HOME RATE CALCULATOR POSTAL RATE TABLES SEARCH THE ARCHIVE Italiano English

This project began in 2020 out of curiosity about the rates applied to some parcel post forms in my collection. However, the many additional services available made manual calculation using traditional rate tables particularly cumbersome. This led to the idea of creating a tool to automate postage rate calculations.

Over time, the study of postal rates was naturally complemented by the classification of postal documents in my collection or found online. The result is an archive of approximately 1,500 documents (and constantly growing), including parcel post forms and other postal forms, classified according to numerous parameters such as date, weight, place of origin and destination, additional services, characteristics of the form, labels and postage stamps.

These activities led to the creation of the Postal Parcel Portal, conceived as a comprehensive tool for the study of the parcel post service. The portal currently covers the period from 1946 to 2000 and focuses on domestic parcels in the Italian Republic, with some extensions covering San Marino and Vatican City. It offers three main tools: automatic postage rate calculation, consultation of rate tables, and searches within the document archive.

Rate calculator:

This section automatically reconstructs the rate for a postal parcel using the information available on its form. The essential data are the date of dispatch, the weight of the parcel and the value of the parcel form; any additional services and other characteristics of the shipment can then be specified.

By pressing the calculate rate button, the applicable rate period is identified and the system displays a description of the shipment, a breakdown of the rate into its various components and the relevant regulatory references.

Go to the calculator   »
Postal rate tables:

This section allows users to consult the rates for the various services and their evolution over time, using two different search methods.

- Consultation by period: by selecting the period of interest, users can access a table showing the rates for the various services. Where available, links to the archive make it possible to view documents relating to a particular rate or service.

- Consultation by service: by selecting a specific service, users can view the chronological evolution of its rate in a single table.

Go to the rate tables   »
Search the archive:

This section allows users to search the archive by combining one or more search criteria. Documents can be searched according to shipment information, characteristics of the parcel form, applied elements, postal services, cash on delivery, insurance and special contents.

The search returns documents that simultaneously satisfy the selected criteria, arranged chronologically and accompanied by their descriptions. The archive mainly contains parcel post forms, but also includes other forms connected with the postal parcel service.

Go to the archive   »
Research, publications and outreach:

The systematic analysis of the collected documents, combined with the study of regulatory sources and philatelic literature, has made it possible to investigate numerous poorly documented aspects of the parcel post service. The research has helped to clarify periods of use, expand existing classifications, identify previously uncatalogued types, and document particularly rare rates, services and methods of use. The results progressively obtained have provided the basis for several publications and outreach activities.

Since the very first versions in 2020, the development of the Portal has been documented on the Filatelia e Francobolli forum, where new features, research results and the most significant documents added to the archive have progressively been presented. The discussion, which now includes almost 200 posts and more than 50,000 views, contains numerous images, examples of use and questions from users, whose contributions have often provided useful ideas for the development of the system and for further research.

The study of the parcel post service has led to the publication of 11 articles on Il Postalista (nine in 2022-23 and two in 2026), covering rates, additional services, classification of parcel forms and particular aspects of postal forms during the Italian Republic. One of these articles is specifically dedicated to the Use of the Postal Parcel Portal and explains its operation through numerous examples and images.

In 2022, the project was presented at the 20th Colloquium on Postal History at the Institute of Historical Postal Studies (ISSP) in Prato.

In 2025-26, two articles mainly focused on postal stationery were published in L'Intero Postale, issues 140 and 141, concerning the classification of parcel forms with value tablets. The extensive documentation collected in the archive made it possible to expand the classifications found in the reference catalogues, identifying some previously uncatalogued types, clarifying their periods of use and pointing out a number of inaccuracies.

Essential bibliography:
  • Aristide Donà, I pacchi per l’interno, QUI FILATELIA, April-July 2005.
  • Antonio A. Piga, I bollettini per pacchi a decalco, storiapostalefilatelia.weebly.com.
  • Claudio Scapaticci, 1978-1992 I Pacchi… Regalo, L'Arte del Francobollo, October 2013.
  • Franco Filanci, Luigi R. Cataldi, Novellario - volume 6.
  • Gianluca Di Lauro, Il servizio pacchi postali della Repubblica nel 1946, L'Intero Postale, nos. 139-140.
  • Emanuele Gabbini, Catalogo Unificato di Storia Postale 2009/2011, vol. 1 – Servizi, CIF/Unificato.
  • Franco Filanci, Carlo Sopracordevole, Domenico Tagliente, Interitalia 2022, 17th edition, Laser Invest.