Italian Aegean Island stamps year 1912 Italian Stamps Overprinted “Caso”

Italian Aegean Island stamps year 1912 Italian Stamps Overprinted “Caso” MNH (**)

In April 1912, following the Italo-Turkish War, Italy occupied the Dodecanese Islands (Aegean Islands). To establish postal services, Italian authorities overprinted existing Italian definitive stamps with the names of the individual islands, including “Caso” (the Italian name for Kasos). These stamps are known as “Italian Aegean Island stamps” and are highly sought after by philatelists.

The 1912 “Caso” Overprinted Stamps

• Issue Date: 1 December 1912
• Islands: Stamps were issued for 13 islands, each with the island’s name overprinted on standard Italian stamps. “Caso” refers specifically to the island of Kasos.
• Denominations: Each island, including Caso, received a set of seven values: 2c, 5c, 10c, 15c, 20c, 25c, and 50c.
• Design: The stamps used the contemporary Italian definitive designs, notably featuring King Victor Emmanuel III5.
• Overprint: The word “Caso” was overprinted in black or violet on the stamps5.
• Usage: Although each island had its own overprinted stamps, all were valid throughout the Italian-occupied Dodecanese.

Collecting Notes

The 5 centesimi value of Cos (another island) is noted as particularly scarce, but all early issues, including those for Caso, are collectible and sometimes command premium prices, especially in fine used condition

The 1912 Caso issue is considered part of the “Aegean Islands” or “Dodecanese” stamp series.

These overprints were produced for both postal use and philatelic interest; however, genuine postal usage is scarcer than mint or favor-canceled examples.