Dale Pulver Columns

As Published in Linn’s Stamp News

1983 - 2008

Columns scanned and consolidated into this PDF file with the kind permission of
Linn’s Stamp News, Sidney, OH.

April 2014
Tad Mackie
MEPSI Librarian
library@mepsi.org
 Table of Contents
Title page
1983
May- Mexico offers opportunity for challenge
Jun- District overprints create area of study
Jul- Beware of counterfeit Anotado overprints
Aug- Pro-University set of 1934 remains popular
Sep- Letter provides insight into Mexican War
Oct- Once scorned 'mules' now philatelic jewels
Nov- Schatzkes reprint contains vital additions
Dec- Readers point out CTOs, postal forgeries
1984
Jan- Eagle series reflects Maximilian's empire
Feb- Stamp-on-stamp motif popular in Mexico
Mar- Local club chose to specialize en masse
Apr- Pancho prompted Torreon overprints
May- Classification key to revenue collecting
Jun- Shrinking empire doomed Maximilian issues
Jul- Linn did extensive study on Sonora issues
Aug- Long airmail series challenges collectors
Sep- Early forgeries came from original plates
Nov- De Thuin introduced creativity to classics
Dec- CTOs really receipts; Mexican market firm
1985
Jan- Pen and ink markings worth studying
Feb- British helped the Mexican mail system
Mar- Challenges make 2r green writer's choice
Apr- 'Flyspeck" philately provides hours of fun
May- Poor roads, bandits hampered Diligencias
Jun- Bull's-eye cancels preserve important data
Jul- Prolific Exporta issue types keep coming
Aug- Early stamps chopped up to meet rates
Sep- Paper key to collecting Numeral issue
Oct- Exporta flyspeck errors prove popular
Nov- Envelope fronts used as registry receipts
Dec- Top exhibits, stable Scott prices mark 1985
1986
Jan - Overprints provide fascinating study
Feb - Postmark, stamps honor women patriots
Mar - Gold rush spurred Wells, Fargo mail service
 Apr - Short lived Express companies carried mail
May-Perfins part of serious Mexican collecting
23 May-Ameripex Issue-MEPSI has positive impact on philately
25 May-Ameripex Issue-Mexico well represented at FIP shows
Jun - 'Out of district' stamps exceptions to rule
Jul - Outstanding Mexican showing at Chicago
Aug - Beyond the catalog: 20th-century imperfs
Sep - Control codes liven latter Hidalgo Heads
Oct - Linn failed to get stamp printing business
Nov - Early high values difficult to locate
Dec-'Denver Eagles' videotape impressive
1987
Jan- Illustrated advertising covers scarce
Feb- Early provisionals now extremely rare
Mar- Dubious origins belie cataloged provisionals
Apr- Catalogs useful to beginners, specialists
May- Full-face Hidalgos a specialist's dream
Jun- Classic Mexico-Canada covers prove elusive
Jun- 'Dead letter' covers generally inexpensive
Jul- Amelia Earhart story elicits new interest
Aug- Some Mexico cancels used 100 years
Sep- Beal's passing is a loss to all collectors
Oct- Mexican 1916-20 regulars fun to study
Nov- French army had own mails in Mexico
Dec- A triumphant year for Mexican collecting; new Mexican stamp catalog coming in 1988
1988
Jan- Mexico's fascinating Porte de Mar stamps
Feb- Official stamps of Mexico offer challenge
Mar- Ultraviolet exposes new Mexican varieties
Apr- Endless variety in Mexico's Exporta series
May- Gothic-overprinted stamps of early Mexico
Jun- Postmarks track growth of Mexican railroads
Jul- Early agents moved Mexico's mail abroad
Aug- New Exportas released in record values
Sep- The challenging Juarez issues of 1879-83
Oct- Colorful Mexican cover has much to offer
Nov- Postclassic stamps prosper in Scott Vol. 3
Dec- Taking a topical tour of Mexican stamps
1989
Jan- Used Civil War local stamps prove elusive
Feb- Gutter varieties add to one's collection
Mar- The fascinating first issues of Mexico
Apr- Eagles abound on many stamps of Mexico
 May- New additions to Mexico's Exporta series
Jun- The Hidalgo Medallion issues of Mexico
Jul- Mexico's TB seals often misunderstood
Aug- Mexico's Hidalgo profile issue of 1872-74
Sep- Mexico's Architecture and Archaeology series
Oct- Mexican semipostal and postal tax issues
Nov- Mexican stamp folders and souvenir pages
Dec- Scott Vol. 3; TB seals; new Exporta varieties
1990
Jan- Stamp postcards offer a colorful sideline
Feb- Cancels perk interest when budget reduced
Mar- Lindbergh flew FAM-8 covers to Mexico
Apr- More about stamp cards; rate increase
May- Papers vary on Mexican issues of 1856-83
Jun- Stamp papers of Mexico's 1884-98 issues
Jul- Capt. Carranza's ill-fated goodwill flight
Aug- Mexico's Pro-Universidad stamps of 1934
Sep- Mexico marks Penny Black anniversaries
Oct- PMG Hinojosa was a philatelic rogue
Nov- Auction catalogs add to philatelic library
Dec- MEPSI at Chicagopex; future Exportas
1991
Jan- Mexico's intriguing 1864-66 Eagle issue
Feb- Early machine cancellations of Mexico
Mar- Detecting the early forgeries of Mexico
Apr- Slogan cancels are fun and affordable
May- What makes this little stamp so scarce?
Jun- Introduction to Mexican postage meters
Jul- Lots to like about San Antonio's Texpex
Aug- Questions and answers on Mexican FDCs
Sep- Mexico's postmarks were first in America
Oct- Ham radio gives rise to interesting cards
Nov- Notes on early mail useful to collectors
1992
Jan- Early postcards show 1899 stamp designs
Feb- Paper puzzles on 1867 emergency issue
Mar- Intriguing civil war era mixed frankings
Apr- Mexican postage due stamps and usages
May- The 19th-century postal cards of Mexico
Jun- Lots of potential in 1899-1903 definitives
Jul- Host of gems in sale of rare provisionals
Aug- Controversial stamps from private firms
Sep- Pluses, minuses for Mexico in Scott Vol. 3
 Oct- Old Mexican mining town still going strong
Nov- New Exportas and a text to go with them
Dec- Mexican socked-on-the-nose cancellations
1993
Jan- MEPSI has lots to offer Mexico collectors
Feb- Veracruz 1914 mail was colorful, chaotic
Mar- Key authority on late 19th-century cancels
Apr- Enjoy the engraving detail on your stamps
May- Research materials are varied and useful
Jun- Mexico special delivery worth exploring
Jul- One-frame exhibits highlight Mexico topics
Aug- Essays and proofs of 19th century Mexico
Sep- New reference for Eagles is comprehensive
Oct- Markings tell story of dead letter odyssey
Nov- Two varieties of Mexico's first airmail stamp
Dec- Exporta series ends; special delivery usage
1994
Jan- Historical finds add to collecting mystique
Feb- Postal cards helped collectors trade stamps
Mar- A century of time-dated Mixican postmarks
Apr- Quetzal stamps portray endangered species
May- Canceled to order in 19th-century Mexico
Jun- More bogus cancels of 19th-century Mexico
Jul- Rompex was the place for Mexico collectors
Aug- One-cent stamp franked month-long odyssey
Sep- Mexican TB seals add zest to any collection
Oct- This 1916 first-day cover has a story to tell
Nov- Stamps on Mexican National Lottery tickets
Dec- Scott album, new stamp printer for Mexico
1995
Jan- Eppens left lasting mark on Mexican stamps
Feb- Mexican gems in Sotheby's Koenig auction
Mar- Albums for the postage stamps of Mexico
Apr- Specialized albums for collectors of Mexico
May- The 8-centavo Juarez and the elusive 8c rate
Jun- A look back at the Exporta series of Mexico
Jul- Koenig sale signals Mexican market strength
Aug- New and improved Mexican postal products
Sep- Coils tried but never caught on in Mexico
Oct- Celebrate the centennial of Mexico's Mulitas
Nov- Mexico's first issue 4-real and 8r stamps
Dec- Year-end recap of stamp news from Mexico
1996
 Jan- Where and how to obtain Mexican stamps
Feb- Mexico's Tourist definitives offer challenge
Mar- Topical material can be found in Mexico
Apr- Out-of-district uses of early Mexican stamps
May- Mexican Official stamps on cover are elusive
Jun- Mexico's Klussendorf postage strips
Jul- Forwarding agents in 19th-century Mexico
Aug- Design errors and goofs on Mexican stamps
Sep- The story of Mexico's Sarabia flight stamp
Oct- District overprints of Mexico's classic era
Nov- Three Mexican postal cards' stories
Dec- Update of news from Mexico; postal rates
1997
Jan- Supplementary markings on Mexican covers
Feb- Cover provides details about shipping silver
Mar- A 1928 Mexican airmail first-flight cover
Apr- Specializing in a single Mexican definitive
May- New Mexican Revolution reference
Jun- Mail delivery times in 19th-century Mexico
Jul- Condition factors for classic Mexican stamps
Aug- Weather predictions on Mexican flag cancels
Sep- Mexico's brief flirtation with semipostals
Oct- Stamps mark Mexican-American War battles
Nov- Mexican fancy cancels came in many shapes
Dec- Flight cover mix-up; postal tax stamp usage
1998
Jan- Mexican postcard mystery from 1911 race
Feb- New Follansbee catalog of Mexico
Mar- New album for Mexico's 1856-1900 stamps
Apr- Details and postcards from endurance run
May- New Mexican maritime mail book published
Jun- Four types of Mexico's Klussendorf stamps
Jul- Pancho Villa's reign led to 1914-15 overprints
Aug- Mexico City's main post office on stamps
Sep- Postal history from Mexico's 1916 inflation
Oct- Mexican War anniversary souvenir covers
Nov- Identifying Hidalgo Heads by the overprints
Dec- Review of 1998 columns; Mexican TB seals
1999
Jan- Mexico's postmarks of the classic stamps era
Feb- Mexico's Aviation Week: a tale of two covers
Mar- Recent Mexican stamp promote conservation
Apr- Franklin Roosevelt and Mexican philately
 May- Examining a V-Mail letter from Mexico
Jun- Mexico's late 19th-century postal markings
Jul- Mexican stamps honor artist Diego Rivera
Aug- The risks and hazards of 19th-century mails
Oct- Postcards show Mexican interurban railway
Nov- Mexico's 1934-50 issue offers opportunities
Dec- President Roosevelt; V-mail; mule car line
2000
Feb- Mexico issued Little Eagles series in 1899
Mar- Mexican meters offer collecting opportunities
Apr- FDCs for U.S.-Mexico Conservation stamps
May- Early Mexican airmail flights to the U.S.
Jun- Provisional uses of Mexico's first stamp issues
Jul- Small Numerals part of Mexico's foreign-mail issue
Aug- Mexico issued many stamps for 1968 Olympics
Sep- Mexico wins Champions award for third time
Oct- Stamp-on-stamp designs on Mexican stamps
Nov- A tale of two 1914 covers sent from Mexico
Dec- Mexican airmail, auction and ship update
2001
Jan- Mexico issued many revenues in the 19th century
Feb- Some Mexican postal adhesives aren't stamps
Mar- Ancillary markings found on Mexican mail
Apr- Searching for miniature covers of Mexico
May- Many Mexican stamps honor colonial cities
Jun- Mexico's photo postcards show stamp subjects
Jul- Watermark makes Mexican stamp scarce
Aug- Ultimate reference source for Mexico Scott 1
Oct 1- One man's junk yields another's treasures
Oct 22- New edition of Follansbee's Mexico catalog
Dec- Celebration of Christmas, Jan. 6 in Mexico
2002
Jan- Mexico's 1910 high values picture events
Feb- Buyer beware: detecting a fabricated cover
Mar- Many paper varieties of Tourism definitives
Apr- De Thuin produced many Mexico forgeries
May- Mexican issue of 1914 called Denver Eagles
Jun- 1950 Baja California cover took month-long odyssey
Jul- Kordich compiles 50-year 'Mexicana' index
Aug- Ad covers from turn-of-the-century Mexico
Sep- Mexico's Madero stamps were never issued
Oct- Oaxaca's role in history of Mexican philately
Nov- Financial aspects of collecting classic Mexico
 Dec- Mexico's Exporta series; trade cards; auctions
2003
Jan- 'Futbol' stamps: World Cup, Jules Rimet, more
Feb- Bull's-eye cancels on early Mexican stamps
Mar- Type-of-service cancels easy on stamp budget
Apr- The tale of Tijuana and the Red Flag revolt
May- Postcard announced birth of a stamp club
Jun- Mexico's special delivery service and stamps
Sep- Huge revenue document bears 3,219 stamps
Oct- Market strong for early stamps of Mexico
Nov- Tourist postcards show many Exporta rates
Dec- Remnants from an early Mexico collection
2004
Feb 2- Mexico's 1864-66 Eagles can be addictive
Feb 23- Mexico's short-lived Maximilians of 1866-67
Mar- Watermarks on 19th-century Mexican stamps
Apr- Some 20th-century stamps on wrong paper
May- Eppens designed Agriculture Conference set
Jun- Women patriots of the revolution, revisited
Jul- Several stamps honor Mexico's 1968 Games
Sep- Mexican perfins flourished at turn of the century
Oct- Stamps show tourist sites of Mexico City
Nov- Auction confirms strength of Mexican market
Dec- Champion of champions; Olympics; perfins
2005
Jan- New resource for Mexico 1868 specialists
Feb- Mexico society to meet at show in Cleveland
Apr- New Mexican TB seals show cowboy lifestyle
May- Mexico's early airmail service of the 1920s
Jun- Mexico's definitives offer many challenges
Jul- Is there a connection between quantity and price?
Aug- Foreign leaders honored on Mexican stamps
Sep- Collector association produces fine journal
Oct- Pleasant search through Mexican cover box
Nov- Market for quality Mexican stamps thrives
Dec- Mexican airmails; Memin stamps; butterflies
2006
Jan- Revolutionary-era overprints of 1913-16 provide many challenges
Mar- Markings reveal treatment of Mexican wartime cover from the 1940s
Apr- Good deal found in recent offer of 250 mint Mexican stamps for $5
May- Dealer Eduardo Aguirre created various 1928 Mexican first-flight covers
Jun- Dollar-sign overprint used on stamps during Mexico's 1913-16 revolution
Jul- Items resurface from Jim Beal collection stolen three decades ago
 Aug- Aviator Sarabia's 1939 nonstop flight to New York carried souvenir covers
Sep- Mexico issued it first postage stamps 150 years ago on Aug. 1, 1856
Oct- Ham radio cards can provide an inexpensive opportunity to have fun
Nov- New edition of Follansbee catalog for 19th-century Mexican stamps
Dec- Morse code on shortwave radio card deciphered; goodwill flight film
2007
Jan- Two-volume book illustrates the postmarks of Mexico's colonial era
Feb- Mexico issues pane of 33 to commemorate 150th anniversary of stamps
Mar- Mexican revenue stamped paper book compiles 20 years of research
Apr- Mexicana Airlines first-flight covers franked with commemoratives
May- Postmark collecting on late 19th-century Mexican stamps fun at low cost
Jun- Cover bearing pair of Mexico's first-issue stamps found in sales circuit
Jul- Almost 4,600 covers carried on Mexican regular airmail service first flight
Aug- Mexican stamps, postal history offer many ideas for one-frame exhibits
Sep- Gutter pairs can spice up album pages, collections of Mexican stamps
Oct- 19th-century Mexican postal cards: good, inexpensive field to collect
Nov- How to form a collection of a single Mexican postal district of the mid-1800s
Dec- Auction results reveal Mexican market remains strong; updates
2008
Jan- Mexican postage due stamps rarely used for that purpose
Feb- Provisional uses of Mexican postage dues as postage stamps
Mar- Many Mexican stamps honor stamp shows and conventions
Apr- 'Mexicana' takes a look at fancy postmarks of mining towns
April 2008 - Obituary
 1-11■Jr,i's srAN1P

Mexico offers op ortuitnity for challenge

This is the Inaugural article large number of district name of the. government at the came out in the '30s and '40s True, some fakes do exist anating from the Mexico het
in what will be a monthly fea- overprints which, when com- moment. when the commemoration of (and have for more than 80 Office, no deliberate Volt
ture in Linn's on the philately bined with many different and True, some of these were places, people and historical years), but the majority will denomination*, not friy We%
of Mexico. distinctive cancellations, give philatelically inspired, but the events gathered momentum. not fool the careful collector tIonally produced 'After
My efforts will be well rise to hundreds, even thou- well-informed and patient For example, a modern de- who has done his homework I presume tome Prieto*
rewarded if I can generate sands, of collectible varieties. researcher will be amply sign which appeared in 1950 and doesn't try to get some- waste has slipped out lbe twit
and continued in use for more thing for nothing. door once or twice, and fin**
These are truly classic
than 25 years (Scott type A189 Furthermore, Mexican col- bly there have been a few
stamps. Many of the varieties
Mexico are very rare, with only one or and AP81, with varieties) has lectors are fortunate to have a side" deals.
By Dale Pulver attracted a lot of attention large and reliable body of lit- However, some of the mo4
two examples known to exist.
from specialists recently. erature and reference materi- ern rarities have cropped op
The later Issues of the 19th
There were many printings; al available. This includes under perfectly legitimate Dr
new aficionados to collect and century provide an equally
a bunch of watermarks, gum painstaking work on the fakes cumstances, and I know of so
study the stamps of our neigh- challenging opportunity for
varieties, recuts and perfora- and forgeries. attempt to make them less
bor to the south. specialization.
tion varieties; and everything Additionally, we have a spe- rare by mass producing them.
It is certain there are many There are paper, watermark
else that makes the philatelic cialist group, the Mexico- At this point, I should
who, having once started, be- and perforation varieties in
forewarn the advanced collec-
, came happily addicted. abundance, as well as an inter- Regular issues of this design grist we love to grind. Elmhurst Philatelic Society
(MEPSI), which offers a com- tor of Mexico that he may not
There's really so much good, esting array of cancellations. Some of the stamps In this
type, used for 25 years in find too much new knowledge
solid philatelic territory to be series are scarce, if not rare. petent and reasonably priced
Beat of all, many of these Mexico beginning in 1950, expertization service. in this column.
explored that we don't need to Auction. realizations attest to
stamps can be had for a very have recently generated in- It is not my Intent to base
step on each other's toes. this. MEPSI has also published
modest outlay, although any- terest among specialist col- these articles on extensive re-
There are some areas, how- Most of these stamps, howev- much of the reference materi-
thing approaching complete- lectors. This pair of Scott, search. But I may slip some-
ever, where the competition er, can be purchased for small al on Mexico In Its quarterly
ness In an issue will require a 929a, issued in 1962, shows a thing new in every once In a
gets rather heated at times. sums, and I have no doubt that Journal and newsletter. I will
significant financial commit- printing freak. while to see if you're following
For those readers who may a few "sleepers" of these is- discuss this further in a future
ment. along.
be only superficially familiar rewarded with legitimate sues lurk in dealer stock books column.
Even 20th-centimy stamps Also, I hope to get some
with the stamps of Mexico, usages, many of which can be for the hawk-eyed collector Another aspect, important to
provide many specific areas feedback from readers that
let's take a quick pass through had for modest sums. having the knowledge and pa- me at least, is that'Mexico is a
for serious collecting, will be worth expanding upon
the Scott listings. A good deal of reliable refer- tience to search them out. philatelically clean country.
The first five or six issues Diming the revolutionary pe- ence material exists for this Many collectors may be Stamps have always been pro- and disclosing to a wider audi-
are a veritable gold mine for riod of 1914.17, dozens of pro- period to guide the novice or wary of Mexico, primarily of duced solely for legitimate ence.
those inclined to specialized visional issues and overprinted intermediate collector. the classic issues, because of postal purposes. The format of this column
collecting. varieties emerged at the whim Some of the most beautifully the reputation they have for To my knowledge, there will be casual and informal. To
The stamps come with a of whoever was in command produced Mexican stamps fakes and forgeries. have never been any CTOs em- (Continued on next page)

Mexico
(From previous page)
keep things interesting, I'll
jump around quite a bit, at
least from a chronological
standpoint.
There will be much cover-
age of 19th-century and classic
issues, simply because that's
the area I know most about
and which I think is most inter-
esting. I'll also look at some of
the modern issues, too.
I will welcome comment on
any topic. Please send corre-
spondence to my attention at
Linn's. !ill
42 LINN S STAMP NEWS JUNE 13 1983

District overprints create area of study

Mexico's first adhesive postage stamps were towns and cities. Many had a common, overprints, a clever system of security de- of mail, the chore of applying the name to
appeared on Aug. 1, 1856. This was 16 years familiar ring to them — Mexico, Puebla, Aca- vised by the Mexican postal authorities. In the hundreds of stamps was a tedious job, so a
after the famous Penny Black made its debut pulco, Veracruz and Tampico — while others mid-19th century, Mexico was rife with social tired or distracted clerk might miss a stamp
and nine years after the United States issued were veritable tongue-twisters — Huejutla, and political upheaval. It was also a country or two along the way. Because of this, stamps
Ixtlahuaca, Polotitlan, Soyaniquilpan, Temas- with a widely dispersed population, due to its
caltepec and Tlalpujuahua. rugged geography, and communication, even
Mexico Some of the names were seen again and between major cities, was difficult.
By Dale Pulver again; others were hardly ever encountered. There was a fairly well-ordered postal sys-
Before the turn of the century, when more tem, however, much of its structure dating
and more of the early classic stamps of Mexi- from the days of Spanish colonial rule.
its first postage stamps, but comfortably
co began appearing on the market, a British The country was divided into postal dis-
ahead of most of Mexico's Central American businessman named Samuel Chapman took tricts, each having at least a principal office
neighbors. keen interest in these markings and began the and often many suboffices.
Five denominations made up the first issue: search for a logical explanation. At the time. A district office would order stamps from
IA real (blue), 1r (yellow), 2r (yellow-green),
the main office in Mexico City in accordance
4r (red) and 8r (red-lilac). There was a legiti-
with estimated local needs. These would be
mate need for all these values since postage
shipped, usually by stagecoach, unoverprint-
was based on weight and distance, and the Figure 2. Bull's-eye strikes of circular date-
ed. Once the stamps were received at the dis-
series provided the combinations necessary to stamps on stamps overprinted for the dis-
trict office, they were handstamped with that
match these scaled rates. tricts of Mexico and Morelia (dates are May
district's name to validate them for use. Prop-
The common design of the five stamps pic- 4, 1858, on the left and June 21, 1857, on the
erly overprinted and canceled stamps are
tured Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, an early lead- right) show the proper usage of the stamps.
shown in Figure 2.
er in Mexico's war of independence.
Stamps lacking the district name were pre- sometimes appear with no overprint but with
The stamps were engraved, quite well exe- sumed to be without franking power. In this
cuted and printed in attractive colors. Howev- a clear cancel from a district which usually
way, the government hoped to control the un- overprinted its stamps. Figure 3 shows an ex-
er, early collectors found something curious authorized use of stamps and loss of revenue
about them which they were unable to ex- ample.
in the event they were stolen.
plain for many years. Nearly all of these This is the way the postal directives read, This should explain why this first issue of
stamps bore, in addition to cancellations, Figure 1. A pair of 1-real stamps from the
district of Mazatlan used at Culiacan shows but it didn't always happen that way. A num- Mexico, and some of those immediately fol-
names such as those seen running vertically ber of offices misunderstood the directive or lowing it, are so popular with specialists.
along the sides of the stamps lb Figure 1. the overprinted district name.
chose to ignore it. Thus we have stamps legiti- First, we have an attractive, well-executed se-
They were neatly applied, for the most part, Chapman was living and working in Mexico, mately used without overprints, some of ries of stamps. Then, we have some 50 differ-
and anyone having a smattering of geographic which facilitated his studies immensely. which are quite rare. ent district offices which applied name over-
knowledge about Mexico would assume they He discovered that the names were district Also, in offices which handled a great deal prints and a number of offices which didn't,

however, the Scott catalog prices for the first

c4ating distinct, collectible varieties. three stamps in the series are each $12 or
- Futher, there were numerous small offices The hunt for these scarce overprints is ex- less. This, in my opinion, is still a big bargain
(subdistrict offices) which got stamps from in the area of classic stamps.
the big offices but used different cancella- True, one will pay more for very fine copies
tions to permit them to be identified. Finally, if he is dealing with well-informed sellers or
there is a normal complement of printing auction competition, and one cannot hope to
flaws and varieties, usages outside of districts, assemble a representative collection without
fancy cancellations and fakes and forgeries. substantial outlay.
Examples of stamps used outside the proper The numbers of stamps sold for Mexico
district are shown in Figure 4.
Fortunately, the scholarly and always
precise Chapman spent many years sorting
out the details of these issues, using original
post office records as the basis for his work.
In 1926 he doCumeated his labors in a classic
reference work, The Postage Stamps of Mexi- Figure 3. Postally used stamps without dis-
co 1856-1868. It is still available in a reprinted trict overprints. This pair of 1-real stamps
version. has a boxed Huauchinango cancellation. The
It gives the relative scarcity of the stamps stamps should have been overprinted either
based on Chapman's tables of shipments to Huejutla or Tulancingo, as both districts
the various districts. Some values, particular- Figure 4. On the left is a stamp of the Tam-
supplied stamps to this suboffice. pico district used in Mexico City; on the
ly the 4r and 8r stamps, are exceedingly
scarce for several districts. citing, though often expensive. For examples right, a district of Acapulco used at Colima,
Even some small districts used so few of the bearing the more common district overprints, which belonged to the district of Morelia.
common values Or and 2r) that they, too, are Scott 1-3 were 1/2r, 992,000; 1r, 1.43 million;
scarce. and 2r, 1.63 million — not an overwhelming
emission by anyone's measure. IN
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 11, 1983

Beware of counterfeit Anotado overprints

In the spring of 1872, it was That's possible, but as yet it's ers or letters bearing the Naturally, the net result is
announced that there would be an unproven theory. stamps. stamps and covers of consider-
a new issue of stamps to re- The 1868 issue showed a full- Fortunately, a large business able scarcity, and they are list-
face portrait of Father Miguel correspondence was found in ed in all the major catalogs.
Hidalgo y Costilla. The new de- Guanajuato which contained a The new 1872 issue finally
Mexico sign showed him in profile fac-
ing left.
fair number of letters bearing did make its appearance in the
the "Anotado" stamps. early days of April 1872.
By Dale Pulver
Since the sequence in the Unfortunately, there are
The new issue was to be put
correspondence contained let- many fake overprints. Warn-
place those which had been in on sale March 1, 1872 (or per-
ters from nearly every day ings to this effect are given in
service since 1868. haps somewhat later, it is not
during the period, it was possi- all catalogs and should be
Several interesting theories known for certain).
ble to deduce the time of use heeded.
have been offered to explain Also, the postal administra- fairly precisely. The first date Some of these fake over-
this sudden change after bare- tion in Mexico City had al- found was March 12; the last prints have been so poorly
ly four years of usage. ready begun to recall surplus was April 25. done that even an inexpert eye
One popular suggestion was stamps of the old issue from Figure 2. A 25-centa ■ o"Anotado" stamp with Gothic type dis- What we can conclude is that can detect them.
that functionaries within the outlying postal districts. trict overprint of Mexico (1-72) franked this cover from Mexi- there was a period of only The overprint is illustrated
postal agency were syphoning
co City to Veracruz dated March 22, 1872. about 40 days during which the in both Scott and Minkus. I like
off supplies of stamps and ma- For some reason, the new
"Anotado" stamps were used. the. facsimile shown in the
nipulating them (by applying stamps were not ready by feared that a severe shortage stocks of stamps they had re-
counterfeit overprints and con- March 1, and since many of of stamps would arise. maining or revert to the "Sello
signment numbers) and selling the old ones had been de- Authorities decided to over- Negro" (handstamp) system of
them to large, commercial monetized and removed from print some of the surplus indicating postage paid.
users for personal gain: the official accounts, it was stamps that had been returned For this reason, it may seem
with the word "Anotado" unusual to see postmarks of
(which means noted or ac- districts other than Mexico on
counted for), validating them the overprinted stamps, but,
for temporary use until the among the few of these stamps
new stamps were delivered. that do survive, they are often
Properly overprinted stamps found.
are shown in Figure 1. As noted, all of this occurred
The overprinted "Anotado" in a short span of time during
stamps were intended for use the spring of 1872.
only at the Principal Postal Since no one has yet found
Administration in Mexico City. official records concerning
None were sent to other dis- this "Anotado" business, the Figure 3. A pair of 12-centavo stamps returned from the
Figure 1. This unusual strip of three returned from the Lagos trict offices in the interior. period of legitimate use had to Morelia district (10-71) were used on this letter dated April 9,
district was validated for use with "Anotado" overprints. They were to use whatever be established from dated coy- 1872, from Mexico City to Guanajuato.

