Gozo letter from 1919 linked to Sette Giugno victim finds its way to eBay for $1,025

A 1919 declaration of payment  for the family of a Sette Giugno victim has found its way to eBay, with Culture Minister Owen Bonnici saying in parliament that the ministry will look into its authenticity.

Allegedly, the letter signed 2 December 1919 is a declaration of payment for the family of Giuseppe Bajada, who was killed during the Sette Giugno riots in 1919.

The letter served as proof that they received subsidy from Archpriest Maurizio Cauchi.

The full letter, written in Italian, roughly reads as follows: “Giuseppe Bajada and the sisters of the late Giuseppe Bajada declare that they have received from the Archpriest Maurizio Cauchi eight pounds sterling in weekly subsidies until 29 November 1919. They certify that they have always received the money shipped to them other times by the committee, which accounts for a sterling for every week. I have been commissioned to write this because the above-mentioned Bajada sisters do not know how to write.”

Three bidders have placed 10 bids on the letter, with the current bid reaching $1,025. 

The eBay account is full of local postal oddities, from stamps and letters to printed flyers.

Among the oddities include a Maltese letter by Pope John Paul 11 to all priests on Holy Thursday, plus a printed flyer with the lyrics to the Maltese national anthem, as printed by the Union Press.

Culture Minister Owen Bonnici was asked about this letter in a parliamentary question put to him by Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina.

In response, Bonnici asked Aquilina to pass on any relevant information on the eBay bidding so that Heritage Malta could look into the case and determine the authenticity of the letter.