Home
 I recently purchased this 1937 stamp cover which was originally mailed from Vatican City to Purcellville, Va. The stamp is from the 1933 "Gardens & Medallions" series, and pictures Pope Pius XI. For more on the stamp, click here. An article written by Nils Rundqvist in 1995 (Vatican Notes, Volume 44, Number 1, Page 15 can be read by clicking here) describes some of the early machine cancels. From reading this article, I learned that to determine the cancellation type, one measures the horizontal distance between the P and E of the word POSTE in the bottom of the postmark. Unfortunately, the cancellation mark on the right side it too light to see the word "POSTE" over the stamp. However, the Vatican Notes article gives the date range for various cancellation marks and Machine Type IV/1 is the only cancellation mark with a date range that fits my cover. I am going to therefore declare my cover has the qualifications to meet Machine Type IV/1. The purpose of the Cancellation Research Project, or Postmark List, is to collect information about Vatican postmarks. Got a nice cover in your collection? Scan it and upload it to the VPS website. From the Member Page, click on the Reference tab, then select the Postmark List (instruction available). Alternatively, you can upload a scanned image your cover to the VPS website using the upload link found on the Member Page. Maybe you can write a few paragraphs about you cover, then send it in using the contact page. We will help turn your writing into an email and so it can be shared with other VPS members. |