good ones I have seen were not more clearly applied than the the fact that the stamps were
Minkus catalog better. It is particularly well struck. real ones. Beware of those authorized for use only at the
much closer to the form of From the standpoint of beau- neat cancellations.
The cover shown in Figure 2 Mexico City office.
what a clear, genuine over- ty's sake, this is unfortunate, The stamps with forged can-
print looks like. has a faint business datestamp If a reader finds one of these
One should also note that on its face with "March/22/ and contemplates purchase, he
many of the genuine over- 1872" inside a blue oval and is will be well advised to buy
prints were not well struck, so also docketed March 22, so it only on the basis of a good cer-
an incomplete or smudgy over- falls right in the middle of the tificate or the ability to get
print does not automatically accepted period of use. one.
relegate it to the bad category. The cover In Figure 3 bear-
ing a pair of the 12-centavo And spurn like the plague
A couple of other quick tests any offers of "as yet unrecord-
will also eliminate many stamps is dated April 9, nearer
the end of the estimated usage ed Anotado in blue, violet or
stamps and covers from the reddish purple." The real ones
exclusive ranks of the genuine. period. Both covers are un-
questionably genuine. were always black. R
If one has a full, dated cover
— and many purists will col- The other test is whether or
lect these stamps in no other not a used stamp bears a con-
way — it should fall into the temporary cancellation of
time span noted: March 12 to Mexico City. This will invari- Figure 4. These two stamps have forged "Anotado" overprints
April 25. ably be a double-ring circular and cancellations, Queretaro and Guadalajara.
This does not mean there datestamp, and most of the
can't be a genuine cover out- but there is a bright side to the cellations illustrated in Figure
side this range, but it's bound matter. 4 bear postmarks of offices
to be a long shot. Many of the forgers appar- other than Mexico and are eas-
ently decided their illegitimate ily distinguished.
cancellations should at least In these instances, the
look attractive and are usually perpetrator obviously ignored
22 I INN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 8, 1 983

Pro-University set of 1934 remains popular

A Mexican issue of recent raised to offset the university's revenue stamps, many with stamps were sold within days regular set cataloged $65 in well. For example, the 1982
vintage that has always been estimated 600,000p deficit. To only minor changes. of their appearance. Scott, and the 20p airmail was Scott catalog lists the 10p regu-
one of my favorites from the what extent the deficit was For example, the 10p Pro- One can readily realize that listed at $300. lar stamp at $1,250 — almost
standpoint of beauty is the paid off is not known. University stamp has the same a set of stamps where one of At that time, well-centered 20 times what it was4n 1965.
Pro-University set of 1934. The accompanying table design, a youth burning in- the denominations exists in sets were selling at auction for The 20p airmail now lists for
Proceeds from the sale of lists the printing quantities for cense, as the 50c value of the such a small number would ap- about 80 percent of catalog. $2,000 — 6.7 times its 1965
the stamps were to go to the some of the regular postage 1930 revenue series depicting preciate rather well over the It seemed to me there would price. Of course these are cata-
stamps. Indian motifs and craftsmen. log values, not market values.
Clearly, the 10p denomina- Obviously the use of already •• However, actual realizations
Mexico tion is the key value which lim- engraved designs reduced the 71/11 110111121) during the market run-up of a
couple of years ago were ap-
By Dale Pulver its the number of complete production costs and cut the
sets which can exist. preparation time for this issue. proaching catalog values, al-
The low printing was inten- The airmail series showed, though they have fallen con-
support of the University of siderably in the past year.
tionally designed to whet the in all instances, important and
Mexico.
In those days, the university interest of collectors and en- popular Mexican aeneraphie Still, I feel these two sets
sure a quick sale of the series. features and architectural represent sound philatelic
was suffering from a severe
It seems to have worked as works. property, apart from the fact
cash shortage and hoped to All the airpost stamps also
solve this problem, at least planned. Reports indicate that that if one is to prepare a good
partially, with an issue of de- all of the 10p stamps were sold have an airplane worked into collection of Mexico, the Pro-
by 10 a.m. of the first day of the design, although some are Pit0-1JMEVERSIDAD University stamps should be in
sirable stamps for collectors. poised at the most improbable C ova ow NO* Ulf EX,CV
sale. it.
There was no secret about it
authorities simply patterned It can safely be assumed that angles one could imagine. Finally, there is a subvariety
most of the other limited issue, But I guess we must allow
the idea after similar success- The design of the 19-centavo Pro-University stamp (left) was of the 10p regular. As noted in
high value stamps were also stamp designers some leeway the catalogs, the set was print-
ful attempts in Europe and adapted from a 1931 lc revenue (right).
snapped up so that the realiza- in this respect. ed on watermarked paper
elsewhere. The key value of the airpost
The series was similar to the years, assuming it has any pop- always be a basic demand by (reading "Correos Mexico") in
series is, of course, the 20p.
concept of semipostals in ularity at all. Such has been collectors intent upon filling common use at the time.
An attractive stamp in
which part of the revenue maroon and bistre-brown, it the case with the Pro-Universi- out a major variety collection, It appears that one sheet of
from the stamp sales went to portrays an Indian girl stand- ty sets. notwithstanding their intrinsic the stamp was printed on
worthy causes. ing in front of the famous Az- When I began collecting beauty. unwatermarked paper. If one
The set consisted of a regu- tec calendar stone, which, next Mexico seriously some 20 In the intervening years, owns this variety, he has a true
lar postage series of 10 values to the eagle in the national years ago, the 10p value of the they have indeed done very rarity. ■
ranging from 1 centavo to 10 coat of arms, is the best known
pesos and an airmail series of symbol of Mexico.
eight values from 20c to 20p. Only 1,500 copies of this
There has always been some stamp were printed, and a
question about the postal legiti- large number of them went to
macy of the issue, since 10p or
the Universal Postal Union Printing Quantities
more in those difficult eco- (copies of new issues had to be
nomic times was quite a bit of Mexico's 1934 Pro-University sent to the UPU for reference 5 centavo -1 million 40 centavo - 20,000
money. 1-centavo stamp was part of a purposes) or were reserved 10 centavo - 2 million 50 centavo - 10,000
Considering the circum- set issued to raise funds for for various officials and the 20 centavo - 50,000 5 pesos - 2,000
stances, though, the need for the University of Mexico. diplomatic corps. 30 centavo - 30,000 10 pesos - 1,000
the stamps appears real in- Success of the issue was aid- It appears, though, that most
deed. The idea seems to have ed by a ruling that the le of these found their way into
worked rather well, and it has stamp in the series would be the philatelic market.
remained popular with collec- required on all letters sent Since 20p in those days was a This table shows the printing quantities of some of the Pro-
tors, who picked up the stamps between September and De- sizable sum of money (about University regular postage stamps.
at new issue prices. cember 1934. $5.68), dealers and collectors
The success of the issue was The rarest stamp in the Pro-
partially guaranteed, since tion of a considerable return were committing a fair sum of University set is the unwater-
was almost immediate. money to possess the series.
Mexicans were obligated to marked variety of the 10p.
The attractive designs, Nevertheless,• nearly all the
use the lc stamp, of which 20 Only one sheet of 100 is be-
million were printed, on all let- which depict various indi- lieved to have been printed.
ters mailed between Sept I, genous crafts and ceremonial
1934, and December of that poses, were not original to the
year. Sept 1 was the day the issue, a fact many collectors
stamps were released. do not realize. •
Thus, if all the stamps were Several of the designs were
sold, some 200.000p would be adapted from contemporary
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 12, 1983

Letter provides insight into Mexican War

The cover illustrated with his personal situation. ful attempt to escape, all were on the boundary line between in Monterey in 1904 at age 76. cal items related to Texas, and
this column, if it were still in a It's useful to back up a few ordered executed, again by Texas and Mexico when Texas There's another interesting the collection was given to the
dealer's shoebox stock, might years and set the stage for why Santa Anna. The sentence was accepted statehood. twist to this story. Hill's museum following his death
not even cause a collector of the letter was written. later commuted, and one in This explains how I came brother, James Monroe Hill, some 30 years ago.
Mexican stampless covers to In the days before Texas ten Were executed. into possession of this letter. It had remained in Texas, raised The documents section of
pause more than an instant. statehood there were a num- The unlucky ones were se- was acquired as a collateral his family and became impor- the museum from time to time
From the philatelic stand- ber of nasty incidents between lected by drawing lots, and the piece to the formation of a tant in Texas politics. displays interesting philatelic
American citizens who settled As a veteran of the Battle of related items from the Spanish
and occupied what is now Tex- San Jacinto, James Hill be- colonial and prestatehood pe-
Mexico as and the Mexicans who came interested in preserving riods of Texas. ■
By Dale Pulver claimed sovereignty over the the memory of that event and
area. played a key role in acquiring
point it's quite pedestrian. The Everyone knows about the for the state of Texas the prop-
slaughter of a tiny American erty where the battle was
boxed MEXICO/date is one of
force at the Alamo mission in fought.
the most common postmarks
March of 1836. James Hill's son, George A.
of the 1840s and it even isn't
Three weeks later some 300 Hill Sr., and grandson, George
very well struck.
American captives were exe- A. Hill Jr., carried on the tradi-
It's the fact that it was ad-
cuted (on orders from Santa tion of maintaining interest in
dressed to the U.S. consul at
Anna) at Gollad, Tex. the battle and together with
Veracruz that identifies it as a
In April of the same year the the Daughters of the Republic
piece of historical interest,
Texans exacted their revenge of Texas eventually arranged
even if its philatelic charms
at San Jacinto (near Houston), for the erection of a historical
left something to be desired. The striking thing about this cover is not its postal markings,
routing Mexican troops under monument to mark the site.
Although this cover doesn't but its historical connection to the Mexican-American War.
the command of Santa Anna The San Jacinto Monument,
show us much about Mexican The writer is a Texan, captured by Mexican soldiers after an
and killing hundreds. a limestone shaft a few feet
stamps or postal markings, it 1841 border raid, who decided to stay in Mexico. He wrote this
Feelings of hostility persist- taller than the Washington
does demonstrate the fun one letter in 1845 to ask the America consul in Veracruz for pro-
ed, and raids back and forth Monument (naturally) houses,
can have searching out the tection during the war.
between the two countries con- conserves and exhibits arti-
background of a single phila-
tinued. survivors were marched off to postal history collection on the facts of early Texas history.
telic piece.
When a small band of Tex- Mexico. Mexican-American War. It is operated by the San Ja-
What we have is a letter
ans entered Mexico and at- Hill was 13 years old at the John C.C. Hill came through cinto Museum of History Asso-
written by one John Christo-
tacked the village of Meir on time and apparently found fa- all this, finished his schooling ciation, a nonprofit organiza-
pher Columbus Hill in June
Christmas Day, 1842, the writ- vor among the Mexican offi- as a mining engineer and re- tion, and is generally open to
1845 to F.M. Dimond, consul at
er of this letter happened to be cers. mained in Mexico to work. the public except for a few hol-
Veracruz wherein Hill asks for
in that group. Only a year later the United He married a Mexican wom- idays and on Mondays during
protection.
Unfortunately, the Texans States was at war with Mexico an, and except for brief so- the winter.
Hill writes that he is a survi-
were all captured and impris- because of the two countries' journs in Texas, lived in Mexi- George A. Hill Jr. formed an
vor of the Mier raid and that
oned. Following an unsuccess- inability to peacefully agree co the rest of his life. He died extensive collection of histori-
he and his father were taken
to Mexico City as prisoners fol-
lowing their capture by Mexi-
can forces.
After they gained their liber-
ty he elected to remain in
Mexico "at the request of Gen-
eral Santa Anna" and entered
the Mexican National College
of Mines, where he is present-
ly studying.
The root of his consternation
is the fact that Santa Anna has
just left the city (he was ex-
iled) and he is uneasy about
 OCTOBER 10, 1983 Lie N J J I HIVW IALYVO L I

Once scorned 'mules' now philatelic jewels

The 28th anniversary of Gen. Porfirio sion of the collecting possibilities, although through the Scott or Minkus listings he can sold to dealers and collectors, and the stamps
Diaz's victory over French troops at Puebla in one area that can be explored is watermark begin looking for proofs and essays. For- began appearing on the market.
1867 was April 2, 1895, and the Mexican post varieties. During the time the issue was cur- tunately, a few of these items have survived Probably not more than a few thousand sets
office chose this day to introduce a new series rent, papers with three different watermarks in large, undivided pieces which are truly of the Black Mulitas were printed; no one has
of stamps known as the Mail Transportation were used. spectacular. yet discovered records on this matter. Scott
issue. When the stamps came out in 1895, they Mexicana has illustrated these over the does not list them (Minkus does), but in my
It consisted of 13 denominations, from appeared on paper watermarked "CORREO- years. Information on the journal is available view they definitely belong in a decent collec-
SEUM" (Figure 2). from the MEPSI tion of the issue.
All or parts of the Secretary, 2402 E. There are a few very scarce stamps and one
Mexico watermark charac- Eighth St., Tucson, exceedingly rare stamp in the group.
By Dale Pulver ters are typically Ariz. 85719. As one might expect, the peso denomina-
found on individual Sadly, most of us tions were mostly used for heavy or valuable
stamps. will never be able to parcels, and not ;wow yogrogner7
centavo to 10 pesos, with 5 distinct motifs as In 1896-97, the own these large many were printed ,
the central designs. With the 5c, these designs watermark was proofs and essays, or sold. •
depicted various contemporary methods for "RM" in interlaced since they have be- From fragmenta-
the transport of mail. script characters. come exceedingly ry postal records, it
There is a foot postman with a knapsack, a
mounted courier driving a pack mule, a stage-
(Figure 3). The expensive and is estimated that 3
stamps of late 1897 change hands only about 50,000 1p
coach and a mail train. The oddball 5c pic- were printed on pa- Figure 2. Single let among the wealthi- stamps were sold
tures a statue of Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec per watermarked tern from the water est collectors. Figure 4. The Mexi- and used.
ruler of Mexico. with an outline of mark "CORREOSE One set, however, can eagle with the For the 5p and Rip
In the collector circles of Mexico, the the Mexican eagle UM" usually appear which is near to the letters "RM" is the values, the esti-
stamps were affectionately known as the Mu- with the letters on copies of the Mull- classification of third type of water- mates drop to well Figure 5. The Black
litas (Figure 1). This "RM" beneath (Fig- tas stamps due to proofs is definitely mark to be found on below 5,000. These Mulitas, such as this
is the Spanish word ure 4). Finally, the perfect alignment of within reach of a se- the Mulitas. It is of- totals include all lip specimen, were
for small mules, stamps of 1898 came paper during print- rious collector. ten misaligned. A watermark types. identical to the regu-
which are in the vi- on unwatermarked ing. These stamps are fourth variety of the It's anyone's guess lar stamps, except
gnette of the 4c and paper. known as the Black stamps, on unwater- what the survival that all denomina-
12c stamps. A further complication during production of Mulitas (Figure 5). marked paper, also rate was. tions were printed in
The designs were these stamps led to even more collectible The set consists of exists. The rarest stamp black. The mail train
the result of a con- varieties in the form of mixed perforations. a complete series of all is the 5p of in this design is simi-
test sponsored by Normally the stamps were perforated 12, but printed in black ink (none were regularly 1897 with the eagle lar to those that car-
the Ministry of Com- combinations such as 12 by 6, 6 by 12 and printed in that color) on "CORREOSEUM" and "RM" water- ried mail between
munications. Of sev- even 6 by 6 are readily found. watermarked paper. mark. It's doubtful if Veracruz and Mexico
eral proposals, those Figure 1. Mexico's Most experts think these varieties resulted Most experts call it a presentation set pre- more than three or City at the turn of the
submitted by an en- Mulitas set gets its from defective perforating machines or im- pared for the Universal Postal Union but also four sheets were century.
graver named Gil- name from the de- proper operation of these machines. Both pos- given to the diplomatic corps and notable printed. Fewer than a dozen or so have been
bert Lomeli were se- sign of the 4c and 12c sibilities seem reasonable. Pairs imperforate Mexican politicians at the introduction cere- recorded and confirmed genuine.
lected as the most stamps. Small mules, between are not difficult to find. monies. I recall vividly attending an international
appropriate. His or "mulitas," were Fortunately, there is now a great deal of The stamps illustrated with this article are exhibition many years ago in which a large
reward or prize is used to carry mail specialized information available to anyone from this set. They are identical in every re- collection of Mexico was shown containing a
unrecorded. during the 19th cen-
willing to tackle this spect to the issued stamps except for color. splendid array of Mulitas.
In any event, the tury, and these were issue. Numerous'ar- Interestingly, the UPU did not accept these I was nearby when I overheard one of the
reaction to these illustrated on those tides containing a black stamps for their records, insisting that, judges ask to examine the 5p purported to be
stamps by the Mexi- denominations. wealth of informa- they be sent samples of the stamps in the col- the eagle "RM" watermark variety.
can public was mixed. A contemporary jour- tion on the Mulitas ors of issue. Whatever happened to the Black The frame was dismounted and the stamp
nalist complained bitterly about the poor im- have appeared over Mulitas originally sent to Switzerland is not removed for inspection. Alas, it was not the
pressions, bad colors and tasteless designs. the past 20 years in known. rare variety, and I suspect the exhibit suf-
This, he said, was especially true of the 10c Mexicana, the jour- However, in 1929, a surplus stock of these fered severely from the attempted
stamps, and he lamented that the stamps nal of the Mexico- black stamps remaining at the post office was deception. •
were poor representatives of the people and Elmhurst Philatelic
government of Mexico to grace letters des- Society Internation-
tined for foreign lands. al. Figure 3. Due to
He suggested a media crusade to have them Many of the lower misalignment, only
withdrawn. This is strange, but we occasional- value stamps are not parts of the "RM"
ly hear this same type of sentiment expressed too expensive and watermark usually
in our own time. can generally be appear on Mulitas
For many years, the Mulitas were indeed found in retail stock stamps.
considered a stepchild of philately by serious books. Often one
collectors. In the past couple of decades they can purchase lots of unsorted stamps and en-
have begun to receive considerably more at- joy looking for watermarks or elusive town
tention. And well they should. cancellations.
Casual inspection of the Scott or Minkus list- Sometimes older collections can be the
ings confirms that they are an eminently col- source of misidentified varieties of a some-
lectible issue. The Mulitas have plenty of what rare stamp such as the 10c with side-
breadth and considerable challenge. ways "CORREOSEUM" watermark.
Space here does not allow a lengthy discus- Once a collector has worked his way
 82 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 14, 1983

Schatzkes reprint contains vital additions

If one is to form a collection Much about the new book needs further study and offers sequence, similar to the sys- of ex-Schatzkes material will marks is not up to par. Many
of the classic stamps of Mexico will be familiar to those who opportunity for original re- tem Scott uses. be disappointed when they see are fuzzy and spotty.
with properly identified know the first edition. Page search. Thus, the original cancella- their items in color, I fear. As the editor points out, com-
handstamp markings, there is size and general format are The new listings provide a tion numbers, which are con- Secondly, quality of the plete strikes were not avail-
one reference book that is in- identical. good basis on which to build. sidered standard identifiers in reproductions of the new post- able in some instances, and re-
Cancellations are organized Recent work on manuscript collector and dealer circles, construction had to be done
by principal postal districts as markings is likewise included. have been preserved. according to the best of
Mexico they were constituted in 1856. A further improvement is Both listings and illustrations Schimmer's ability.
By Dale Pulver The smaller towns, or subof- rearrangement of the illustra- are less crowded, allowing Nevertheless, Shelton and
fices, for which the principal tions so they follow the space for notations or future Schimmer have made a major
districts were responsible, are additions by the user (or pub- new contribution to Mexican
dispensable. This is The Can- alphabetically arranged under lisher). philately and are to be warmly
cellations of Mexico 1856 - the main district headings. There are more good things commended for their effort.
1874, by Josef Schatzkes. These appear on the left- about the book. The paper is San Felipe del Obraje was A new generation of collec-
It is the definitive work on hand pages with the illustra- whiter and heavier than the originally a separate district tors of Mexican classics can
the subject, first published by tions on the facing right-hand original, eliminating distract- office but later became a now have their bible with
Robson Lowe, Ltd. in 1964 in a page. ing show-through. suboffice of Maravatio. This spare change left over to buy a
limited (165 copies) edition A comprehensive index of Schimmer has reduced the cancellation, pictured in the few stamps.
and out of print for about a town names and stamp valua- introductory passages from Schatzkes book, is found only The book is available for $55
dozen years. tion tables are located, as be- four languages (French, Ger- on the stamps of 1856 and is from W.E. Shelton, 5164
Used copies have been fore, at the back of the book. man, Spanish and English) to one of the rarest markings Broadway, San Antonio, Tex.
known to fetch $200-$300 in The most noticeable change This canceling device, pic- two, English and Spanish. known. 78209. IN
the auction market, depending in the new, hardcover book is tured in the Schatzkes book, The latter has undergone mi-
on condition. its size, nearly double the was used in the district of To- nor editing to make it smooth-
But this situation has been thickness of the first edition. luca, 65 kilometers west of er and more precise.
rectified, at least momentari- Some 101 pages have been Mexico City, by the stage- Bad or bogus markings ap-
ly. Bill Shelton, one of the few added to accommodate new coach (diligencia) line which pearing in the first edition
U.S. dealers who specialize in and revised informational en- carried mail between the two have been eliminated, and a
the classic stamps of Mexico, tries, whi6 number more than cities in 1856. few have been moved to their
has just published a revised 2,000. proper places under different
version of the book. Another new and useful fea- sequence of the listings. districts.
He was assisted by Karl ture is the inclusion and identi- In the original book these All of this adds up to a vastly
Schimmer, serving as editor, fication of "Sello Negro" post- illustrations were shown in a Improved reference book
who in turn had help from marks. These markings were symmetrical layout which had which even owners of the first
many contemporary experts in used by postmasters to indi- visual appeal but were hard to edition should not hesitate to
the field of Mexican philately. cate prepayment of postage locate quickly. acquire.
Schimmer is no stranger to when stamps were not avail- The new format is much bet- 1 do have two minor criti-
this field. Among his many able. ter. The order of postmark cisms. First, the color plates,
credentials is authorship of the They are often found on let- numbering system has been now in the front of the volume,
sequel to this work, The Post- ters belonging to the classic omitted; it served no useful are uneven in color fidelity, at
marks of Mexico 1874 — 1900, stamp era, particularly during purpose. least in the copy I examined.
which in its own right is an es- the politically turbulent days New entries, and there are According to the publisher,
sential handbook for the stu- before and after the Maximili- many, have been assigned let- reproduction was complicated
dent of the late 19th century an affair (1864-1867). ter suffixes and inserted at the by the unavailability of the
period. This postal history area proper place in the numbering original plates. Current owners
38 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 12, 1983

Readers point out CTOs, postal forgeries

I decided to dedicate this I still think Mexico is clean, fusion concerning the stamps separation. should exist is altogether re- district name overprint, four
last column of the year to a se- but there were some CTO returned from offices outside Until the issue of 1868, Mexi- markable in itself, and there's sheets without the name and
ries of notes prompted by let- stamps prepared and sold, Mexico City. can stamps were supplied as an interesting story behind it. some 4r stamps.
ters or comments by readers. we're not sure when, of some According to information he imperforate sheets and had to In the mid-1850s there was a They were quickly snapped
In general, feedback on this of the issues of the mid-1940s. has gleaned from reading be cut apart by scissors or lot of revolutionary activity in up by collectors and dealers of
Rylander has sent me exam- some of the official records, some other device. (There is a
ples of such stamps from the employees within the postal known instance where a pri-
Mexico National Literacy set (Scott system were caught producing vate individual used a per-
By Dale Pulver 806-11), United Nations airpost stamps and selling them for forating device on the issue of
set (Scott C158-62) and Zacate- their own profit. 1861.)
cas 400th Anniversary set They used the original plates At this time the authorities
Mexico feature has been good
(Scott C163-66). and the legitimate and official seem to have been testing sev-
and much appreciated.
The stamps bear full, origi- invoice numbers but were eral different types of per-
While I've tried to answer all
nal gum and were canceled obliged to print the stamps on forating pins in their ma-
the letters received, this will with what appears to have
unofficial paper. chines.
serve to inform the balance of
been a roller device with a cir- Name overprints were On the stamps in question,
readers some of the new or un-
cular datestamp of Mexico forged. So what we have are there are perforations in a Perforation varieties are shown on these stamps from the
usual information others have
City and five wavy lines. postal forgeries, an instance sawtooth pattern, some which 1848 issue: a sawtooth pattern on the left and the center and
provided. • Liera feels may be unique to appear to have been punched pierced holes on the right.
• The article on the "Anotado" philately. with square pins and examples
In my first column (May 9, issue (July 11, page 26) of piercing such as one might Mexico, and postmasters were that era, including the English
Further, authorities did not,
page 14), I mentioned that I prompted several letters. do with a sewing machine frequently subject to harass- collector Samuel Chapman
as might be inferred from my
thought Mexico was a "clean" Roberto Liera, a Mexican article, recall stamps from the (without thread). ment. and the Mexican dealer Alfon-
country philatelically: and de- philatelic expert in his own outlying districts to use in the Many grabbed their stamps, so Aguirre.
As experienced collectors of cancelers and records and ran
void of CTOs (canceled to or- right, has graciously provided central office in Mexico where Some of the sheets were cut
Mexico know quite well, it took when rebels approached. The
der stamps). Thanks to Brad further insight on these inter- the forgers concentrated their up into small pieces, but at
several years for the matter of agent at Ciudad Victoria fell
Rylander of Oakland, Calif., I esting overprints. least two complete sheets of
efforts. reliable perforating to be re-
must modify that statement. He also clears up some con- victim to such a situation, but the overprinted stamps remain
The officials did, however, solved. Problems persisted as before he left he gave a large intact in private collections
use stocks of overprinted late as the Transportation is- stock of 8r stamps to a friend aside from the half sheet now
stamps previously returned, as sue of 1895. for safekeeping. being sold.
well as stamps confiscated In any event, the subject of In those days a sheet of 60 Obviously an item like this
from the forgers on which to separation methods used on stamps represented a lot of will titillate the collector of
apply the "Anotado" over- Mexican stamps of the late money, roughly 460 in sterling. Mexican classics who lusts for
prints. 19th century fills several inter- Anyhow, the postal agent a piece of such importance to
As noted, they forbade the esting album pages of one never returned to reclaim his be the centerpiece of his ex-
use of the issue in the Mexico man's collection. stamps and it is presumed he hibit.
City district unless it bore the • lost his life in the struggle. We're fortunate that spectac-
validating "Anotado" over- By the time this article is When the man who was ular things like this remain,
print. published, two noteworthy guarding them became very and I trust the new owner will
• items of Mexican philately will old he made up his mind to try keep it intact.
John Hotchner, another have been sold at auction by to sell them, having received The other item has been
Linn's columnist, sent me Bexar Philatelics of San Anto- assurances from the post of- touted as the rarest stamp of
some very interesting Mexican nio, Tex. fice that it would not be a Mexico, under the assumption
stamps from the 1868 issue One is a half sheet of the 8- crime to do so. This was about that since only one has yet
These stamps, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the with unusual perforations. real stamp of 1856 overprinted 1925. been discovered, it belongs in
founding of Zacatecas, have full, original gum and bear can- John has formed a most inter- with the district name "Victo- The hoard consisted of four the same class as the lt ma-
cellations applied by the post office, presumably to permit esting and instructive collec- ria." whole sheets and a partial genta of British Guiana.
their sale to collectors at less than face value. tion on the subject of stamp That something like this sheet of the 8r stamp with the This comparison will elicit
howls from the classicists, I there's always the possibility
suppose, but the stamp is un- another will show up.
questionably in better condi- But for now this falls into the
tion. category of unique stamps.
It is listed in Scott as 735B, a •
brown-lake stamp of the 1923 Response to this column on
regular issue type which shows the stamps and postal history
the Cuauhtemoc Monument. of Mexico has been gratifying
It is a common design and and is very much appreciated.
denomination of which mil- Again, the aim is to stimulate
lions were printed except for interest in collecting and
one thing. The paper of this studying the stamps of our
particular stamp was a water- southern neighbor which, in
mark type normally used for my opinion, offer enormous
revenue stamps and rarely opportunities for the begin-
used for postage stamps. ning, intermediate and ad-
The late Aldolfo Eimocke, a vanced collector.
very prominent Mexican col- As noted in an earlier col-
lector, found the stamp in umn, suggestions, comments
1967, and thus far it is the only and criticism are most wel-
recorded example. come and may be addressed to
It was used in Mazatlan, al- me care of Linn's.
though not enough of the can- Since this will reach Linn's
cellation shows to establish the readers just ahead of the holi-
date of its use. days I'll conclude by wishing
Obviously there were others all Feliz Navidad y un Pros-
at one time, at least a sheet, so pero Ano Nuevo! •
 Linn's 1984-1-9 signments of the much used

Eagle series reflects Maximilian's empire denominations (1r and 2r).

