Longtime VPS member and prominent Vatican City stamp dealer, Dan Bayer of Penny Black Stamp Company, recently shared his perspectives on the year-plus of frustration and uncertainty those of us who love Vatican City stamp collecting have been experiencing. We are thankful to Dan for his views of the current state of affairs, his experiences in Rome during a recent visit to the Vatican, and his outlook for the future. The following is a verbatim presentation the VPS Website Team received from Dan on December 22:
Important to Note
The issues are NOT with the Vatican City Post Office, but with the CFN (Commercializzazione Filatelica e Numismatica or Philatelic and Numismatic Marketing) which controls sales of these items to collectors.
What is the current state for collectors to obtain Vatican City Stamps?
Stamps (including yearbooks) for collectors CAN ONLY BE PURCHASED ON-LINE. Registered collectors who live in an approved country for purchase (https://www.cfn.va/en/content/23-elenco-nazioni) may order stamps and coins from the CFN website (https://www.cfn.va/en/home.html). There are limits per issue (typically 30 to 60) which may be purchased on-line. Collectors and dealers may not purchase stamps in person. Only stamps for sending postcards/letters may be purchased and the limit is 10 per issue.
There is no longer a collector’s stamp booth outside St. Peter’s. The postal pavilion in St. Peters Square only sells souvenir covers and folders.
Orders to the USA seem to be delayed due to confusion concerning tariffs.
Commercial buyers (stamp dealers) have been unable to purchase more than the issue limits; as a result, an overwhelming majority of stamp dealers (including dealers in Rome) are unable to obtain philatelic items issued since October of 2024.
How did we get here?
On 30 April 2024, the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State issued the General Regulation on the Protection of Personal Data (Decree No. DCLVII). The Regulation covers processing of personal data (https://digitalpolicyalert.org/event/19901-adopted-general-regulation-on-the-protection-of-personal-data-decree-no-dclvii). As a result, the CFN closed temporarily in October 2024 with the intention to reopen before the end of the year (2024). After numerous delays, the CFN website came back on-line at the end of July 2025.
There has been no official explanation for the delays from the CFN.
It appears that a complete change of postal staff was made during the delays.
The Vatican State continued to issue stamps and coins during the CFN closure including Sede Vacante items.
How can I get Vatican City new issue stamps (including the 2024/2025 issues)?
(1) Register with the CFN website and order. Registration will request personal identification information (i.e. social security number, driver’s license, etc.) and photos holding the documents. Orders from US collectors made and paid in since July 2025 have not yet been received.
(2) Order from a dealer. However, since there is no procedure for dealers to order large quantities, only dealers outside the US ordering up to the limit or less per issue have been able to obtain stamps. Expect high prices (due to supply and demand issues). Check eBay Italy (www.ebay.it).
(3) Wait until the CFN has a procedure for supplying dealers or allows in-person dealer purchases. Dealers in the US will also have to wait for the tariff issues to be resolved.
Penny Black Stamp Company will continue to be your source for Vatican City philatelic items including the 2024 and 2025 issues. I will wait for the Vatican to announce a process for commercial buyers to purchase stamps.
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