Certainly the most elusive Greek stamp. A colour variety of the 1871 40 lepta printed in the lilac-rose shade of the control figures, instead of the typical rose-bistre or yellow-bistre shades of the same printing.
It was named “Solferino” after the bloody battle of 1859, between the Franco-Sardinian troops and the Austrian army.
Thirteen copies seem to have survived to date, all used; one on cover and one on fragment; two of the lot formerly a pair, at some time separated, and only in 2018 side by side in the same collection again! All the stamps are cancelled by the Piraeus p.o. dotted “2” or the corresponding c.d.s.
Unique plate positions confirmed by independent scholars and a mere three dates detected on the postmarks (12-14 July 1871) suggest that not more than one sheet of the Solferinos must have been consumed at the Piraeus p.o. counter.
So far eleven out of the thirteen copies have confirmed their participation in NOTOS 2021.
For details in the classification see:
(a) L. N. Williams, Encyclopaedia of Rare and Famous Stamps, David Feldman S.A., Geneva, 1993 and M. Tseriotis in The Collection (I), David Feldman S.A., Geneva, 2002.
(b) N. Z. Zafeirakopoulos, “The Solferino”, Philotelia no. 612/2002.
|
Plate position: 51 Classification: Williams no. XII, Zafeirakopoulos no. 1 Provenance: G. Zachariades |
 Exhibitor:Marcus Orsi |
 |
 Exhibitor:Stavros Andreadis |
Plate position: 29
Classification: Williams no. VIII, Zafeirakopoulos no. 6
Provenance: C. Zinopoulos, H.G. Jones, R.A.G. Lee (Maximus), G. Zachariades
  |
Exhibitor: Stavros Andreadis |
Stamp at left: Plate position: 91
Stamp at left: Classification: Williams no. I, Zafeirakopoulos no. 2b
Stamp at left: Provenance: A. Economides, C. Binos (Sparta), G. Zachariades, X.
Yataganas
Stamp at right: Plate position: 92
Stamp at right: Classification: Williams no. IV, Zafeirakopoulos no. 2a
Stamp at right: Provenance: A.L. Pemberton, N. Alfieris, H. Nagele, G. Kotsis, A. Kadinopoulos
 |
 Exhibitor:Elias Tempelis |
Plate position: 112
Classification: Williams no. IX, Zafeirakopoulos no. 9
Provenance: J. Janky, N. Wasdekis, E. Mavrides
 |
 Exhibitor:Xenofon Yataganas |
Plate position: 131
Classification: Williams no. III, Zafeirakopoulos no. 11
Provenance: A. Argyropoulos, C. Binos (Sparta), G. Zachariades, S. Andreadis
 |
Exhibitor: anonymous |
Plate position: 31
Classification: Williams no. XI, Zafeirakopoulos no. 10
Provenance: H.C.V. Adams, M. Konialides
 |
Exhibitor: anonymous |
Plate position: 140
Classification: Williams no. V, Zafeirakopoulos no. 12
Provenance: H. Bloch
 |
 Exhibitor:Argyris Karamitsos |
Plate position: 87
Classification: Williams no. VΙΙ, Zafeirakopoulos no. 7
Provenance: H.G. Jones, R.A.G. Lee (Maximus), G. Zachariades
 |
Exhibitor: anonymous |
Plate position: 77
Classification: Williams no. XΙIΙ, Zafeirakopoulos no. 5
Provenance: H. Sassenhausen, E. Mavrides
 |
Exhibitor: anonymous |
Plate position: 136
Classification: Williams no. X, Zafeirakopoulos no. 13
Provenance: Judd, P. Holcombe, G. Trefonas, N. Wasdekis, E. Mavrides