San MarinoFirst Postage Stamp

Tiny state, two designs

On 1 August 1877, San Marino stepped into stamps. A tiny republic enclosed within the newly unified Kingdom of Italy, it had a modest, largely agricultural economy and relied heavily on external trade and postal routes. The first issue uses two designs. The 2 centesimi shows the value surrounded by ornaments, while all other values use the Three Towers coat of arms, like the one featured here. Later printings and colour changes are sometimes grouped alongside them, which can make the first issue appear larger than it really is. The coat of arms design is the one to watch. Not just for scarcity, but because it attracted some of the great names in philatelic forgery. Sperati, Oneglia and Fournier all produced imitations, some convincing enough to still cause hesitation today. Two designs marking the postal beginning of one of the world’s oldest republics, entirely enclosed within Italy.