The 3 lire value was issued in 1861, and it is the second denomination among all the Ancient Italian States to have such an important face value (the other is the well-known 3 lire of the Provisional Government of Tuscany, known to collectors and enthusiasts as “His Majesty”).
There is only one plate of this High Value of the Kingdom of Sardinia, fairly common in mint condition with gum, while in used condition it is quite rare and even more so on a complete document.
Only 44 letters and three large fragments of this stamp are known (see Sassone Catalog 2026, p. 382), while in used condition several hundred examples are known, although most are flawed or badly flawed.
The 3 lire was produced on two types of paper, thick and thin; for the thick paper only one color shade is catalogued (copper), while for the thin paper two are catalogued, bright copper and dark copper.
Recently, with the cataloguing of stamps “without effigy,” it was discovered that the 3 lire without effigy is a true rarity; to be catalogued as such, it must have 100% original gum and not be gumless; examples without gum and without the sovereign effigy are in fact to be considered “printer's waste,” with extremely modest value.
Paolo Cardillo.
For further information, we recommend reading the book by Umberto Ballabio, which you can find HERE.
