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Lot# 4653 - Auction 218-221

  • Lot# : 4653 Italy

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    1922 (Jan): The famous unissued 15 piastre on Express 25 c. rose Airmail, overprinted SERVIZIO POSTALE AEREO / PIASTRE 15 in black (thin font), a fine unused example of good colour, typical slight aging, centred to lower left with large part original gum. An exceptional example of this great rarity with just 5 examples recorded - one of which is housed in the British Library collection (ex Fitzgerald). A major rarity of aero-philately and the rarest stamp of the Italian collecting area. Signed G. Bolaffi, G. Colla, A. Diena, Sanabria; Cert. Giulio Bolaffi (1966), G. Colla (2006) Sassone = € 300'000.rnrnNote: Prepared in Constantinople for the planned CIDNA flight from Bucharest to Paris. Due to pressure from the French Embassy in Constantinople and the Lausanne Conference calling for the closure of all Foreign Post Offices within Turkey, the issue was aborted and nearly all examples of this stamp were destroyed and burnt. A recent article by N. L. Cipriani and C. E. Manzati published in the Collectors Club Philatelist (March-April, 2015) showed 10 examples of this stamp from collections / auction catalogues assembled by Messrs. Piermattei and Naddei. The stamp offered above is illustration #4 in their article.
    Starting bid : 65,000 CHF
    Hammer price : not sold