The lesser used values, 1/2r,
4r and 8r, were frequently
missing from consignments or
In this column, we return to reign. stamps were sent to validate Fourth Period, the entire year Again, to maintain the ac- fice name was applied, but not supplied in very limited quan-
the classic era of Mexico and These stamps first appeared them for use. of 1865; and Fifth Period, 1866 counts, more numbers (usually usually. By their nature, sub- tities.
discuss a stamp issue that has in early May 1864, barely a As in the earlier issues, there from Jan. 1 until Aug. 1. one or two digits) were added offices tended to be small This business of adding in-
always been a favorite of month before the two young were instances when the dis- A new stamp issue, showing to the stamps before they were towns or haciendas which voice numbers and year dates
monarchs landed in Mexico at trict name was not struck. had the effect of creating vir-
Veracruz. Such stamps are quite scarce. tually -thousands of varieties,
Mexico Initially there were, as in By midsummer 1864, the all of which are eminently col-
By Dale Pulver the earlier Mexican issues, postal administration had de- lectible.
five denominations: 1/2 real, Ir, vised a refinement to their
2r, 9r and 8r. In late 1865, a 3- method of controlling the ac- One should not attempt to
mine, although I haven't col- tackle this issue without some
centavo stamp was issued counts of stamps sent to the
lected it extensively. good reference books at his el-
which I'll describe later. district offices.
Mexican specialists refer to bow. Fortunately, there are
the 1864-66 stamps as the "Ea- Most catalogs list several dif- Each consignment of stamps
several good works available.
gles," although they are more ferent overprint types, which was thereafter sent from the
properly called the first issue are an intriguing feature of the head office overprinted with Basic sources would include
of the empire (Scott 18-25). issue. an invoice number and the The Postage Stamps of Mexi-
The central design is the These overprint varieties year. When the stamps were co, 1856-1868 by Samuel Chap-
man (reprint available); The
Mexican coat of arms showing were really the result of received, the district agent
an eagle perched on a cactus changes in the security system was expected to apply the Stamps of the Postal Districts
holding a serpent in its mouth. used in the distribution of name of the office before sale Typical district overprint markings appear on these Eagle stamps. First Period markings of Mexico by A. Odfjell; and
But the eagle wears a crown! stamps. The major types corre- and use. (left) show the district name only, in this case Aguascalientes. In the Second Period, Invoice numerous articles which have
appeared in Mexicana, journal
The historical backdrop to sponded to precise periods of For example, the first such numbers were added in large numerals, as shown on this stamp of Orizava (center). The
all this was the attempt by cer- use. shipment went to Guanajuato Puebla overprinted stamp (right) shows the small numerals used in the Third, Fourth and of the Mexico Elmhurst Phila-
tain Mexicans and Napoleon Stamps of the First Period, and carried the numbers "118 Fifth overprinting periods. telic Society International.
III, emperor of France, to es- which were issued between 1864." Another book which is par-
tablish a Catholic monarchy in May 8 and July 7, 1864, were Stamps with this additional received few stamps, so exam- ticularly helpful when it comes
a profile of Maximilian, was dispatched.
the New World. overprinted with only district information (in large numer- to the suboffice numbers and
used after that. These suboffice numbers are ples from these places might
French troops were already names. als) belong to the Second Peri- rather frequently seen on be scarce, if not rare. the towns to which they per-
in Mexico, and in April 1864, These namet as readers of od, which lasted from July 7 to To complicate matters even tain is Les Premieres Emis-
stamps from the districts of Stamp shipments to the main
the Austrian Archduke Maxi- my early columns (June 13, Sept. 19, 1864. further, many of the large sions du Mexique (1856 a
Puebla, Queretaro, Guanajuato offices would generally con-
milian, together with his wife, page 42, in particular) will re- Then there was a change to principal district offices were and San Luis Potosi, all of tain from several hundred to a 1874) by Smeth and Fayolle.
Carlota, accepted the crown of call, were applied to Mexican a smaller typeface which gives responsible for distributing which had several suboffices. few thousand stamps in con- Although in French, most of
' the new "empire" in what was stamps in the offices of the three more categories: Third stamps to smaller, suboffices the data is readily decipher-
Period, balance of 1864; under their jurisdiction. Once in a while, the subof- (Please turn to page 52) able.
to be a rather short, and tragic principal districts to which the

Armed with one or more of The 3c stamp, Scott 18, only I chose this district because Tables in the postal archives overprints. remainders at the end of the
appears in the Fourth and it had no suboffices, it handled which Chapman and others Postal usage is also a wide issue, so raw material for fab-
these works, the next difficult
Fifth periods. It is believed to a fair amount of mail and ex- have extracted show exact open area for study and enjoy- rications was available.
question might be what to col-
have been an experimental cept for two or three cases dates for most of the consign- ment. John Bash, who has col- To the timid, I again point
lect and how to organize the
value for use on printed mat- received decent-sized ship- ments. lected and written extensively out that good reference mate-
collection. As noted before,
ter or drop letters deliverable ments of stamps. In the case of Mexico City, it in Mexicana about this issue rial exists, and there are ex-
there are thousands of vari-
within Mexico City. Even so, it took about ten was possible for stamps to for many years, continually perts to help in the difficult sit-
eties, but many of them are
years of searching to find have been used the same day finds new and interesting in- uations. Good hunting!
very rare, if they exist at all. A fair number of unused
them all! the consignments were sent. I formation about the Eagle
It is virtually out of the ques- copies have survived, and The Mexican Empire did not
Another interesting chal- have two such examples stamps. I highly recommend
tion for one to attempt forming these do appear at auction last much longer than the Ea-
lenge is to find stamps with where a circular datestamp his articles.
a complete collection, or even from time to time. But genuine gle stamps. Napoleon III with-
"first day cancellations" on canceler shows the same date Details on Mexicana are
one that is nearly complete. It used copies are exceedingly drew his troops from Mexico
them. It's possible to do this. as listed for that consignment. available from MEPSI, 2402 E.
is not, however, terribly diffi- rare. and left Maximilian without
The issue also provides al- Eighth St., Tucson, Ariz. 85719.
cult to assemble a rather com- support. Ile was captured by
A convenient way to expand most everything else the clas- As with the issues of 1856
prehensive and interesting troops loyal to Mexican Presi-
on the basic types is to develop sic collector likes to study: and 1861, there has been some
type collection of the issue. This Second Period stamp of dent Benito Juarez and shot by
the collection by districts. plate varieties, flaws, colors manipulation of these stamps
the postal district of Puebla a firing squad in 1867.
One way to start is to secure The larger districts can ac- and shades and errors in the with forged cancellations and
shows the number 47 near the overprints. Examples of frac- The second issue of the em-
copies of the five major de- count for a great many vari-
margin. The number stands tional usage, i.e., bisects, quad- pire, the profile stamps of the
nominations for each of the eties which are neither scarce
for the suboffice of Tehuacan risects, etc., should be checked young Maximilian (born in
five periods. The toughest nor expensive. Some Interest-
where this stamp was sold very carefully. 1832), will be the subject of a
stamp will be the 1/2r of the ing collecting possibilities also
and used. There was a fair quantity of future column. •
Second Period, Scott 19a. Few present themselves.
exist, and it's seldom offered For example, I was able to
for sale. form a collection of all the
consignment number varieties
for the principal district office
at Orizava. This 2-real stamp from Mexi-
co consignment 25 of 1866
was used the first day it was
available, Feb. 1, 1816.
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 13, 1984

Stamp-on-stamp motif popular in Mexico

Topics and themes have en- as a stamp collector. and international shows were and were used on all kinds of countries. the first Elmhurst visit, all the
joyed a great deal of populari- The next stamp on stamp staged. cacheted material in the eight Mexico honored INTER- ones I've described can be pur-
ty with collectors during the came almost ten years later to In October 1963, the Ameri-• months they were available PHIL '76 with a stamp, but it chased for a modest amount of
past two decades or so. mark the Centenary Interna- can Philatelic Society held its before the show. showed only a perforation money.
Topical collecting seems to tional Philatelic Exhibition 77th annual meeting in Mexico For the show itself, a souve- gauge and the bicentennial Most of the stamps were not .
nir sheet was issued displaying symbol.
the emblems of the various The next stamp on stamp
Mexico sponsoring philatelic organiza-
tions surrounding an impres-
appeared in 1978, marking the
50th anniversary of Emilio
By Dale Pulver
sion of a 5p stamp. Carranza's goodwill flight from
Two years later, a sheetlet Mexico City to Washington,
afflict all of us sooner or later, publicizing SPORTMEX '70, a D.C.
once we conclude we cannot show devoted to sports philate- One of Mexico's early air-
hope to gather examples of all ly, appeared. This came short- mail stamps (Scott C6) is
the stamps of our collecting ly after the World Soccer shown flanked by Mexico's In-
area. Championships (Jules Rimet dependence Monument and
One of the more popular top- Cup) were held in Mexico. the Washington Monument.
ical subjects is stamps on In the next five or six years, Rowland Hill, often called
stamps. There's an American more philatelic events were the father of the postage
Topical Association handbook commemorated with Mexican stamp, was immortalized on a
on this subject, and many col- stamps and souvenir sheets. Mexican postage stamp in 1979 This stamp is one of a series
lections have been formed and In 1971 a stamp honored EX- in a stamp-like motif. of items produced during the
exhibited. FILCA, held in Caracas, Vene- But the issue that year I find 1970s in recognition of In-
Mexico, as a country, has zuela; a sheet commemorated most exciting was produced in teratnerican Philatelic Exhi-
certainly not neglected the the third Interamerican Phila- honor of MEPSIPEX '79, the bitions. It was issued in Janu-
area, and in fact, has produced The high values of the two Penny Black sets issued by Mexico telic Exhibition, EXFILMA '71, third International Exhibition ary 1973, some four months
enough stamps on the theme to In 1949 to commemorate the centennial of the postage stamp in Lima, Peru; of the Mexico Elmhurst Phila- after EXFILBRA '72, the
fill several album pages. had printing totals of only MOO each, setting a limit on the In 1973 the fourth IPE was telic Society International. show it honored.
number of sets available. held in Brazil and rated a The stamp has a reduced
The first ones were issued to stamp; in 1974 the fifth IPE photo of an 1880 registered issued in exceptionally large
commemorate the centenary held the first two weeks of City, and two stamps were is- was back in Mexico and a cover from Mexico to Rome quantities, though. Typically,
of the world's first postage August 1956 in Mexico City. sued for this event (Scott 937 sheet was issued. bearing two copies of the 10c we see runs of one or two mil-
stamp, Britain's ",Penny This event marked the 100th and C274). These pieces typically show Juarez issue used for foreign lion.
Black," in 1940. anniversary of Mexico's first The regular issue stamp is stamps of the participating mail. The EFIMEX sheet (1968,
There were two sets, one stamp. not just a stamp on stamp, it's Here is an instance where Scott C345) had a printing total
regular and one airmail, with The commemorative is a a stamp on a stamp on a the subject for the stamp is of 200,000 but still catalogs
identical denominations: 5 large one (40 by 48 millime- stamp! It shows a facsimile of still in public hands. And the reasonably at $3.50 unused.
centavos, 10c, 20c, 1 peso and ters). and shows a facsimile of the 1956 centennial stamp, cover was on display at the
The latest philatelic event to
5p (Scott 754-58 and C103-07). the yi-real 1856 stamp in the which depicted the 1856 4r show for all to see.
receive stamp-on-stamp recog-
The sets have always been original blue color. stamp. It's a spectacular example of
nition was HERFILEX '83, a
popular with collectors and Other stamps and souvenir The airmail shows an alle- a usage rarely seen. (I'll dis-
philatelic exhibition of the
have appreciated modestly sheets issued for the event gorical "stamp" (not a real cuss the Juarez issue in a fu-
Mexican Revolution held in
over the past decade. show Aztec designs and histori- stamp) which has the EXMEX ture column; it's a most inter-
March 1983 in Hermosillo,
cal motifs, but no stamps. emblem and a postmark. esting subject.)
Since the printing order for Sonora, Mexico.
At this point in the stamp-is- The next big philatelic event Mexico has truly taken the
the top value of each set was
suing sequence, it appears that honored by Mexican stamps collector to heart and provided This 6p stamp (Mexico has
10,000, this is the maximum
the purchasing power of the on stamps came right after the some fairly attractive, artistic had terrible inflation recently)
number of complete sets
collector and his influence on Olympic Games of 1968. This and tasteful examples for the shows one of the Sonora provi-
which can exist.
philatelic sales became recog- was the large international stamps on stamps collector. sional stamps issued by the
Seven years later, in 1947, nized. show, EFIMEX, held Nov. 1-9, Except for the Penny Black state during the civil wars of
Mexico issued stamps in honor In 1960, the Elmhurst Phila- 1968. sets and the stamp honoring 1913-16. ■
of the Centenary International telic Society celebrated, in Stamps publicizing this
Philatelic Exhibition in New Mexico, the 25th anniversary event, however, came out in
York. of its founding, and the postal February. There were two air-
Five stamps, two regulars authorities inscribed some mails, an 80c and a 2p, show- A stamp on a stamp on a
and three airmails, show fac- stamps especially for the visit. ing Mexico's first official stamp was issued in conjunc-
similes of Mexico's first post- By the early 1960s, the tem- stamp (Scott 01) of 1884, com- tion with the APS annual
age stamp and the U.S. 10t po of our hobby had noticeably monly known as the Medallion meeting in Mexico City in Oc-
1847 stamp as well as Franklin quickened, and more and type. tober 1913. It shows a picture
Roosevelt, known worldwide more larger regional, national These apparently sold well of Mexico's centennial stamp.
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 12, 1984

Local club chose to specialize en masse The Revenue Stamps of

In previous columns I have They also wanted something In fact, covers from larger latelists. sociated themselves with EPS,
often made reference to MEP- that would appeal not only to towns and cities with common Mexicana, issued continu- and the early issues of Mexica- Mexico by Richard Stevens
SI and its quarterly journal, the well-heeled collector but stamps of the classic period ously now for more than 30 na were full of meaty articles (1968); and The Postmarks of
Mexicana. MEPSI stands for also to those of more moderate did not carry large premiums years, is unquestionably the on the stamps of Mexico. Mexico, 1874-1900 by Karl
Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic means. over those same stamps of "glue" which has held the sod- From three dozen or so orig- Schimmer (1983).
Their conclusions: 1) Of the inal members, the society Numerous smaller works,
world's major countries, Mexi- grew to boast more than 400 mostly on individual issues,
Mexico co probably had the greatest
number of collectible varieties
by 1965. Of these, 75 resided
outside the United States,
also have been published.
The Odfjell book is the labor
By Dale Pulver of a Norwegian collector while
(a fact I've been touting in this mostly in Mexico, Great Brit-
column); ain and Europe. he was under house arrest by
Society International. 2) a major portion of cata- Current membership num- the Nazis in World War II. It
It's a long-handled name for log-listed varieties (even clas- bers about 900, drawing from classifies and summarizes a
a specialist society that wasn't sics) were priced within the 42 states and 20 foreign coun- mass of data on early issues.
always this way. This, in brief. means of average collectors; tries. It's a book I've found to be ex-
is its story. 3) rarities, which might sell In 1970, the society changed traordinarily useful.
The nucleus of what became for a few hundred dollars Mexico welcomed MEPSI members its name to the present form in The society has never been
a recognized international or- were bargains compared to to celebrate their 25th anniversary recognition of its truly interna- bashful about the social side of
ganization began as a local U.S. or European stamps of south of the border in 1940 by adding tional character. the hobby.
suburban stamp club in comparable scarcity; and special inscriptions to two current Now there are 10 local chap- At a 25th anniversary cele-
Elmhurst, Ill., in 1935. 4) Mexico appeared to have stamps. ters in various parts of the bration held in Mexico during
In December 1942, the club, been neglected by all but a few cover. ety together. More than 125 is- United States and Mexico June 1960, the society not only
which called itself the serious collectors. After the decision to special- sues (filling almost a foot of where five or more members received an official audience
Elmhurst Philatelic Society There seemed to be some- ize, the collective knowledge shelf space in my library) reside and wish to meet in the with Mexican president Adolfo
(EPS), made a decision, as a thing for everyone: curious, at- of the group expanded rapidly, have been sent to members. name of the society. Lopez-Mateos, it also got rec-
group, to specialize in the col- tractive cancellations; over- and another crucial decision It's one of the first places I In addition to Mexicana, the ognition on postage stamps.
lection and study of Mexican prints; perforation and water- was made. look when a question on Mexi- society has published books on Postal authorities added an
stamps. mark varieties; errors; and In 1952, the club began pub- can stamps comes up. I cannot Mexican philately. inscription to the 10-peso regu-
That decision was not taken "flyspeck" varieties. lishing its journal, Mexicana. imagine collecting Mexico Four major handbooks im- lar and 20p airmail stamps of
lightly. A committee had spent For the postal historian, This served as a vehicle for re- without it. mediately come to mind: The the current definitive issue
a great deal of time going there were covers of every de- porting news and new discov- No doubt the journal, once Stamps of the Postal Districts (Scott 909 and C249).
through the Scott catalog in scription from colonial to mod- eries, expanding on -existing its existence was made known, of Mexico by Abraham Odfjell While the translated inscrip-
search of a country or topic ern times. Many business ar- knowledge, most important, stimulated membership (1960); The Prestamp Postal tion reads: "In honor of the
which would have broad inter- chives had been saved, so they and filling gaps and correcting growth. Specialists and experts Markings of Mexico by Otto collector of Mexican stamps -
est. were rather plentiful. mistakes of predecessor phi- from far and wide quickly as- Yag and John Bash (1965); June 1960" this limited issue

(5,000 of each value) has al- items submitted was quite group of fewer than 1,000
ways been referred to as the "toxic° ELMIll R41 Plitl AI fl short. members can flourish in to-
axis 7Y INI FR NA TioNdt
Elmhurst issue. FL \ION ASI A Also, the opinions were re- day's philatelic community.
During the '60s and '705 an- garded as the best obtainable Any serious collector of
nual meetings in conjunction in the world. Increasingly Mexico should join. I can al-
with major shows became the heavy traffic has forced some most guarantee the value of
norm. administrative changes in the knowledge received in a year's
In 1979, the society again process, but it still functions worth of Mexicana will repay
found itself in Mexico City at NI XI well. the annual dues (815).
■■1*
MEPSIPEX '79, a show devot- MEPSI has undergone pro- If you're on the fence, send
ed to Mexican philately. The overseas cover Illustrat- found changes during the past $1 to Lois Deutschman, 4860
To honor the event, Mexico ed on this 1979 stamp belongs decade. It is no longer the N. Camino Real, Tucson, Ariz.
issued a 1.60p stamp showing a to a private collector and was small, intimate group it once 85718, and she'll send you a
transatlantic cover (Scott was, but it remains strong and sample copy of Mexicana plus
on exhibit during MEPSI-
C605). It, too, bore an inscrip- demonstrates that a specialist an application form. ■
PEL It shows a scarce usage
tion, and this time there was of the Juarez issue of 1879.
no question as to whom the The stamp was issued for the
wording referred.
annual meeting of MEPSI
It read "Mexico Elmhurst
held in Mexico City in 1979.
Philatelic Society Internation-
al — Reunion Anual 1979." stamps was established under
Member services such as the direction of a MEPSI
new issues and circuit books member, who is one of the
have been tried with varying foremost experts in his field.
degrees of success. This was an immediate hit
In 1971, a formal expertiza- with members, especially be-
tion service for Mexican cause turnaround time for
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 9, 1984

Pancho Villa prompted Torreon overprints

In the decade between 1910 and 1920, Mexi- legitimatizing certain general issues for a par- Ellis Brothers print shop of El Paso, using a market.
co was racked with internal strife of a magni- ticular region of the country in control of indi- typeset form ten subjects wide. The impres- Because of their scarcity, the overprints at-
tude unmatched in this hemisphere since our vidual warring factions. sion repeated on each of the ten horizontal tracted the attention of counterfeiters and for-
own Civil War. Thousands of Mexicans lost The Battle of Torreon, subject of this issue, rows comprising the sheet. Quality of work- geries do exist. Collectors should be wary of
their lives in this struggle, and the economic marked the emergence of the guerrilla fight- manship was excellent; no errors are known, this when purchasing these stamps and seek
disruption was enormous. er, Pancho Villa, as a bona fide military com- although an apostrophe-like speck appears af- expert advice. If a set with the peso value is
It was also a difficult time for the postal mander and a political figure to be reckoned ter the "de" on the eighth stamp in each row. offered, be very suspicious. This denomina-
system. Provisional and local issues of stamps with. The overprinted stamps were issued April 3 tion was not overprinted!
abounded, and the use of overprints and sur- The fascinating story of Villa's rise to power and sold only that day and the following day. It is ironic that the man directly responsible
The number issued was strictly limited, for the battle
amounting only to a few sheets of the lower victory that
Mexico values in the series and a half sheet of the 20- prompted this
By Dale Pulver centavo and 50c values. issue, Pancho
Villa, has
According to the best information available
been conspic-
(and this comes from contemporary philate-
charges became the order of the day depend- uously absent
lists), only three sheets (300 stamps) of the lc,
ing on who was in power at any particular from being
moment. 2c, 9c and 10c denominations were prepared. honored on a
Casual inspection of Scott's listings between Of the 5c denomination, some authorities Mexican
Nos. 321 and 607 reveals the extent of these say 10 sheets (1,000 stamps) were made. Oth- stamp until
civil war issues. And Scott lists only certain ers claim there must have been 15 sheets, cit- very recently
major varieties. It's another area of Mexican ing the number of stamps actually seen. (Scott C568).
philately with plenty of room for specializa- Perhaps it
tion. As noted previously, only 50 copies of the Although Pancho Villa
was because
20c and 50c were overprinted, making them played a dramatic role in
Seventy years ago this month, the first civil he was con-
the key stamps in the set. In any event, all of the civil disturbances of
war overprint appeared. To me it's one of the sidered dan-
These five-centavo and lec Transitory these stamps are in the scarce category, but 1913-1920, he was not rec-
most interesting. It's called and is listed as the gerous by the
stamps with the "Victoria de/TORREON/- it's not too hard to find examples of the 5c ognized on a Mexican
"Victoria de/TORREON/ABRIL 2-1914" over- power bro-
ABRIL 2-1914" overprint used on piece have variety. stamp until 1978 when this
print used on the Transitory issue of 1914 kers of his
(Scott 362-68). the Ciudad Juarez circular datestamp can- one was issued on the cen-
An interesting variety of the 5c exists. The own country.
cellation. Virtually all legitimately used sheets of stamps used, which were rouletted tennial of his birth.
The unusual aspect of this overprint is that In the power
its motive was to call attention to a note- stamps bear this cancellation. for separation purposes, had a pair (positions struggle between 1917 and 1920, Villa's influ-
worthy military event. Most of the subsequent 6 and 7) which were completely imperforate ence was neutralized. Finally, after some mis-
overprints had the function of validating or is too long and too complex to be summarized between. chief in 1920, he was given a hacienda in Du-
here. However, in the spring of 1914 he led a rango and went into self-imposed exile.
Stamps in positions 16 and 17 were roulet-
Norway offers gift set force of mostly peasant soldiers known as the
ted only part way up from the bottom. So, de-
Ultimately, he died as he had lived, in a hail
Division of the North in an attack on the im- of bullets from an ambush in the city of Par-
The Norwegian Post Office has produced a pending on which number we accept there
portant railhead junction of Torreon. rot as he rode through town in an open tour-
gift set consisting of the 16 stamps included in can be only 10 or 15 such items. These can be
After a bitter fight, which lasted several ing car with his bodyguards. The crime was
the Norwegian Buildings definitive series. considered rarities.
days, he defeated a much better equipped never officially solved.
The price is 31 krone per set. Orders can be
Federal force and captured the town. It was Some of these stamps were used on mail,
sent to Postens filatelitjeneste, Postboks 1085 both domestic and foreign. Nearly all legiti-
an important victory for the Constitutionalist The Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic Society In-
Sentrum, 0104 Oslo 1, Norway.
cause. mately used copies bear the circular date- ternational will be special guest of WESTPEX
A holiday was declared in Ciudad Juarez, stamp cancellation of Ciudad Juarez, dated '84, to be held in the Oakland Convention Cen-
Swap and sell session capital of the territory under Constitutionalist April 4. Complete covers are rare. tre, 550 Tenth St., Oakland, Calif., May 11-13.
The Green Mountain Stamp Society will control, and the postmaster, Ponciano Cota, Unused stamps remaining unsold at the post A varied showing of Mexican material is ex-
host a swap and sell session at its April 11 was authorized to prepare the overprints to office on April 4 were bought by an El Paso pected in the exhibit, and it might be worth a
meeting, 7 p.m., in the Crescent Manor Nurs- mark the event. collector who in turn sold them to dealers and trip for collectors living in the area who have
ing Home, Bennington, Vt. The three-line overprint was applied by the collectors for dispersal into the philatelic philatelic interest in Mexico. •
36 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 14, 1984

