Italian States Stamps

Now I think Asrakov's Sicily 1/2 Grana quiet possibly is authentic.The color and quality of the photo doesn't make it that easy and certainly does not show the quality of the printing.Nevertheless my conclusions
are the following:
1) 1st printing with the characteristic white spot below the nose.
2) The upper right corner is not squared as in the 2nd printing.
3) The colored lines under the center frame that extend out too the left
& right into the white margins are not as accentuated as in the
2nd printing.
First photo of Asrakov's stamp.
Second photo 1st printing (photo not great,but the spot is evident)
Third photo,a similar stamp with the white spot under the nose less accentuated.
Fourth photo,again the spot

There is a possibility that it is a retouched variety,No.91 in Sassone.Parts of the
R 1/2,especialy the small 2 which gives it a bloated appearance.The Cancel is most likely
forged.These stamps were always cancelled in an upright fashion,never masking the portrait.

Well;just some thoughts!

That is a great new, there is posibilities that is genuine or forgery, ill let that in an expertise to try to do certificate.
Thanks for all your information, my next step is to buy, download or get some expertising literature to learn more.
Thanks again.

If you could post a better photo of this stamp with it's true colors
it could make a big difference in the price.
Sassone lists orange,yellow orange,olive yellow,yellow brown,light
yellow,dark orange,& dark reddish orange(the most expensive)

Perf12, next week I will recibe a Macro Camera Objetive, I will make pictures and I will upload good pictures.
Very thanks again, and I tell you if you need help with spanish stamps you can tell me. Im not an expert, but I have two good friends importants experts arround spanis stamps and postal history.
Thanks.

Hello again, I dont control much the new camera yet, but maybe this picture is ok. I talked with two partners in my collectors club and sent images to an italian states expert, for now he tell is a 91 variety, light yellow and he think the postmark is original too, probably I will send the stamp to expertise. While I wait for your opinions too.

other image

Hi: Well that's a nice photo.If the color is that light yellow & the
cancel authentic it would be worth obtaining a certificate.Very
nice stamp.
Some additional links:
http://www.webalice.it/pasquale.ago..._Sicilia.pdf
http://www.ilpostalista.it/falsi/falsi013.htm

About the cancel (translation) link below:
We have already seen that a very peculiar system was adopted in the Kingdom of Naples to cancel the correspondence: the so-called "annulling" (see its in-depth study).
Since the Kingdom of Sicily was also part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, perhaps it did not want to be less ...
For this reason, the cancellation of the Sicilian stamps was executed with an original and elegant system: the so-called "horseshoe", so nicknamed for its shape.
As I mentioned the annulments of the Kingdom of Naples, complete the argument, also dealing with the cancellation of the Kingdom of Sicily.

Actually repeat Article 7 of Royal Decree of 29 November 1858 concerning the issue of "mail stamps": "In order for a used mail stamp to be used fraudulently for the second time, in the act of shipment of the letter or I use a black mark on the mail stamp according to the design approved by us. "
The "black mark" in the "design approved by us" is precisely the famous "horseshoe" nullification.
When the series of stamps with Royal Empress was made, it immediately seemed a "sacrilege" to detract from it with an oily stamp. For this reason, "to avoid such a case of so much irreverence," Minister Cassisi ordered to make the barrister Carlo La Barbera a stamp made so as not to affect the effigy of the king.
The canceling system is approved and the stamps are made: brass nullifies mounted on a handle: the postman had to stamp the stamp, be careful not to strike the sovereign effigy; that this has not always happened (indeed ...) is another thing!
The stamps were sent to the various Post Offices and differed for very small details: only an almost "manic" study can recognize them.
It can also be rarely found on stamps of the Kingdom of Naples or of the Neapolitan Provinces, on unsatisfied correspondence (Fig. 4-5).
Here's how the nullification, with its typical ornate (Figure 1), and how it was used on stamps (Figures 2 and 3).
http://www.antichistati.com/1024/appr/ap_33.htm

Are you implying that the application of the cancel here, across the King's face, indicates a fake cancel? That's been my concern from the start of this thread. The clerks received explicit instruction to frame the head with the cancel, not go across it. But I don't know if indicates a fake per se.

Perf12 have reason, ususally they follow the norm, but not allways, you look this examples.

No everybody love the king.

I personaly have doubts about the cancel also.Now Astrakov mentioned he had shown it to an expert in Italian stamps who said it could be an authentic cancel.
1) If someone was too go so far as too cancel a mint stamp in that
way; oblique, it would mean he did not know anything about the
practice of not covering the head, so it is a forgery. or..
2) At a certain epoque there was a certain animosity towads the Bourbon
Dynasty.Ferdinando II died on the 22 of may 1859 and was replaced by
Francesco II until sept. 7 1860.Thus one can imagine a postal clerk
who was pro Garibaldi and committed the sacrilege of the oblique
cancel thus showing off his discontentment...

Is posible, we will know soon. Now im going to open a new topic about some of my austrian newspaper stamps. Ill see you in next room.
Thanks for everything to all people that toke part in this post.

Interesting thread about something I know very little.
Concerning the cancel: If Italy was anything like Spain, then it is very conceivable that the postal employees didn't always follow their postal decrees. I know with the first issues of Spain, the Queens likeness was not suppose to be obliterated by the cancel, but rather it was suppose to be applied in such a way so as to "frame" her head/face, but this rarely ever happened.

im spanish too, and really is like that.
regards spain_1850.