The tricolour on Sicilia
One and a half centuries after their issue, the stamps of Sicily still arouse plenty of interest. As was clear at the recent fair in Palermo, which Zanaria took part in…
Those who designed this series were aiming to improve on the chromatic monotony of the stamps of Naples, as well as making it easier to recognise the various denominations at first glance. However, at the same time the intention was to avoid the possibility of customers putting together the notorious tricolours, whether French or, worse still, Italian. In fact, these were sometimes created nevertheless, but without any particular political agenda or consequences; one such example is the envelope that Zanaria is offering, with the sequence of red, light blue and green.
Little did the sender know, but this envelope was to have very different consequences for future collectors: the sheer rarity of having no less than three different stamps from the Sicily issue on the same document (sent to Palermo) – namely the 5, 2 and 1 grana in that order. So much so, that today the Sassone catalogue values it at more than 25 thousand euros, and Zanaria is offering it at a price upon request. Specifically, the 5 grana belongs to the second plate and is bright vermillion; the 2 grana is from the third plate, and the 1 is from the second.
The date of posting is also interesting: March 7th 1860. This was during the final days of Bourbon rule; on May 5th the Thousand would set sail from Liguria to Sicily on the “Piemonte” and the “Lombardo”. On May 11th they arrived at Marsala, where Giuseppe Garibaldi declared absolute rule in the name of King Victor Emanuel. Having reached the city, they fought in it on May 26th and 27th. Three days later their opponents requested a ceasefire and on June 6th the surrender became finale. And so a new chapter of history began…
That new chapter did nothing to diminish collectors’ interest in Bourbon stamps, as was recently demonstrated at the “Sicilia 2009” fair. The fair was organised in the island’s capital city by the Sicilian Philatelic Union, to mark the 150th anniversary of the issue (it first appeared on January 1st 1859). Zanaria was their, with its own stand. Alongside the commercial fair, there was an excellent exhibition, meetings and publishing presentations.