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 First Vatican Aerogramme (1950) On January 10, 1950, Vatican City issued its first aerogramme (shown above). For those not familiar with this form of postal stationery, think of it as an unfolded envelope. The inside of the piece is used for writing correspondence. The aerogramme contains a pre-printed indicia where one would normally place a stamp, so there is no need to buy and affix a stamp. Once completed, the aerogramme is folded and sealed and is ready for mailing. As the name suggests, the aerogramme was used to send the piece via airmail. When looking at the front of the aerogramme, one sees the postal indicia in the upper right-hand corner (providing for 55 lire of postage as represented by the blue pre-printed stamp). The page also bears the words AEROGRAMMA and PAR AVION ("By Air"). There are also watermark images of two airplanes and the dome of Saint Peter's Basilica. Note that there are no lines to write the receiving party's name and address and no diagonal lines across the page. There is some interesting history tied to the issuance of the first Vatican aerogramme. The motivation behind creating the aerogramme was the expected huge influx of visitors to the Vatican during the Holy Year of 1950. The aerogramme provided a convenient form of stationery for pilgrims to use to mail messages from the Vatican. In addition, the paper used for the aerogrammes is rather light, so it helped reduce the weight of mail to be shipped. In reviewing Vatican Notes articles regarding this aerogramme, some changes were made to it during subsequent printings. There were at least two, and possibly three, new editions of aerogramme (the Bolaffi catalog lists three versions). Changes included diagonal lines across the cover, the removal of the airplane and dome watermarks, the addition of lines for the writing of the receiver name and address and the inclusion of instructions for the sealing of the aerogramme (printed on the flaps). The references below provide some additional research into the differences seen with this item. The references also include a couple of Vatican Notes articles about aerogrammes in general. Here comes another personal connection for the author. One of the articles on aerogrammes was written by the late VPS member Albert Antonellis. As it turns out, Mr. Antonellis was a Boy Scout troop leader for my troop from Waltham, Massachusetts in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Unfortunately, I never knew he was a stamp collector back then, and particularly his interest in Vatican stamps. My brothers and I were already into stamp collecting by this time (I still have my Stamp Collecting Merit Badge). It was only after joining VPS in 2019 and reading some old editions of the Notes that I was able to make the connection. I regret I never had a chance to learn a bit about Vatican philately from Mr. Antonellis. As I have said before…so many connections! REFERENCES: |
