A journey through time with the stamps of Italia '90 Collectible pieces that become historical testimonies

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.

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.