Classification key to revenue collecting

Readers' letters frequently fications of stamps and their ly advise serious collectors to license to operate his business House stamps keyed to the val- a picture of the diversity of
concern the revenue stamps of purposes. This is essential for buy a copy of The Revenue he was actually charged ue of imports as stated on in- revenue stamps available;
Mexico. In most cases, the a logical and orderly mounting Stamps of Mexico by Richard 12.50p. The extra 2.50p for voices. The commercial trans- each purpose required a dif-
stamp or stamps in question sequence. Stevens (1979). which stamps were affixed to action tax was 1/2 percent al- ferent series.
are recognized as coming from The Spanish inscriptions on It is available from the Mexi- his license went to the federal though some of the rates var- And it didn't stop there. To
co Elmhurst Philatelic Society ied depending on the item in-
International. It will help im- volved.
Mexico 51411.418, measurably in the enjoyment Imported wines and liquors
By Dale Pulver H. M of organizing and mounting the bore an 8 percent supplemen-
collection. tal tax, and similarly higher
Back to the stamps. The first taxes were paid on tobacco,
Mexico, but the collector is un- revenue stamps were issued in cigarettes, cigars and snuff.
able to locate them in Scott or 1874, and there were two sepa- At the turn of the century,
any other catalog at hand. rate classes or series: Docu- revenue stamps were intro-
More often than not there is ments and Books (Documentos duced for other miscellaneous
an implication that he or she y Libros) stamps and Federal purposes: taxes for the benefit
has found something of ex- Tax (Contribucion Federal) Customs stamps, such as this of primary schools, taxes on
traordinary (read — high!) stamps. 10p from the first issue 1885, woven goods and textiles, tax-
value. Here's how they were used: were affixed to appropriate es on the production of pre-
This column should help Each businessman or trades- documents and then dot-per- cious metals, and taxes for the
clarify some of the mysteries man capitalized in excess of forated with name of location benefit of public health.
about these stamps. 2,000 pesos was obliged to of use. This one is punched States and fiscal districts
First of all, they are plenti- keep precise business records. "CAMPECHE." produced and issued their own This stamp is from the Inter-
ful. About twice as many vari- Documentary stamps come Furthermore he was re- government revenue stamps. nal Revenue series, 1895-96,
eties of Mexican revenue from the first series issued in quired to buy and affix reve- Regulations governing these During the Revolution of overprinted and used in Ver-
stamps exist as there are of all 1874. Stamps were produced nue stamps, those of the Docu- 1913-20, Gen. Venustiano Car- acruz. It is complete with
taxes were strictly enforced;
the other kinds of stamps list- by the American Bank Note ments and Books series, to the ranza ordered revenues to be talon. This was canceled with
carelessness resulted in stiff
ed in the regular stamp cata- Company in New York City. pages of his account books in penalties. And the fines im- printed in the United States. an oval handstamp, but many
logs. The overprinted name in tab- proportion to the value of the posed were certified by the Since they arrived at a time revenue stamps were pen-
Over the years Mexico de- let beneath the portrait, in transactions recorded thereon. purchase of even more reve- when postage stamps were canceled.
rived a large share of its pub- this case "Distrito Federal," The Federal Tax stamps cov- nue stamps. scarce, they were used tempo-
lic revenues from the sale of was varied to indicate place ered a 25 percent surcharge rarily for postage (see Scott keep track of receipts in each
By 1885, two more classes of
adhesive stamps which certi- of use. levied by the federal govern- 347-53). fiscal year, the designs were
revenue stamps had been au-
fied payment of taxes on all Even the U.S. Armed Forces changed annually. These are
ment on all taxable items thorized and issued: Custom
manner of commerical activi- the stamps are not always which towns, cities or states issued revenue stamps on be- the reasons why there are so
House taxes (Aduanos) and
ties. clear, even if one has a good handled. half of Mexico during their oc- many varieties.
stamps for taxing commercial
Part of the dilemma faced bilingual dictionary at his el- For example, if a merchant transactions (Renta Interior). cupation of Veracruz in 1914. But eventually some of the
by would-be collectors is un- bow. had to pay his city 10p for a As expected, the Custom From this listing, one can get classifications were modified
derstanding the various classi- For these reasons, I earnest-
 MAY 14, 1984 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 37
and others disappeared alto- ed by elaborate machine en- were perforated with the gant philatelic material print-
gether. graving. name of the location where ed in that era.
The early issues were typi- The series consists of ten de- they were used and could, I At the end of the Revolution-
cally in a large format, en- nominations in 12 colors. suspect, be considered a form ary period (1920), most of the
graved and very well printed. Three paper varieties are of perfins. special types of revenue
Some of these were engraved known, and the stamps were They came in denominations stamps had been discarded.
and printed in the United overprinted with the name of up to 1000p which, in them- The Internal Revenue (Renta
States and England. the fiscal district where sold selves, are not especially Interior) stamps were being
The Documents and Books and used. scarce. But examples of Cus- overprinted to indicate the
stamps of 1874-75, for exam- Customs stamps were issued tom stamps from the smaller various tax motives for which
ple, show a portrait of Miguel and used at various seaports towns where there was little they were used. This practice
Hidalgo y Costilla (as do the and entry points where goods traffic are often quite rare. continued into the current era.
first postage stamps) surround- were imported. These stamps The fact that the designs Modern Mexican revenue
were changed annually kept stamps are mostly of the small
the engraving and printing of- size (20 by 40 millimeters) in-
fice busy. cluding talon (a removable
The early stamps portrayed part sometimes used for a re-
Mexican heroes and famous ceipt or control purposes).
men. By the turn of the centu- They exist in a broad array of
ry, the designs had shifted to denominations, colors, over-
coat of arms types and allegor- prints and designs.
ical figures. Stamps became They are eminently collecti-
smaller as usage increased ble and usually not too expen-
and cost of production rose. sive, even for some that are These two revenue stamps illustrate the type of allegorical
But by all standards of com- quite scarce. So, if you're look- motifs typical in the 1930s and '40s. The stamp at right is
parison, these 19th-century ing for something different, try overprinted "COMPRA YENTA" (purchases sales), designat-
Mexican revenue stamps con- Mexican revenues, but first, ing its intended use.
stitute some of the most ele- buy the Stevens catalog. MI
00 LINN b J I NMI" INILVVJ JUNG I i, i au-.

Shrinking empire doomed Maximilian issues

An earlier article (Jan. 9, page 50) de- graphed and printed in sheets of 70 subjects found genuinely used, and even unused exam- barely three years after Maximilian had land-
scribed the series of Eagle stamps issued by on a rather soft paper. ples are quite scarce. ed in Veracruz with his beautiful young bride.
Mexico at the start of a Monarchy briefly pre- Ample supplies were printed and A used copy recently sold at auction for It was several months before a formal post-
sided over by Archduke Maximilian. dispatched to the various post offices under well in excess of $3,500. al system was restored.
This is the concluding episode on the French control employing the consignment At the close of the issue, sizable quantities However, the resourceful Mexican postal
stamps of that era, a series used during 1866 number and district name overprinting of surplus stamps remained for all denomina- agents resorted to earlier used handstamp
and 1867 which bear a profile portrait of the schemes seen on previous issues. tions of the engraved issue, including a large methods and limited use of stamps left over
unfortunate Austrian prince. Due to the chaos pre(railing at the time, number of the 7c stamps. from the 1861 issue. •
Coincident with the Regency order authoriz- there are many unusual varieties involving Many of these unoverprinted stamps have
found their way into the philatelic market and
may be purchased quite cheaply.
Mexico These remainders have been, unfortunate-
By Dale Pulver ly, rather a nuisance to the classics collector.
They have provided an abundant source of
raw material for those who would create
ing the printing of the Eagle stamps was an- forged overprints and cancellations.
other decree announcing a decimal currency Use of the Maximilian stamps ended
system to replace the old peso and reales sys- abruptly in June 1867 when Juarez' forces
tem (8 reales equaled 1 peso). reoccupied Mexico City.
It's unfortunate the engravers of the Eagles The unfortunate Maximilian, meanwhile,
weren't advised of this secret beforehand. it Two values from the engraved remainders.
had been captured in Queretaro with his two
might have saved a lot of confusion. The 25c stamp bears the consignment num- A pair of 7c engraved remainders. This de-
Mexican generals, Mejia and Miramon, and
This new decimal system was in effect dur- bers for Orizava (124 886) but had not been nomination has been tampered with exten-
was sentenced to death by firing squad.
ing most of the time the Eagles were sold, so overprinted with the town name to validate sively with counterfeit names and consign-
Attempts to secure a pardon from Juarez
the rates which worked out to fractional cen- it for postal use. ment numbers added to deceive collectors.
failed and the execution took place June 19,
tavos had to be rounded up.
For example, 1/2r equaled 6%c and was mistakes and misinterpretations of postal reg-
charged at 7c; lr equaled 121/4c and was ulations. The hasty printing resulted in nu-
charged at 13c. merous color shades and plate flaws.
When the city drop rate was tried In 1865, By this time, Maximilian's forces were los-
special stamps were printed with the correct ing their grip on remote parts of Mexico, and
decimal rate, 3c. not all of the shipments of stamps dispatched
As noted in my earlier column, they were from Mexico City reached their ultimate des-
not at all popular and are extremely scarce, tinations.
especially in used condition. Some were intercepted by liberal forces un-
In June 1866, another decree was issued au- der Benito Juarez and never saw valid postal
thorizing and ordering a series of stamps in- use.
scribed "Imperio Mexicano" and bearing a Further, there are many very scarce and
portrait of the emperor facing left. rare usages to be found with the Maximilian
The engraving is credited to a Senor Ga- heads.
valon and may have been chosen simply be- By the middle of October 1866, the postal
cause of the mature look it gave the youthful authorities had succeeded in obtaining en-
monarch. graved stamps of the same design to replace
We do know there were several other essay the temporary lithographed series.
These stamps were of much better quality
but could not be distributed widely because of
the ever shrinking area of influence under
Maximilian.
The engraved stamps circulated during the
final months of 1866 and up until April of 1867
when the last consignments were issued to
Mexico City.
An indication of their scarcity is that less
than a half million stamps were distributed
for each series, including all denominations.
These two stamps clearly show the differ-
The engraved series also provides one of
ence in quality between the lithographed
the great classic rarities of Mexico. The 7c
stamps (left) and engraved stamps (right) of
value, whose primary use would have been
the Maximilian issue.
for printed circulars, was consigned in very
designs prepared, many of which show full or small numbers.
three-quarter face views, but these were all Starting in December 1866, only three ma-
discarded for one reason or another. jor cities under royalist control received
The new stamps had decimal denomina- them: Mexico, Puebla and Veracruz.
tions: 7c, 13c, 25c and 50c. The 3c drop rate Only 3,400 stamps were sent out. Of these,
for city delivery was abandoned altogether, 2,000 consigned in a single shipment to Vera-
and it's puzzling why there was no peso or cruz were lost or destroyed.
100c value in the series. Of the remaining stamps sent to the other
The first stamps to appear were litho- two offices, fewer than a dozen have been
24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 9, 1984

Linn did extensive study on Sonora issues

This month's column really overprints commemorating a studies on them. The "White plus the word "Correos." white seal stamps. will certainly want correct in-
contains two stories; one con- battle won by Pancho Villa and Green Seal Stamps of Typographical mistakes and Presumably because the em- formation.
cerns a very good philatelic (April 19, page 30). Sonora" (Scott 321-46) cap- the use of different type fonts bossing process consumed so The details are all in the
reference book written by a fa- This era spawned numerous tured his attention early. and styles generated a host of much time, postal authorities Linn book. He lists the charac-
miliar person, but rarely seen other local and provisional is- I.inn formed an extensive varieties. At least two different quickly adopted a different teristics of the different print-
collection of them through procedure for validation.
connections he had in Mexico. A green facsimile of the seal
Mexico No doubt there were commer- of the State of Sonora was CORREO
By Dale Pulver cial motives behind his acqui- t"fOREEOS printed on each of the stamps. staito Libre y tetreisno J.
sitions, as he later began spe- tack, fibre y Soberano dt These stamps are the so-called
cializing in the sale of Mexican .4 ■0
4
green seal issue.
these days. The other concerns
the stamps he wrote about. civil war issues.
Further varieties resulted
Earlier this year Linn's cele- In any event, the result of his
since there were slight varia-
brated the centennial of the careful study was a book, Mex- tsEY o or 13 Of;
rk.t0 oc t 413 tions in each of the seal im-
birth of its founder, George ico, The White and Green Seal
pressions. All of the different
Ward Linn. Editor Michael Issues of Sonora, which Linn
combinations are what Linn Forsaking the time consum-
Laurence and feature writer wrote and published himself in
This crudely printed stamp is studied and wrote about. ing embossing process, postal
Laura Lee Gahagan wrote 1916.
an example of local provi- Scott tried to list these officials in Sonora began
some interesting reflections on It is still considered the de-
sionals used in the Mexican stamps in a simple, condensed overprinting the seal of the
his life and work (Feb. 6). finitive work on these stamps.
state of Sonora during the manner by assigning nine ma- state in green over its provi-
Linn is principally known for Very little new or otherwise
civil war early in this centu- jor varieties (and eight subva- sional stamps.
his philatelic news journalism, useful information has been
ry. Invisible in the photo is rieties) to the white seal issue.
his stamp dealing and his life- added in the intervening
the white embossing em- Similarly, the green seals ings, the typographical slips
long efforts in promotion of years.
ployed as a security measure. were assigned 11 major vari- and the flaws in the seal over-
the hobby. Being a publisher himself, it
eties (and 12 subvarieties). prints.
But Linn had a much more In 1916, some 12 years before is certain that Linn was fasci-
kinds of watermarked paper But as is so often the case, it Reproductions of all of the
serious side in the true phila- nated by the process used to
he founded Linn's Weekly were used. wasn't that simple. Despite the sheets issued and the varieties
telic sense. And this may be Stamp News, a youthful look- print the stamps.
To complicate matters fur- facts Linn had brought to the on them are included in the
known to only a few readers of ing George Linn published a A row of five typeset forms
ther, after the printer deliv- attention of the collecting pub- back of his book.
this newspaper. serious study of Sonora provi- constituted the basic design
ered stamps the postal authori- lic very early in the game, He even outlines a detailed
In the second decade of this sional stamps of Mexico. and layout. This was imprinted
ties decided some form of vali- Scott chose to ignore some of checklist of all the varieties
century, Mexico. was undergo- twice on the paper yielding a
dation was necessary to guard his information. known to him, and this was a
ing a most intense political and sues classified by most cata- sheetlet of ten stamps, five
against counterfeiting. Mistakes in its listings have number in excess of 650! Many
civil upheaval. logs as civil war emissions. pairs tete-beche.
Regular readers of this col- George Linn became infatu- Subsequently, the sheets This was accomplished by remained unchanged for more of these are exceedingly rare,
umn will recall references to ated with these "Mexican War were sent through the press a embossing the word "CONSTI- than 60 years. The difference if they exist at all.
Stamps," as he called them, second time to add in red the TUCIONAL" across the face of may not be too important to For years, the Sonora stamps
some of the stamps of those tu-
multuous times, most recently and did some serious philatelic literal and numerical values each stamp. These are the the generalist, but a specialist were not popular except to a

is still available.
handful of Mexican civil war in an attractive paper cover.
buffs. As can be seen in the accom- It would strictly be a matter
However, catalog prices for panying illustrations, Linn had of luck or diligent searching to
the more elusive pieces have elegant cuts prepared for the come up with an original. But
marched upward rather chapter and page headings. all the important information
smartly in the past ten years. Also note that he impishly is contained in the MEPSI
booklet.
They seem to have become autographed his photo "Sono-
what George Linn said they raly yours, George Ward MEPSI publication informa-
tion can be obtained from
were some 68 years ago: Linn." He was about 32 years
Tony Benz, Box 42165, Tucson,
Introductory
among the rarest of stamps old when the book appeared,
Ariz. 85733.
from Mexico. but he looks much younger in
I have absolutely no idea the portrait. George Linn went on to en- N writing a book or an article on the postage stamps of
gage in a rather brisk business a country, the author is generally able to consult other
how many copies of the book The book sold for $1 in 1917. articles or books on the subject and add his own thought
were originally printed, but I For readers who might be with the war stamps of Mexi- and study to that of those who have preceded him. This
do know it is missing from the eager to get involved with the co. In 1917 he published anoth- book, however, is the pioneer work o the stamps
collection at the American Sonora stamps, the Mexico- er book describing many of studied herein and in offering it to the -hilatelic pub do so wi
the other wartime issues and e satisfaction o wing that I h my hat
Philatelic Research Library in Elmhurst Philatelic Society In- found wing to ed
State College, Pa. ternational published a 24- giving advice on how to collect h
them.
It was originally printed on page summary of the Linn
deckle edge rag paper bound book in 1971, which I imagine Linn also was involved in a George Linn went all out for graphics in his 1916 book on
project to produce stamps for Mexico Sonora provisional stamps.
Mexico during the civil war
era. But these will have to be
subjects of future columns. ■
46 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 13, 1984
bore a tropic resistant PVA

Long airmail series challenges collectors (polyvinyl alcohol) gum and

came with a new watermark
design, an interlocking pattern
10 was used for the output This paper came in various three plates. of "MEX" and eagle in circle
A modern Mexican issue will limit this column to the touches to printing dies, color
shades, a variety of perfora- from this press, and Arabic thicknesses, and sometimes At this point in the chrono- symbols of larger diameter
that lends itself to philatelic airmails.
gum was used as the adhesive the watermark is hard to dis- logical sequence, we must in- than the two previously men-
studies in the traditional sense There is a more-or-less uni- tions, and the later addition of
with a varying yellowish cast cern. troduce another issue which tioned.
is the definitive series of 1950- form design to the airmails. new denominations to old de-
76. It is made to order for a They all have a horizontal for- signs, makes the search for to it. This paper also was used in belongs in the series even The Goebel press handled
mat (about 40 by 24 millime- In fact, this characteristic only photogravure plates and
ters) with the value tablet oc- makes it easy for one with a had a perforator of gauge 14
Mexico cupying the left two-fifths of $2.00 417— practiced eye to distinguish
these stamps from other, simi-
associated with it.
The press made numerous
By Dale Pulver the stamp and a selection of CORREO
historical, architectural or cul- AREO lar ones. They have Scott num- high speed printings as de-
tural subjects filling up the bal- bers from (7186-C198 with vari- mand for certain denomina-
modern specialist, with col- ance of the stamp. eties. tions increased.
lecting challenge comparable In 1953, the Mexican bureau Scott listings of C265-C268
Even the ever present Migu-
to a 19th-century classic issue. of printing began using a new and C285-C298 show a mixture
These two Constitution stamps of 1956, issued to cover new
The main reason for the el Hidalgo, leader of Mexico's The same architecture design supply of paper of English airmail rates, belong in the definitive series, although it could of engraved and photoen-
independence struggle, was is on the 2 peso of 1963.
broad collecting potential is manufacture. This had a dif- be argued that they are commemoratives. graved stamps, the latter being
chosen as the subject of the 10-
the long time span in which completeness quite exciting. ferent watermark, "MEX - on the American paper.
these stamps saw service and peso stamp. Often bewildered by the ap- MIA" and the national em- the flat bed (Waite) presses though many philatelists By the mid '70s, with infla-
the numerous changes in the There were 13 denomina- parent disorder in the Scott blem. and produced the stamps list- called it a commemorative is-
tion rampant in Mexico, postal
production schemes and postal tions in the first series starting listings of these stamps, collec- But the circles around the ed as Scott C208-0217. The sue.
rates rose rapidly, necessitat-
rates in the period. with 5 centavos and running tors wonder how best to orga- eagle outline were incomplete watermark is horizontal and These stamps portray men ing stamps with odd denomina-
Since the airmail stamps of all the way to 20p. nize their collections. and were intersected by the the stamps are perforated 101/2 involved in the drafting and
tions.
this series include some of the This, combined with differ- Perhaps the following notes first and last letters of "MEX by 10. passage of the constitution of The issue of 1975, Scott C444-
more interesting varieties, I ent papers, watermarks, re- will help. They are mostly a — MEX." In about 1955, another type 1857 and are Scott C236-C237A.
C451, provided for these rates,
matter of chronology and the of printing press, a roll-fed No presidential decree ever including a 50p airmail, the
evolution of printing methods Wifag rotary, came into ser- gave them commemorative
highest airmail value issued up
to meet the need for stamps. vice printing the airmail status, and they were reprint-
to that time.
The earliest emissions in stamps. It could accommodate ed numerous times and even
The last stamps of the 1950
1950-52 all came from en- either recess engraved or pho- underwent denomination
designs came out in 1975-76,
graved plates printed in sheets toengraved plates. changes when postal rates when eight denominations
of 30 on flat bed presses It had an 11 by 11, and an were modified. from 40c to 20p appeared on
(Waite design) on pregummed 1 1 1/2 by 11 perforator associat- In the early '60s, still anoth- unwatermarked paper. This
paper of Mexican manufac- ed with it and so contributed to er printing press (a Goebel) was another first, as all previ-
An example of the complexities of the long Mexican 1950-72 ture and watermarked "GOBI- This 50c stamp with horizon- the many varieties in the Scott saw action printing airmail ous printings had been on se-
series can be seen in the 35-centavo value of the first emis- ERNO MEXICANA" with the tal "MEX-MEX" watermark listings between 0218 and stamps, and this coincided curity paper.
sion of 1950. On the left is an original stamp, and on the right Mexican coat of arms eagle in (English paper) is one of the C221. with a new supply of paper of The lower values of the
is a version of the stamp with retouched die. Note the detail in a circle. key stamps in the series. Plate size was 50 subjects, American manufacture. 1975-1976 printings were al-
the house in the lower right and wall in the lower left. A sheet perforator of 101/2 by and the press cylinder held The paper was quite thick, most immediately supplanted

This is especially true in re- For those readers who might

collecting possibilities.
by the so-called Exporta issue, gard to colors and shades. The want to look into this series in
Except for a half-dozen key
a new definitive series in cur- 80c claret, a common airmail more detail I can once again
stamps now cataloging in the
rent use in Mexico. rate stamp for many, many recommend some articles
low CEOs, the rest are fairly
years, was reprinted so many from Mexicana, journal of the
Inspection of the Scott list- well within reach of the aver-
times that a small collection Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic
ings I have noted will quickly age pocketbook.
can be made of it alone. Society International.
give an idea of the breadth of But some of them are very
Mounting a collection of A group of collectors in Mex-
English-made paper with this elusive, even though the cata-
ico City, under the patronage
watermark (Scott code 309) log values are not high. This is
these stamps may take some of the Philatelic Society of
appeared later in the series. especially true of the earlier
imagination, but there are Mexico, A.C., published a
printings when some of the mi-
many perfectly logical possi- small booklet in 1973 assem-
nor varieties went unnoticed
bilities. bling all the data they could
for quite some time.
One could follow the chrono- find on the series up to that
A fairly complete collection
logical pattern I have outlined time.
of used stamps should not be
in the article, or the stamps I do not know if it is still
too difficult to assemble. The
This watermark appears on might be arranged by designs available, but if readers wish
denominations with the largest
Mexican made paper (Scott or denominations. to contact me through Linn's I
number of varieties were
code 279) used for the early This watermark on Ameri- those which were used most will attempt to find out. MI
definitive printings. can-made paper (Scott code abundantly.
356) is the last of the three
types used for the 1950-76 de-
finitives of Mexico.
56 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 10, 1984

Early forgeries came from original plates

In previous articles I have antly, to be able to distinguish Louis offered a well-known able for the forging of postage ther, reprinted stamps were ique (1856-1874).
made reference to the fact between the good stuff and and respected British stamp stamps. We now know what doctored with district name The section on forgeries was
that the stamps of Mexico bad stuff himself. firm at least three plates pre- happened. overprints and town cancella- translated and published by
have suffered their share of By relating some history pared for printing the 1-real The plates were chiefly used tions to make them appear au- the Mexico Elmhurst Philatel-
manipulation by unscrupulous about some forgeries of classic and 2r first design stamps of to reprint the scarce 4r and 8r thentic. ic Society International in ear-
Mexican stamps, especially In some instances, the
the first issues, I hope to help forgers were able to use some
Mexico beginners or intermediate col-
lectors feel a bit more com-
of the original canceling devic-
es which had also been pur-
By Dale Pulver
fortable in collecting Mexican loined from the Postal Muse-
classics. um.
people. In his book, Album Weeds, These fabrications were
Manufacturing rare stamps the Rev. Robert Earee de- eased into the philatelic mar-
to deceive collectors seems to scribes seven different forger- In this strip snipped from a turn-of-the-century French stamp ket and from the numbers of Forgeries of the 1856 issue:
have been a popular, if not ies of the Mexican first issue album, only the 2-real stamp at the center is genuine. The examples which have been The 4r stamp at left carries
profitable, business since the (1856). other four are crude forgeries. definitely identified, they the district name of
nobby began. Most of the forgeries he de- received eager acceptance Ometepec, which never exist-
Collectors and dealers often fines, however, were so poorly Mexico (1856-1868). denominations of the 1856 and from collectors all over the ed as a postal district! Were it
tell me they shy away from the and crudely done that there is How he gained possession of 1861 series, although many 1/2 r world. genuine, the 8r stamp from
classic stamps of Mexico be- absolutely no reason the obser- these plates was never re- stamps of the 1861 type also However, some astute collec- Acapulco would be a great
cause they are, as they put it, vant collector who is familiar vealed, but it is virtually cer- were made. tors and dealers from Great rarity. But it shows all the
so "difficult" and there are so with the first design should be tain they were taken from the The stamps I am describing Britain and the Continent be- standard fake characteris-
many fakes, forgeries and fooled. Postal Museum in Mexico City. are Scott 4-6 and 9-12. These gan to recognize these as for- tics: poor color, thick paper
counterfeits to keep track of. But there have been two In any event, the offer was are the same reprints referred geries, and articles started to and stop (period) at the foot
The same statement can be great waves of forgery activity rejected. As it turned out, to in the italicized notes at the appear in the philatelic press of the final "0" in the forged
made for many other coun- which have proved to be much plates for the other denomina- end of the first two catalog list- in the 1910s and early '20s. name overprint.
tries and other classic issues. more troublesome. The first tions also had been removed ings. Probably the best summary
But I suspect the person re- took place about 1895-1910; the along with remainder stocks of The forgers obviously had of information came out in ly issues of its journal, Mexica-
sponding this way may not second coincided with World the official colored papers extensive knowledge of the 1935 in a book written by the na.
have the desire, time nor drive War II and the two decades used for the 1861 issue. stamps and how they had origi- French team of Paul de Smeth These experts, aided by
to educate himself to avoid following. With this material, two es- nally been used. and Marquis de Fayolle: Les many others, have unlocked
being taken, and more import- About 1893, a man from St. sential ingredients were avail- To complicate matters fur- Premieres Emissions du Mex- most of the secrets used by the
 reprinters so that we have a trict names and cancellations opinion is often long and ardu- examined closely, and all that
basis for distinguishing the was so cleverly done in many ous. arouse suspicions should be
reprints from the originals. instances that knowledgeable But I hope readers will ex- examined by experts. This is
Some of the differences are collectors and dealers were ercise wariness when such particularly true for the scarce
not very profound. Even deceived at first. Part of the items are offered to them for districts.
though original plates and pa- problem was that there sale. Most reputable dealers now
per were used in the printing, weren't many references or To summarize, there are
take the precaution of obtain-
it was recognized that nearly accurate reproductions of the several things to keep in mind:
ing certification prior to sale.
all of the reprints of the 1861 postal markings available at The lr and 2r values of both
issues and the 1/2r of 1856 were Furthermore, most of the re-
stamps have the "grain" of the
wove paper running in the so common that few forgeries ally rare items in this category
were made. carry with them an established
wrong direction. It is vertical
In fact, some specialists are pedigree. That's often a big ad-
instead of horizontal.
Thus, the simple test of hold- willing to pay more for these vantage.
forgeries than they would for Next month I'll delve into
ing a suspect stamp to the light
the genuine stamps (of com- the second part of the forgery
often suffices to identify bad
mon districts). story: the activities of Raoul
stamps.
I should caution readers that Forgeries of the 1861 issue: A 4r or 8r stamp should be Ch. de Thuin. ■
horizontal grain is not an abso- Both stamps are easily classi-
lute check of authenticity; a fied forgeries by the vertical
few reprints are known with "grain" test. The 4r stamp
the grain running in the right also shows the worn-plate im-
direction. pression and a district name
Only reprints of the 9r and that's too small. The cancella-
8r denominations were made tion would be hard to con-
of the 1856 issue. There were demn. The 8r forgery has
plenty of genuine 1/2 r stamps similar shortcomings, but
around, and they were cheap. again, has reasonably authen-
The reprinted '56 stamps tic looking postal markings.
were on a very thick, very
white paper which is fairly that time.
easy to tell when compared This information had to be
side by side with an original. developed from reliable sourc-
Another clue is the ink. The es, such as full, dated letters,
red colors of the 4r reprints and then communicated to the
are usually dull and less vivid collecting community.
than the genuine stamps. W.T. Wilson's book, The
Similarly, the inks used to Postmarks of Mexico, 1856-
print the 8r forgeries tend to 1872 (1927) gave people some-
be grayer and often have a thing to use in checking can-
muddy appearance. cellations; the Smeth-Fayolle
The colors are quite differ- book gave detailed character-
ent from the clear lilac and li- istics of the fake district name
lac-purple shades of the genu- overprints.
ine stamps. These brief paragraphs can-
Another tip-off is the impres- not transform readers into in-
sions. The reprints were most- stant experts when it comes to
ly produced from plates show- looking at their high value
ing advanced wear and often 1856-61 Hidalgo heads.
exhibiting crude attempts at There are many other fac-
recutting weak lines. tors to be considered, and the
The overprinting with dis- process of rendering an expert
6U LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 1984

