There is a miniature universe encapsulated in stamps: symbols, franking, combinations, cancellations, papers, and perforations. Details that may seem minor at first glance, yet to the eyes of a collector, hold entire worlds and determine the value of an entire collection.
With this perspective in mind, Il Ponte Auction House’s Stamps Department is proud to present an exceptional offering on 10 and 11 June 2025: the Annamaria Collection—a previously unseen collection making its debut on the market, and standing out as a truly unique ensemble for its quality, coherence, and historical depth.
This auction promises to be one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year, featuring a selection that embodies philately in its most classic and scholarly form: items of extraordinary rarity that combine technical precision, historical allure, and aesthetic charm. The undisputed star is Lombardy-Venetia, the beating heart of Austro-Italian postal history between 1850 and 1866, examined through a lens that is both philological and deeply passionate. A corpus assembled with method and sensitivity, in line with the highest standards of traditional collecting, where rarity is always paired with excellence.
The top lot of the sale is the celebrated cover from Constantinople to Rome - Papal States (lot 269, estimate € 50,000 - 70,000), a masterpiece of combination and absolute rarity, franked with various examples from the Austrian Levant. This item illustrates a key episode in 19th-century postal history: the establishment of foreign post offices by major empires—like the Ottoman Empire—to compensate for inadequate local services.
Lot 269
LOMBARDY-VENETIA 1869 (15 May)
Austrian Levant - Turkey
Envelope from Constantinople to Rome (Papal States),franked for 345s. with 5s. rose D.9½, 15s. brown D.9½, five examples of the 25s. lilac and four from the 50s. brown, and on the reverse for additional registered rate, a 10s. blue (small tear), all with coarse print.
Estimate € 50,000 - 70,000
Other notable highlights include a letter from Milan to Venice (lot 184, € 40,000 - 60,000), bearing a mixed franking of the first and second issues, sent on the very last day it was legally permitted to use both types of stamps together. A philatelic document of extraordinary rarity, further authenticated by certifications from the foremost experts in the field.
Also of great significance is the rare 30c brown with St Andrew’s Crosses (lot 57, € 20,000 - 25,000), which showcases the seldom-seen print compensations applied to sheets with missing stamps, a detail that marks the difference, for seasoned collectors, between a common piece and a true gem worthy of study.
Lot 184
LOMBARDY-VENETIA 1858 (31 Dec.)
Mixed Frankings - I & II Issue
Letter with text from Milan to Venice, franked for (45c.) with 3 examples of the 5c. ochre yellow, 1 issue and 10s. brown, type I, 2 issue.
Estimate € 40,000 - 60,000
Lot 57
LOMBARDY-VENETIA 1850
I Issue - St. Andrew's Cross
30c. dark brown, type II
One of the two known examples with an integral "St. Andrew's Cross" occupying position n. 16 among the greatest rarities, among the "St. Andrew's Crosses", in the Sassone catalogue.
Estimate € 20,000 - 25,000
One of the most captivating aspects of philately lies in those pieces that tell stories of tricks, loopholes, and small subversions: ingenious—and at times bold—attempts to circumvent or exploit the official postal system. One such case is the extremely rare 50-cent fiscal stamp from Lombardy-Venetia, used as a postage stamp and known in only two examples with postal cancellations (lot 194, estimate € 10,000 - 15,000). Equally fascinating is a letter sent in 1857 from Milan to Livorno, franked with three contemporary 15-cent counterfeit stamps, an emblematic example of the creativity that, with cunning, challenged the rules of the time (lot 125, estimate € 6,000 - 8,000).
Lot 194
LOMBARDY-VENETIA 1854
Fiscal Stamps Used for Postal Purposes
50c. green and black with intaglio characters).
Estimate € 10,000 - 15,000
Lot 125
LOMBARDY-VENETIA 1857 (28 Dec.)
I Issue - Postal Forgeries - Milan
Folded letter with text from Milan to Leghorn, franked for 45c. with three examples of the 15c. light carmine rose, type I.
Estimate € 6,000 - 8,000