Letter and Stationery cards
During RSI period, were also overprinted letter and stationery cards belonged at former Italian Kingdom. Below are some examples of this overprint.
Stationery
Pictures above show stationery cards, belonged at the former Italian Kingdom, issued on August 1942 and overprinted by new Republican symbols. These stationery cards were overprinted to celebrate the birth of Republican National Guard on January 1944 in Brescia. The overprint hits the effigy of Vittorio Emanuele III, while 11 row, blacok or red inked, erased the Savoy badge. A complemantary stamp of 20 cent. is present on the stationery showed at right. These cards, were overprinted exclusively in Brescia and distributed to citizen postal offices only. Only 90,000 items per type were issued, then used and dispersed. These cards are very scarce if delivered, interesting items if not-used.
The two stationery cards showed on image above, are interesting if not used, especially the card on left. If delivered, the stationery of 15 cent ( at left ) is very scarce, common is the 30 cent. on the right. These cards were overprinted in Rome and in Verona on January 1944. The overprint hit the effigy of Vittorio Emanuele III with inscription " Repubblica Sociale Italiana " and another overprint hit Savoy badge with fasces.
Very scarce is the stationery card above showed. This card was overprint in Verona on February 1944. This card is very very scarce if delivered.
Cards above showed are the only issue printed by RSI authorities with own characters. The cards show the effigy of Giuseppe Mazzini, an important italian patriot. This stationery is very common, also delivered. First overprint of this stationery, was in Novara on July, 11 1944.
The two cards showed above, were overprinted on January 1945 by a black fasces to hit Savoy badge on the center of card. The overprint consisted in fasces on Savoy badge. They are very scarce if not used, but almost unobtainable if delivered.
The cards on the picture above is similar at precedent , but more rare because red ink.
We have not much information on the four very scarce cards above showed. Only a few amount were sold in Padua ( Northern Italy ) and, maybe in Triest. The overprint was, supposedly, executed in a place of East - Veneto. These cards were certainly issued for speculative purposes.
This card, was issued on 1940 to deliver postage for Albania and Oriental Italian Africa. This card was called " Empire ". The stock not sold, during RSI period, was overprinted in Verona on November 1944. It is a rarity if not used, unobtainable if delivered.
Letter - cards
These letter cards, were overprinted by Republican National Guard, like the stationery cards showed at the top of this page. Like the stationery, these letter-cards were overprinted on January 1944, but I am not sure that this overprint was executed by the same typograpy who overprints the stamps of GNR in Brescia.Only 12,000 items per type were issued but a very few is the amount survived. These letter-cards were declared out of validity since August, 14 - 1944.
The overprint of letter-cards above showed, was executed in Verona, but they were are distributed in all the place of Lombardy, but I am not sure that these letter-cards were not overprinted in other cities. These items are very interesting if not used, very rare if certainly delivered. I don't know the date of this issue, but I think these letter-cards were overprinted since the Avril 1944.
To bypass the Ministry disposition who declared expired all letter-cards with not-overprinted effigy of Vittorio Emanuele III since August, 15 1944, somebody used pens and pencils to overprint handly some letter-cards. This enterprise was beared in same cases, not in others.The letter-card above showed, is a sample of this enterprise.
The letter-card above showed was printed, under authorization of the Ministry of Communications, by a private typography located in Lodi ( close Milan ) to exclusive use of the Ministry of Finances located in Brescia. This service-module is not catalogued and, despite an issue of 100,000 exemplars, it is not known if this letter-card was regularly sent. Anyway It is a service-module extremely rare also if not sent. The most of these letter-cards were destroyed after the end of war and only a little amount were used and lost like little corrispondance between the several local Financial Offices.
Rarer than the previous letter-card, is this service- module issued, under authorization of the Ministry of Communications, to exclusive use of the Ministry of Justice located in Brescia. Only 5,000 exemplars were issued on February 1944. This Letter-card was issued by the State Polygraphic and the exemplar above showed was regularly sent.
