Postage stamps and postal history of San Marino
The postal history of San Marino can be traced to October 7, 1607, with the introduction of public postal services.[1] The republic’s postal needs were handled by a post office in nearby Rimini, Italy; the first San Marino post office opened in 1833.[1]
History
When postage stamps were introduced in the mid-19th century, San Marino signed a postal treaty with Italy to use Italian stamps for its mail.[1] On March 2, 1877, a new agreement was signed between the two countries that enabled San Marino to issue its own stamps.[2]
The first San Marino postage stamps were a definitive stamp edition consisting of two designs covering seven denominations.[3] The stamps, which depicted the Three Towers of San Marino at Monte Titano, were created by the design firm Fratelli Pellas in Genoa and the stamps were printed on Italian watermarked paper by the Officina Carta e Valori in Turin.[2] Commemorative stamp editions were introduced in 1894.[2]
Over the years, the attractive designs of San Marino’s stamps have been extremely popular with philatelists around the world.[4] It is estimated that 10% of the republic’s revenue is generated by the sale of its postage stamps to international collectors.[5]
List of people on stamps of San Marino
- Luciano Pavarotti, operatic tenor (2010)
- Andrea Palladio, architect (2008)
- Concetto Marchesi, freedom fighter (2008)
References
- 1 2 3 "120th Anniversary of the First Stamps of San Marino". Republicca di San Marino Azienda Autonoma di Stato Filatelica e Numistatica. 1997. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- 1 2 3 "Stamps San Marino, Philately San Marino". Il Portale della Repubblica di San Marino. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ↑ Fred J. Melville (1907). "The Postage Stamps of San Marino". The Connoisseur. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
- ↑ Thomas M. Eccardt (2005). Secrets of the Seven Smallest States of Europe. Hippocrene Books. p. 42. ISBN 0-7818-1032-9.
- ↑ Europe Review 2003/2004. Kogan Page Publishers. 2006. p. 313. ISBN 0-7494-4067-8.