De Thuin introduced creativity to classics

Last time I promised to tell valuable piece. mail to a widely dispersed tion several times by the Mexi- forged cannot be considered in maxim I have repeated many
part of the story of Raoul One of de Thuin's fortes, and clientele. can authorities, he always the same league with genuine times in these columns (and
Charles de Thuin, a rascal of what he appeared to enjoy He prepared rather crude, managed to slip through some examples. which is true also for any phil-
relatively modern times who most, was preparing covers hand-drawn approval sheets loophole and avoid incarcera- But a few collectors are will- atelic specialty): Rare, high-
introduced a great deal of showing rare usages. Some on which he usually mounted a tion. ing to pay nominal sums for de priced stamps and covers
creativity to the classic stamps claim he did this "to order." number of his creations, very Finally, in 1966, as advanc- Thuin's work to add to their should either have certificates
of Mexico. He generally started with often including some common ing age and declining health reference collections. of authenticity from reputable
Although de Thuin dealt in stampless letters or fronts genuine stamps which were began to take its toll on de De Thuin died in 1975. Mate- committees or be submitted to
generally overpriced. Thuin, he agreed following
From the amount of materi- some delicate negotiations to
Mexico al ultimately traced to de sell his business to the Ameri- MAYA SHOP
tta■ tll NON,. SIN,
By Dale Pulver Thuin, he apparently had a de- can Philatelic Society. MERU., 'Tatar...)
cent sized list of eager buyers. This was the only effective a. *I, .11t3.0

One of the most bizarre inci- way the APS could find to stop
stamps from numerous coun-
dents relating to de Thuin con- the sale of forged and manipu-
tries the majority of his "crea-
cerns an auction that was lated philatelic items to un-
tions" involved Mexican phila-
planned, but never held. suspecting collectors.
telic material.
A well-known and presti- The most important assets of
He didn't counterfeit Mexi-
gious auction house in England the business the APS bought
can stamps; generally what he
received a large collection of were the books of tracings de
did was to alter genuine, but
classic Mexican material, Thuin had made of postal
common, low value stamps
broke it into lots, produced a markings and the hundreds of
and covers to make them ap-
well-illustrated catalog and cliches he had made to doctor
pear more valuable.
This stamp illustrates how sent it to an extensive list of his pieces. The illustrated airmail envelope shows the corner card most
He operated an approval ser-
tough it sometimes is to dis- customers. Years later, in 1974, the APS frequently used by de Thuin: Maya Shop in Merida, Yucatan.
vice from a base in Merida,
tinguish between a genuine Unfortunately the vast ma- published a full-sized refer- Enclosed in Blip coyer was a lavishly illuminated letterhead
Mexico, for many years.
stamp and a de Thuin fabri- jority of material comprised ence book on the stamps and and ;137 in Ong() and Belgian East African stamps with an
He approached his fabrica- cation. Polotitlan did not pieces manufactured by de earnest plea fOr "substantial purchase."
tions from a sound technical forged postal markings recov-
overprint its name on stamps Thuin which, even to ered from de Thuin.
basis; he maintained an exten- of the first issue. De Thuin moderately competent Mexi- rial he created will continue to them for expertization.
sive philatelic library. Titled The Yucatan Affair: show up for many years as col- In absence of that, the col-
made several cliches of the can specialists, were blatantly the Work of Raoul Ch. De
Apparently he studied his commonest oval cancellation obvious from the catalog pho- lections are broken up, sold lector should spend the time
books on Mexican stamps and Thuin, it is still available from and reformed. and effort it takes to gain the
of this town, and this shows tographs. the APS.
usages and did his best to one used on a 2-real remain- Unfortunately, collectors expert knowledge needed to
A howl went up from the ex-
adhere to the rules and chro- der. Fortunately, from this who may have had bad materi- make those decisions himself.
perts, and the sale was can-
nology described in them. record philatelic experts and al in their holdings will ulti- In either case a certain ele-
(which were cheap) and add- celed immediately. This shows collectors have a much easier mately suffer financial loss. ment of risk remains, but the
He did some very interesting ed genuine remainder stamps that even the professionals get time identifying de Thuin ma- But again it points up the odds are much better. 111
things. For example, he would and cancellations which he fooled once in a while. terial as it appears on the mar-
take genuine stamps which made himself and copies from Authorities made numerous ket than did the British auction
might have all but escaped real ones as best he could. attempts to stop his business. house.
cancellation and add a much Another of his specialties Fraud orders by the U.S. Post Little by little, progress in
rarer, but forged, suboffice was bisects and "splits" on cov- Office would slow the volume eliminating this material is
cancellation to deceive a col- er. These he would make from of overtures for a while, but de
lector. being made.
damaged stamps he bought on Thuin would soon find another For some specialists, howev-
He might take a remainder the open philatelic market. alias and be pushing his forged er, it has become a new field
stamp (of intrinsically low val- Many of his fabrications in this and overpriced approvals as to collect, and examples aren't
ue) and doctor it up with a area look deceptively authen- vigorously as ever. all that plentiful.
rare name overprint and can- tic. Although faced with legal ac- Obviously, the rare items he
cellation to make it look like a De Thuin sold his wares by
58 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 10, 1984
varieties.

CTOs really receipts; Mexican market firm With practice, one can dif-
ferentiate between them by
quick inspection.
My December 1983 article ings. provided an answer to this rid- can commemorative stamps. book, The White and Green varieties. Another suggestion: Try to
was devoted to brief notes and Thanks to his prompting and dle. Large business firms use Seal Issues of Sonora. Many of the writers wanted buy sheet margin stamps of
response to letters and com- expressed doubts that Mexico "postage paid" return enve- Fink also gave added collect- However, I noted that most to know where they could buy the various types with selvage
ments by readers. It seemed ever resorted to the offensive lopes for the convenience of ing dimensions to the Trans- of the important data still was the study booklet I mentioned intact.
like a good idea then so I've practice of CTOs, I did some their customers, much as busi- portation issue (Mulitas) I available in a MEPSI (Mexico- in the article which was pub- The selvage will show the
ness houses do in the U.S. wrote about in the October Elmhurst Philatelic Society In- lished by the Philatelic Society hard-to-see watermarks and
1983 issue (page 27). ternational) booklet. of Mexico. paper texture unencumbered
The post office collects these
Mexico He noted that the various
envelopes, and when they are watermarks can be found with Joe Stuart of Texas wrote to
Unfortunately, I have been by the stamp design!
By Dale Pulver unable, in spite of many letters •
picked up or delivered to the different orientations depend- tell me that Linn's book was and a number of phone calls,
customer the total of return ing on how the individual reprinted in Vol. 20 of Billig's Let me put in another plug
to determine if it is still avail- for MEPSI. Serious collectors
decided to repeat it again this postage due is paid. sheets of paper were fed to the Philatelic Handbook and is able and where to get it. I'll
still readily available. of Mexico should join this or-
year.
As a receipt for this pay- presses. keep trying. ganization, and even interme-
It also gives me a chance to Stuart also mentioned that
ment, canceled stamps are giv- In other words, the letter in To those readers who write diate collectors can profit
recognize those people who the late A.O. Tittman of New
en. This also keeps the account the watermark, when viewed me, I've tried to acknowledge from belonging.
have taken the time to write York formed one of the most
square between cash and from the back of the stamp, their requests (with a postal Mexicana, the quarterly
for additional information or complete collections of the
stamps in the postal clerk's might face left or right, or up card) and will send them a Journal, is well worth the annu-
to help set the record straight White and Green Seal stamps.
drawer. or down. written answer when I have it. al dues ($15), and it will con-
with information they might It was bequeathed to the na-
have on the subjects of these He has specialized in this is- I'll also footnote this column tain information about Mexi-
In an attempt to recover sue for many years and has tional collection in the Smith-
columns. something for all this postage found that some of the posi- for those who may want one can stamps that cannot be
sonian Institution. but haven't written. found elsewhere.
The first note last December (full sheets of stamps were of- tions are considerably scarcer
described what I thought ten provided) some of the than others. In several in- While many of us do not I receive several letters a
Meanwhile, you might want
might have been CTO (can- more enterprising merchants stances fewer than a dozen ex- think highly of this practice, year asking about stamps
This example shows a full to do what I did before the
celed to order) Mexican contacted stamp dealers, amples are known. the collection remains there which are not yet listed in the
gum, roller canceled Mexi- booklet came out.
stamps. Until a western collec- found out what items might be intact and I presume available large catalogs or for which the
can commemorative stamp I clipped an old copy of
tor sent me examples of can- philatelically desirable and Those who may have begun for study by the serious stu- listing is confusing.
used as a receipt for postage Scott's catalog and pasted the
celed stamps with full gum, I
paid on return envelopes then asked for certain com- collecting this issue as a result dent of philately. various listings in chronologi- Generally, the new issues
•
was unaware of such material.
used by business firms. memorative issues which were of that article can now add cal order on notebook pages. committee of MEPSI reports
Immediately after the arti- still in stock at the philatelic watermark orientation to the The article on the definitive new Mexican stamps within
cle appeared I received letters further research. window. list of variables. airmail series of 1950-76 (Aug. I left plenty of space and weeks or at most a couple of
from two Canadian readers on No mention could be found • 13, page 46) generated as then added notes and tables of months from the time they
the matter. in any of the extensive litera- This explanation ties in well In the article on George W. much mail response as I've the new varieties I found or come out.
Piet Steen of Alberta sug- ture I have gathered on Mexi- with the observation of one Linn and his writings about the received on any subject. which were reported to me. Members also may report
gested that the canceled can philately, so I began writ- reader that he once saw a Sonora issues of 1913 (July 9, It is obvious that a lot of col- In some respects, this proce- scarce varieties long before
stamps might represent some ing philatelists I knew in Mexi- dealer's stock containing many page 24), I inferred that it lectors either are specializing dure might turn out to be bet- they reach Scott. This can
form of receipt for the pay- co. sheets and part sheets of fully could be exceedingly difficult in this set or trying to com- ter because it forces one to mean the difference between
ment of postage on bulk mail- Ernesto Fink of Mexico City gummed, but canceled, Mexi- to locate a copy of his original plete a collection of all the learn the characteristics of the having a stamp at reasonable

cost or -paying through the

nose once its scarcity Is recog- - •
Recently, the weak peso has Finally, Ira beginning to
nized and established by cata- hurt collectors in Mexico. It's
log pricing. plan topics for my columns in
good to know they're back! 1985. By popular demand it
To get MEPSI information, Modern material and any- there are ample varieties for a
write Lois Deutschman, 4860 looks like I will tackle the cur-
thing in less than very fine to rent Exporta issue. ,. decent specialized collection.
N. Camino Real, Tucson, Ariz. superb condition is being Postal stationery will proba-
85718. Several readers have sent
traded at large discounts from questions about these stamps; bly receive some attention and
• Scott prices. classics will grab the limelight
A note about the market for Another word of advice: Al- a few times.
Mexican stamps: I am not an ways buy the best condition I do appreciate the interest
expert when it comes to pric- you can get within your budg- expressed in letters from read-
ing, but overall the market at et. ers; keep them coming. Also,
the moment seems firm to Second grade material can best wishes for the holiday
strong. be acquired cheaply, but it will season!
Classic material, even the prove hard to sell and certain-
scarce early 20th century, is ly will not impress judges if
fetching record prices at auc- The Exporta issue: Though
tion. shown in exhibition. barely 10 years old, this issue
A correspondent writes that has already gone through a
a recent auction heavy in Mex- half dozen printings, and am-
ican classic material was well ple varieties exist for a spe-
attended by collectors from cialized collection. It will be
Mexico who participated vig- dealt with in a 1985 article.
orously in the bidding.
 64 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 14, 1985

Pen and ink markings worth studying

The use of pen and ink for just not popular. On the other postal district of Zacatecas and Philatelic Society Internation-
cancellations on stamps or hand, postal historians tend to stamps of the first issue of al (MEPSI).
postal notations always pro- be much more forgiving. 1856. He concluded that the
duces strong reactions from Handwritten postmarks of- Regular readers will recall handwritten overprints were
collectors. Many feel such ten are the only way one will that the overprinting of district the work of several people,
items are substandard philatel- get examples from small towns names on early Mexican probably postal clerks, and
or offices which have long dis- stamps was a security measure confirmed the period of use
appeared. to discourage the use of stolen from December 1858 to Febru-
Mexico The situation with Mexico is
similar. Pen-canceled Mexican
stamps.
These names, applied at the
ary 1859.
Nearly all covers, if dated,
By Dale Pulver
postage stamps, though very point of sale, validated the will fall within this period and
infrequently seen, are not the stamps for use. bear a boxed postmark or can-
ically. magnets of attraction that During one of the many civil cellation of Aguascalientes
We're all familiar with the some stamps with elegant and uprisings of that era, the post- that was common in the peri-
pen cancels seen on many ear-, quaintly formed cancels are. master at Zacatecas fled for od.
ly U.S. issues and the fact that In this column I'll discuss his life to Aguascalientes and There are several reasons to
specialized catalogs value three kinds of pen and ink set up shop there for a short explain why few manuscript
them below stamps which work on Mexican stamps. while in late fall 1858. town cancels are found on
received handstamp cancella- One of the most famous uses In his haste, he either forgot Mexican stamps.
tions. of handwritten markings on or lost his handstamp for the First, the postal system in
Manuscript cancellations are Mexican stamps involves the district name and was thus Mexico was rather highly or-
obliged to enter the name of ganized by the time stamps
his district on all the stamps by first appeared in 1856. Manuscript cancellations on stamps of the 1856 issue. The 2
hand. Most towns and villages had real from Jalapa was pen-canceled at Cerro de Leon, and part
It was the only district to devices of some sort left over of the name appears on the stamp. The remaining stamps
from the prestamp days and have mute cancels, some of which have yet to be placed.
have done this, and while ex-
many of these were pressed markings, though stamps
amples of all 1856 denomina- find solutions to these puzzles.
into service as cancelers. would show up on the market
tions are known, only the 1-
real and 2r stamps are seen Pen markings originated now and then with pen mark- Howard Frome dedicated
very often. The rest are from very small towns and ha- ings on them. himself to this task and pub-
exceedingly rare. ciendas (which lacked devic- I originally considered many lished in 1982 a booklet titled
In the mid-1950s, the late es), according to those we can of these as invalidation marks The Manuscript Postal Mark-
Otto Yag made a thorough positively identify. Such places on remainders and thus not ings of Mexico, 1856 — 1878.
study of these stamps and probably produced very little important philatelically. In it he describes the marks
wrote several articles about mail. But as is so often the case he has located and gives other
This cover with 2r Zacatecas manuscript overprint traveled them for Mexicana, the jour- People didn't pay much at- when serious collectors look useful information a collector
from Aguascalientes to Guadalajara Jan. 26, 1859. nal of the Mexico-Elmhurst tention to the manuscript for new areas to study, they should have if he decides to
acquire some of these items. The third category of manu- Some of the early series of printing location names.
I found the booklet helpful script markings I'll deal with revenues left space for over- These names were fiscal dis-
since I had a number of are those on Mexican revenue tricts or cities which are not al-
stamps relegated to the stamps. ways the same as postal dis-
"what's this?" section of my In this area, pen cancella- tricts. These names were al-
stockbook. tions are much more common, most always entered with
What I thought were remain- especially on the first issue of handstamps.
der cancels were, in fact, mute 1874 and right up into the ear- I'm not ready to recommend
pen cancellations from small ly 20th century. a collection solely devoted to
towns and haciendas. Since even the smallest of pen-canceled stamps (and cov-
Frome reports he has cata- merchants and businesses had ers) but when one encounters
loged 80 percent of all manu- to buy and use revenue such items they should be
script postal markings offered stamps, it's easy to see why treated with respect.
for sale in the last 50 years; some, who probably couldn't Manuscript markings are
thus his listings form a solid afford a handstamp, used pens scarce on Mexican postage
base on which to expand. instead. stamps and rare if part or all
I was glad to see that in the Revenue stamps often were of the name is decipherable.
recent reprint of Josef used in multiples, and while Readers may want to check
Schatzkes' The Cancellations it's not a challenge to find their duplicates or odd materi-
of Mexico, 1856 — 1974 the stamps with the handwriting This revenue stamp from the al to see what they might have.
editors elected to include the on them it is a bit of a chal- first issue (1874) was pen-can- Anyone who took my advice
Frome-listed markings under lenge to find strips or blocks celed Jan. 31, 1874, by F. Gon- and bought the Schatzkes
the districts to which they be- with the , complete endorse- zalez. It was used in the fiscal reprint will have some basis
IcInged. ment. district of Michoacan for identification. ■
20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 11, 1985

British helped the Mexican mail system

Postal history buffs of the TA EL PUERTO," which handstamp devices used in markings are another matter. offices to use on the stamps. British and Mexican stamps.
Caribbean area will readily meant: Postage paid to the processing mail. They are quite scarce, espe- Veracruz was recorded as British stamps paid the pack-
recognize the names of two port. What we call consular post cially from Tampico, and good having been assigned canceler et fees; the Mexican stamps
ports on the Gulf of Mexico, Letters deposited in the Mex- office datestamps consisted of strikes will often fetch hun- "C64" but was never issued covered inland postage.
Tampico and Veracruz. ican mails addressed to for- a double ring handstamp with dreds of dollars depending on stamps nor, as far as we know, British consular post offices
These two Mexican cities eign destinations could be pre- the name of the office forming what else is on the letter. the canceler. began to decline during the
were important outlets for paid as far as the Mexican port the top arc of the circle. This Their scarcity stems partly The "C63" handstamp was 1870s, and they were finally
Mexican produce during the of departure and no further. format was roughly the same from the fact that during the issued to Tampico, and here closed in 1876. They had
A letter mailed in Mexico period they were used most

Mexico City, for example, would be 9) letters were sent unpaid, or

carried by the courier of the collect.
By Dale Pulver British legation to Veracruz tEf2,70
and put aboard a British ship Since the packets steamed
both north and south between Alb
there by the postal agent. It
19th century and focal points Tampico and Veracruz, Mexi-
would then go forward by Brit-
for increasing European busi-
ness interests.
ish packet toward its final des-
tination.
cans frequently availed them-
selves of the mail service be-
AT
When Britain established tween the two ports instead of
As British interests grew, a
diplomatic relations with Mex-
ico in 1825 (following the oust-
similar agency was established sending letters overland.
They did this in spite of the
AIP1
at the consulate in Tampico in
er of Spanish rulers), it also set This Veracruz British consu- 1 /- packet fee in addition to
the early 1840s. "Crowned circle" paid markings were applied in red ink at
up a postal agency in the con- lar post office marking is on the 2 reales they paid for do-
This coincided with the for- Tampico and black ink at Veracruz.
sulate at Veracruz. the reverse of an 1846 letter mestic postage.
mation of the Royal Mail
The British legation in Mexi- from Mexico to London.
Steam Packet Co. which pro- Perhaps the speed and safe-
co City also kept in frequent
contact.
vided direct connections from for all British foreign offices. ty were worth it. /11111=11101=m4.
both Tampico and Veracruz to In addition to these date- During the French invasion
Since these two offices were
Southampton via Havana, Nas-

V631) IIC641.!
looking after the interests of stamps, there were "Paid" of 1862 and the subsequent
sau and St. Thomas. stamps consisting of a crown at short reign of Maximilian, re-
the British subjects doing busi-
As a result of all this, the the top of a circle containing sponsibility for all civilian
ness in Mexico, it was only nat-
British formed a virtual mo- the words, "Paid at (name of mail remained with the Mexi-
ural that they developed fast
nopoly on foreign-bound mail city)." can post office, and French
and efficient freight and mail
originating in Mexico. These "crowned circles" and British packet steamers
connections to London, Europe
were issued to numerous Brit- continued to be used freely for The C64 postmark is not known to have been used by Veracruz
and many Caribbean ports. Thousands of letters were
ish outposts in the Americas overseas mail. postal agents, but C63 saw extensive use canceling British
All were welcome to use the deposited with one or the
and are highly prized by col- stamps at Tampico during the late 1866s and early 1870s.
mail service. other of these offices for han- In about 1865, British stamps
One of the earliest Mexican dling. And the handling was, as lectors.
came to Mexico to be used in the story is quite different. served well for nearly 50
postal markings associated we would expect, very effi- Mail passing through these the consular post offices on Numerous examples of its years, but viable alternatives
with this British conveyance ciently carried out. offices would receive appro- prepaid mail handled by them. use have been recorded, and for transferring mail abroad
opportunity was a double Both Mexican offices had priate markings. All got date- At the same time, "C" type during the late 1860s and early appeared.
straightline, "FRANCA HAS/ their own distinctive stamps. Some got paid mark- cancelers were issued to the 1870s we find many examples The Universal Postal Union
ings, rate marks and routings of letters which were sent was being formed to simplify
if appropriate. Transit marks from Tampico to Veracruz exchange of mail between
were applied on the way. (and points inland) with at- countries, and Mexico joined
Even though the two offices tractive combinations of both in 1879. III
presumably operated under
the same rules, there are curi-
ous differences between them.
The folks at Tampico usually
used red for their handstamps,
while the agents at Veracruz
preferred black. If there was a
reason for this, I am unaware This piece has a 4-penny Brit-
of it. ish stamp which was used
Consular post office date- and canceled at Tampico
stamps are not hard to find on with the "C63" handstamp. It
Put into the Mexican mails at Mexico City March 8, 1835, this foreign letters from Mexico, was destined for Veracruz
letter was prepaid as far as Veracruz as noted by the "Basta and they are not very expen- and most surely went on the
el Puerto" handstamp. It reached London via British packet sive. Royal Mail Steam Packet Co.
where the addressee paid an additional 3/- for delivery. The "crowned circle" paid Approximate date is 1870.
 76 LINN S STAMP NEWS MARCH 11, 1985

Challenges make 2r
green writer's choice
Noncollectors often ask col- I've developed for Mexican fully enough to conclude there
lectors a simple, well-meaning stamps generally. were two 60-subject plates.
question, "What is your favor- My favorite stamp is the 2- What he called plate I con-
ite stamp?" real green, Scott 3. When I sists of widely spaced impres-
Those of us who've been in started collecting Mexico, it sions with a frameline around
the collecting game for many was the cheapest stamp of the the outside of the sheet, six
years are inclined to dismiss series land still is) and about stamps wide and ten rows
this as a rhetorical inquiry and the only one in the first issue high.
are tempted to launch into a that could be seen in the retail Vertical spacing between the
definition of philately, which stock of most dealers, if they rows was enormous, about 5-6
41'
Mexico
By Dale Pulver

soon makes the person who

asked the question wonder
why he ever did. -
If the question had been
"What are your favorite.
stamps?" we might be tempted
to discuss one of our special-
ties.
Since few of us collect- the
stamps of the world, some of
our specialtieS may be narrow Close vertical spacing is evi-
enough to talk about to the un- This is a plate H stamp. One dent on this plate HI stamp
initiated. must develop an eye to dis- from the top 'margin' which
But a narrow field won't be cern these from —plate I cuts into an adjacent stamp.
the topic of this article. stamps by differendes in col-
or and texture. millimeters. The spacing be-
I'm going to write about my
favorite stamp, which happens tween stamps in a row was
had any early Mexico at all. about 2mm. As a result, we of-
to be a Mexican classic, and It's still true. Fewer and few- ten see this stamp with beauti-
which is the stamp that proba- er retail dealers _Attempt to ful, "boardwalk" margins.
bly triggered the keen interest stock 19th-centtiry taxico:- Plate II is similar but lacks
A glance at Scott's- listing the outside frameline, and the
reveals that this stamp has sev- vertical spacing is roughly
eral subvarieties. 4mm.
If you includes allthe possi- It's interesting to note that
ble--ov)srpsigts, color shades, .110 vertical pairs nor blocks
plates, printing flaws and _can- are known from plate I, and
cellations that exist, an exten- horizontal pairs and strips are
sive and interesting collection scarce to rare. A few vertical
can be, made of just This, one pieces do exist from plate II.
stamp. The first two plates were re-
I think it could rival any of sponsible for some 285,000 2r
the extensive one-stamp col- stamps delivered by the en-
lections of ;U.S. material I've graver in July 1856 just before
seen in exhibitiiiit- stamps went on sale.
Let's consider what we have. The so-called emerald shade
First, we km* three different Scott lists as a subvariety came
plates were used to produce from these plates, as well as
the 2r stamps. the "sap" green and some pale
This stamp from plate I Such was not always the blue-green shades.
shows the enormous margins case; early philatelists thought The postal rate schedule in
possible from the wide spac- only two plates were used, a effect in August 1856 when
ing of impressions. It was small, gd-subject plate and a stamps were first used favored
overprinted for the Cordova larger, 190-subject plate. the use of 1/2 r and lr stamps. A
district and canceled at Hua- In the 1950s and '60s, John. 2r stamp was only needed for
tusco. Bash studied this stamp care- heavier letters.
This early rate was not gen-
erating enough revenue so in
December 1856 postal rates
. were increased, and the 2r
stamp became a common us-
age stamp, paying postage for scratches and a stamp where
single-weight letters. part of the bottom label is
Responding to the greatei missing.
demand for 2r stamps, a larger But the most dramatic plate
plate with 190 subjects was flaws occurred in plate III.
prepared. This is plate III, and Since more than two and a-half
it was used for all printings af- million stamps were printed
ter the July 1856 shipment in- with this plate, it's not hard to
cluding the stamps of 1861 and understand why it became the
1867. worse for wear.
Plate III was very different The crack in position 1 ap-
from the two smaller plates. It pears as a %-inch dash of col-
had 10 horizontal rows of 19 or opposite Miguel Hidalgo's
stamps each, and the impres- mouth.
sions were packed rather tight- Position 189 shows a crack
ly together, often touching which entered the design be- The major crack in position 1
each other. tween the "E" and "A" of "Re- of plate HI starts at the edge
Stamps from this plate are ales" in the bottom label and of the plate and cuts into the
generally of the yellow-green grew progressively up through oval surrounding the portrait.
shades, although the deep
blue-green stamps in the Scott
listing were made with it, too.
The 2r stamps have a broad
color range, and a collector
with a good eye can probably
mount 25-30 stamps, each
showing a slightly different
shade. Color control of ink was
not then what it is today.
Some interesting printing de-
fects show up on the 2r stamps.
Plate I is known for a rather
spectacular error involving the
reentry of the value label in
the "gutter" between two These two stamps show the major crack in position 189 of
stamps in the far right vertical plate III. The left stamp shows the crack in its early stage
column. Most experts agree it (and also parts of three other stamps) and the right stamp
is between positions 48 and 54. illustrates a more advanced state.
It's a scarce item, since
there could be only one exam- the face of the portrait. Mexico City had four (a fifth
ple per sheet. These major cracks not only was used only on the 1/4r), and
Plate I shows a couple of appear on the 1856 2r green Guadalajara, Guanajuato,
shifts in the top label and a but also on the 1861 and 1867 Puebla, Queretaro and San
stamp which has a partly dou- stamps. Luis Potosi each used three.
bled image in the portrait. Other sources of varieties Cancellations are the largest
Plate II has some minor are different district name source of varieties to add to a
shifts and reentries, some overprints on 2r stamps. collection of 2r greens. Each
The postal district names district used one or more
were applied, many readers handstamp canceler, and the
may recall, as a security mea- hundreds of suboffices usually
sure (Linn's, June 13, 1983, had their own distinctive
page 42). handstamps.
A total of 49 districts were Mexico is noted for its early
known to have used name cancelers which included
overprints on 1856 stamps, and straightlines, boxes, ovals,
all districts, postal records wreaths and quaint. acronyms.
show, used 2r stamps. Most were handmade with a
crude elegance that has fasci-
Some are much rarer than
nated collectors for years.
others, but it wouldn't be diffi-
cult to acquire 25-30 overprint Considering the 2r is a clas-
varieties without too much sic stamp that's still moderate-
strain on the pocketbook. ly priced and has endless col-
This plate II stamp illustrates Also, some of the larger lecting possibilities, it can be
the missing portion of the towns used more than one understood why this is my fa-
bottom label. name handstamp device. vorite stamp. ■
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 8, 1985

