We have received the news of the passing on August 18th of Ferdinando Giudici, our member with card number 376. It is sad news that we wish to share with the Italian philatelic community and, in particular, with enthusiasts of airmail and aeropostal history. Just from his membership number, it’s evident that he had been a member for many years, most likely since he began collecting the famous “Ballon Montes.”
Ferdinando was well-known in Italy and internationally for his significant collection titled “Souvenir du siège de Paris 1870/1871 – Private correspondence transported by Ballons-Montés out of Paris,” which had received multiple awards at numerous national and international exhibitions he participated in, achieving excellent results (Gold/Grand Gold) in both competitive and championship classes.
Starting from 2010, alongside this main collection, he had added a second equally important and also highly acclaimed collection, named “Souvenir du siège de Paris 1870-1871 Giornali lettera trasportati con ballons-montés.” As is known, newspaper-letters were sent out of Paris aboard balloons; they were a folded sheet weighing only 4 grams, with the main news printed on two sides and the other two sides reserved for private correspondence.
Ironically, despite participating in countless exhibitions and receiving numerous accolades for his collections, Ferdinando never managed to win the top prize in the championship class at the national level. Surely, this would have changed in the upcoming Vastophil 2023 exhibition, to which both collections were entered. Unfortunately, his passing prevented this, as per the regulations, awards cannot be given posthumously.
However, in 2022, the Federation honored him by adding him to the Hall of Fame of presidents of affiliated societies, in recognition of his exceptional merits in collecting, organization, and culture. Indeed, Ferdinando Giudici was the president of the Philatelic Circle of the Bosina Family in Busto Arsizio (VA), established in 1963 and always affiliated with the Federation.
The Board and the President Fiorenzo Longhi have already privately conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the family through the Secretary. Now, we also extend our condolences publicly via the website on behalf of all AIDA members.