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 Vatican City Provisional Set of 1934 (Scott 35-40) On June 16, 1934, the Vatican issued a set of overprinted/surcharged stamps to address changes in postal rates. This set, where six of the original Conciliation issue stamps issued in 1929 were surcharged with new postal values, resulted in perhaps the most intriguing set of Vatican stamps, alternatively referred to as the 1934 Provisionals, the 1934 Surcharges or the 35-40 set. The set has turned out to be the most expensive set that a Vatican collector needs to complete one's collection. The new stamps came about as a result of the need to conform with the terms of the 1929 Concordant with the Republic of Italy, which included a provision that all Vatican stamp issues would follow the rates of the Italian Post Office. To meet the new requirements, the original Vatican stamps (Scott 8 through 13) were surcharged in black to obscure the original stamp value and add the new value. The following changes were made: For Scott 35: Scott 8 (original value, 80 centisimi) overprinted to 40 centisimi For Scott 36: Scott 9 (original value, 1.25 lira) overprinted to 1.30 lira For Scott 37: Scott 10 (original value, 2 lira) overprinted to 2.05 lira For Scott 38: Scott 11 (original value, 2.50 lira) overprinted to 2.55 lira For Scott 39: Scott 12 (original value, 5 lira) overprinted to 3.05 lira For Scott 40: Scott 13 (original value, 10 lira) overprinted to 3.70 lira Due to the idiosyncrasies of the printing process, there are a vast array of varieties when one studies examples of these overprints: missing commas between digits, spacing between digits and overprint lines, variations in the size and shape of digits, and so on. To further complicate identification, a second set of overprints was issued in 1937, using the same original stamps and overprinting requirements as listed above. However, there was no second printing of Scott 35. Another issue for the collector to contend with is the existence of forgeries of these issues, as one might expect given the value of these stamps. When purchasing these stamps, proof of expertization is recommended. A valuable review of the provisionals was presented by former VPS president Louis Padavan in 1986. That article can be accessed using the link below. In addition, the former editor of Vatican Notes, Father Herbert Phinney, presented five articles in 1963 and 1964 discussing forgeries of the 35-40 set. Given the cost of this set (the 2019 Scott Catalogue value is $1565 for the 35-40 set in mint, hinged condition), it is definitely buyer beware when it comes to adding this set to one's collection. NOTE: The provisional set will likely be knocked off the throne as the most valuable stamp set from Vatican City. Examples of the recalled World Youth Day stamp from 2023 that have appeared for sale online have asking prices in excess of $1500, due to its limited availability (the estimated number sold being only around 2000 stamps prior to withdrawal from sale). REFERENCES: Volume 11, Issue 4, page 7, 1963 Volume 12, Issue 2, pages 12, 1963 Volume 12, Issue 3, pages 11-12, 1963 Volume 12, Issue 4, pages 12, 1964 Volume 12, Issue 5, page 12, 1964 |
