The 3rd Issue - general introduction
June 30th
1857 is the first known date of use of a stamp of the third Parma Duchy issue.
The printing plates of the second issue were already quite worn and the aesthetic
result of the stamps (that from the beginning did not constitute an example
to be copied...) was quite poor and therefore they should have been remade .The
decision was instead to proceed to make a new issue.
This set is born in a mystery because it was never found any info of an official
issuing decree...
The minting die even in this case was made by Donnino Bentelli, even in 1850
or 1851 (and therefore before the 1st issue); nevertheless, for different reasons,
it was never put in use. In 1857 instead it has been decided to use it, may
be also to save the expense of new minting dies and stereotypes that as said
needed to be remade.
The stamp of rectangular frame, presents in the center the Borbonic lily on
a background with lines, enclosed in a shield with on top the Duchy Crown, with
on the left an oak branch and on the right a laurel branch. Al this enclosed
in a thin and close double rectangular frame. At the top there is the pompous
label "DUC. DI PARMA PIAC ECC." (it was just the complexity of this
name one of the reasons that left aside the printing of this stamp in 1851);
at the bottom there is the plug with the value. The printing is typographic
in color, on machine made white paper, of average thickness, not watermarked
and not of great quality.
The set is composed by the following values:
15 centesimi
|
Vermilion
|
25 centesimi
|
Brown
|
40 centesimi
|
Blue
|
A value of 10 centesimi
was foreseen at the beginning but it was never done. Only one printing run
was made for each value: we know the quantities and the remainders that are
the following:
Value
|
Quantity
|
Remnant
|
15 centesimi |
648.000
|
354.258
|
25 centesimi |
432.000
|
321.156
|
40 centesimi |
216.000
|
143.668
|
As often happen, the
original minting die was unique and without the value indication that was
inserted using typographic mobile elements. The stamps were printed in sheets
of 72 pieces (9 rows of 8 pieces) by the typographer Stefano Rossi Ubaldi,
in the Parma Postal Administration.
The stereotypes obtained from the primary minting die are of two types for
each value and this brings some small difference in the stamp look. I send
you to the single stamp cards for more details.
The continuous use of the plates was the cause of worn even large that presents
itself with evident missing or interruptions of the printing, more extended
for some sheet position. We can find chromatic differences between the various
samples, due to the non-uniformity of the printing ink used. The 15 centesimi
exists also printed with very greasy ink.
They were put out of validity July 31st 1859, as all the Parma stamps.