Welcome readers to The Philatelist. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. We have an interesting story to tell where a country tries to solve a real problem earnestly, but ends up the butt of a joke.
The stamp today is somewhat undermined already by it’s designers. The goal is to get people to drive more prudently. However look at the traffic intersection. The only prudent thing to do at that intersection is to avoid it and find another route. Imagine your Fiat has just been returned after Tony fixed it again and you are looking forward and Italian tune up to get it’s liquids flowing. Instead you are faced with poorly designed roads and unrealistic government suggestions. Makes you want to vote for the other guy next time around.
Todays stamp is issue A399, a 25 lira stamp issued by Italy on August 7th, 1957. The single stamp issue was part of a campaign for more prudent driving. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents in it’s used condition.
Safety stamps are primed for humor. The best ones are a series from West Germany. Among the helpful tips on these stamps are don’t fall into an open manhole and don’t stick your hand in a circular saw. The human drawings are even cartoonish to enhance the effect. Though I like the oversized stop signal at the crossroads of life on this stamp. It just is not as good.
The Italians have more than their share of traffic deaths and indeed Rome is the most dangerous city in Europe for traffic deaths. So if I have gone too far in making light of this stamp issue, I apologize to my dear readers. I would suggest that better road designs and working for higher car safety standards might be more useful uses of government energy on the subject.
Well my drink is empty and my auto safely garaged for the night so I will open up the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. Drive Safely and always wear your seat belt.