Italian Dependencies and Occupation Issues of Postage Stamps

The collapse of the Austrian forces on the Piave at the end of October 1918 was followed by the Italian occupation of the Trentino district. Stocks of Austrian stamps were seized and overprinted by Signor Sieser of Trente on behalf of the occupying forces. The overprint signifies ‘Kingdom of Italy – Trentino’ and the date is that of the Italian occupation. Stamps are known with double or inverted overprint and the 5, 10 and 20h values have been recorded with the error of ‘8’ instead of ‘3’ in the date.

The Austrian overprints were quickly superseded by contemporary Italian stamps overprinted ‘Venezia Tridentina’, this being the alternative name for Trentino. The stamps were originally released without surcharge, but in January 1919 the 5, 10 and 20c stamps were overprinted for use in Venezia Tridentina and surcharged with the corresponding heller values. Though this overprinting was carried out at Rome it bristled with errors; missing letters and numerals and others inserted by hand at a subsequent operation.

A general issue superseded the separate issues of Venezia Tridentina and Venezia Giulia in February 1919. Italian stamps from 1c to 1l were surcharged in centesimi de corona, the former Austrian krone currency being retained in this new guise. These stamps were for general use throughout all the liberated areas, though subsequently Dalmatia issued its own surcharged series.