From publicity envelopes to franked lettercards

We all know that advertising is the soul of commerce, now as ever. It’s no coincidence that our grandparents even used the postal system itself for advertising books, hotels, bed linen, beds, non-prescription drugs and confectionery.  Nevertheless, this choice was not without its critics, as proven by the demise of advertising stamps in 1925. Cast aside, invalidated, some of them made fun of (such as the “Have you tried it?” on the Abrador, instinctively associated with the stony profile of Victor Emanuel III) or never used in the postal service (such as the express stamp for the scandalous “Baci” chocolates by Perugina).

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The material up for auction is not the kind of thing you come across every day.

Whether it’s the groups of letters, making up around fifty lots overall, sent by the soldiers who were approaching Rome to conquer the city in 1870; or the block of four pale blue 15 centesimi without the “horseshoe” overprint (Sassone catalogue 25A, lot 592, starting price 40,000 euros). Or likewise, considerably fine documents from the Austrian Levant such as lot 180, franked with one Egyptian stamp and one from the Levant but sent through the French postal services in Alexandria (starting price 15,000 euros), or the blue 2 pence with Queen Victoria used as a block of four (lot 1040, 5000 euros) or as a strip of seven (lot 1039, 5000 euros).

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