Philately and numismatics
Philately and numismatics
Bourbon Philately and Numismatics
Bourbon Philately and Numismatics
Stamps
In the field of philately, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was also at the forefront in Italy; it was here that the introduction of the adhesive stamp was planned for the first time, as always under the reign of Ferdinand II [Information taken from V. RICCHIONI, La riforma postale del 16 luglio 1857 ed i francobolli del Regno di Napoli, in Unione Filatelica Lombarda, Selezione delle collezioni presentate all’Esposizione di Filatelia tradizionale, MonacoPhil2002, Milan, Rome 2002, p. 187. See also: Catalogne de l’Exposition des 100 Timbres et Documents Philateliques parmi les plus rares du monde, Principaute de Monaco].
However, throughout the seventeenth century, the royal palace, with its large “Largo di Palazzo,” was the beating heart of Neapolitan political and social life.
The first proposal was made to the King in 1841 by the architect Amy Autran, upon his return from a trip to England, where he had observed how the public had favorably accepted the introduction of the first stamps. Autran prepared some essays depicting the effigy of Ferdinand II crowned with laurel in an oval, designed by a certain Mr. Thomas and engraved by William Cave.
The essays were printed chalcographically in sheets of 15 specimens, while the printing was executed in black, slate-blue, olive green, and reddish brown. Unfortunately, due to bureaucratic delays, it was only in January 1857 that a Commission was appointed with the task of studying “all the improvements that it is necessary or useful to bring to the General Administration of the Royal Posts and Couriers.”
The Commission worked with great diligence, and on July 16, 1857, Ferdinand II’s decree on postal reform was issued, radically renewing the entire system.
It came into force on January 1, 1858, the day on which the first and only issue of the Kingdom was put into circulation:
The use of the stamp was mandatory for everyone and the rate was also uniform, regardless of the distance, although it varied in relation to the volume and weight of the letter.
“Furthermore, the principle of uniformity was considered fair, considering the postal tax in the dual aspect of reimbursement for a service performed by the State and an indirect tax weighing equally on all citizens; useful, because it would have brought an inevitable increase in revenue; and necessary, because, by simplifying the rates, it would have resulted in a very easy use for everyone” [RICCHIONI, ibid.].
The seven stamps were accused of being “monotonous,” but, on the contrary, they stood out from all others existing in Italy because each of them had a different frame. The chosen color for all was pink.
Coins
Upon the accession of Charles of Bourbon to the Throne of Naples in 1734, the basic monetary unit was the ducat [Information taken from: La monetazione napoletana da Carlo a Francesco II di Borbone (1734-1860), edited by M. PANNUTI, published by the Museo Gaetano Filangieri, Naples 1975.], a mass of silver weighing approximately 22 g and containing 9/10 fine silver and 1/10 alloy (copper). The ducat was divided into 10 carlini, each consisting of 10 grana, each of which was 12 cavalli.
The ducat also existed as a gold coin, although it had not been minted since 1649.
Coinage under Charles of Bourbon
Regarding gold coinage, as soon as he ascended the Throne, Charles continued the minting of small gold coins in Sicily, as in the past, while in Naples he preferred—given the very significant increase compared to the past in the ratio between gold and silver (1 to 14½)—to issue multiples of the gold ducat, namely the 2, 4, and 6 ducats, at a fineness of 21¾ carats, i.e., with about 906 thousandths fine.
The 6 ducats was also called the Neapolitan oncia, to distinguish it from the Sicilian once, as the latter had half the weight, and therefore the value, of the Neapolitan ones.
Gold coins were minted from 1749 to 1756.
For silver coinage, he continued the minting of large silver pieces: the piastre (25.61 g) with a value of 12 carlini, or 120 grana, and their half, where the motto “De Socio Princeps” (“From Ally to Sovereign”) can be read, a clear allusion to the fact that the Kingdom of Naples, formerly a “Habsburg viceroyalty” and “Spanish province,” had become with him an independent and sovereign nation in all respects.
These pieces, with a fineness of about 900 thousandths, were issued from 1734 to 1736. In 1747, a commemorative issue followed for the birth of the first-born son, Prince Philip: two artistic coins were minted—a piastra and a half piastra—bearing the jugate busts of Charles and Maria Amalia on the obverse and a seated woman holding a child with her right arm on the reverse; around the edge was the motto “Firmata Securitas,” to emphasize the certainty of the family’s continuation, and therefore the independence of the Kingdom.
Starting from the same year, until 1749, the minting of piastre and half piastre was resumed, bearing the inscription “De Socio Princeps,” while from 1750 they displayed the bust of the sovereign facing right.
It is also worth mentioning the carlini and half carlini with a value of 5 grana, popularly called “cingranella,” on which Abundance is depicted on the reverse in the act of scattering coins.
Finally, regarding copper coinage, the “pubblica” (or 3 tornesi), the grano (or 12 cavalli), the 9 cavalli, the tornese (or 6 cavalli), the 4 cavalli, and the 3 cavalli were minted.
The Coinage of Ferdinand IV
Given the very long reign of this sovereign, it is vast. There are three periods, based on the historical phases he lived through.
In the first (1759-1799), the longest, most peaceful, and wealthiest, Ferdinand continued the gold coinage started by his father, with the issue of 6, 4, and 2 ducat pieces with the same weight and fineness (21¾ carats) established by Charles.
Gold minting lasted until 1785 and was enormous, over 3 million pieces! The sovereign’s effigies are various and differ in position and age, from his childhood to maturity.
