France - Ancient Italian States 1855 - Envelope Paris →...

France - Papal States, October 1855. A splendid fully addressed letter sent from Paris and addressed to the Hotel de Russie in Albano, near Rome, during the period of the Papal States. The dispatch is franked for 1 Franc using a combination of Second French Empire values depicting Napoleon III, consisting of the 20 centimes blue and the 80 centimes carmine, both cancelled with a French lozenge numeral. Particularly important is the presence on the front of the clear red linear imprint "VIA DI MARE", a mark applied in Rome to identify mail arriving by sea transport. This marking, introduced in 1852, is one of the most sought-after elements of Papal postal history. The Saxon Catalogue 2026 assigns this mark a score of 8 points, with a specific reference quotation of €1,100. The letter thus documents the international route between France and the Papal States through the Mediterranean sea-communication system, probably entering via the port of Civitavecchia and subsequently forwarded to Rome and Albano. On the back is preserved the original red cardinal heraldic seal, accompanied by the handwritten annotation "Cardinal Wiseman's writing", an element that adds further historical-documentary interest to the set. Lot value €1500 Tracked shipping

Estimate:$191.03

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