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As a follow-up to yesterday's Daily Email, which looked at the release of the first set of Vatican City Prisoner of War stamps, today's email reviews at all three sets, and presents some interesting facts tied to each. During World War II, from 1942 through 1945, Vatican City released three sets of stamps to publicize the efforts of Pope Pius XII on behalf of prisoners of war. All stamps in the three sets shared the same design, with the differences between the three sets being discussed in this brief review. The design on the stamps depicts the “Compassionate Christ” looking on the multitudes. The stamps were designed by Giuseppe Rondini and bear the image of a passionate Jesus Christ looking down on a gathering of war victims. Above Christ's image is the banner 'Flagrante Bello Misereor Svper Tvrbam' ('I Have Compassion on the Multitudes'). Each set consisted of three stamps with three different denominations. FIRST SET. The first Prisoner of War set was issued on September 1, 1942, and consisted of three stamps with values of 25 and 80 centesimi, and 1.25 lire. The stamps are colored blue-green (25 cent), chestnut-brown (80 cent) and blue (1.25 lira), with the bottom of the stamp frame bearing the inscription for the year, “MCMXLII” (1942): 
 First Prisoner of War Issue Scott 77-79 (1942) SECOND SET. On February 14, 1944, a second issue of the Prisoner of War stamps was placed on sale. The designs, values, and colors are identical to those of the first issue. The one difference from the first set is the identification of the year, with the inscription "MCMXLIII" (1943) along the bottom of the frame: 
 Second Prisoner of War Issue Scott 84-86 (1944) THIRD SET. The last set was issued on September 12, 1945, the release date actually following the conclusion of the war. This last Prisoner of War issue differs from the first two in a few aspects. For this set, the denominations were 1, 3, and 5 lire to conform with the revised postal rates. The colors of the stamps also changed: the 1 lire is colored green, the 3 lire is carmine, and the 5 lire is blue. As with the previous tow sets, the date line for the series is unique and reads “MCMXLIV” (1944): 
 Third Prisoner of War Issue Scott 99, 100a and 101 (1945) Look closely at the 3 lire stamp shown above. It is an example of a variety from the 1945 set where the image of Christ is omitted (identified as Scott 100a). One other “controversy” regarding the Prisoner of War sets surrounds the release date of the 1943 set. Some sources list the release date as January 31, 1944 (most importantly the "Acta" released by Vatican City announcing the stamp set). However, other references (such as the Scott catalogue) list the first day of issue as February 14, 1944. The first day cover below bears the February 14, 1944 date. The review by Dr. Nils Rundqvist in the References below provides evidence regarding this discrepancy. REFERENCES: |
