Italy postage stamps year 1921 – 25 Posta pneumatica set

Italy postage stamps year 1921 – 25 Posta pneumatica set MNH

The 1921–1925 Italy Posta Pneumatica (Pneumatic Post) set consists of special stamps used to pay for the rapid mail transport via underground pneumatic tube networks in cities like Rome, Milan, and Turin. These stamps are distinct from regular postage and were required for pneumatic dispatch within local post office systems.

Key features of the 1921–25 set:

• Purpose: Payment for local pneumatic mail tube system (supplementary to regular postage)
• Designs: Early issues from 1921 featured King Victor Emmanuel III; later issues depicted figures such as Dante Alighieri and Galileo Galilei.
• Typical denominations: Initially, issues included values like 10c, later expanding as rates and designs changed
• Issue details:
  • Overprints on obsolete stamps to meet new rates
  • Successive design changes and additional denominations as the system and rates evolved between 1921 and 1925
• Validity: Most issues of this type remained valid for postal use until June 1927 (some until December 1935 for subsequent reissues)

The earliest 1921 issue typically features a portrait of King Victor Emmanuel III, while some later stamps show prominent Italian intellectual figures. Collectors often distinguish the set by catalog numbers or by referencing notable design types and overprint varieties.