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N.13 Febbraio 2008




Rarities ITA ENG 
Saxony and Kingdom of the Two Sicilies


On 22 August 1851, shortly after the issue of the "Friedrich August" stamps it was reported to the Leipzig Post Office that “25 copies (21/2 counter sheets) of the 1/2 Neugroschen blue had been discovered amongst a supply of the 2 Neugroschen blue; 5 stamps had already been sold to the public”.The errors were withdrawn by the postal administration and were, in the early 1890s, sold to stamp collectors by the Saxony Ministry of Finance.

The rarest and misterious stamp of Sicily is the error of colour of 1/2 grana, printed in blue instead of orange. Only a piece is known, bearing the “palermo-partenza-21 apr. 59” c.d.s. on the front, franked in origin with two examples in blue colour that at a first sight seems to look like a 4 grana franking (thus showing that people took more notice of the colour of the paper than of the design). The stamps, one defective and one in perfect condition, have the inscription 1/2 GR. and the colour of the 2 grana. The error must not be confused with colours trials of the 1/2 GR. printed in blue. The two rarities are in a different shade from any of the proofs and having been printed from Plate II instead of Plate I used for the colour trials that were printed with the right side of the I Plate. Di Alessandro Arseni






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