`Flyspeck' philately provides hours of fun

"Flyspeck" philately is a not distinguish between the ing the Palace of Fine Arts in tach a rather nice price premi- They had to make two trips
I have two or three copies of
term most of us profess to un- rare and the common except Mexico City. um to them.
this variety but have never through the printing presses
derstand. It refers to the minu- when it comes to the price list- There is an eagle (Mexico's Years ago, I purchased a and come with the center de-
seen a sheet of the stamps to
tiae which would escape no- ed. If something is excessively national emblem) on the dome corner block of the 25c which signs switched.
know where it actually occurs.
tice by the average viewer of rare, a price may be missing of this building, except that on contained the variety, so I
I do know that it is a constant In other words, the 1p stamp
altogether. one stamp in the sheet it does know this denomination had is known with the center de-
This is true when only one or not show. the doubling in position 42. sign of the 5p stamp and vice
Mexico two are known and where a
price would have virtually no
This "missing eagle" variety
is Scott 648a. This was a much-
I have examples of the 35c versa.
and the 80c variety but am not These are listed as subva-
By Dale Pulver sure of the positions. If I had to rieties in Scott and enjoy
meaning. Others are listed used stamp and thousands
with modest prices attached, were produced, so it's not diffi- guess I'd say they were also rather elevated prices. A few
stamps: unwanted color spots, and some are not even listed at cult to find-one. position 42. Again, a reader years ago they could be ob-
plate defects, double impres- all. It's even possible to find a may be able to help. tained for about $100 each; I
sions, ticks and scrapes which This article is about some block of four from the upper I know there are still some doubt if that is possible today.
are not part of the designer's "flyspecks" in 20th century right corner of the sheet which of these varieties floating For those who would like to
original intention. Mexican philately I know includes the variety and nor- around; I found one in an spice up their collections with
Last month I wrote about about and which I've had fun mal stamps. American Philatelic Society a few "flyspecks," I hope I
some of the flyspecks in the 2- searching for over the years. Another variety occurs in a circuit book just last year have put them on the trail of
real green stamp of 1856, in- All of the ones I'll describe 1940 set of stamps commemo- priced as the normal stamp. some.
cluding reentries, shifts or are genuine varieties, have to rating the inauguration of The last varieties I'll de- I'm certain there are others
doubling of parts of the design, do with the printing operation President Manuel Avila The reentry or "doubling" of scribe are rather dramatic and I do not know about. If readers
and even missing portions of (rather than paper or perfora- Comancho. the 20c on the right shows
the impression because of a tion varieties), are within fi- clearly on this copy of the
plate maker's mistake. nancial reach of most collec-
The allegorical design of the 1942 Guadalajara airmail.
three regulars and three air- 35 CTS CTS
These things have always at- tors, and are out there wheremails shows a man at the error. COPPEO : CORREO
tracted the attention of both they can still be found today.
helm, referring to the task fac- Perhaps some reader can AEPEO :AEPEO
serious and general collectors. So that definitions are clear,
ing the new president. help establish exactly where
Some feel the discovery of these are "constant" varieties, Most of the stamps show a on the plate it occurs.
something like an invert or a meaning they occur time and ti
spot of color in the wheel han- One of my earlier articles
shift may transform their time again and do not change.dle in front of the man's bi- (Linn's, Aug. 13, 1984, page 46)
stamp into something much They are found one or moreceps, but the top row on the dealt with the definitive air- 35 CTS m2" •35 CTS:-.. -"--""
more valuable. Often it does. times on a full sheet of stamps
In other cases, there are so
sheet has stamps without this mail issue of 1950-76.
so that their position could, if
COPPEO COPPEO
many of the defects that they
spot.
one had access to a full sheet, This very popular set (I AEPEO :AEREO
constitute just another subva- be fixed definitely. The variety is unlisted in received a great deal of mail
riety of the stamp. One such flyspeck issue isScott but is listed in some of on this one) has some interest- :14
Catalog listings usually do the Mexican stamp catalogs.
the 1-peso stamp of 1923 show- ing varieties in what we gener-
Since there were fewer of ally call the second printing The stamp in the upper right corner of this block shows "dou-
these varieties than of the reg- (Scott C218-C220H) that I bling" of "MEXICO" and is a rather scarce variety of a mod-
ular stamps they carry a price didn't mention in that article. ern issue. Scott C220C is shown.
premium. The variety is found On the 25c, 35c and 80c val-
on all values of the regular and ues, the "MEXICO" in the la- occur with the 1 p and 5p care to advise me of them, I'll
airmail series. bel at the left comes doubled. stamps of 1916-1920. try to get the information into
It's not too noticeable if you're These are bicolored stamps. one of my future columns. IN
In 1942, Mexico issued a se-
BE 1940 ries to commemorate the looking at these stamps rather
i 40 UHT
a
g 400th anniversary of the casually.
founding of the city of Gua- It looks bolder compared to
c. COMO
AEPEO dalajara. The 20-centavo air- other stamps. But under an 8-
01 MEXICO mail (Scott C120), shows the power glass the doubling is
church of Zapopan. clearly discernible.
The left stamp shows the "spot in the handle;" the right stamp Some of these stamps have a Again, Scott does not list
is the less common variation without the spot. The stamps are reentry of the 20c value indi- these varieties, but the Mexi-
from the 1940 Presidential Inauguration set. cia in the lower right corner. can catalogs do and they at-
58 LINN S STAMP NEWS MAY 13, 1985

Poor roads, bandits hampered diligencias

The evolution and develop- westward through Toluca, is the frequency with which tive and quite scarce. cancellations. 1800s, the diligencias gave way
ment of methods for transport- Maravatio and Zitacuaro, ar- one encounters duplicate, and A favorite of mine is the can- It's not easy to obtain a wide to the express companies, in-
ing mail have always interest- riving in Morelia the third day sometimes even triplicate, let- cel used at Toluca which variety, but the diligencia cluding Wells, Fargo. Howev-
ed serious collectors. A fasci- after it left Mexico City. ters dispatched (usually by dif- shows a diligencia in motion, ovals from Mexico City are not er, this is another longer story.
nating area for me has been The Veracruz coach likewise fe'rent routes) to assure that at with the driver cracking his hard to find. In the 1850s, '60s and early
left before dawn and took whip over his team of mules. It's also fun to check the
three days to make its journey, This elaborately detailed transit times on diligencia let- ±
Mexico via Puebla, Jalapa and Puente handstamp is difficult to find ters. filSj c 0 R

By Dale Pulver Nacional. well struck on stamps and let- Most business letters were
These were arduous jour- ters but is certainly a prize docketed with the date of ar-
neys. The roads were bad, es- item for an exhibition collec- rival, and it's usually safe to
the use of diligencias for 19th- pecially during the rainy sea- tion.
century postal purposes. assume the letter was posted
son, and travelers were con- The Transportation issue of on the day it was written or at
Diligencias, or stagecoaches, stantly preyed upon by 1895, which I wrote about ear- worst, the day following. ‘11
came into play after the end of revolutionaries, highwaymen lier (Linn's, Oct. 10, 1983, page
the Spanish conquest when and bandits. 27) has three stamps in the se- Service wasn't bad, consider-
business and commerce began ries showing the diligencias as ing the conditions of travel in
to penetrate the feudal system Despite these difficulties,
the central design. those days.
which existed while the Span- Mexican postal authorities
«[MiCU 0,C$NA Ott •46 ,611 ,0

These were the 15 centavo, Eventually, however, the

iards controlled Mexico. contracted with these firms to
20c, and 50c values. They're British interests started build- An example from the Trans-
The 1830s saw the formation carry mail, and the competi- This stamp from the 1861 is- worth examining under an 8- ing railroads. These not only portation issue of 1895 depicts
of the first organized firms to tion that developed helped sue shows a large part of the power glass. helped speed up communica- a diligencia drawn by five
transport people and goods. keep postal rates relatively oval cancel used at the dili- From the orientation of the tion but also made it safer. mules. The Castle of Chapul-
In 1840 (or 1850), Don Manu- stable. gencias office in Mexico City. Chapultepec Castle in the The first railroad line con- tepee is in the background.
el Escandon formed Las Dili- I've previously described the background and with a dash of nected Veracruz with the capi-
gencias Generates, the most district name overprint system least one would arrive at the
imagination, we could specu- tal in January 1873. '70s, the diligencias provided
famous of many private com- designed to render valueless desired destination.
late that this had to be the dili- The railroads took much of mail service we can identify
panies specializing in carrying any stamps robbers might cap- But the diligencias were so gencia from Toluca enroute to the mail business away from and examples of which are
passengers, merchandise and ture during a stage holdup. important to the postal system the center of town. the diligencias. well worth adding to our
mail between the major cities We know, too, that once in a that the Diligencias Generates As commerce expanded and In the latter decades of the collections. IN
of Mexico. while the mails themselves were authorized to receive and much of the development cen-
According to historical ac- were tampered with by these dispatch mail directly from tered on mining and selected
exports, the coach lines
GENERA, prospered and the network
grew.
rkA,r A route ran to Tepic (nine
, days), through Queretaro,
Guanajuato, Leon and Gua-
dalajara.
Lines were established head-
ing northward toward the Unit-
These examples are typical of the cancels used at the offices of the Diligencias Generales. ed States and connecting with
many of the mining towns
counts, there were two original aggressive highwaymen. their various offices. along the way.
routes: The interior route con- I have a letter in my collec- They were even provided In one of my specialized
nected Mexico City with More- tion which was recovered with distinctive canceling de- fields, the issues of 1856 and
lia, and the other ran east from a robbery and sent on its vices which were widely used. 1861, I have assembled several
from Mexico City to the Vera- way by postal authorities. It Most of these were oval de- album pages with stamps and
cruz on the Gulf coast. has an interesting endorse- signs; some are rather attrac- covers showing the diligencia
One had to be an early riser ment which I'll write about in
to avail himself of this service. a future article.
The Morelia coach left the Still other evidence of the
capital at 4 a.m. and traveled chancy nature of mail delivery
60 l INN'S ST AMP NEWS JUNE 10, 1985

Bull's-eye cancels preserve important data

I am attracted by well-cen- ferent printings or other subtle of such quaint beauty that they found perfectly centered on
and it will not fit on a single RPOs), certificacion (regis-
tered and fully dated cancella- differences which are time re- have been popular with spe- stamp. stamps of the 1868 issue. try), and much later correo
tions on individual Mexican lated, such stamps can help fix cialists for years. A pair or block is needed to In the 1880s, Mexican postal aereo (airmail).
stamps. They are eye-catching, the periods when these print- But circular datestamps also officials attempted to stand-
show it entirely. This office lat- Depending on stomp size,
and also provide important ings were actually used. were used with the first er switched to a smaller can- ardize the design and size of many CDSes can be found
canceling devices. These can-
In-the case of the first issue
cellations are not hard to lo-
Mexico 2-real (see my article in
Lintz's, March 11, 1985, page
cate on cheap stamps of those
By Dale Pulver years.
76), a dated cancellation can
help establish whether the The Medallion issues and
postal information about the stamp belongs to a first plate Numeral issues of 1885-95 can
stamps that bear them. printing or a later one. (Actu- provide good examples, as can
They definitely establish the ally there are other differenc- the stamps of the Transporta-
time the stamps were used and es which help do this, too.) tion issue.
where they were used. One might think the "socked- However, it took a long time
In the case of issues with dif- on-the-nose" phenomenon is a to get some of the smaller of- A
CV;;;:Ci, H fr42t.1t t;.
ri4 " -
product of modern times. One
also might consider that find-
fices converted. Some contin-
ued to use the older cancelers
WC NTNErs'EVA°
ing such items in the early is- right up to the turn of the cen-
sues of countries would be Standard design cancelers came into use around the time of tury. This large CDS (35 millime-
very difficult. the Transportation issue of 1895, as these two examples show. ters in diameter) is typical of
Designs of the standardized
those still in use.
This is partly true. Centered, stamps, so "socked-on-the- celer. CDS cancelers were modified
clearly struck and well cen-
well-struck cancels on 19th nose" stamps can exist for all More and more CDS devices from time to time and also
tered so that with patience and
century stamps may not be the issues of Mexico. came into play in the 1860s used to designate special class-
perseverance several album
plentiful, but they do exist and Double-ring CDS caricelers and '70s so that stamps issued es of postal service.
they are fun to search out. We see them with notations pages of "socked-on-the-nose"
were used predominantly in in those years are more easily
for sucursales (branch post of- specimens can be accum-
I think they represent an op- the larger postal districts or found with CDS cancellations.
ulated. ■
portunity for collecting with- cities, although dated ovals There are some beauties, fices), ambulantes (traveling
out enormous expense and and other forms also were em- such as the small CDS used at
which can lead to an interest- ployed. Puebla which is occasionally
These large offices had dou-
An Eagle stamp shows a ble-ring CDS cancelers: Mexi-
small CDS from San Luis Po- co City, Durango, Guadalajara,
tosi dated Feb. 15, 1866. Guanajuato, Jalapa, Morelia,
Orizava, Puebla, San Luis Po-
tosi, Tampico and Veracruz.
In many instances, these de-
vices were the most common
cancelers employed.
Originally there was no stan-
dard with respect to size or
format. Some were small
A neat CDS was put on this
enough that nearly all of the
Numeral issue April 4, 1894.
cancellation could fit on a sin-
ing and important display. gle, well-margined stamp.
Many of the early Mexican Others were too large for
cancelers were homemade this. San Luis Potosi, for exam-
and came in a large variety of ple, used a huge double-ring
This 1868 issue has a CDS shapes and forms. Some were dated canceler (25 millimeters This railway post office can-
dated Dec. 19 of that year. used for a long time and were in diameter) during the 1850s, cellation is dated 1938.
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 8, 1985

Prolific Exporta issue types keep coming

Ten years ago, Mexico intro- included, along with the many Unfortunately, Scott's stan- ers for motivating this intro-
duced a new design format for instances of minor printing dard catalog neither recogniz- duction to a rather complicat-
its surface and airmail defini- flaws ("flyspecks"), the num- es nor lists many of the subva- ed field.
tives. They were dubbed the ber probably approaches 300. rieties, color shades and pa- Two people have been espe-
"Exporta" issues because of While they have been in use, pers, so it provides little help cially helpful. Wolfgang
the array of Mexican products severe inflation in Mexico has in arrangement for serious col- Schoen of West Germany
(staff member of Lighthouse
Publications) sent a detailed
Mexico listing and catalog cross refer-
ence table his firm had pre-
The Exporta series also includes airmails, such as these pic-
turing tomatoes and strawberries.
By Dale Pulver
pared to aid collectors in iden-
tifying and organizing Exporta Since Mexican postal author- sues (papers), each showing
depicted on the stamps which stamps. ities rarely have prean- distinctive characteristics.
Mexico desires to promote. I am informed that Light- nounced issue dates for most These include texture, thick-
Specialists predicted early house has a well constructed .of the varieties, it is virtually ness, type of gum, watermarks
that massive printings re- section of album pages for impossible to organize them in (most have none), and appear-
quired to satisfy postal needs them, but I have not seen strict chronological order. ance under ultraviolet light.
would make the Exporta them. Separation by paper type
stamps a prime field for se- Enrique Sanchez of Mexico, will group them in a roughly He also notes design size dif-
a self-proclaimed "fanatic" of consistent time sequence. ferences and major color
rious collecting and study. This
the Exporta stamps, also sent On the other hand, there are shades. Perforation measure is
has certainly turned out to be
me a copy of an excellent numerous varieties of the another variable.
true.
The major difficulty I have A challenge to Mexican collectors because of its complexity, checklist he had devised to same denomination (and de- Tools for serious study are a
had with these stamps is ca- the Exporta issue promotes Mexican products (clockwise keep track of the various sign), so this may not be a black light, a watermark de-
tegorizing the varieties. There from top left) steel tubing, cattle and beef, tequila and shoes. stamps in this series. good way to sort them either.
now are well in excess of 200 What both had in common Furthermore, there now are
major varieties, counting de- rendered some of the early, lectors. was that the stamps should be about 26 denominations of sur-
nominations, perforations, pa- lower denominations virtually Other catalogs are marginal- classified and mounted ac- face mail stamps and 15 differ-
per, watermarks and color useless. Current denomina- ly better but not as generally cording to the characteristics ent airmails, not all of which
shades. tions now range up to 500 available. of the paper on which they are exist on the different papers.
If minor color varieties are pesos ($1.70 U.S.). I owe thanks to many read- printed. Sanchez identifies seven is-
tector and a paper caliper. ternational).
Space constraints will not Since the first announce-
permit a tabulation of all this ment of these stamps in the
information here, but I will be April 1976 issue, it has tried
glad to forward a composite hard to keep up with the series
checklist to anyone who sends in a quarterly new issues col-
me a stamped, addressed en- umn.
velope in care of Linn's. Also, several contributors
Another caution: Since the have written short articles on
stamps are still in current use, the Exporta stamps. A recent
no checklist can be entirely up one (January 1985) deals with
to date. some of the minor "flyspeck"
And there's always the varieties.
chance new varieties will It's another good reason to
come to light from earlier join MEPSI if you become ad-
printings. dicted to the Exporta stamps.
Typically such finds turn out Information is available
to be the rarities of an issue. from MEPSI, 4860 N. Camino
And some varieties are al- Real, Tucson, Ariz. 85718.
ready considered scarce. If there is a positive re-
Another useful source of in- sponse from readers to this ar-
formation is Mexicana, the ticle, I will try to deal with
journal of MEPSI (Mexico some specifics in the
Elmhurst Philatelic Society In- future. •
 AUGUST 12, 1985 LINN'S E )1P NEWS 43

Early stamps chopped up to meet rates

Legitimate use of parts of During the time of the first 1r stamps on hand. this district produced numer- history value destroyed. case of covers, it's advisable to
stamps to pay postage has al- three or four Mexico issues This was accomplished by ous quadrisects of the 1856 8r. A large number of splits acquire items with a certifi-
ways captured the fancy of se- (1856-67), getting adequate splitting a 2r, quadrisecting a The 1861 issue has a fairly were cut off, preserving at cate of authenticity or with the
rious collectors. supplies of stamps from the 4r, or perhaps taking a sliver abundant supply of splits, but most the town postmarks. provision that one will be ob-
Bisects of the U.S. 1897 10t main office to the outlying from an 8r, though experts ar- as postal agents became more As a result, there are many tained.
black on cover are among the postal districts was often a gue whether this was ever tru- adept at forecasting needs splits offered on piece. These Most of the better pieces
chancy proposition. are usually traded at deep dis-
This we know from the se- counts over the same, or simi-
Mexico curity techniques I've de- lar, items on full cover.
By Dale Pulver scribed in some of my previ- Collectors trying to form a
ous articles. representative collection of
most highly prized items in an What usually happened was classic Mexican stamps should
exhibit of that issue. that when an office ran out of really try to add a cover or two
They are exceedingly rare, the 1-real and 2r stamps which bearing a split.
and their market value re- paid the most common postal It will reflect more graphi-
This diagonal split of the 4r 1856 issue from the district of
flects this rarity, running into rates, they simply started cally than words some of the An 1856 8r was quadrisected
chopping up 4r and 8r stamps Veracruz was used and canceled at Cosamalopam suboffice.
five figures for decent and au- postal difficulties of the period to pay the 2r single rate at
thenticated examples. into appropriate fractions to ly done. (and receiving adequate sup- and will not require a second the Zacatecas district office.
Most of us can never hope to make the necessary postage. These last items mentioned plies) the practice of splitting mortgage on the house.
which come on the market al-
possess such an item of U.S. Probably the most common are several times rarer than large denomination stamps de- Such an item from a com- ready have them.
origin, but with Mexico, the fractional is a quadrisect of an the 8r quadrisect or the 4r clined. mon district should be avail- Either the Mexico Elmhurst
chances are better. 8r stamp. bisect. Consequently, fractional able between $100 and $200,
Philatelic Society Internation-
The use of fractional stamps Demand for a stamp of this Some other odd fractional usages of the Eagle stamps are depending on condition. A per-
al or American Philatelic Soci-
almost always was dictated by high value (about $1 U.S.) was usages fall into the scarce to much scarcer, and of subse- fectly genuine split on piece
ety can provide acceptable
a very simple fact: Postal limited to occasional heavy let- rare category, such as three quent issues, quite rare. can be purchased for much certificates; their examiners
agents ran out of stamps of the ters or registry mail, so they quarters of an 8r used for 6r, There are numerous varia- less.
are very familiar with the for-
quadrisect of both an 8r and 4r tions in split stamps. A 4r could A word of caution: In the geries. ■
used for 3r, etc. be bisected vertically, horizon-
Combinations of whole tally or diagonally.
stamps plus fractions on cover A quadrisect could be cut in
are very desirable, but also rectangular or triangulaE.
rare. form, and they were.
Certain postal districts are Triangular quadrisects are
known for fractional usages. somewhat scarcer than rec-
Zacatecas, Guadalajara, tangular ones. So quite a num-
Guanajuato, Morelia and their ber of different formats could
respective suboffices were the be collected and displayed.
source of many covers bearing Most serious collectors like
splits. This fact also helps in their fractional pieces on full
determining genuineness. cover, which is the form in
Some fabrications were which I prefer collecting them.
made to look like one-of-a-kind This way, dates can be
Civil disturbance in and around Guadalajara frequently
caused stamp shortages when communication with Mexico rarities when we know that checked (from docketing or
City was interrupted. This quadrisect of the 1856 8r on full likelihood of fractional use datelines) to see if the item
cover dated April 2, 1858, was used to pay the 2r rate. from the location in question is correlates with known periods
remote to nil. of stamp shortages.
proper denominations and had were often in surplus anyway. Fresnillo, a suboffice of Za- Unfortunately, when some of
to resort to other expedients. Bisects of the 4r are the next catecas, was a source of many the old Mexican business ar-
In most cases such a prac- most common. attractive covers bearing frac- chives were first found and
tice was not covered in postal Once in a while a postmaster tions of the 4r 1856 issue in a looted for stamps, many were
regulations. It was neither con- would need to make a rate re- rich vermilion shade unceremoniously removed
doned nor prohibited. quiring a lr increment with no Likewise, other suboffices of from the letters their postal
Paper key to collecting Numeral issue
The advertisement illustrat- 1896. They were designed and Exporta stamps (see Linn's article he wrote in 1958. used as printing stock. about 28.5mm high and usage
ed with this article was given produced at the government July 9, page 30). Design dimensions, colors, This paper shows a clear was between 1888 and 1891.
me by a friend as a philatelic printing office using a ma- This approach originally was and perforations are second- wove pattern. Beware of these Still another coarse, soft pa-
souvenir. It is an envelope chine-engraved oval frame proposed by E.W. Fager in an ary characteristics in the or- "blue-lined" stamps; fakes are per can be distinguished for
with numeral centers designat- ganization. Here's how it goes: many. stamps of the same period.
ing the values. For the first half of the peri- Genuine lines are blue-green Its is characterized by the
Mexico Various colors, papers and od, from 1886 to about 1892, or dull green and when viewed presence of microscopic wood
By Dale Pulver perforations were employed, four different issues were pro- with transmitted light appear chips on the surface of the pa-
and this is the root of some of duced on unwatermarked pa- quite bright though sometimes per which are visible under
stuffer used by a 19th-century the problems collectors have per. almost invisible. strong magnification.
stamp dealer to call attention had. The first stamps were print- Faked lines generally ap- Dull colors are the rule with
to a then current Mexican There are many look-alike ed on a hard, wove paper with pear dark against transmitted these stamps. They are quite
stamp issue he had stocked for stamps with subtle, but import- clear designs about 28 millime- light. Dated cancellations will common but difficult to find in
sale. ant, differences. Even the list- ters tall in the various colors favor 1888. good condition. The paper
I never heard of Mr. Beard ings in the Scott catalog are listed from Scott 179 to 183. The next issue is found on a stains easily, and is so weak it
of Muscatine, Iowa, but the not altogether satisfactory, but Dated cancellations show very soft paper with a faint, in- tears readily.
Numeral issue (Scott type they do form a basis for organ- the greatest number were used distinct wove pattern. These The oval design height is
A18) he was promoting offers ization. in 1887. are plentiful and relatively 28mm, which helps distinguish
some broad collecting opportu- In my view, the best system Starting in 1887 stamps had easy to identify with a little ex- this type from other soft paper
nities and is a series neglected is to use paper characteristics This 10-centavo stamp was with blue lines on the face perience. stamps.
by specialists. Literature on it as the primary means for one of those printed on ledger and/or the reverse. Many stamps of this issue Between 1892 and 1896,
definitely is lacking. grouping, in much the same paper and shows the faint A paper shortage may have have developed a yellowish there were at least two and
The Numeral definitives manner I recommended in my blue-green lines on both the been behind this, as it appears cast, indicative of poor paper possibly three distinct print-
were used between 1886 and recent article on the current face and back. surplus ledger sheets were quality. On these, the oval is ings on watermarked paper. It

