ITALY - ITALIAN POST OFFICES ABROAD

1874 Folded cover with contents dated internally 19 March 1874, addressed to Genova, bearing a fine strike of the extremely rare SERVIZIO POSTALE ITALIANO / MONTEVIDEO Coat-of-Arms handstamp in blue, also "Con Bastim. Mercant" straightline below, taxed on arrival with 40c postage due (round corner), GENOVA 21 APR 74 arrival cds alongside

Only THREE examples recorded bearing this foreign P.O. marking

Expertise: cert. Diena

Estimate: ? 5'000 - ? 8'000 (Image)

ITALIAN COLONIES

1934 25 2L SERVICIO DI STATO airs from respectively Somalia, Eritrea, Cirenaica and Tripolitania, each on seperate official "Ministero delle Colonie" registered envelope addressed to either Rome or Mogadiscio, very fine and rare group

Expertise: cert. Colla

Estimate: ? 3'000 - ? 5'000 (Image)

OLYMPIC GAMES

1896 COMPLETE SET ON UNADDRESSED FIRST DAY COVER

1896 1 Lepta to 10 Drachmas complete set of all eleven value neatly and superbly tied on unaddressed envelope by ATHENS 8/25.MARCH.1896 cds of the first day of issues for the first set of the modern Olympic Games, some cover creases, showpiece

Estimate: ? 2'000 - ? 3'000 (Image)

1858 108 Parale blue on pink, extremely fine example, sharp impression in deep black, good to large margins all around, neatly tied by crisp "JASSY / MOLDOVA / 29.10" small double-circle cds in blue to complete registered entire addressed to Galatz, showing straight line blue "RECEPISSE" alongside, smearing of original registered number corrected, a stunningly colourful & beautiful example of this rarity on cover

Expertise: Signed Giulio Bolaffi, A.Bolaffi, A.Diena & S.Sorani
Certificates Giulio Bolaffi, A.Diena & Heimbüchler

Background: Heimbüchler census no. 404/10; of 30 recorded covers or fronts with this value, 14 have not been seen since 1950 and another one is in a museum

Provenance: John Lek, 1959
Tomasini, 1969

Estimate: ? 50'000 - ? 60'000 (Image)