ModenaFirst Postage Stamp

The value is clear, the spelling less so

In 1852, the Duchy of Modena issued its first stamps under Duke Francis V. A small Italian state, but already integrated into a wider postal network driven by trade, taxation, and the need to move correspondence across a fragmented peninsula. At the centre, the Eagle with Crown. Around it, value and the inscription “POSTE ESTENSI”, a reference to the ruling House of Este. Everything is printed in black on different coloured machine-made paper. And then… the typography. This issue is known for its errors. CNET instead of CENT (like the one shown here), alongside CENE, EENT, CEN.T, even CE 6T, just to name a few. The 5c, 10c and 40c exist with and without a dot after the value. The 15c and 25c only without. The 1 lira only with. You could joke about the typesetter having one too many glasses of limoncello… but really, this is early printing laid bare. Forgeries are plentiful, including deceptive Fournier productions. On genuine stamps, the bottom line doesn’t touch the side ornaments, and the line under “POSTE ESTENSI” stops short of the right frame. On Fournier forgeries, these lines are always continuous. The value is clear. The spelling never quite is.