20 centesimi used with CORFU postmark dated 25th September 1923.
Sassone 4.
50 centesimi.
Sassone 6.
Italian Occupation of Austrian Territories <<-- : -->> San Marino
On the 27th August 1923 three Italian Officers were killed in an ambush near the Albanian-Greek border, as a result of which Mussolini ordered the occupation of Corfu, which took place on August 31st.
An Italian Post Office was opened on 11th September. The first set of stamps overprinted CORFU arrived on 20th September.
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20 centesimi used with CORFU postmark dated 25th September 1923.
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50 centesimi.
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Three further stamps overprinted in Greek currency arrived on 24th September. The third stamp was 2.40 drachma on 1 lire.
25 lepta on 10 centesimi.
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1.20 drachma on 50 centesimi.
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The Post Office closed at midday on 26th September 1923, having only remained open that morning for the despatch of mail. The office had been open for 15 days.
Three further values arrived on the day that the Post Office closed, so were never issued. They eventually became available for sale at the postal ministry in Rome.
Italian troops left Corfu on 27th September 1923 after an occupation of just 28 days.
Unissued 70 lepta on 30 centesimi.
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As to used copies of these stamps, many have forged postmarks, but it is known that the Corfu canceller was applied to hundreds of stamps before the Post Office closed.
I acknowledge that the bulk of this information was gleaned from an article by Mario Chesne Dauphine first published in Storia Postale in October 2005 and translated by John Phipps into English for the Fil-Italia of Autumn 2007 published by the Italy and Colonies Study Circle.
Italian Occupation of Austrian Territories <<-- :
-->> San Marino
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