5 CENTESIMI

 

One type only exists of this stamp. It was probably printed from 1850 and 1853 on handmade paper of different quality and thickness and only with the "original" coat of arms (see introduction to the issue and section "Going Deep") even if the inking often dense and muddy, together with the color choice, not really the best one, could make us to believe differently...
We can anyway say with good confidence level that it was printed using at least two different matrixes, difficult to distinguish from each other.
Main and characteristic sign of the first matrix is the tip of the internal upper left ornament interrupted (Fig. 1): this detail is not always easy to find because the inking often abundant tend to compensate for this details.

Fig. 1: the characteristic sign of the first matrix

In general this stamp presents several characteristics signs even if not always visible. Out of them the most important ones are:

1) Tip of the internal left bottom ornament connected to the base of the "5" by a color trait, more or less evident. In some cases the trait is very evident and connects the number with the underlying frame while in some cases is just merely a small dot on the lower part of "5" (Fig. 2-2a).

Fig. 2: base of the '5' connected to the ornament tip		Fig. 2a: base of the '5' detached from the ornament tip

2) Letters "CE" and "NT" of "CENTES" connected at top by color residuals (Fig. 3).

3) Color dot (more or less broad) at the left of the leg of "T" of "CENTES" on the lower left (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4: color dot at the left of 'T'

4) Color dot in the internal upper right corner, just on the right of the ornament tip (Fig. 5).


Fig. 5: color dot in the upper right corner

Catalogued color shades (as per Sassone)

Ochre yellow (typical color)
Yellow (1st printing run)
Greenish lemon yellow (1st printing run)
Lemon yellow (1st printing run)
Orange yellow (1st printing run)
Orange ochre
Pale orange yellow
Orange yellow
Orange
Deep orange
Bistre yellow