343 / März 2011

1832, "PAID IN LEITH", double line on entire folded cover via London with red shipp letter cancel and Hamburg to Stege

1844, "LUCCA 18.SEP.1844", double line on entire folded cover via Milano and Hamburg with straight line "T.S.2" and different taxes to Nyborg

1859, "H.Kleinschmidt/Hamburg", blue forwarder cancel on entire folded cover from Newcastel (dated 8.7.) with "K.D.O.PA. HAMBURG" and tax "6" to Helsingor

DANISH-WESTINDIA: 1866, 3 c. carmine, block of 4 with good margins and 18 mm sheet margin at left, unhinged mint, very fine, certificate Witschi

1905, sailing ship 1 fr.-5 fr., unhinged mint, very fine

1940, 1 s. grey on white paper, block of four, unhinged mint, fine (Mi. 1.040,-)

1930, Airmail 10 m. with surcharge error "1830 instead of 1930", unhinged mint, fine

1922, 3000 on 100 r. and 1923, 10000 on 1000 r., 15000 on 2000 r. and 20000 on 5 r. (10) on reverse of registered cover from "TIFLIS 7.3.23" to Luzern, small imperfections

1861, Paris Printing, very fine printing: 20 l. light blue on bluish in combination with 1862 20 l. light blue on bluish tied by numeral "67" to folded letter to Argos, boxed "insufficiently franked" and "20" in red, vertical fold through left stamp and slight abrasion, otherwise fine and attractive, certificate Simmermacher BPP

1861, 1st Athen printing, fine printing: 5 l. green, two horizontal pairs tied by numeral "49" to folded letter to Athen, right stamp of lower pair with variety "white 5", reverse with small part of adhesive tape, fine, sign. Pfenninger and certificiate Simmermacher BPP

1862/68, Athen printing 5 l. green, 10 l. orange (1st printing), 20 l. blue and 40 l. violet, 20 l. cut into at left, otherwise all stamps with good to very wide margins, 5 l. with parts of 2 adjoining stamps, tied by numeral "9" to entire letter from "PATRAS 13 JUIN. 65" to Trieste wit arrival mark, very fine, certificate Simmermacher BPP

XXX LOS ENTFÄLLT XXX 1868/69, 5 l. green (4) and 20 l. blue, tied by numeral "9" to lettersheet (all sideflaps reinforced), originally franked with France Napoléon lauré 20 c. blue and 40 c. orange, tied by anchor postmark with adjacent cds. "LIGNE U PAQ. FR. No. 2 19 JUIN 69" to Patras; attractive and scarce, sign. Vlastos and certificate du Vachat

1875/80, 10l. orange with double control no., used, fine, opinion Holcombe (Hellas 50No)

1886, Belgium print 50 l. greyish green with 1889/92, Athens print 1 l. brown, 2 l. yellow brown perforated in horizontal pair and 40 l. lilac, tied to registered double rate envelope to Germany with arrival mark, fine, a scarce commercial usage, sign. Holcombe

1906, Olympic games 5 L., proof in green, imperforated block of 4 with left sheet margin, unused, scarce

1871, 3 k. green with part of Budapest cds., very fine and fresh

1945, surcharge issue 10 f. on 12 f. with overprint inverted and 30 f. on 30 f. without blue burelage, together with other values on local registered express cover from Budapest

1950, UPU souvenir sheet perforated and imperforated, unhinged mint, fine (Mi. 1150,-)

1939, World Exhibition 20 a. - 2 kr., cpl. in blocks of four, unhinged mint, fine

ROMAN STATES: 1852, 2 baj on green, 2 vertical bisects, tied by straightline "S. ARCHANGELO" to entire letter 1855 to Pesaro with adjacent straightline "AFFRANCATA" and transit mark "RIMINI 18 FEB 55"; very fine, sign. Sorani and Alberto Diena with certificate

4 baj on yellow, tied by grid to small cover, originally franked  with France 1862, Napoléon 20 c. blue and 80 c. rose from "L'ISLE-ADAM 2 AOUT 66" to Velletri and redirected to Naples, cover with desinfection slits; a fine and scarce combination cover, sign. Calves with certificate

1852, 1 sc., unused with part original gum, very fine, signed Pfenninger and Grobe

Modena: 1852, Eagle issue with dot behind numeral: 5 c. on green, horizontal block of 8, showing in the third row double separation lines (due filetti divisori orizzontali), unused with original gum, only one hinge mark between the central two stamps at top, otherwise unhinged mint, very fine, sign. Giulio Bolaffi and Vaccari, also Dr. Avi with certificate (Sassone-no. 7i; € 12.000,-)

