgeries. Remember that the originals have various gaps or breaks in the design, which can be considered to be secret expertizing marks.
The seven definitive Italian States stamps of the Papal States shown above were issued on September 21, 1867. They are typographed on unwatermarked, glazed paper, and they are imperforate.
This set was made necessary by the change in currency from the Scudo (Bajocchi) to the Lira (Centesimi).
The Scott catalog attributes are as follows.
- 02 C. (1867 - Sc. #12) - Black on Green.
- 03 C. (1867 - Sc. #13) - Black on Gray, Black on Lilac Gray.
- 05 C. (1867 - Sc. #14) - Black on Light Blue.
- 10 C. (1867 - Sc. #15) - Black on Vermilion.
- 20 C. (1867 - Sc. #16) - Black on Copper Red.
- 40 C. (1867 - Sc. #17) - Black on Yellow.
- 80 C. (1867 - Sc. #18) - Black on Lilac Rose.
The seven definitive Italian States stamps of the Papal States shown above were issued on March 12, 1868. They are typographed on unwatermarked, glazed or un-glazed paper, and they are perforated 13.
The Scott catalog attributes are as follows.
- 02 C. (1868 - Sc. #19) - Black on Green.
- 03 C. (1868 - Sc. #20) - Black on Gray, Black on Lilac Gray.
- 05 C. (1868 - Sc. #21) - Black on Light Blue.
- 10 C. (1868 - Sc. #22) - Black on Orange Vermilion, Black on Vermilion.
- 20 C. (1868 - Sc. #23) - Black on Deep Crimson, Black on Magenta, Black on Copper Red.
- 40 C. (1868 - Sc. #24) - Black on Greenish Yellow, Black on Yellow, Black on Orange Yellow.
- 80 C. (1868 - Sc. #25) - Black on Rose Lilac, Black on Bright Rose, Black on Rose, Black on Pale Rose.
 Separator Lines
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 Separator Lines
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The so-called unofficial reprints (forgeries) of the Italian States stamps of the Papal States, issued between 1867 and 1868, are easy to identify. The two images shown above illustrate the differences. This is the reason why it is very important to collect examples of these stamps that show at least some of the separator lines.
- Originals - The horizontal separator lines are continuous across the pane. The vertical separator lines are broken between the stamps.
- Reprints - The horizontal separator lines are broken between the stamps. The vertical separator lines are continuous from the top to the bottom of the pane.
The so-called reprints were made at several times to meet collector demand. They were made from plates reproduced from the original plates. The impressions are usually flattened, and they have many flaws. On the perforated reprints, the perforations often differ, as well, sometimes being gauge 11 1/2 or 12.
There are also several different classes of forgeries. They need to be compared against the originals, as most of the forgeries do not have exactly the same design characteristics. There are many deceptive forged postmarks, as well.
Italian States stamps of the Papal States were replaced by those of the Kingdom of Italy in 1870.
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Return to Italian States Stamps
from Papal States
Pope Pius IX
c. 1870
Pope Pius IX (Lived: 1792-1878, Pope: 1846-1878) was the last sovereign ruler of the Papal States. He is the longest serving non-Apostolic pontiff, having reigned for almost thirty-two years.
As of 1870, the days of the Pope being a temporal, as well as a spiritual, monarch were gone. Vatican City would not become a sovereign state again, until 1929.
In July of 1870, King Victor Emmanuel sent a peace offering to the Pope. The king proposed that the Pope would have free use of Vatican City and that he would have diplomatic immunity outside of Vatican City, but the Pope would not have sovereignty over the territory. The offer also included a very generous annual allowance of 3.5 million Lire.
The Pope rejected the offer. After the fall of Rome in September 1870, the Pope frequently referred to himself as the "Prisoner of the Vatican".
Pope Pius IX did manage to outlive his arch-enemy, King Victor Emmanuel I of Italy, by one month, dying in February 1878.