SEPTEMBER 9, 1985 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 9

is a hard-surfaced stock, with tions). Scott lists them as 212- sue, which was printed on a Most experts now agree that fabrications exist. I haven't yet and separating them into their
clear wove pattern. 221. thinner, hard, clear, wove pa- the perforating machines con- mentioned the high value 5- proper categories.
The stamps come in a vari- The complete watermark per. sisted of comb-type devices peso and 10p stamps issued on And it's a challenge to find
ety of colors, much like the pattern consists of ten letters, On these, the design oval is with alternating long and short the watermarked paper in nice copies of some of them.
first series (with some excep-CORREOSEUM,inten unmistakably taller, measur- teeth. This was done to equal- 1892 (Scott 228 and 229). Many have ragged perfora-
horizontal rows so that each tions, poor centering and
These are the keys to a com-
stamp in the sheet usually straight edges.
plete collection and are very
shows all or part of one of the The half pert varieties are
expensive, consistent with
letters. particularly difficult to locate
their scarcity.
Occasionally stamps belong- in fine condition, since many
ing to these issues are found Even if one's budget won't were badly damaged when
without the watermark. These allow for these, one can still first separated from their
come from the edge of the pa- have fun hunting for the others sheets. IM
per sheet, printed in a selvage
area outside of the watermark
network. These three stamps show the compound perforations so fre-
Although listed by Scott in a quently found on this issue. These are 51/2 by 11 or 11 by 5%.
separate grouping, the orange Note the typical ragged edges from separation.
stamps are color varieties of
this first batch. ing 28.5mm or a fraction more. ize the force needed to pierce
They were from early print- A word about perforations: the paper.
ings on watermarked paper The normal perforation gauge It is probable that several
and are found bearing post- for all stamps of this type was sheets were stacked for per-
marks dated 1892. either 11 or 12. forating at one time and some
Another characteristic is the The existence of the 51/2 and of the sheets may not have
This envelope stuffer carries height of the oval, 28mm or 6 and compound pert varieties been punched completely
an ad from a 19th-century slightly less, which differenti- is the result of difficulties with through.
dealer of Mexican stamps. ates this type from the final is- the perforating process. Unfortunately, quite a few
 Exporta flyspeck errors prove popular
Nearly 100 collectors asked this is the philatelic status en- where there are breaks in essential for calling them con- 49004. A small orange dot appears at
for the checklist of Mexican joyed by the inverted "Jenny" some of the letters. stant errors. Jose Alvarez of Monterrey, 9 o'clock in the front wheel on
Exporta issues I offered in my airmail, U.S. Scott C3a. They have determined that Missing periods can be found Mexico, provided me several stamps in position 48 of sheets
July 8 column (page 30), rein- Nothing of that importance the missing periods and bro- for the following denomina- interesting examples of print- which bear the registry pair
is likely to emerge from these tions and issues: 40-centavo numbers.
stamps, but there are some (coffee), 1.60-peso (bicycles), Another printing defect oc-
Mexico slips which can be fun search-
ing for.
5p (autos) and 5.20p (farm ma-
chinery) of the first issue.
curs in the 6p Iron Pipe sur-
By Dale Pulver face mail stamps. There is a
All Exports stamps carry in- In the second, watermarked break in the circumference Of
scriptions, usually at the bot- issue, similar omissions are the pipe in the upper right-
forcing a feeling I had that tom or right side--of the design, seen on the 3p, 4p (both de- hand corner opposite the Ex-
there is considerable interest which identify the designer signs) and 10p stamps. porta insignia.
in these stamps. and end in the initials T. I. E. One recognized variety of the Space does not permit a The "broken pipe" variety is
So many people expressed a V. Exporta issue of Mexico is complete rundown of the in- evident on the second pipe It could be called a "broken
desire for more information the 1.60-peso airmail with an stances of this happening, but pipe" variety. It seen on
(This stands for "Talleres de from the right in the top row
that I decided to write this arti- Impresion de Estampillas y orange spot near the rim of Donald Alexander has de- on the 6p stamp. Like other both the vermillion stamp of
cle on some of the "flyspeck" Valores," which translated the bicycle wheel. This and scribed the examples he such varieties, it occurs only the sixth issue and the recent
errors to be found on the Ex- means the Mexican govern- all illustrations in this article knows about in Mexicana, the once in a sheet of 50 stamps. gray stamp of the same design.
porta stamps. "Flyspecks," too, ment printing office for do not show actual errors; MEPSI journal, and is willing It occupies position 8 of the
are a popular topic with read- stamps.) they are only simulated pho- to correspond with any collec- ing flaws which I think are sheet.
ers! Hawk-eyed collectors have tographically. tor who wishes to exchange in- worth looking for. These are Still another variety is found
Printing mistakes and flaws found numerous instances ken letters are repetitive and formation. somewhat more dramatic, on the 20p Movie airmail. The
always capture the attention of where the periods following correspond to certain stamp His address is 809 Parch- One occurs in the 1.60p Bicy- stamp in sheet position 36 has
serious collectors. Evidence of those initials are missing or positions on the sheet, which is ment, Parchment, Mich. cle airmail of the fourth issue. a white spot at the base of the

"0" of the "20." cle, I have secured Lighthouse blank album pages and devis-
All of these flaws occur only album pages for the Exporta ing a mounting scheme adapt-
once in the sheet so you may period and find they are quite ed to the material and the
have to examine a hundred comprehensive. theme I wish to develop.
stamps or so before you find I have heard that Scott prob- It takes a little more time
one. But if you do, you will ably will revise some of its list- and thought, but will pay divi-
have something 50 times ings, and that a newly formed dends in one's understanding
scarcer than the normal committee from MEPSI has of- and appreciation of the issues.
fered to assist Scott. My basis is the paper type.
Minkus also has produced al- This is an approach which
bum pages (and detailed list- many of the classicists use
ings) for the many types of Ex- with 19th century issues. It is
porta stamps. also a good way to separate
In any event, the situation is stamps on the initial sorting.
still quite confused, but several For those who may have
groups are working hard to missed the earlier offer, I will
A white spot can be found in achieve some order out of the still mail an Exporta checklist
the "0" of "20" on this Expor- chaos. to anyone who sends a
ta airmail stamp. Personally, I prefer ap- stamped, addressed envelope
stamp. proaching this challenge with to me in care of Linn's. ■
The problems of classifying
Exporta stamps still plague the
various catalogers. This, in
turn, is causing headaches for
those people who are design-
ing and printing albums for
Mexican stamps.
Since my last Exporta arti-
 NOVEMBER 11, 1985 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 27

Envelope fronts used as registry receipts

During the 19th century, of the envelope or wrapper amount of postage, 25 reales, it common values. Another attractive feature of These seals, together with
most countries developed spe- covering a parcel, having it is safe to assume it was proba- They often are the only way this cover is that it carries a the registry labels have been
cial methods of protecting im- countersigned by the addres- bly cut from a parcel wrapper, a postal historian will obtain 10c stamp from the then cur- collected and studied by a few
see (or his agent) on the re- rent Large Numeral issue Mexican specialists.
verse and returned to the (1885-86) in combination with Several dozen distinct vari-
Mexico sender as proof of delivery. a 25c stamp from the previous eties exist which would make
By Dale Pulver This procedure was followed Medallion issue (1884) paying an interesting sideline chal-
for almost all of the so-called the registry fee. lenge to anyone's collecting.
classic issues of Mexican It has become easier (and Never mind that they aren't
portant or valuable mail. stamps, at least until about the cheaper) to acquire registered
Mexico was no exception, time Mexico joined the Uni-
covers from the Numeral issue
and its procedures offer yet versal Postal Union in 1879.
onward. Even the registered
another interesting facet to the These registered mail re- covers of the 20th century can
philately of that country. ceipts, or "fronts" as we call
1 11., ..,„,.,
MX X1CO. add considerable interest to a
When something important them, are much prized by col- SMX111
LoVid”,"i collection.
or valuable was mailed and lectors and generally fetch ■I It / I t I ■ 1${40 '
Some people collect some of
the sender wanted assurance it handsome prices at auction.
the rather curious labels and
was received he would send it In fact, they are rather a closure stickers the Mexican
"certificada" which has about hallmark of a good classic ex-
postal authorities used on reg-
the same meaning as regis- hibit of Mexico. I always look Figure 3. Two different stamps were used on this registered istered mail.
tered. for them when I see a collec-envelope from San Luis Potosi to Mexico City Feb. 20, 1887. The previously described
For this class of service, the tion on display. perhaps containing court docu- those denominations on cover. cover has a registry label at
postal instructions called for Figure 1 shows such a ments or legal papers, the Figure 2 shows another char- the bottom which is typical of
the removal of the front panel "front." From the large sender wanted to make sure acteristic common to early the many types used in that pe-
were carefully handled. registered covers. riod and right on up to modern
Note too, the use of a rec- We know from the address times.
tangular handstamp to record and the countersignature (not I have seen older collections
the city and date of dispatch. shown) on this front from To- with these labels mounted
All large post offices had such luca that court documents among the stamps.
handstamps to use with regis- were involved. I guess 19th century collec-
tered mail. The six large "0" cancella- tors preferred the bits of paper
The other significant feature tions around the perimeter of to the full covers which are
about this piece is that it is the piece call attention to the now much more desirable and
dated just a few days after the fact that it was a registered valuable. Figure 4. The designs and in-
first stamps of Mexico were is- parcel and that it required spe- Figure 4 shows another at- scriptions are embossed on
sued. cial handling. tractive accessory of the postal these three types of regis-
In fact, no other office ex- Such markings are frequent- department which many col- tered mail closure labels
cept the main one in Mexico ly seen on the fronts of this pe- lectors have saved in their al- used about 1913.
City had yet received stamps riod. bums — closure seals for reg-
when this was mailed Aug. 26, The registered cover in Fig- istered letters. stamps. They are still part of
1856! ure 3 comes from the era after Issued by and available in philately and worthy of
Figure 1. This registered front — probably cut from a parcel Space doesn't permit discus- Mexico joined the UPU and il- the post offices, they were ap- attention. IN
wrapper — bears the first issue of Mexico and comes from a sion of the registry rates; that lustrates a more sophisticated plied, in place of a dated
cover directed to Puebla from Mexico City Aug. 26, 1856. is a story in itself. means of handling registered handstamp or wax seal, across
But according to the first tar- mail. the envelope flap on the re-
iff in effect at the time the first This letter was mailed in San verse of a letter.
postage stamps appeared, an Luis Potosi. It bears a registry They were intended to pre-
8r charge was added to the label with a number corre- vent tampering with the enve-
regular postage, except if a let- sponding to a log book entry lopes. They first came into use
ter weighed less than one-half used for control purposes. about 1912 and have been seen
ounce. A second control number used on letters as late as 1954.
In that case the 8r covered was applied at Mexico (struck These closure seals came in
both postage and registry fee. over the name of the addres- a variety of colors — blue, red
Another reason for the popu- see) in addition to the receiv- and green — all with numer-
larity of registry fronts is be- ing datestamp below the 10- ous shades.
cause they usually bear the centavo stamp. The designs and letter in-
high denominations of the ear- On the reverse is an oval scriptions were almost always
Figure 2. The parcel from which this front was taken was ly issues and are occasionally handstamp across the closure embossed. The "sun-burst"
prepaid in Toluca for delivery in Texcoco (near Mexico City) found in attractive combina- flap applied in much the same borders were die cut, with
in 1873. The rate is not indicated. tions with the lower, more manner as is done today. differing numbers of points.
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 9, 1985

Top exhibits, stable Scott prices mark 1985

As I've done in the past two years, I'll use to postal history and stamps of Mexico. ing from the Spanish period located in down- There are virtually no price changes in the
this December column for "bits and pieces" town Mexico City. key items (or the others as well) from the
Mexico issued commemorative stamps, and
on reader feedback and for subjects worth The latest issue of Mexicana, the MEPSI classic period up to the recent issues.
numerous social affairs took place during the
journal, arrived a few days ago and describes In fact, the first price change I spotted was
final week.
some of the 50th anniversary events. But it for the Penny Black commemorative issue of
Mexico It is doubtful that an assemblage of Mexican
philately such as the one at MEXFIL '85 ever
ends with an absolutely chilling piece of news. 1940, which shows a $5 drop in the surface
By Dale Pulver In the earthquakes that hit Mexico City mail set and a $10 reduction in the airmail
again will be gathered in one spot.
Sept. 19 and which measured 8.1 on the set.
Although I was unable to attend the show, The '86 catalog carries about 25 new entries
mentioning but which cannot justify a full ar- Richter scale, one casualty was the roof of the
one judge, who is a friend of mine, told me it for commemorative stamps (through October
ticle. National Library. It collapsed into the very
was the finest and most comprehensive array 1984) and an expanded listing for the Exporta
• area where only two and a half months earli-
of Mexican philately he had ever seen or ever
In several of my articles I have given plugs er some of the world's best collections of Mex- series.
expected to see. And he has seen a lot of Mex- Several prices for Exporta stamps have in-
to MEPSI, the Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic So- ican stamps were on display!
ican stamps in his lifetime. creased, but I'm certain we will see a lot of
ciety International, a specialist group for col- In the perspective of geological time that
lectors who concentrate on the stamps and The collections on display covered the peri- has to be a very "near miss" to what could activity with this series in the next few years.
philately of Mexico. This year MEPSI cele- od from the earliest colonial mails up to the have been a devastating loss to Mexican phi- Catalog listings have to be improved and
brated its 50th anniversary. present time. Included were some of the most lately. prices adjusted to reflect market activity as
To mark this milestone, a group of Mexican important collections known to exist. • collectors compete for the scarcer varieties.
collectors joined forces with MEPSI in spon- We can only hope some of these collections My 1986 edition of Scott's Standard Postage Of course, if you don't have a recent Scott
soring a show and party in Mexico City. will make their way to AMERIPEX. Stamp Catalogue, Volume III, came recently. catalog, by all means get one; it's a fundamen-
The show, called MEXIFIL '85, was staged MEXFIL, comprising some 41 entries occu- Based on a quick scan through the section on tal tool needed to enjoy the hobby.
June 8-30 and was organized under the pying 185 16-page frames, was housed in the Mexico, my suggestion is that readers may
auspices of the Mexican Federation of Phi- Biblioteca Nacional (National Library), a want to save money and not buy one if they This is the time of the year when some of us
lately, A.C. Exhibition entries were restricted magnificent converted church structure dat- already own the 1985 edition. think about resolutions. I have resolved to re-

mount at least one of my collections which great deal on money.

desperately needs it and to begin mounting As noted in these columns, there are abun-
some loose Mexican material I have been ac- dant 19th and 20th century issues which are
cumulating in a shoe box for a couple of cheap, which have the stuff of true philatelic
years. research and which are showable.
Perhaps I can urge some readers to make a
similar resolution and worr on an exhibit col- Finally, my thanks•for the many letters
lection of Mexico. received regarding the articles, and especial-
I have been watching the winners lists from ly for the notes contained with the requests
major shows published in Linn's and am for checklists.
amazed at how few exhibits feature the It really was astonishing to learn how many
stamps and covers of Mexico. people are interested in the stamps of Mexico
I'm thoroughly convinced there are many and who would take the time to say so.
opportunities to form prize-winning collec- Good collecting and best wishes of the holi-
tions with patience, perseverance and not a day season! ■
38 INN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 13, 1986

Overprints provide fascinating study

This month I would like to only available for a couple of date" stocks of stamps left is known as the "Villa" type,
ize in these stamps recently. used range from scarce to
discuss some of the collecting days in a frontier post office, over from previous adminis- ordered and applied at the end
Just two years ago a meeting very rare.
opportunities in overprinted and have become quite expen- trations. The proliferation of of 1914 during Pancho Villa's
and exhibition in Hermosillo, For example, provisional
sive to own. Mexico, was dedicated exclu- brief reign as supreme com-
But they did mark the begin- sively to the stamps of the rev- mander.
Mexico ning of an era of overprints olutionary. period. Figure Id is the Carranza
By Dale Pulver which, in some respects, rivals The good attendance and type, used after Venustiano
the complexity of overprinting success of the exhibition indi- Carranza gained control of the
cate renewed interest in what government.
postage stamps issued during seen on the early classic issues
once was an unpopular field. During Carranza's reign,
the Mexican Revolution of this of Mexico.
The reasons for so many dif- there were additional over-
century. The overprinted, and later
ferent overprinted stamps can prints, as shown in Figures 2a
Earlier (Linn's, April 1984, surcharged, stamps of the peri-
be understood readily when and 2b, often used in combina-
page 30) I wrote about "Victo- od 1914-1918, are often re-
one reads the history of the tion with the earlier ones.
ry at Torreon" overprints, ferred to by Spanish speaking
Mexican Revolution. The "corbata" (necktie)
The movement got its start type, designated still another
as a revolt against the govern- form of government (which I
ment of Porfirio Diaz which Figure 4. This overprint type believe stood for Provisional Figure 5. A key to genuine-
is nicknamed "dollar sign."
extended favors to the rich, Government of Mexico). ness is determining whether
but which exacerbated the overprints began in 1914, after The other was a revaluation a provisional was used in a
I plight of the peasants and the "Torreon" stamps. overprint. Figures 3-6 show the location controlled by the is-
working class. Most of these originated with various overprinted stamps. suer at the time of use.
As the struggle wore on, var-
the Constitutionalist move- Some of these stamps are
b d ment in northern Mexico. The fairly common, but a few are
ious strongmen emerged, each
first was a large, rubber scarce, and have high catalog
in turn seizing control of the
Figure 1. These overprints were applied to Mexican stamps
stamped overprint of the inter- prices. These are the ones to
government. Internecine strife
by various revolutionary factions.
laced letters GCM (Figure la). be cautious of when buying.
became the order of the day.
collectors as "gomigrafos," During this time the postalTypically they were struck I've always thought these
which roughly translated, system continued to operatein violet or purple on the then stamps should be collected
means rubber stamp over- current stamps of the 1910 is- used and on cover.
(more or less) but the people
prints. in power saw to it that postage
sue. ■ Examples of such usages
Many collectors are wary of stamps bore the mark of theirThe GCM stood for Gobierno ought to be checked carefully
embarking on a serious acqui- party. Constitucionallsta Mexicano to be sure the postmarks and
sition program because of the As a result, numerous over-
(Constitutional Mexican Gov- the covers correspond to cor-
numerous manipulations prints were used to "revali-
ernment). rect usage period.
a In other words, they must be
which exist and the tact that A variety of other overprints Figure I. Combinations of
many issues may have been used in cities or areas under from towns and cities when overprints exist, such as this
created to meet philatelic de- the control of revolutionary they were under control of the example of a monogram of
mand. forces soon followed. issuing entity. the Carranza government
Still, for those with the pa- Many of these never have The situation was so fluid in and a "corbata" (necktie).
tience and the motivation to do been recognized by Scott but Mexico from 1910-20 that con-
their homework, the stamps are listed in Minkus and other trol shifted rapidly from one postage stamps produced for
b faction to another. Oaxaca, Sonora and Baja Cali-
can become a fascinating specialized Mexican catalogs.
Figure 2. The government of study. The next Scott listings are A good history book is essen- fornia were used on mail, but
Venustiano Carranza created A representative collection for the so called "dollar sign" tial to track these events. many are very difficult to lo-
these overprints. overprints (Figure lb), where Another complication was cate and fetch high prices.
can be assembled without
which were essentially com- spending a lot of money. In the words Gobierno Constitu- that certain states and locali- This article only brushes the
memorative in nature, cele- fact, I have picked up quite a cionalista (typeset) were ap- ties printed their own provi- surface of the broad subject of
brating Pancho Villa's victory few nice examples from deal- plied to the 1910 series and to sional stamps. Some of these Mexican revolutionary philate-
over federal forces at Torreon ers' shoebox offerings and re- Figure 3. Usually struck in a few copies of the 1899 issue. are noted in the major cata- ly.
in April 1914. mainder collections. violet or purple ink, large Two more common over- logs; others are not In future articles, I'll delve
They were issued in exceed- An increasing number of col- monograms were placed on prints were monograms. The They too can be a lot of fun, into some of the many facets
ingly small numbers, were lectors have begun to special- DO stamps. overprint shown as Figure lc but many such types properly of individual issues. IN
62 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 10, 1986

Postmark, stamps honor women patriots

Portraits of women appear Both Dominguez and his wife 1810, both Dominguez and his staunch Royalist. the movement. CARIO" was used on mail
on the two low values in the were sympathetic to the cause, wife were arrested for com- When Quintana Roo's re- As a result, she was declared from that city.
1910 Mexican postage stamp even though he derived his plicity. quest for her hand was a traitor by the Royalists, and The receipted cover front il-
series commemorating the power and livelihood from the However, they were eventu- refused, he moved to Quere- all her assets were confiscat- lustrated here dates from that
ally set free because the agent ed. She then was obliged to suf- period.
of the viceroy could not garner fer the same hardships as her However, for reasons I have
Mexico sufficient evidence to hold compatriots. not been able to discover, the
When the struggle ended, name reverted to Saltillo about
By Dale Pulver them.
In 1813, the case was re- her efforts and sacrifices on 1838 and has remained that to
opened. Josefa was held under behalf of the movement did the present time.
centennial of the War for Inde- house arrest for quite some not pass unrewarded. Since 1910, Josefa Ortiz de
pendence. time in several convents, the She was given a hacienda in Dominguez has been remem-
The 1-centavo has a profile way upper-class women pris- the state of Hidalgo and 80,000 bered twice again for her ef-
of Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez; oners were detained in those pesos as repayment for her forts. The 30c stamp of the
the 2c shows Leona Vicario. days. seized properties. 1923 issue depicts the monu-
Both played supportive roles As the movement neared its There's another facet to the ment erected in Queretaro in
in the Mexican struggle to successful conclusion, her hus- Leona Vicario story of phila- her honor.
throw off the Spanish yoke of telic significance. In 1979 another stamp was
band secured her freedom and
colonialism. Dona Leona Vicario gave her On Nov. 5, 1827, a decree issued to commemorate the
Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez they both lived to enjoy some
It may have been quite a considerable fortune to the was issued changing the name 150th anniversary of her
spied for revolutionaries. of the fruits of their efforts.
shock to a generally male fight for independence. of the town of Saltillo to the death.
dominated society for women Spanish crown. A statue of Josefa, often re-
"City of Leona Vicario." So far, Leona Vicario has
to be immortalized in such a In the months just before the ferred to as the "Corregidora" taro and joined the insurgents.
For about three years be- only the 1910 stamp and the
fashion, the first time it oc- declaration of independence since she too served as mayor They continued to corre-
tween 1835 and 1838, a boxed short-lived postmark to re-
curred with Mexican postage by Father Miguel Hidalgo, the of Queretaro, stands in one of spond, and meanwhile, Leona
postmark with "LEONA VI- mind us of her exploits. ■
stamps. Dominguez,' as a result of the principal squares of that began diverting some of her
It also may have startled their official connections, pro- city. wealth to support the inde-
other countries to see female vided valuable information to Dona Leona Vicario, the so- pendence movement.
subjects on postage stamps, the insurgents about the activi- cialite daughter of a wealthy Her role eventually was re-
other than monarchs or those ties of the Royalist garrison at Spanish couple from Mexico vealed when her letters to
in direct line to thrones. Queretaro. City, also was a champion of Quintana Roo were intercept-
The two women's exploits In fact, Josefa was able to independence. ed.
are worth noting. Josefa Ortiz forewarn the insurgent leader- Her parents died early, leav- She, too, was arrested and
de Dominguez was the wife of ship when the Royalists ing her a considerable fortune. detained in the convent of Be-
Miguel Dominguez, who was learned who they were. In She became romantically in- len College.
the corregidor (mayor) of the other words, they were spies. volved with another supporter, Freed in a daring rescue by
city of Queretaro in 1810. Soon after the uprising be- Andres Quintana Roo, a young three insurgents, she rejoined This receipted cover from the city of Leona Vicario (Saltillo)
This city was the hotbed of gan with the "grito" (shout for lawyer working in partnership and married her lover and be- to Nadadores, a small village north of Monclova, involved
the independence movement. independence) on Sept. 16, with her guardian, who was a came directly involved with legal matters. It is countersigned and dated Oct. 22, 1835.
56 LINN S STAMP NEWS MARCH 10 1986

Gold rush spurred Wells, Fargo mail service

For most people, the name movement of mail and parcels in 1895 and the Transportation the formation of two rival ex- crux. compete against the en-
Wells, Fargo conjures up vi- overland, particularly on the issue (Mulitas) came out, en- press companies in Mexico: Their methods of operation trenched Wells, Fargo.
sions of stagecoaches lumber- rapidly expanding railroad velopes were prepared bear- Express Nacional and Express were almost identical to those Wells, Fargo continued to
ing over dusty Western roads system. ing these stamps. Hidalgo. of Wells, Fargo; they used prosper, and when the Mexi-
and trails, or perhaps the ex- It operated under strict con- There also are instances Under agreements similar to their own distinctive franks can government took control
ditions of agreements signed where franks were struck with of most of the foreign-owned
with the governments of the two postage stamps to pay for railroads in 1909, it signed a
Mexico United States and Mexico.
Evidently, operations in
higher rated letters. And there
is at least one recorded in-
Joint express partnership with
By Dale Pulver the government.
Mexico became so profitable stance where the stamp was
struck three times on the enve- In the meantime, it had
that by the 1880s Wells, Fargo
press and banking operations lope. ceased carrying mall. The lat-
had agents in most towns and
for which Wells, Fargo be- cities along the west coast Wells, Fargo franks make an est recorded Wells, Fargo
came so famous. interesting collection. Not only franked envelope is dated Sep-
from the U.S. border all the
This article will describe the way to Mexico City. was there a large variety of tember 1907.
activities of Wells, Fargo in the The special franks prepared usages, but the green cachets Much information is record-
handling of mail and small for Mexican service (see illus- were printed in various shades ed on the Wells, Fargo franked
packages in Mexico during the trations), had five denomina- and bore many different in- envelopes, particularly In the
last two decades of the 19th tions: 10 centavos, 15c, 20c, 25c struction lines. early issues of Mexicana, jour-
century. and 30c, corresponding to the Frequently, offices made nal of the Mexico Elmhurst
First, some historical back-
ground: Wells, Fargo was
various costs of service of- handwritten changes to the This July 17, 1897, frank has a 19-centavo stamp of the Trans- Philatelic Society.
fered. values and weights when post- portation Issue. The handwritten rerating of the frank covers Another very useful re-
founded In New York City in These were sent to the gov- al rates changed or when
1852 and by July of that year one ounce, or 30 grams. This also is stamped above the frank. source is the Higgins and Gage
ernment printing office where stocks of franks ran short. World Postal Stationery Cata-
had established an office In stamps of the correct denomi- Often, if the franks were the one Wells, Fargo had with and relied heavily on the rail-
San Francisco. log.
nations were printed on the en- used entirely within Mexico, the Mexican government, roads to carry letters and
Its early business Included velopes. they served as receipts. The these two firms concentrated packages. I frequently see Wells, Fargo
the transport of mall and par- The first ones used in Mexi- recipient signed the envelope their activities In an area I will write about them in a covers in dealers' stock, so If
cels, with much Impetus com- along the east coast of Mexico future issue. Both went out of you're looking for a new postal
ing from the discovery and between the U.S. border, Mexi- business in 1899. Apparently, history subject to collect, you
mining of gold and other pre- ci-Otivi Ct —
co City and the port of Vera- they could not successfully might want to try them. III
cious metals in the West.
In 1853 it opened an office In ,„ 61,1 ' ' '• '?.. '
y 11,11, 2ti
Hawaii and by 1863 had ex- \' !:!'!!':j.
tended service to the west Awe autao x .. 4 I to 7..- r .,..1. , ca:U.1adratys.......
coast of Mexico by way of a
small, private steamship line
which called at two Mexican
Ports.
Upon the completion of the .,
ZAP ;;,,,1
te%41
Mexico City-Veracruz railroad . 244
\J : ,.."7,rom-se...e.V.;e
in 1873, Wells, Fargo opened /Cc/
an office In Mexico City.
As an express company, it An early Wells, Fargo frank (1M) with the Mexican 1-centa-
touted its ability to move mall vo Hidalgo Medallion Head was used for half-ounce letters to
and packages much faster, and the United States. The frank cost 1Sc.
probably safer, than other car- co about 1885 had stamps of which was kept by the agent as
riers. Official postai services the Hidalgo Head Medallion proof of delivery.
in those days were erratic or (Scott type A17) and were re- In other instances, multiple
lacking altogether. placed in 1886 with the large franks were used to make up
For letters, Wells, Fargo pre- numeral issue (Scott type the postage on heavier items;
pared its own special A18). these were affixed to the par-
"franked" envelopes. Different rates applied to cel, were overlapped so the
The so-called "franks" bore mall Wells, Fargo delivered stamps could be canceled, and
distinctive designs, one could within Mexico, to the United are called "paste-ons."
almost call them cachets, States or to Europe. Typically these will not show
prominently showing the In addition to the proper an addressee, only a
firm's name and in most in- Mexican postage, Wells, Fargo handstamp cancellation and
stances citing the cost of the added a line beneath the sometimes a spot of glue.
message service to be provid- franking cachet (usually by Wells, Fargo even celebrat-
ed. handstamp) explaining the ed the 400th anniversary of Co-
In addition to what Wells, type of service for which the lumbus' discovery of America
Fargo charged for the franked envelope was to be used. For by adding the inscription "1492
envelopes, the sender was re- example, "... 4 oz. letters ex- • EMISION COLUMBINA *
quired to pay the correspond- clusively for the U.S.," "... for 1892" above its regular frank.
ing Mexican postage. the U.S. and Mexico," "... for This is known as the Jubilee is-
In a way, Wells, Fargo acted Europe," etc. sue.
like forwarders, expediting the When postal rates changed The year 1892 also marked
36 LINN'S( viAMP NEWS APRIL 14,1986