5 c. on green with variety " ENT.5.", good to very wide margins, lightly cancelled by 6 barres on cover from Sassuolo 1853; name and city in the address cancelled, still very attractive, a great rarity in very fine condition, sign. A. Bolaffi, Giulio Bolaffi, Emilio Diena, Enzo Diena and Dr. Avi with certificate (Saasone-no. 7b; € 22.500,-)

5 c. on green, horizontal pair, the left stamp with spaced "N T", good to wide margins and neatly cancelled, very fine, sign. Enzo Diena and Vaccari and Dr. Avi with certificate (Sassone-no. 7e; € 15.000,-)

Without dot: 10 c. on rose, block of 8 from the centre of printing sheet with 2 horizontal and 4 vertical gutter pairs, fresh colour and large even margins, unused with original gum, usual folds in the gutters; a fine and extremely rare multiple and great exhibition piece; only one similar block known; certificate Dr. Avi SBPV (Sassone-no. 2; € 60.000,-)

1859, 5 c. dark green, 20 c. blue violet and 40 c.carmine rose, the 5 c. clear at top, otherwise all stamps with good to wide margins and in fresh colour, tied to registered letter from "MODENA 22 NOVEM. 59" to Capri with adjacent boxed "RACCOMANDATO"; a fine and rare franking, sign. Alberto Diena and Enzo Diena with certificate (Sassone no. 17c, 15, 12b; 22.500,-)

NAPLES: PROVINCE NEPOLETANE: 1861, 2 gr. blue with good to wide margins, tied by boxed marking to folded cover from "NAPOLI 16 FEB. 1861", the 3rd day of use of this stamp, to Potenza with arrival mark; a fine and scarce cover, sign. Emilio Diena with certificate (Sassone-no. 20b)

Parma: Newspaper stamps: 1853, 9 c. on blue, tied by small grid to newspaper "SUPLIMENTO NUM. 3. ALLA GAZZETTA UFFIZIALE DI MILANO" of 21.1.1855; a rare and attractive franking in very fine condition, sign. Sorani with certificate and certificate Calves

Romagna: Papal states used in Romagna: 4 baj. on pale-yellow (giallo chiaro), diagonal bisect tied by grid to revers of entire letter from "BOLOGNA 8 LUG. 59" to Cento; a fine and rare usage, sign. Emilio Diena, Enzo Diena and Sorani with certificate (Sassone-no. 5Ab; € 12.000,-)

Sardinia: 1854, Victor Emanuel 5 cmi. yellow-green/white, large even margins and nice deep colour, unused with original gum, slight patina; a very rare stamp in  fine condition; only very few unused examples are known; several signatures and certificates Enzo Diena and Raybaudi (Sassone-Nr. 7; 45.000,-)

SICILIA: 1859, ½ gr. yellow, plate 1, horizontal pair with wide margins all around, together with 5 gr. red, plate 1, in horizontal strip of 3, tied to registered letter from Messina 1859, to S. Agata with adjacent oval "ASSICURATA"; paperbreak in the front restored (not affecting the stamps); a remarkable and extremely rare franking, certificate Raybaudi (Sassone-no. 1a, 9a; € 65.000,-)

1 gr. brownish-oliv, plate 1, 2nd state, unused with not original gum, repaired, still an attractive copy of this extremely rare stamp in unused condition, certificate Raybaudi (Sassnone-no. 3d)

1gr. oliv, plate 1, pos. 16 with large retouch (grande ritocco), together with 5 gr. vermilion, plate 2, and 10 gr. dark blue, tied to registered lettersheet from "PALERMO 6 OTT. 59" to Trapani. The 1 gr. with large retouch is one of the rarest stamps of Sicily, combined with the 3-colour-franking an outstanding piece, sign. Enzo Diena with certificate (1988) (Sassone-no. 3, 11, 12b)

50 gr. brown-red, 20 gr. slight-black, 10 gr. dark-blue, 5 gr. vermilion, plate 1 and 1 gr. oliv-green, plate 3, all with good to wide margins and fresh colour, neatly tied by frame cancel to large piece with adjacent date stamp "MESA 1859/2 GENNO", the second day of issue; a remarkable and extremely rare 5-colour-franking, sign. Enzo Diena

TUSCANY: 1851, blue paper:  9 cr. dark purple, good margins on two sides, touched at bottom and left, unused without gum, certificate Brun