Lot 20404 – 1943 (Dec 15) Cover from Zara, rare 30c pair and last day of opening of the P.O.

1943 (Dec 15) Cover from Zara to Auronzo (Italy), bearing first issue 30c vertical pair (slight peripheral tone spots), tied by « Zara/Arrivi e Partenze » cds, repeated alongside, with German « Ueberprueft » censorship’s straight line (occasionally and rarely applied on Zara’s envelopes -not postcards- during the occupation) and accompanying « 19 » censor’s mark, backstamped on arrival on 27.2; the single rate was overpaid by 10c, probably due to a lack of availability of the required value/s. An extremely rare usage as a result of the following features: the scarce censorship handstamp, the most unusual 60c franking on non-philatelically inspired correspondence, and of even more importance, a mail dispatched on the last day of service of the Zara post office -just three travelled items recorded-, as the P.O. building was already bombarded on 28 November, and it was again hit by the bombs one day after this mail was sent, on 16 December.