This Vatican City stamp issued in 1933 depicts the Vatican Gardens and the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. We think it has a “wish you were here” vibe, like a scene from an old travelogue. The Vatican Gardens date from the pontificate of Nicholas III (1277-1280). They are on a hill right behind St. Peter’s, and, according to travel guides, are some of the most beautiful gardens in Italy.

We liked the subtle spirituality of the picture very much. We’d been looking for vintage Catholic building images for our collection but hadn’t found any we liked until we found these. We cropped the perforation off of this one as the perforation made for a very wide border that took away from the picture.

Engraver F. Schrinbock designed the stamps. The Italian State Printing Works, Rome, produced the stamps using the recess printing process. They were used until 1947. source: Smithsonian.org

– 8.5 x 11" acid-free paper
– Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
– Cardboard backer
– Above story of the art
– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

** IMPORTANT ** There is about an inch-and-a-third of white space around the picture, so the image is smaller than the paper.


Thanks!
Sue & John