Half Grano	Orange
1 Grano	Brown
2 Grana	Blue
5 Grana	Carmine pink
10 Grana	Dark blue
20 Grana	Slate
50 Grana	Brown lake

We can ask ourselves how the Two Sicilies Kingdom adopted so different postage stamps inside a unique territory; the answer is that the two parts of the Kingdom did have completely separated and autonomous Administrations so they were acting to this aim as two completely different States.
The subject chosen for Sicily stamps was the Ferdinand II "Holy Effigy", in profile, facing left, obtained from a photographic portrait.
The tool engraving responsibility was given to Tommaso Alojsio Juvara, famous and quite valid engraver from Messina, who was paid for the job and material the amount of "139 Grana and 80 Ducati".....
The work done was outstanding, of very high artistic and graphic level, to the point that still today the Sicily stamps, also for the colors used for printing, are considered between the most beautiful and elegant never appeared in the worldwide philatelic panorama. And this despite the unfortunate printing system adopted that did not bring justice to the quality of the engraving.
A thin white frame surrounds the royal effigy, at the center of the rectangular stamp. All around there is the label (from left) "BOLLO DELLA", "POSTA" "DI SICILIA" and below the indication "GR." with the value.
For printing the calcographic process was used, starting from copper plates; Giuseppe La Barbera provided the technical material needed for the production and the printing took place in the printing house of Francesco Lao in Palermo.
The stamps were printed in 100 pieces sheets, in 10 rows of 10 pieces, separated from each other by thin typographic blades.
The paper used was machine made type, at the beginning bought in Naples (wrinkled, porous and irregular) and later on in Palermo (whiter, flat and homogeneous).
It's very interesting to notice how the color selection has been made with particular attention to avoid that, even with the use of letter paper, it was eventually possible to create the tricolor representing the Sardinian State.
The printing matrixes, with the insertion of the value plug, were obtained staring from the original tool and, as said, were composed by 100 engravings, some in reality constituted by 4 blocks of 25 close each other. The duplication defects of the original tool are quite a lot; in fact for each stamp is possible to identify its position on the sheet by looking to its defects. In several cases it was necessary to proceed to modify directly the matrixes (retouches) to complete parts of the drawing that were not fully duplicated (and not, as somebody thinks, just to correct defects in consequence of the wear with the use of the matrixes); printing parts missing, dot not printed, thin scratches, etc. are very frequent in these stamps. The study of these modifications and the Sicily plates reconstruction is always an exciting collection followed by several specialists. In the "Going Deep" section several modifications are illustrated and I show also the representation of the 100 parts forming the III plate of the 2 grana.
To be picky there are also very small identification details that are common to all the stamps, independently from their value and the plate. Three out of the most important are (Fig. 1):
A) Small color dot in the white frame under "A" of "POSTA".
B) Small color spot under the second "L" of "DELLA" that goes to touch the white underlying frame.
C) Color traits more or less evident under the "B" of "BOLLO" and under the "A" of "SICILIA".
Besides these there are some others specific for each value, but I believe that the details mentioned in the analysis of the plates of the single values are more than enough... to create confusion! For this reason I will avoid to mention them, also because they are often not so visible.

Fig. 2: some details common to all pieces

Some stamps of the set were printed using various plates due to the high wear as a consequence of their use. Here is the scheme followed:

Half Grano	2 plates
1 Grano	3 plates
2 Grana	3 plates
5 Grana	2 plates
10 Grana	1 plate
20 Grana	1 plate
50 Grana	1 plate

As you can see more plates were used for the values of major use; inside the card of the single stamp is explained how to identify them, as well as the major characteristics of each of them.
Even the printing inks did not remain constant; to the point that the shade and inking differences are quite significant. Between the varieties more important we know double printings, printing with greasy inks and front-back printings: we are talking always of valuable varieties.
To be mentioned also the existence of two samples of the II plate half Grano printed as essays and by mistake used in blue color instead of orange.
We know also some color tests printed by Juvara (very rare) and some printed by La Barbera and by Lao.
Various are also the essays prepared before the definitive issue. Between them I mention the Barone (Fig. 2) and the Lesaché ones.
Other essays were made after the abolition of the Sicilian stamp, by Ficarotta and Porcasi; for various and complex reasons non one was used, due also for the definitive "stop" to the stamps production, stops arrived March 11th 1861. Also in these case we are talking about uncommon parts.

Fig. 2: one of the Giuseppe Baroni essays of 1858

The Sicilian stamps were took of circulation step be step, following the Garibaldi landing, from May/June 1860 (the official abolition decree dated May 27h 1860, therefore before the liberation of the whole island!) are known used up to July end (Messina, July 23rd 1860). Other values were supposed to be issued in place if the Borbonic ones; here is explained the reason of the essays prepared after the Borbone fall before mentioned Several problems and impediments of various nature hindered the issue of these values; in the meantime the tax for the mailing of letters continued to be paid by cash, up to April 1861. In fact the introduction of the Sardinian stamps took place starting March 1861; but their use really started at April end.

We know the volume of the Borbonic stamps printed and sold, that is the following:

Value	Printed	Sold
Half Grano	235.000	137.561
1 Grano	540.000	443.056
2 Grana	1.650.000	1.447.101
5 Grana	200.000	95.388
10 Grana	100.000	78.892
20 Grana	100.000	42.071
50 Grana	25.000	7.174