Stamps of Italy
Commemoratives of 1925-1928
1925 100 Lire Silver Jubilee Gold Coin
Commemorative stamps of Italy celebrated the Silver Jubilee of the Reign of King Victor Emmanuel III during 1925.
King Victor Emmanuel III was the titular head of state, but the actual head
of government, at this time, was Benito Mussolini, who was embarking on the achievement of his dream, the creation of a modern Roman Empire.
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The 60 C. and 1 L. denomination stamps shown above (Sc. #175-76) were issued in June 1925 to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Reign of King Victor Emmanuel III. The 1.25 L. denomination stamp (Sc. #177) was added in 1926, due to a postage rate change.
These stamps of Italy were all engraved and unwatermarked, though watermarked sideways (plate border watermark) examples do exist, due to paper alignment errors. All of these stamps come both perforated 11 and perforated 13 1/2.
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The six stamps of Italy shown above (Sc. #178-83) were issued on January 30, 1926 to commemorate the 700th Anniversary of the Death of St. Francis of Assisi.
The 20 C., 40 C., and 60 C. denominations are all perforated 14. The 5 L. + 2.50 L. denomination is perforated 13 1/2. The 30 C. and 1.25 L. denominations come both perforated 11 and perforated 13 1/2.
The designs are as follows:
- 20 C. - St. Francis and his vision.
- 30 C. - St. Francis of Assisi.
- 40 C. - Monastery of St. Damien.
- 60 C. - Assisi Monastery.
- 1.25 L. - Death of St. Francis of Assisi.
- 5.00 + 2.50 L. - St. Francis of Assisi.
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, was from a wealthy merchant family of Assisi. He was nicknamed "Francesco" or "The Frenchman" by his father. As a youth, he enjoyed upper class social activities and even served in the military.
In 1204, Francis had a vision that directed him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for the worldly life. Francis started preaching and soon amassed quite a following. Francis new monastic order, the Order of Friars Minor, was authorized by Pope Innocent III on April 16, 1210. This order would eventually become known as the Franciscan Order. In 1223, he became the first person in recorded history to receive the stigmata, the presence of the wounds of Christ's Passion.
He was proclaimed a saint by Pope Gregory IX on July 16, 1228. St. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. He is known as the patron saint of animals and of the environment. St. Francis is also one of the two patron saints of Italy, with the other being St. Catherine of Siena. St. Francis of Assisi was also the creator of the "Christmas Creche", or what we refer to as the "Nativity Scene".
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The four stamps of Italy shown above (Sc. #188-91) were issued during 1927 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Death of Alessandro Volta.
Alessandro Volta (1745-1827) was an Italian physicist from Como, best known for his 19th Century invention, electrochemical cell or battery. It is from his name that we get our modern terms, volt and voltage. He was also the discoverer of methane.
The stamps of Italy shown below all pertain to the life of Emmanuel Philibert, the Duke of Savoy, but there are three different designs, and they were issued for three different events. They will be shown and described by event.
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The four stamps shown above (Sc. #201-03, #208) were issued in 1928 to commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Emmanuel Philibert, the Duke of Savoy.
The designs feature a full length likeness of Emmanuel Philibert in military attire.
Emmanuel Philibert (1528-1580) was the only surviving child of Charles III (1486-1553), the Duke of Savoy, and Beatrice of Portugal (1504-1538), the Duchess of Savoy. Through his family heredity, he was related to Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and Phillip II, the King of Spain, and through marriage, he was later related to Henry II, the King of France and Henry I, King of Portugal. He was also an early suitor to Lady Elizabeth Tudor, the future Queen Elizabeth I of England. He became the Duke of Savoy in 1553, upon the death of his father.
Before becoming the Duke of Savoy, he served with distinction in the army of Charles V, in their war against Francis I, the King of France. After becoming the Duke of Savoy, he continued to serve the Habsburgs, in hopes of recovering his hereditary lands, which had been previously seized by France. He also served his cousin, King Phillip II of Spain, in the role of Governor of The Netherlands from 1555 to 1559. Because of his distinguished military career, he was nicknamed "Testa di ferro" or "Ironhead" by contemporaries.
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The four stamps shown above (Sc. #204, #207, #209-10) were issued to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Victory at the end of World War I.
The design is a representation of Emmanuel Philibert and an Italian soldier of 1918.
Equestrian Statue of Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy
Piazza San Carlo, Turin, Italy
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The two stamps shown above (Sc. #206, #210) were issued to publicize the Turin Exhibition of 1928.
The design features the Equestrian Statue of Emmanuel Philibert, located in the Piazza San Carlo in Turin. The statue is the work of Carlo Marochetti (1805-1867), the famous French sculptor, who was born in Turin.
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Commemoratives of 1925-1928
