Italian Social Republic G.N.R. Overprint on Victor Emmanuel III

Italian Social Republic · 1943 · 25c

This stamp is part of the first series issued by the Italian Social Republic (RSI), a German puppet state in northern Italy during World War II. It features a definitive stamp of King Victor Emmanuel III overprinted with the letters 'G.N.R.' (Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana), signifying the new fascist republican authority. The overprint was a practical measure to repurpose existing stamp stocks for the new regime.

Issued following the armistice of Cassibile in September 1943, these stamps represent the brief but violent period of the Italian Social Republic under Mussolini, which existed until its collapse in April 1945.