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<img height='275px' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1862.jpg'> 
160th Anniversary of the Founding of the Italian Red Cross 
Scott 1862 (2024)</center>
 			 			 			 			 			 			 			 			 			 
On June 15, 2024, Vatican City released a stamp celebrating the 160th Anniversary of the Italian Red Cross. The stamp was somewhat of a surprise since it came out after the usual quarterly stamp releases in May. The timing was perhaps due to the fact that the stamp was jointly released with Italy, the Republic of San Marino and the Sovereign Order of Malta. The stamps are a "grateful celebration" of the 160th anniversary of the Italian Red Cross which was founded on June 15th, 1864.
 
Why the celebration? The origins of the Red Cross can be traced back to the battle of Solferino, which took place in the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (now in Lombardy, Italy), in June of 1859. It was the allied French army, led by Napoleon III, against a combined Piedmont-Sardinian army, under the command of Victor Emmanuel II and the Austrian army, led by Emperor Franz Joseph I. It had about 300,000 soldiers fighting for what would significantly contribute toward the unification of Italy. However, the huge suffering of wounded soldiers left on the battlefield moved the Swiss humanitarian Jean-Henri Dunant to advocate for the establishment of the Geneva Conventions and the creation of the International Red Cross in 1863. Following the battle of Solferino, various national Red Cross societies were created, including the Italian Red Cross, which was founded in Milan on June 15, 1864, by Dr. Cesare Castiglioni under the name “Committee of the Italian Association for Relief to the Wounded and Sick in War.” The Italian Red Cross continues to be a part of the world’s largest humanitarian network.
 
This is the second Vatican City issue honoring the work of the Red Cross. Sixty years earlier, a three-stamp set was issued to honor the centennial of the International Red Cross:
 
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<img height='275px' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/392.jpg'>
<img height='275px' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/393.jpg'>
<img height='275px' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/394.jpg'> 
Centennial of the International Red Cross 
Scott 392-394 (1964)</center>
 
The 2024 stamp was issued as a mini-sheet of four stamps; there is also a nice first-day postmark. Both the stamp and the postmark contain the Red Cross motto “Ovunque per chiunque” ("Everywhere for everyone"). Here are images of the special postmark for the new Red Cross stamp, as well as the mini-sheet. The names of the four issuing postal administrations are listed in the border surrounding the stamps:
 
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<img height='225px' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/cancels/images/00713.jpg'> 
160th Anniversary of the Italian Red Cross: Special Postmark
 
<img height='325px' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1862M.jpg'> 
160th Anniversary of the Italian Red Cross: Mini-Sheet</center>
 
References 
<li> <a href='https://www.vaticanstate.va/images/pdf/servizio-obliterazioni/comunicati-2024.pdf'>Francobollo e annullo postale speciale die emissionis 160° anniversario della fondazione della Croce Rossa Italiana</a>, Città del Vaticano, 15 giugno 2024, Comunicato 27/2024 (Vatican Postal Announcement 05794/2024), pp. 45-46 
<li>Wikipedia, <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Solferino'> Battle of Solferino</a> 
<li>Encyclopedia Britannica, <a href='https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Solferino'>Battle of Solferino</a> 
<li>Order of Malta Poste Magistrali, <a href='https://postemagistrali.orderofmalta.int/en/news/postage-stamp-for-the-italian-red-cross-160-years-of-history/'>A postage stamp for the Italian Red Cross: 160 years of history</a>

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