Lot 60605 – Cisappennino Modenese, a unique item sent abroad with postal fraud and very rare Sardinia 10c+20c (2) franking

Cisappennino Modenese. Sardinia 10c, just touched at top left, otherwise large margins, and two examples of 20c, barely clipped at top, otherwise large margins, paying the single weight to France according to the Franco-Sardinian Convention (14.6.1859) on May 1860 folded cover from Sassuolo, tied by six-bar handstamps in blue with matching ornate “SASSUOLO” and framed “P.D.” postmarks at left, French red entry cds below, Italian and french transits on reverse; the 20c in centre exhibiting a previously struck cds of Sardinia dated January 1860, being successfully used to fraud the post; a unique item featuring the following important characteristics in this provisional territory: a very scarce mail sent abroad, one of the very few postal frauds known in all the Italian “Provisional Governments”, and the rare franking (unrecorded in the Sassone catalogue with this combination for the 50c rate); cert. Bottacchi (2021).