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Everyone is familiar with First Day Covers, envelopes with new issue postage stamps postmarked with the First Day of issue. But, not many Vatican collectors are aware of the details regarding Last Day Covers. I have recently completed some research on Last Day Covers. 1. My primary source for Last Day Covers is the last English version of the Bolaffi Specialized Roman States and Vatican City Stamp Catalogue printed in 1979. 2. This is what I have identified: a. Most of the early Vatican had a ‘validity date’ – an expiration date when the stamp issue could no longer be used for postage. The reason for the 'validity date' was to limit postal clerks having to familiarize themselves with too many stamps. The second reason was that photogravure, lithography and other cheaper means of printing stamps made them easier to counterfeit. “Click to check out the Vatican Notes article in” Vatican Notes Vol 5 No 1 p 4, July 1956. The Vatican would postmark a Last Day Cover with the last date the stamp issue could be used for postage. b. Bolaffi identifies almost every issue from Scott 1-13 (1929) to Scott 476-478 (1969) to have a ‘validity date’. The exceptions were most Regular Issue stamps that have no ‘validity date’ noted in the catalogue. They are the 1946 Council of Trent, only Scott 126 of the 1949 Roman Basilica issue,1949 Holy Year, 1952 Surcharge, 1953 Popes, 1960 Works of Mercy and 1966 Man at Work. All airmail stamps issued after1958 have no ‘validity date’. 3. This is all the information my research identified. Questions that still exist: a. Why did the Regular Issues not have a ‘validity date’? b. Why did only Scott 126 in the 1949 Roman Basilica issue have a ‘validity date’? c. Why did the 1949 Holy Year not have a 'validity date'? d. Why was ‘validity date’ no longer applied to issues after 1969 and for airmails after 1956? MEMBERS: We need your help! Let me know if you have any information to add to or to update in my finding. Email me directly. Also, let me know if you have any Last Day Covers in your collection that you would like to share with us. or if you have Last Day Cover images to share with us. HuntDennisO@gmail.com |
