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  Recently I purchased this postcard because of interest in the postmark. Looking at the postmark there appears to be no lines separating the upper and lower moons from the cancellation date. I got interested enough to view the cancellation through a microscope and found ink marks on the left three perforations of the stamp. I also counted the points on the stars, and found there were 6 points. Looking through the Everyday Postmark list on the Vatican Philatelic Society website, I have concluded the postmark to be a type I-13a or possibly I-13b. (see Everday Postmarks)  The postcard was mailed from the Vatican on April 20, 1933, to Paris France. The postcard identified the building to be the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. Doing a quick internet search, I learned a lot about this building. Palazzo Farnese was originally built in 1517, and was expanded by Alessando Farnese, who later became Pope Paul III. The 16th century palazzo is one of the best examples of High Renaissance architecture in Rome. It contains works by Michelangelo, Sangallo the Younger, Raffaello and others. The building is owned by the Italian government and is used as the French Embassy. It was acquired by Mussolini’s Fascist government in 1936 for a duration of 99 years (and a symbolic payment of 1 euro per month). It will be interesting to learn what happens to the building in 2035 when the lease ends. Vatican Notes has several good articles on Pope Paul III that are worth the read. References: |
