A journey through time with the stamps of Italia '90

The magical nights of Gianna Nannini and Edoardo Bennato, Lucio Boscardin's mascot "Ciao", the Italian national team with Roberto Baggio and Totò Schillaci. But also the great disappointment of Azeglio Vicini's Azzurri, the elimination in the semi-final against Argentina, the waste of public money on stadiums that in the course of time became cathedrals in the desert, ruins or even rubble. The FIFA World Cup thirty-five years ago, the unforgettable Italia '90, has left a wealth of bittersweet memories in the collective memory and culture of our country, and not only in the field of football. In the world of collectibles, for example, there are countless relics from the time of the 14th World Cup, including those from a segment that is historically linked to major sporting events: philately, i.e. stamps.

Apart from the fact that they have been transformed into collector's items of varying value - several hundred euros for the rarest specimens - picking up these stamps today is like travelling back in time, between flashbacks to the global geopolitical scenario of the time and testimonies to the cultural and sporting identity of the late 1980s. In fact, in the stamp series produced for the occasion, there is no shortage of football federations and nations destined for dissolution, such as the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia; but also coats of arms that preceded the digital revolution and were about to be abandoned, starting with the Spanish crest inspired by Joan Miró's trains. Or facilities of which only a memory remains today - the Stadio delle Alpi in Turin, which was demolished in 2009 - or others that were brand new and that we have outgrown, such as the Nuovo Stadio (namely San Nicola) in Bari. And all this in a design that exudes a touch of 80s flair, with eccentric patterns and bright colours, combined with classic fonts and minimalist layouts.

The stamp series

Although the tradition of stamps dedicated to the national team and issued by the IPZS - Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato - is as old as the World Cup itself, the series of stamps celebrating Italia '90 began two years before the tournament. The first stamps with the famous three-colour design - a minimalist, stylised depiction of the silhouette of a dribbling footballer whose strokes form the words "ITALIA" - began to circulate as early as 1988, when the mascot "Ciao" was presented to the Italian public (still without a name, which would later be determined by a referendum).

The actual series will appear in post offices and other authorised retailers in the months leading up to the event, with the issue of six sheets, each consisting of as many value cards. Inside each sheet are four stamps in standard format (112x126 millimetres), printed in gravure and dedicated to the 24 national teams taking part in the finals. On the left-hand side are the logos of the respective associations, surrounded by concentric bands with the reference colours; the design is completed by the inscriptions “World Cup” and “Italia '90” at the top right and below the face value (450, 600, 650, 700, 800 or 1200 lire) and the names of the illustrators Toffoletti and Codoni. The other two stamps, on the other hand, featured World Cup symbols or themes (cup, mascot, ball, referee) and, from the second “issue" onwards, also or 12 stadiums where the tournament matches were played.

As already mentioned, today, when you hold these stamps (when sold individually) or sheets (of one kind) in your hand, you have the impression of reliving this historical period with all the contexts surrounding the last time the World Cup was held in Italy. Among the rare specimens, limited editions and particularly iconic pieces, there are some stamps that will be of particular interest to those less familiar with philately. Those that are of the greatest value to collectors, but not necessarily.

Honourable mentions

In the weeks following Germany's victory (in their last appearance before national unification) in the final at San Siro, IPZS printed 10,000 sheets with the FIFA logo, the words “World Champion Germany” on the stamp of the Milan stadium and the trophy on the one with the DFB crest. The combination of a limited edition (only 0.3 per cent of the first printing) and the imminent abolition of the East-West division of Berlin makes these copies the rarest and most sought-after of all. And thus real gems for connoisseurs, whose value today is infinitely higher than the 700 lire with which they were put into circulation. The commemorative stamps of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia (for the last football World Cup before its dissolution) as well as those of Czechoslovakia (which failed to qualify in '94 and was on the verge of dissolution) also combine an iconic aesthetic with the memory of the lost country, making them some of the most fascinating pieces.

Let us now turn to a handful of value cards that should not be missing from the author's subjective selection. Firstly, the stamps dedicated to two national teams making their debut - Costa Rica (coached by Bora Milutinovic) and Ireland (led by Jack Charlton) - amidst outlandish creativity and bright colours. There are also two national teams that are on the rise: the Spanish national team, which still wears the old logo and has a long record of success, and Roger Milla's Cameroon, the surprise team of Italia '90, which was the first African team ever to reach the quarter-finals. And what about the classic appeal of Uruguay, the Netherlands and South Korea, who are rejected in their respective forms?

A final curiosity concerns the rarest piece of all, so to speak: that of the French national team, which was never printed because Les Bleus failed to qualify (as did the USA four years later). This is no small curiosity for the roll of honour of those who won the European Championship on home soil in 1984 and would repeat the feat on home soil in 1998. Incidentally, one wonders how much this limited edition would be worth today to champion West Germany if it had been the home national team that had won the 1990 World Cup.