The 2nd issue - general introduction

The Lombardy-Venetia second issue came to light in November 1st 1858, at the same time of the introduction of the new currency, the Soldo, even if it was by sure ready from some time. As for the 1st issue also this one is identical to the one issued in Austria and differs only for the value indication (and for some other very minor drawing details). It represents the profile of Francesco Giuseppe, face to the left, surrounded by frames with ornaments different for each value. Interesting detail is the printing of the effigy in relief that was done together with the typographic printing of the stamp.
The drawing of the stamp was made by Ernst Meisner and the engraving by Schimdt & Schrepfer. As for the first issue the stamps were printed in Vienna in sheets of 240 pieces divided in 4 groups of 60 (7 rows of 8 stamps and one row of 4 and 4 S. Andrea's crosses). These stamps are perforated with 14.5 pitch block perforation but we know samples with other perforations as well as different types (linear).
The paper used for these stamps was only the machine-made paper. The values of this issue are:

It's immediately to be noticed how the colors used are the same used for the previous issue and in the same order.
The 3 Soldi value has been reprinted in green in 1862 probably because the black color was not allowing to see clearly the stamp cancellation with the risk to be reused cheating the administration.
There have been two different printing runs of this issue: it's more accurate to talk about two different issues more than two runs because the stamp was modified even if just slightly. To this aim it is common practice to divide the stamps in 1st and 2nd type, the parts of the first type are rarer than the ones of the second, especially if used, because they were utilized for shorter time. In fact the first issue was not so well done in the representation of the royal effigy (and probably not so well accepted by the emperor himself...) and therefore the minting dies were engraved again giving birth to the second issue.
The new values were not issued all together but in different months. To this aim it should be said that the black 3 Soldi of the 2nd type and the green 3 Soldi never were introduced in Lombardy that become free in July 1859, (with the exclusion of the Mantova territories), while the black was introduced in November 1859 and the green in January 1862.
Various are the diversification elements between the two types and I invite you to go to the specific stamp note for their identification, outlining here only that the recognition signs are not all easy to see due to the inking of the stamps that can induce in error.
Even in this issue are present the varieties made up by offsets, perforation and inking varieties, "nail heads", double marks, "recto-verso" printings, and so on. More uniform instead is the chromatic gradation.
Sometimes it's possible to find samples with more or less diffused spots on the royal effigy itself (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: color spots on the effigy


We don't know the number of stamps printed. The validity of these stamps ended May 31st 1864.
Official reprints were made in 1866, 1870, 1884, 1887 e 1894.