Lot 20702 – The Italian Missions in the Far East and Siberia: The extraordinary Valter Astolfi assembly comprising 75 items

The Italian Missions in the Far East and Siberia: The extraordinary Valter Astolfi assembly comprising 75 items (some documents as well) on exhibition pages, dedicating an introductory section to the WWI Italian presence in China with the Marine Detachment (connected with the formation of the later missions in Siberia), featuring scarce items with the corresponding cds or postage-free cachet used in China in violet (two showing the cds, one with the interesting practice of applying part of the missing franking at the Ministry of Navy in Rome before consigning to the civilian post), the “Irredenti” Detachment in China with the rare “Distaccamento Italiani Irredenti” arc handstamp in various examples; it continues with the presence in Siberia featuring the “Redenta Legion” in Siberia with exceptionally rare items including one displaying “R.R. Poste/Legione/Redenta di Siberia/Comando” oval in conjunction with the “Legione Redenta di Siberia” circle (with coat of arms) handstamps -this unique item with both handstamps on front probably being the most spectacular and important one of the Italian presence in Siberia (another item is inlcuded but with one of the handstamps on reverse)-, the exceptional “Miss.Mil.Ital.Per-Prig.Irr.in.Russia” handstamp, mail from the Chief of the Italian Mission for P.O.W. in Russia, the most rare illustrated postcard of the “Battagliane Italiano Savoia” in Samara which was an irregular unit existing for a very short period, the very desirable and most unusual “Missione Militare Italiana in Siberia” hs with Savoyard coat of arms, various telegrams from Vladivostok sent by the Italian Mission in Siberia; it follows with the C.S.I.E.O. (Italian Expeditionary Corps in the Far East) and its route from Italy to Siberia via Egypt and Singapore arriving to Tientsin (four telegrams representing the three stages and one card from Egypt carried through the British military mail with “Comando tappa Italiana-Porto Said” cachet), mail from Tientsin before leaving for Siberia, mail in transit from Irkutsk with wonderful handstamps including very rare “Truppe Italiane Estremo Oriente/Comando 1° Battaglione” with Savoyard coat of arms and the three-line postage-free hs used in Kranojarsk probably on its first day of usage, fragment with an exceptional framed “Reggie Truppe Italiane/In/Estremo Oriente/6° Compagnia” arc handstamp used during the trip in the Trans-Siberian train, various examples of the illustrated military card “R.R. Truppe Italiane in Estremo Oriente” issued in Tientsin and Vladivostok, a label with Tientsin cds reading “This mail was damaged by fire and water in Great Northern train 27 near Monroe, Wash., on Jan. 7, 1919” attached to a letter by a soldier to his family with the purpose of demonstrating that the mail was not working regularly and suffered delays, most unusual incoming mail from Japan to the Mission in Krasnoyarsk, the extremely rare oval “RR. Poste Italiane/Corpo di Spedizione Italiano in Siberia” on two examples, the three-line postage-free handstamp of Vladivostok but with “in Estremo Oriente” instead of “Comando” in the third line, mail from Vladivostok with cachet of the Carabinieri (extremely scarce), the “13 Novembre 1918” illustrated postcard printed in Vladivostok, correspondence carried through the Russian post also with local Omsk issue or British censorship in Russia, late mail from China before the repatriation to Italy with rare cachets and illustrated postcards/cover, etc. The best assembly ever formed on the Italian presence in Siberia, enticed by some original photographs (ex Faccio), with viewing being highly recommended for a collection of great fascination and historical interest, featuring more aspects and postmarks around this subject than any other collection before. The Italian contingent in Siberia was one of the smallest and its mail is one of the scarcest of all the allies forces during the Civil War in Russia.