The issue: general introduction


The introduction of the postage stamps by the Modena Duchy is dated June 1st 1852.
For a long time the postage stamp adoption was strongly pushed by the Austrian (who had direct influence on the Duchy activities) to align the collection system with the Austrian one.
After several mixed events, implementation delays, contacts with Vienna and several doubts, finally the first issue of the postage stamps (called "Bollini" or small tax pieces of paper) was a reality. With regard to the drawing of the stamps I repeat here in its complete words how it has been defined by Emilio Diena "It measures 18.5x21.5mm. The Estensi Eagle with closed wings, with a royal crown on top and contained in two laurel branches tied at the bottom with a ribbon, is inserted in a rectangle with lateral ornaments and on top the label "Poste Estensi" in long capital letters. At the bottom a space was left between two small ornaments in the corners, where typographic small capital characters with the indication of the value were supposed to be inserted; these were kept in place by a line below them that completed the rectangle." How to explain it in better way? This subject was chosen despite the Vienna recommendations to find a subject less easy to be forged. At the beginning the intention was to have the stamps implementation made in Vienna, later on, always due to missing answers and problems of various nature, the decision was taken to print in Modena the stamps after having contacted the Tuscany Administration to gather details and clarifications of the printing methodology.
The engraving of the drawing was done by Tommaso Rinaldi and the minting die and the matrixes (same for all value with the insertion of the plug with value in mobile characters) were done by the goldsmith company Rocca, Rinaldi & Algeri di Modena for the total of Italian L. 850, ("L'importo totale di Italiane L. 850, Tariffali L. 782"). The printing was made by the Typographic Office of the Modena Finance Department with a result not really exciting. A lot of small defects can be found systematically in the typographic black printing, defects that allow for the identification of the location of the stamp inside the composition.
At the beginning two compositions of 260 pieces were prepared; immediately reduced before the issuing to 240 pieces in four groups of 60 (6 rows of 10 pieces).
Between each stamp there was a dividing trait both horizontal (interrupted) and vertical (continuous). Each group of 60 was separated by an inter-space of 1 cm, with the horizontal one (looking at the sheet) having a double typographic line in the middle and the vertical one having a continuous line at the border of the stamp (Fig. 1).


Middle of the sheet
Fig. 1:
the center of the sheet of 240 samples


In one of the two compositions the values were followed by a dot; this composition was used to print only some of the values. Here is the summary of the issued values:

5 centesimi
Green
with and without the dot
5 centesimi
Olive green
with the dot
10 centesimi
Pink
with and without the dot
15 centesimi
Yellow
without the dot
25 centesimi
Chamois
without the dot
40 centesimi
Pale-blue
without the dot
40 centesimi
Blue
with and without the dot
1 Lira
White
with the dot

The paper used was a machine made paper, colored, of variable thickness, but usually somehow thin, without watermark. It has been bought in several lots and for this reason it is not uniform both in color as well as in thickness and with some characteristic color shades. For the1 Lira value I delay this discussion to the specific stamp note because there are differences with respect to the other stamps.
Large is the number of errors of the graphic composition, errors that appeared during the production of the stamps; the origins of the errors in the plugs with values were a wrong positioning of the characters, of the dots, missing characters and so on. A list can be seen in the "Going deep". I leave anyway to the reading of a good catalogue the pleasure of further going in details on the subject. (be careful on some varieties... not really originals or due to poor printing more than composition mistakes!) Other interesting varieties are the stereotype defects, that I was before mentioning, some times very noticeable, as well as to some double printing. In some case, rather rare case, in the lower label is visible the mark of a typographic space (Fig. 2-3).

5 centesimi
15 centesimi
Fig. 2-3: : two marks of typographic spaces

To be mentioned is the presence of a 25 centesimi value in green color: on the origin of this piece there are several diverging opinions: somebody believes that it's a printing trial, somebody else that is a true color mistake (it is represented in the note of the 25 centesimi value).
This issue was valid up to October 15th.
The volume printed and the remainders (total of the pieces with and without the dots) are known; they are:

Value
Quantity
Remainders
5 centesimi (*)
1.932.720
700.651
10 centesimi
526.080
106.615
15 centesimi
838.080
145.902
25 centesimi
998.160
495.276
40 cent. blue
501.600
254.503
40 cent. pale-blue
17.280
372
1 Lira
48.000
41.710
(*) Comprehensive of the olive green value