For silver coinage, the first coin was a half piastra from 1760, also called “pupillare” (Ferdinand was only 9 years old). Then came two youthful piastre (1766 and 1767), then one from 1772 commemorating the birth of the first-born Maria Theresa, in which the obverse shows the jugate busts of Ferdinand and Maria Carolina, and, on the reverse, a seated woman holding an infant on her knees; in the background, the Sebeto, Vesuvius, and the sea with a ship; around the edge, the motto “Fecunditas.”
Given the very long reign of this sovereign, it is vast. There are three periods, based on the historical phases he lived through.
In the first (1759-1799), the longest, most peaceful, and wealthiest, Ferdinand continued the gold coinage started by his father, with the issue of 6, 4, and 2 ducat pieces with the same weight and fineness (21¾ carats) established by Charles.
Gold minting lasted until 1785 and was enormous, over 3 million pieces! The sovereign’s effigies are various and differ in position and age, from his childhood to maturity.
For silver coinage, the first coin was a half piastra from 1760, also called “pupillare” (Ferdinand was only 9 years old). Then came two youthful piastre (1766 and 1767), then one from 1772 commemorating the birth of the first-born Maria Theresa, in which the obverse shows the jugate busts of Ferdinand and Maria Carolina, and, on the reverse, a seated woman holding an infant on her knees; in the background, the Sebeto, Vesuvius, and the sea with a ship; around the edge, the motto “Fecunditas.”
Two other commemorative piastre were minted in 1791, in memory of the trip to Austria made by the Sovereigns who had accompanied the two princesses Maria Theresa and Maria Luisa, future brides of the Archdukes of Austria Francis and Ferdinand, sons of Grand Duke Leopold.
The first, rarer, presents the jugate busts of the sovereigns on the obverse, and, on the reverse, the Sebeto and Parthenope in the act of sacrificing on an altar; in the background, Vesuvius, around the edge, the motto “Pro Fausto Reditu P.P. Vota Soluta” (the vows fulfilled for the return of the sovereigns).
The second presents the same obverse, but, on the reverse, there are 4 zodiac signs (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, and Capricorn), namely those of the months following the departure of the sovereigns.
These two piastre, like all subsequent ones (piastre, half piastre, ducats and half ducats, tarí and carlini) were minted at a fineness of 833/1000, meaning they contained 5/6 fine silver and 1/6 alloy: they were therefore less “pure” than the previous ones.
Before the events of 1799 (the flight of the Court from Naples to Palermo due to the Napoleonic invasion that led to the Parthenopean Republic) there was an issue of piastre with the date 1799, an issue resumed in July upon the return of the sovereigns to Naples.
As for copper, the issue established by Charles was continued; in addition, in the 1790s, three new coins, multiples of the grano, were minted: the 10 tornesi (5 grana), 8 tornesi (4 grana), and the 5 tornesi.
In the second phase of his Reign (July 1799-1806), Ferdinand began by striking silver piastre with the dates 1799, 1800, and 1802, and then 1804 (extremely rare); finally in 1805, he minted an artistic piastra and a half piastra. For copper, he suspended the 10, 8, and 5 tornesi, and struck the 3 and 2 grana coins, i.e., the 6 and 4 tornesi with the effigy of the Sovereign, as well as the grano of 1800 [“Coin of exceptional rarity,” as Pannuti defines it (Ibid., p. 10)], the 9, 4, and 3 cavalli.
The coins of 1805 were the last to bear the mint master’s initials.
Finally, in the third and last part of his reign (after the fall of Murat), Ferdinand immediately had a beautiful piastra, a charming carlino, and an elegant and rare half piastra minted.
In copper, an 8 and a 5 tornesi were minted in 1816 “of much more refined workmanship, valuable in design, engraving, shape, and weight” [Ibid., p. 11].
With the unification of the two Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily into a single Kingdom (“Of the Two Sicilies”), a law was published on 20/IV/1818 which abolished the legal ratio between the coins in the three metals, and which established the silver ducat as the basic unit of the monetary system, corresponding to 22.94 g at a fineness of 833/1000, i.e., with 5/6 fine silver and 1/6 alloy. Future gold coins would only have fiduciary value and were to be minted with almost pure gold, specifically at a fineness of 996/1000. The nominal value of the coins introduced by the Parthenopean Republic and by Murat was also recognized. Three beautiful pure gold coins were then minted for the first time.
For silver coinage, there were mintings of piastre, a half piastra, a very rare tarí, and a carlino: all bore the date 1818 in memory of the aforementioned law.
In copper, the 10 tornesi or 5 grana [“Large and beautiful coin.” Ibid., p. 12.], the 8, 5, 4 tornesi, and the tornese were issued, with very rare variants.
The Coinage of Francis I
The gold coinage of ducats continued: 30, 15 (extremely rare), 6, and 3. The 6 and 3 show the winged Bourbon genius on the reverse.
In silver, the piastra, half piastra, tarì, and carlino were minted.
In copper, the 10 and 5 tornesi and the tornese, to which he added the grano after 25 years.
The Coinage of Ferdinand II
His coinage is vast: he had gold coins (56), silver coins (125 including piastre, half piastre, tarì, carlini and, from 1836, he also added the half carlino), and copper coins (7 including 10, 5, 3, 2 tornesi and the tornese and half tornese) minted in almost every year of his reign, and he also added the minting of other denominations to those issued by his ancestors.
The Coinage of Francis II
In his very short reign, he did not mint gold coins, partly due to the exasperating slowness in the engraving work by the mint masters, but only 2 in silver (the piastra and the tarì) and the 10 and 2 tornesi in copper.
During his exile in Rome, he wanted to continue minting to reaffirm his sovereignty: he produced 10 tornesi pieces that showed slight differences from those of the past.
As M. Pannuti states, “These pieces, although they are counterfeits, cannot be considered fakes, as they were issued by the sovereign, albeit deposed” [Ibid., p. 13].
