The 1st issue - general introduction
The issuing
of the first postage stamps by the Roman States goes back to January 1st 1852,
but the study began in 1847.
I reproduce here both the "Edict of Cardinal Antonelli" (November
29th, 1851) than the "Decree of the Ministero of Finanze" (December
19th, 1851) related to the introduction an to the usage of the new "Bolli
Franchi"). Both are written in Italian language.
The engraving
was made by Doublet and Decoppet and the copper matrixes were prepared by the
Rome Coppet foundry. The central subject of the stamps is the same for all the
values and represents the Pontifical Emblem with the crossed keys (called "decussate"
in Italian) and the Pope crown. All around there are small ornaments and decorations
of different type for the different values, all enclosed inside frames of type
and shape different for each value. At the top there is the label "FRANCO
BOLLO POSTALE", written in half circle for all the values with, at the
bottom, the value indication (in letters for the half Baj, in number for all
the others). The printing was executed in typography by the "Reverenda
Tipografia Apostolica", on colored paper, both by handmade and, later
on, machine made paper. The handmade was called "trellis type"
for the texture sometimes similar to a fabric ("traliccio"
in italian language). The two largest values ( 50 Baj and 1 Scudo) were printed
in color on white paper, only machine made.
The stamps were printed in 100 pieces sheets, divided in 4 groups by 25 separated
by a cross shape inter-space (Fig. 1). The 50 Baj and 1 Soldo value were
instead printed in 50 pieces sheets (2 groups of 25, one on top of the other
and separated by an horizontal inter-space). The half 1, 3, 4, and 8 Baj values
are surrounded by a double separating line, continuous the horizontal and broken
the vertical one. Only the1 Baj value had two different compositions where the
separating lines continuity got inverted (see the value card). In 1858
a value of 20 Baj in yellow color was prepared but it was never issued. It was
totally destroyed with the exception of a whole sheet that is now in the Vatican
Postal Museum and of one single piece, today in private hands.
Fig. 1:
the horizontal interspace
This issue was used for a very long time (up to September 1867) and this let
us understand how the paper can appear in thickness and color shades very variable
(not to say totally different) being provided by different manufacturers (the
biggest was Graziosi from Subiaco paper mill). Even the printing inks were not
constant, with typical greasy printing runs, semi-greasy and with grayish ink.
Again for the massive use the printing runs were quite numerous (even more than
50 for the values used the most!), the stereotypes got some breaks, deformations
and oxidations that gave incomplete letters, broken frames, bumps, missing parts
of drawings and so on.
For the 50 Baj value two different types are usually catalogued: the first one
printed with the usual stereotypes and the second one reprinted long time later
(1864) with the stereotypes that were fully oxidized: the result was very bad
(see the value card).
Between the varieties, besides the already mentioned bumps, missing letters,
dots, drawings parts etc., (that more than varieties are indeed printing or
stereotypes defects) we find parts with offset, albino printings, front-back
(recto-verso) printings, tête-bêche couples (very few samples of
the half Baj) and double printings. Sometimes it is possible to find pieces
showing parts of watermarks of some paper manufacturer (Pietro Miliani, Canson
Frères, Bath - this last one in reality is a manufacturer dry printing,
not a watermark) or parts with the so called "stitck watermark"
(see section "Going Deep"). In rare cases we can find marks
of the typographic spaces between two samples, exactly as it happens in the
first Lombardy-Venetia issue (see related "Going Deep").
To be outlined the particular usage of this stamp as split one: in fact often
(or, better say, more often than in other States) they were cut in the more
diversified dimensions to provide for the lack of several values. In the section
"Going Deep" again, I placed some examples.
In summary, the set is composed by the following values (I will list
the main color shade groups, following the scheme presented by the "Catalogo
Sassone Specializzato", ed. 2001) with the warning that this is just
a choice and in fact do exist a great number of printing runs in between and
therefore other possible classifications:
Value | Color |
Distribution
|
Paper
|
Half
Baj
|
Gray
|
Since
1852
|
Handmade
|
Half
Baj
|
Violet-gray
|
SiInce
1864
|
Machine made
|
1 Baj
|
Green
gray
|
Since
1852
|
Handmade
|
1 Baj
|
Deep
green
|
Since
1860
|
Machine made
|
1
Baj - 2nd comp. -
|
Deep
green
|
Since
1864
|
Machine made
|
2 Baj
|
Olive
green
|
Since
1852
|
Handmade
|
2 Baj | White |
Since
1867
|
Machine made
|
3 Baj | Bistre |
Since
1852
|
Handmade
|
3 Baj | Chrome yellow |
Since
1863
|
Machine made
|
4 Baj | Brown gray |
Since
1852
|
Handmade
|
4 Baj | Yellow |
Since
1864
|
Machine made
|
5 Baj | Pale pink |
Since
1852
|
Handmade
|
5 Baj | Carmine pink |
Since
1860
|
Machine made
|
6 Baj | Gray |
Since
1852
|
Handmade
|
6 Baj | Lilac gray |
Since
1864
|
Machine made
|
7 Baj | Blue |
Since
1852
|
Handmade
|
8 Baj | White |
Since
1852
|
Machine made
|
50 Baj | Blue |
Since
1852
|
Machine made
|
50 Baj - oxidized - | Deep blue |
Since
1864
|
Machine made
|
1 Scudo
|
Carmine
pink
|
Since
1852
|
Machine made
|
Of the various values it is know the volume printed and the remainders (later on placed in the collectors market), that is the following (for the remainders see "I bolli di Roma SIncele origini alla fine del XIX secolo" of Mario Gallenga, on "Notiziario ASIF" nr. 182 of November 1979):
Value
|
Quantity
|
Remainders
|
Half
baj
|
3.130.000
|
48.563
|
1 baj
|
6.870.000
|
55.536
|
2 baj
|
8.910.000
|
133.258
|
3 baj
|
3.180.000
|
63.003
|
4 baj
|
2.025.000
|
22.887
|
5 baj
|
4.975.000
|
63.228
|
6 baj
|
1.775.000
|
73.254
|
7 baj
|
950.000
|
1.234
|
8 baj
|
2.850.000
|
25.944
|
50 baj
|
50.000
|
99
|
50
baj - oxidized -
|
10.000
|
-
|
1 Scudo
|
50.000
|
24.355
|