Vatican Stamps
Airmail Stamps of 1938-1958
The first definitive Vatican stamps, for postage on airmail letters, appeared in 1938. Many of the definitive and commemorative airmail stamps of the period from 1938 to 1958 feature symbolic themes consisting of angels, doves, or aerial views of Vatican City.
The eight definitive airmail Vatican stamps shown above (Sc. #C1-C8) were issued on June 22, 1938.
The four common designs are as follows.
- Statue of St. Peter.
- Dove of Peace flying above St. Peter's Square.
- Elijah's Ascent into Heaven.
- House of Our Lady of Loreto and angels.
The seven definitive airmail Vatican stamps shown above (Sc. #C9-C15) were issued on November 10, 1947.
The three common designs are as follows.
- Dove of Peace flying above St. Peter's Square.
- House of Our Lady of Loreto and angels.
- Swallows and a Cross above the Basilica of St. Paul.
The two large-format airmail stamps shown above (Sc. #C16-C17) were issued on December 28, 1948.
The common design features the Archangel Raphael and Young Tobias, based on the Old Testament story of Tobias and the Angel.
The two wide-format airmail stamps shown above (Sc. #C18-C19) were issued on December 3, 1949 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
The common design features angels circling the globe.
The two tall-format airmail stamps shown above (Sc. #C20-C21) were issued on December 20, 1951 to celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the Publication of the United Canon Laws.
The common design features Franciscus Gratianus.
Franciscus Gratianus (active: 12th Century) was a canon lawyer from Bologna. He was the author of the legal textbook, the Decretum Gratiani (English: Collections of Canon Law of Gratian), which eventually became known as the Corpus Juris Canonici (English: Body of Canon Law). This legal textbook was used by the Roman Catholic Church until May 1918, when a revised Code of Canon Law, proposed by Pope Benedict XV, was adopted.
The two definitive airmail stamps shown above (Sc. #C22-C23) were issued on August 10, 1953.
The common design features a view of the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
The nine definitive airmail stamps shown above (Sc. #C24-C34) were issued on February 12, 1926.
The three common designs, featuring Renaissance paintings of angels, as they appear in the set, are as follows.
- Archangel Gabriel - "Angel of the Annunciation" by Melozzo da Forli (1438-1494).
- Archangel Gabriel - "Annunciation" by Pietro Cavallini (1259-1330).
- Archangel Gabriel - "Annunciation" by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).
The two Dome-of-Saint-Peter's-Basilica-type definitive airmail stamps shown above (Sc. #C33-C34) were re-issued in different colors on January 31, 1958.
These stamps exist perforated 13 1/2 and perforated 14. The 500 L. denomination stamp, perforated 14, is rare.
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Airmail Stamps of 1938-1958
