OPUS 25
Details
Summary :
OPUS is AEP's flagship yearly publication. This 2025 edition is devoted to the Italian speaking countries, with 18 articles, summaries of which can be seen below:
1) Savoy, the ancestral home of the Kings of Italy. Postal history to UPU
Simon Richards
The author follows the historical development and postal history of Savoy from the 17th century until France joined the UPU in 1876. Each step of this eventful history is illustrated by numerous letters, analysed with precision and clarity.
2) Retombées de l’annexion de l’Agogna par la République cisalpine
Francis Kinard
The author describes the political and economic problems resulting from the creation of the department of Agogna in 1800, following General Bonaparte’s victories in northern Italy. Each step of the decisions taken by Napoleon, who became emperor in 1804, to resolve these problems is illustrated by rare documents and fine letters from that period.
3) Les relations postales entre l’Empire francais et le Royaume napoléonien d’Italie (1805-1814)
Marco Panza
The author presents an in-depth study of the postal relations between France and the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy throughout the First Empire. The various postal conventions, which set the rates, are analysed and illustrated with a large number of letters from France to Italy and vice versa. These illustrations are always accompanied by a caption explaining the rates used and the postmarks affixed.
4) Le “Risorgimento” (1792-1849) et l’unification italienne (1849-1870)
Guy Coutant
The author surveys the turbulent history of Italy between 1792 and 1870. After the Napoleonic era, successive insurrections and several wars finally resulted in Italian unification. Each stage of this long historical development is clearly illustrated by a large number of commemorative postage stamps.
5) Tuscany and the Indian Peninsula. From Grand Duchy to GPU / UPU
Vittorio Morani
The author reviews the postal relations between Tuscany and the Indian Peninsula in the third quarter of the 19th century. He provides an in-depth analysis of the routes, rates, frankings and cancellations of the very rare and fascinating items that illustrate his article.
6) La Compagnia Italiana Transatlantica 1852-1858. Postal history of a one year’s postmark
James Van der Linden, RDP
The author, a great specialist in transatlantic maritime postal history, describes the first connection between Italy and South America: the “Compagnia Italiana Transatlantica”, which was set up in Genoa in 1852, but was forced to cease operations in 1857. He shows us several letters with the mark “Vapori transatl.”.
7) The Sardinian Defense of Piedmont: April 29 to June 2, 1859
Steven Walske, RDP
This article traces the Kingdom of Sardinia’s defense of its Piedmont province against an Austrian invasion in April-June 1859, as illustrated by letters posted at the military post offices of the combatants. This was the first step of the 1859 Franco-Sardinian-Austrian War.
8) The application of the additional tax (Zufaxe) on unfranked or insufficiently franked letters in Austria / Lombardy-Venetia and in the States of the Austro-Italian League, 1850-1859
Angelo Teruzzi
Following the first issue of Austrian postage stamps on June 1, 1850, Austria introduced a tax for unfranked or insufficiently franked letters (“Zutaxe”). After the creation of the Austro-Italian Postal League, this tax was also introduced in the Duchies of Modena and Parma, in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and in the Papal States. The author explains all the rates applicable to this tax and presents many letters with the “Zutaxe”.
9) The postal relation between the Duchy of Parma and Spain
Lorenzo Carra
This time it is easy for the author to present an article about Italy in this OPUS: it is the country where he was born and lives. He took the opportunity to choose a difficult, local topic: the postal relations between the small duchy of Parma and Spain. The few letters presented, the result of long research, are the only ones known between Parma and Spain.
10) Érythrée : l’ensemble des oblitérations BAIA DI ASSAB
Bruno Crevato-Selvaggi, RDP & Piero Macrelli
The authors present the history of the town of Assab in Eritrea during the early years of the Italian rule. They show us all the very rare known documents (eleven in all: six letters, four fragments and one postage stamp) bearing the BAIA DI ASSAB postmark, used between 1881 and 1884.
11) ADWA / History of the Italian Expeditionary Corps postal organisation during the first Italo-Abyssinian War of 1895-1896
Paolo Bianchi, RDP
The author presents an extremely in-depth study of the Italo-Abyssinian war of 1895-1896. He describes the postal organisation of the Italian expeditionary corps and gives us a complete picture of all Italian correspondence during this war.
12) Timbres “italiens" - timbres francais : quelques compositions avant 1900
Francis Carcenac
The author shows us twenty-eight 19th-century letters with mixed frankings: French stamps alongside Italian stamps (Papal States, Kingdom of Sardinia and Kingdom of Italy). Each letter is analysed in-depth in terms of its route, rate, franking and cancellations.
13) The development of mail services in Italy for early exhibitions, congresses and other events, from 1871 to WWI
Paolo Guglielminetti
The author describes the first cancellations and postmarks used in Italy to illustrate exhibitions, congresses and other cultural, sporting and scientific events. Very fine items, some of them extremely rare and even unique, are shown to illustrate this outstanding collection.
14) International Mail via the Italian “Cambio coll’estero” offices, 1889-1891
Paul Wijnants
The author explains how registered and insured mail from abroad was handled in Italy by the ‘Cambio coll’estero’ offices between 1889 and 1891. He shows the guidelines issued by the Italian postal administration on this subject and illustrates the whole with numerous letters.
15) Mozambique World War II: Mail from the Italian ship Gerusalemme in Lourenço Marques
Luís & Eduardo Barreiros
The Italian ship Gerusalemme, which was anchored in Durban, fled in haste from South Africa to Mozambique when Italy entered the war on June 10, 1940. At Lourenço Marques, the crew were detained and considered “civilian internees”. The authors present and analyse eight letters sent by crew members to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva.
16) Postal History of Italian Military Peacekeeping Missions Abroad
Claudio E.M. Manzati
The author analyses the different ways in which the postal service operated in the many Italian military missions abroad, which began after the Second World War with Somalia and Korea. Above all, the author shows us fine documents and rare letters from the missions in Bosnia and during the Gulf War.
17) L’occupation italienne de Menton (1940-1943). Présentation et étude des cachets postaux sur la correspondance civile
Giampaolo Guzzi
The author reviews the postal history of the city of Menton during the Italian occupation from 1940 to 1943. He presents a comprehensive study of the many Italian postmarks used on the civilian mail of the city during this period. Numerous examples, each accompanied by clear and precise explanations, illustrate this study.
18) Charles et Emilio Diena. Deux noms illustres de la philatélie internationale
Emilio Simonazzi
The author presents the biography of two famous names in Italian and international philately: Charles and Emilio Diena. The former was one of the pioneers of the philatelic trade, while the latter is above all renowned as an expert. This article is accompanied by numerous examples of correspondence of these two eminent philatelists.
Return to the list of works