Short lived Express companies carried mail

This Is the sequel to an earli- showing the profile likeness of which Express Hidalgo operat- original address directing it to which most of the mail was Nationalppress appears to
er article on the Wells, Fargo Father Miguel Hidalgo (Figure ed was compact, it appears the Sr. Ignacio P. Guzman is writ- carried. have been the only company
Express Co. (Linn's March 10, 1) connecting with two circu- Riverolls had agents in nearly ten in ink. There were many more vari- to provide sudh franks for gov-
page 56), which carried mail lar ornaments at the ends. every city and town of any Guzman (or possibly his eties of Express Nacional ernment use.
in Mexico for some three de- The one on the left was in- consequence within that area. agent) signed his name below franks than Express Hidalgo The latest recorded usage
cades before and just after the scribed with the name of the In an early issue of Mexica- in pencil and gave the enve- and they carried a wide range for the franks of both Express
turn of the century. firm's founder, Ramon na, Lawrence Ricks provided lope back to the Express Hi- of service endorsements as Hidalgo and Express Nacional
It is not certain what Riveroll; the other contained a list of some 100 distinct town dalgo agent. were used on the Wells, Fargo is 1899, so it can be safely as-
The third express company
I'll deal with is the Express
Mexico Nacional (National Express).
By Dale Pulver It's operations also started in
1893 and its territory stretched
prompted two other firms to north from Mexico City to the
enter the business in competi- U.S. border along the Gulf
tion with the firmly establish- Coast.
ed Wells, Fargo. Very little has been record-
But the Mexican government ed about Express Nacional.
may have encouraged compe- There is record of the con-
tition by , reserving certain re- cession granted by the Mexi-
gions for someone other than can Government (October
Wells, Fargo. 1893) for it to carry mail in
In any event, similar conces- franked envelopes ". . . like Figure 2. This unused Express Nacional frank was prepared
sions were granted to the two Figure 1. This Express Hidalgo franked envelope carried a
letter from Jalapa to Veracruz and was used there as a re- those made for Wells, Fargo." for use after 1895 when the single weight surface rate was 5
companies for the transport of The National Express frank centavos. The route inscription is in English.
domestic and foreign mail. ceipt. It arrived March 17,1897, after one day in transit.
was larger and much more or-
Their tenures in this business the price of the frank. cancellations on Express Hi- nate than the other two. franks. sumed that both went out of
were short-lived, however. As far as is known, there dalgo covers he had collected. Changes frequently were the mail carrying business at
Express Hidalgo was orga- were only two denominations, Express Hidalgo also main- The design consisted of a made with rubber hand- that time or shortly thereafter.
nized by Ramon Riveroll, a 10 centavos and 15c. tained agents in New York and large Mexican coat of arms, stamps, which obliterated old As noted in the previous arti-
Mexican, in.about 1890. The envelopes on which they Havana for transferring for- and an eagle perched on a instructions and added new cle, the era of express compa-
Riveroll's four younger were printed came in many eign mail. cactus holding a serpent in its ones. ny mail came to a close early
brothers also were active in different colors, mostly pastel Such covers appear to be beak, which filled the left Another curious type were in the first decade of this cen-
the enterprise in various ca- and light shades. Over 30 dis- very rare. Such rapid expan- third of the envelope (Figure franks inscribed with the tury.
pacities so that it became pret- tinct varieties have been cata- 2). words "Negocio Oficial" (Offi-
sion may have contributed to But it left an attractive lega-
ty much of a family business. loged, and more eventually the early demise of the firm. The words "Express Nacion- cial Business) where the stamp cy for the postal historians in
The Express Hidalgo operat- may be found. There are probably thou- al Mexicano" in an Old English would normally be. our hobby. MI
ed in a territory much more The 15c frank was used from sands of surviving Express Hi- type font surmounted the ea-
compact than the sprawling 1893-95 in combination with an dalgo franked covers, mostly gle. The Spanish words for
domain of Wells, Fargo. impressed 10c large Numeral With common rates and "franked for letters" formed
This included a region be- stamp (Scott type A18), or a handstamps. the base of the logo.
tween Mexico City and Vera- 10c rose stamp from the These handstamps nearly al- Prices for the franks were
cruz and important commer- Transportation (Mulita) series ways contained the name of also indicated in the design.
cial centers in between. (Scott type A23). the town or origin, and covers All of the logos, which were
The railroad connecting Ve- When postal rates were low- typically received a similar printed in various shades of
racruz and Mexico was com- ered in 1895, Express Hidalgo handstamp strike at the desti- green, have either the words
plete, so there was a good vol- introduced the 10c frank nation. Thus, many covers car- "Laredo Route" (English) or
ume of business to be had by which was impressed with a 5c ry two dated handstamps. "Laredo Ruta" (Spanish)
the Riverolls. Mulita stamp (Scott type A22). Express Hidalgo also used worked into the design just be-
Express Hidalgo printed This paid the Mexican postal the envelopes as receipts, in neath the eagle's perch.
franks in a format similar to rate for surface mail. This much the same way as Wells, This is a reference to the Na-
Wells, Fargo. type is shown in Figure 1. Fargo did. tional Railroad connection be-
This consisted of a cachet Although the territory in On the cover illustrated, the tween Mexico and Laredo on
 MAY 12, 1986 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 87

Perfins part of serious Mexican collecting

Perfins are stamps which fore they were used, probably known who provided the ones name or some symbol readily I should add here that if any other methods for safeguard-
have been punched before use just after purchase. used in Mexico. associated with the firm. readers can identify some of ing against the theft or misap-
with initials, single letters or a The devices initially used Cummings advertised hand Identification of a perfin the unknown perfins illustrat- propriation of stamps.
monogram. were hand operated punches operated punches capable of stamp is relatively easy when ed, I would be very grateful. Anyhow, it's another small,
A collector friend of mine , containing dies or small pins in perforating single stamps, sev- it is found on cover with a Also, any new ones on Mexico but interesting facet of Mexi-
company corner card.
But there are many loose
Mexico stamps with punched initials,
By Dale Pulver the origins of which remain a
mystery.
who's a bit of a wag refers to Several years ago some Mex-
them as "holey" stamps. ico Elmhurst Philatelic Society
Yet he collects them avidly International members co-
and is always ready to facili- operated in connecting names
tate an acquisition by claiming with perfin initials.
one could consider perfin Those illustrated in Figure 1
stamps as damaged. have been identified as Robert
Many countries have perfin Boker y Cia of Mexico City
stamps, Mexico being no ex- (R.B. & C.), Gobierno de Mi-
ception, and many philatelists chaoacan or Government of
are serious about them. the State of Michoacan (G. de
This idea of perfins arose be- M.) and Mosier Safe Co..
cause firms and agencies (MOS/LER).
wanted to mark postage Figure 1. These perfins have been identified as Roberto Boker The companies using the
stamps used in their business- y Cia of Mexico City (top), government of Michoacan state perfins illustrated in Figure 2
es as a deterrent to theft and (bottom left) and Mosier Safe Co. (bottom right). are unknown.
use by dishonest employees. An example in my early col-
the proper arrangement. eral stamps or even complete lecting awareness is what was
Most of the Mexican perfins Figure 2. These perfins are unidentified.
A U.S. firm, B.F. Cummings rows of stamps. known as the "Omega" perfin.
I have seen date from just be-
fore to just after the turn of the of Chicago, was one manufac- It also was claimed that I had two high peso value stamps would be welcome. can philately with enough dif-
turer of such devices in the punches could handle from stamps of the Transportation When the revolution began ferent examples to fill two or
century.
This period of peak usage early 1900s. three to six initials per stamp issue with it and feared that it in 1910, the use of perfin three album pages.
seems to coincide with use in Its successor, the American and up to four sheets, or depreciated the value of those stamps appears to have Look for them the next time
Perforating Co., remains in thicknesses, per pass. The larg- two stamps. dropped off sharply, if not dis- you're scanning a stock book
other countries as well.
Perfins were produced by business today. est also were available in mo- Perhaps it does, but it is now appearing altogether. with the 1899, 1903 and 1910
punching a pattern of small Other firms, notably British, tor driven models. known that the Omega was I can't imagine that employ- issues. You might want to try
French and German, produced The usual form of the used by the Mexican govern- ees suddenly became that my friend's ploy in your deal-
holes, perhaps a half millime-
ter in diameter, in stamps be- similar machines but it is not punched patterns included ei- ment in some manner for ad- much more honest; perhaps ings and get them at
ther the initials of the firm ministrative purposes. the business owners found discount. ■
76 LINN'S AMERIPEX DAILY MAY 23, 1986

MEPSI has positive impact on philately

A scant ten miles from the journal) that the first country books on Mexican philately. phasized the social side of phi- rent membership, some 700 panded.
site of AMERIPEX '86 is the committee suggested was Some of these are the defini- lately; the elegant annual ban- strong representing 20 coun- Members freely exchange
lmhurst, Ill., a city with one the Dominican Republic. tive works on their subject. quets held by the original tries. information with one another
of ire-sios_t unusual philatelic However, this immediately John Bash and the late Otto Elmhurst group are legendary. Also, by the late 1960s, ad- and cooperate on research
tie-ins in the entireorganized proved to be an unpopular Yag (one of the early pillars of In 1960, to mark its 25th ministrative leadership of the projects. And no one will de-
hobby. choice, and Mexico was finally EPS) collaborated on Pre- year, a reunion was scheduled society was widely dispersed. cline the opportunity to have a
To those of us who collect selected. Stamp Postal Markings of for Mexico City. But much of the spirit of good time.
Once it was decided to spe- Mexico in 1965. Local Mexican members Annual meetings now are
cialize in the stamps and post- Abraham Odfjell, a Norwegi- handled the arrangements "MFNU 44 I M1-11 RSI NM AF.I.IC held in conjunction with major
Mexico al history of Mexico, it didn't an collector, allowed EPS to which included a special, lim- Sot u !'tI RN AT IONAL
ELN.10
shows. The last one took place
By Dale Pulver take long for the club to be publish his copious notes and ited issue of Mexican postage in March at San Antonio, Tex.,
recognized as a focal point for charts on the classic issues of stamps (Scott 909 and C249). at TENANEX-TEXPEX '86.
Mexican philately. Mexico which he assembled These two stamps have be- Collectors interested in
Mexico seriously, Elmhurst
Several local members be- while he was under house ar- come known as the Elmhurst MEPSI membership should
gained fame as the home of a
gan concentrating on various rest by the Nazis during World issue. contact Lois Deutschman, 4860
stamp club that dedicated it-
issues and eventually became War II. For MEPSIPEX '79, another N. Camino Road, Tucson, Ariz.
self to the study and promotion In 1968, Richard B. Stevens, stamp was issued honoring the A LO (41
85718, for details.
experts in their fields.
of the philately of Mexico.
Membership was opened to son of Byron Stevens, a found- society (Scott C605). Last sum- It's difficult to gauge the pos-
But it wasn't always that When the Mexico Elmhurst
collectors beyond the environs ing member of EPS, published mer at MEXFIL '85, the 50th itive impact MEPSI has had on
way. When the Elmhurst Phil- Philatelic Society Interna-
of Elmhurst. Noted collectors under EPS auspices The Reve- anniversary of the club's Mexican philately, but it has
atelic Society was founded in tional, founded in nearby
of Mexico from all over the nue Stamps of Mexico. founding was celebrated. been enormous.
September 1935, it started out Before his death in 1979, Ste- Since 1970, the society has Elmhurst, Ill., visited Mexico I am certain those 25 or so
United States, England, Eu-
like many other stamp clubs. City in 1979, the Mexican gov-
rope and Mexico soon joined vens completed a revised edi- been known as MEPSI, Mexi- collectors of Elmhurst, Ill.,
People interested in stamps ernment issued this stamp in
the growing membership rolls. tion which is unquestionably co-Elmhurst Philatelic Society who met for the first time in
met once a month to share its honor.
In 1952, the club began pub- the most complete and up-to- International. Byron Stevens' home in Sep-
their diverse philatelic inter-
lishing a quarterly bulletin date catalog on these interest- This name change came those early charter members tember 1935 could not have
ests. about in recognition of the true remains. Mexicana flourishes, imagined where it would all
Under good leadership the international nature of its cur- and society services have ex- lead by the year 1986. IIII
club prospered, but by 1942 '
the members of the EPS decid-
ed something was missing: a
focal point for common inter-
est.
They decided to select a
country to study and collect to-
gether.
A committee was appointed,
given a set of criteria and Inscriptions at the tops of these two
asked to make a recommenda- 1910 issues are a tribute by the Mex-
tion for group specialization. ican government to collectors of
The chosen country would Mexican stamps, in particular to
have to be well known with at- MEPSI.
tractive stamps, sufficient va- which served as a vehicle for ing issues.
riety and types to permit se- news and research articles, Meanwhile, Dr. Karl
rious study and specialization, with members contributing Schimmer's huge (448-page)
early stamps which weren't generously. work, The Postmarks of Mexi-
unduly expensive, and a clean co: 1874-1900, came out in
For those of us lucky enough
stamp issuing record. 1977.
to own a complete run, it
That is, all its stamps must serves as an invaluable re- Other monographs have
have been produced to fill le- source for study and enjoy- appeared over the years, ei-
gitimate postal needs. ther as adjuncts to Mexicana,
ment of the stamps of Mexico. or as booklets available to
Ken Putnam, one of the ear-
ly members, noted in a recent Complementing Mexicana, members at modest cost.
issue of Mexicana (the EPS the club sponsored numerous The society always has em-
 MAY 25, 1986 LINN'S AMERIPEX DAILY 75

Mexico well represented at FIP shows

International stamp exhibi- Since 1968, I have read Isaac Backal for "Maritime Tena's collection is thought tional shows in the United Finally, one collection I will
tions like AMERIPEX '86 in- about and attended many Mail" and "Mexican Regis- by some to be among the top States. personally spend some time
variably attract outstanding stamp shows and exhibitions, tered Fronts." two or three exhibits in its For the airmail buffs, Alber- with is Armando Rubio's "Dili-
collections which compete not and always have been keen to LONDON 1980 and WIPA field worldwide, ranking with to Varon is exhibiting "Mexico gencias Generales."
only for medals and trophies see how exhibits of Mexican (Vienna, 1981) had a few Mex- a magnificent collection of Airmails." This has not been This is new to the interna-
stamps and covers fared. Mexican classics belonging to shown extensively but is prob- tional scene and will no doubt
As it turns out, until recently, a German collector. ably the most complete of its contain some very rare usages
Mexico few collectors exhibited Mexi- The German collection, if type in existence. of Mexico's distinctive "Stage-
By Dale Pulver can material in international my memory serves, comprised It has one of eight known coach Mail."
competition. 40 frames at EFIMEX '68 and copies of the Plan of San Luis These stagecoach cancella-
but also for the prestige ac- That is not to say there won the president of Mexico (Scott C76B) plus numerous tions have always fascinated
corded to the collection owner aren't serious philatelists with award, top prize in the nation- proofs, errors and other air- me and were the subject of
for simply being part of such this as their specialty, just that al class. mail rarities. one of my Linn's columns
not many entered the competi- I was hoping we might see Another 19th century collec- (May 13, 1985, page 58).
an event.
tive arena. portions of it at AMERIPEX, tion worth viewing is David There are some fine Mexi-
My first taste of an interna-
This seems strange because. but such will not be the case. Warman's "Mexican Revolu- can collections at AMERIPEX,
tional exhibition came in 1968
at EFIMEX, a large show as I have been pointing out in Another favorite issue of tion 1913-1916," a constantly and I urge all readers to take
staged under International my monthly columns in Linn's, mine, "The Imperial Eagles," improving display of a very advantage of the opportunity.
Mexican stamps and postal his- is being shown by Quintus Fer- complex and difficult subject. and a rare one at that, to see
Federation of Philately au-
tory offer numerous areas for nando. This type of material has en- some world class stamp exhib-
thority in Mexico City immedi-
specialization every bit as im- Lately, this exhibit has been joyed a resurgence in popular- its of our neighbor to the
ately following the Olympic
portant from a philatelic winning grand awards at nat- ity in recent years. south. I/
Games.
standpoint as material from
There were some 2,000
frames of material on display, the other so called "classic"
countries. Viewing the exhibits at EFI-
and from the quality of collec-
But within the last decade or MEX '68 helped the author
tions shown, I was able to ap-
so, exhibits of Mexico have decide to specialize in Mexi-
preciate the time, effort, and
been cropping up with increas- can philately. This stamp
yes, the financial commitment
ing frequency on the local as publicized the show.
necessary for an exhibitor to
well as the international scene.
qualify for such competition.
Another reason is that there ican collections, but the pace
Furthermore, viewing those is a small fraternity of collec- really began to quicken with
outstanding displays of postage tors in Mexico who have begun ESPAMER (San Juan, Puerto
stamps and postal history gave to exhibit internationally with Rico, 1982).
me the incentive to become increasingly positive results. Since then, nearly every ma-
even more serious about my To me, this represents a jor international show has had
hobby. healthy situation. Many of the important collections of Mexi-
I also had the chance to early, large holdings of classic can philatelic material.
meet and talk with many col- Mexican material were assem- Fortunately, Ameripex visi-
lectors and exhibitors who at- bled by Americans, Europeans tors can see some of these.
tended that show, some of and especially the British. Backal's marvelous maritime
whom have become fast Most of these vast collec- mail exhibit is here, looking
friends in the intervening tions, formed in the early de- for its third large gold to boost
years. cades of this century, have it into the championship class.
Because EFIMEX '68 was now been broken up and Backal has continued to
held in Mexico, a number of dispersed, with much fine ma- work hard on the exhibit. It
fine collections of Mexican terial finding its way back to contains several unique
stamps were exhibited. the country of its origin. usages.
Seeing the great variety to At CAPEX '78, two Mexicans Another treat is Alfonso
be found in Mexican stamps garnered three major awards. Tena's well-traveled "Classic
convinced me that this was the A vermeil went to Alberto Leal Issues of Mexico," which has
country in which to specialize, for an exhibit of Imperial Ea- won six large golds in as many
a decision I had been wrestling gles (1864-66). outings. He, too, is going for
with at the time. Two golds were awarded to championship qualification.
1 0 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 9, 1986

`Out of district' stamps exceptions to rule stamps with identifiable can- vented remote offices from re-
In one of my first Linn's arti- call them suboffices). But there could have been tricts, the likelihood that the
cles (June 13, 1983, page 42), I These suboffices were subor- cellations from cities or towns ceiving new stamps through Instances where a traveler on town cancel will be found on
described the system of postal dinate to the principal district which were not subordinate to normal channels. business carried stamps from the stamps of both districts in-
district name overprinting on offices and received stamps the district whose name is on Postal regulations required one district to another to use creases.
the early stamps of Mexico. from them. the stamps. on letters he wished to mail Mineral del Monte officially
This procedure was used to Old postal records have giv- These items are generally while he was away from home. belonged to the Pachuca dis-
I am not familiar with the trict, but the cancel also can
availability of "used out of dis- be found on the stamps of Tu-
Mexico trict" stamps for the issues af- lancingo, which was about 30
kilometers to the east.
By Dale Pulver ter 1867.
In my own collection of the Also, In the sparsely populat-
first design, I have about 30 ex- ed mining region of north cen-
control and secure the reve- amples of such stamps and a tral Mexico, stamps from sev-
nue due the post office from eral districts may be found
few covers.
the sale of adhesives. with the same town cancel.
In most Instances the loca-
Stamps without a district Another type of unusual us-
tion of use is not far from the
name were supposed to be age occurs, presumably with
principal district designated
without franking power since Figure 3. Another stamp from on the stamps. the transfer of stamps from
they might have been stolen or Figure 1. This stamp from the district of Mexico was used in Figure 2. A stamp from Za- Zacatecas was used at Valle one district to another, when
otherwise Illegally obtained. For example, I have stamps
the village of lguala, a small place about halfway between catecas was used at Catorce, del Suchil, which normally from Mexico City used at Cuer-
the receiving office added Its
But legitimate usages of such Mexico City and Acapulco. Tixtla Guerrero was normally the a suboffice of San Luis Potosi. was a suboffice of Durango. name overprint In addition to
stamps are known, either by navaca (90 kilometers distant)
parent district. the one already there.
oversight or disregard of regu- name overprinting to validate City. and vice versa.
Thus there are stamps bear-
lations on the part of local en philatelists data to know referred to as "used outside of the stamps, i.e., assure it had The official "loan" of al- The State of Veracruz had
several principal district offic- ing two district name over-
postmasters. which suboffices reported to district." Some examples ap- been accounted for on the fis- ready overprinted, stamps
This overprinting scheme is cal books, but there was no from one district to another es: Cordova, Orizaba, and Jala- prints. Two examples are illus-
which districts. pear in Figures 1, 2 and 3.
the basis for a multitude of rule requiring that a properly when stocks ran short is proba- pa besides Veracruz Itself. trated (Figures 4 and 5).
As a result we have hand- Such stamps are not neces-
varieties which make the clas- books picturing nearly all the sarily great rarities but are overprinted stamp had to be bly the basis for most of the There are a number of I suppose most stamps and
sic Mexican stamps an popular postmarks to be found on scarce and certainly enhance used in the district of issue. "used out of district" speci- stamps from this area on covers with this anomaly have
with specialists. stamps of this era. a collection of postal usage. Thus, we know that some mens we see. which the same town cancel already been identified for
Another factor contributing So the majority of stamps, as We cannot be certain why early 1856 stamps from Gua- The vast majority of stamps can be found on at least two what they are and plucked
to the collectible melange are long as they have part of a this happened, but there are dalajara were used at Lagos were probably purchased and different districts. from dealer stocks.
the distinctive, and often clear postmark, can be as- several plausible explanations. (also designated as a principal affixed at the post office In the instance where a town
However, serious collectors
quaint, cancellations used by signed a point of usage. It is known that in some In- district) when It could not be where letters entered the mall was located near the boundary
of Mexico should always be
small town post offices (we Occasionally one encounters stances civil disturbances pre- supplied directly from Mexico system. line between two postal dis-
vigilant for such usages when
perusing stock books.
Within the past year I have
discovered two such items In
remainder collections at
bourse dealer's tables. I would
not be surprised if there
weren't others awaiting a keen
eye.
In next month's column, I
plan to devote some space to a
review of the Mexican collec-
tions shown In competition at
AMERIPEX. ■
Figure 4. A stamp originally
overprinted for Mexico City Figure S. District names of
was sent to Guadalajara both Maravatlo and Morelia
where It was again overprint- appear on this stamp. It was
ed and used. used at Morelia.
 JULY 14, 1986 LINN S ST V NEWS 35

Outstanding Mexican showing at Chicago

What a show! There's no and special prize. national shows in the United hibits in the postal history sec- dom seen Porte de Mar stamps rounded out the exhibit.
question AMERIPEX will go The rest of the exhibits of States and is always a pleasure tion. First was Isaac Backal's also were present. So the box score on the eight
down in history as one of the Mexico were in the regular to see because it is so tasteful- "Mexico: Maritime Mail, 1549- I counted 34 covers with the Mexican exhibits boils down to
most successful stamp events competitive sections. There ly mounted and annotated. 1890." 1879-1883 Juarez issue. This se- three large golds, one with spe-
ever staged. were four in traditional phi- It took a gold award, which Also a much traveled exhibit ries of stamps was for exclu- cial prize; two golds; two
And for those of us lucky lately, Americas, excluding in my view was richly de- on the international circuit, it sive use on foreign mail. vermeils and one large silver.
U.S. is packed almost to overflow- One piece was a wrapper Not too bad for a country
Alfonso Tena's "Mexico: ing with rare maritime usages.
Mexico Classic Issues, 1856-67," has It begins with a 1549 letter to
with 20 copies of the 24-centa-
vo value in combination with
which until recently has never
been shown extensively on the
By Dale Pulver appeared frequently in recent Rome (I couldn't discern what, three other stamps from the international circuit. El
international exhibitions. It if any, postal markings might domestic issue.
enough to attend, we will, from was chock-full of spectacular have been on it). The exhibit earned a well-
time to time, bask in the mem- pieces from this era. There were several transat- deserved large gold.
ories we carried from it. A few from the 1856 issue lantic letters from the Spanish Following the maritime ex-
I wrote an article for one of were two blocks of four of the A used copy of the Plan of colonial period, including one hibit was Armando Rubio's ex-
the special show editions of 1/2-real (different shades) on San Luis stamp with "Hacien- from Manila to Rome which hibit of diligencias generales
Linn's calling attention to the the same cover paying the 4r da" watermark (Scott C76B) crossed Mexico and received (stagecoach) cancellations.
fine Mexican exhibits slated to rate and 1/2r stamps and cov- such as this one was featured the red, double straight-line This is a new exhibit to the
be in competition. ers from the rare districts of in the lone Mexican airmail "NUEVA ESPANA" (New international scene and was
Several came from outside Ciudad Bravo, Isla del Carmen collection, that of Alberto Spain) postmark which also is very well done.
the United States and were and Sultepec. Varon, at AMERIPEX. Only seen on letters originating in He has a good introduction
known to me only by reputa- A lr (Cuautitlan District) six used copies of Mexico Mexico during this time. and a clear write-up which was
tion. They were tremendous, canceled at Zumpango; a lr Scott C76B are known. While most people have dif- well worth the time to study.
and I was not disappointed. pair from Polotitlan; a pair of ficulty acquiring one or two And his material was clean
In the championship class, 4r Tlalpujahua District, can- served.
examples of the British and attractively displayed.
Fernando Camino (Spain) celed Angangeo; and numer- Next to the Eagles was Da-
crowned circle postmarks Numerous examples of
showed his exquisite collection ous 8r stamps, including a strip vid Warman's "Revolutionary
used at Tampico and Vera- scarce, small office usages
of postal markings used in of four on cover, Mexico to Ve- Issues, 1913-1915." The exhibit
cruz, this exhibit contained were shown. The exhibit
Mexico during the Spanish co- racruz, were shown. contained all covers.
more than two dozen. garnered a vermeil.
lonial period. The exhibit contained vari- This can be difficult materi-
In this group were examples A large silver medal was
This period ended in 1821 ous rare usages of the 1861 is- al to obtain in eye appealing
of domestic mail carried be- awarded Alberto Varon's Mex-
with the beginning of the War sue and examples of first de- condition, as the stamps them-
tween the two ports, having ican airmails, the only Mexi-
of Independence. sign stamps with the Gothic selves are not especially at-
both the crowned circles and can collection in the aerophi-
The exhibit began with a Mexico district name on regu- tractive.
Mexican stamps. lately section.
16th century Papal letter and lar and watermarked paper. But Warman has done a very
Something else which caught
went on from there. There were scarce examples nice job with his organization This exhibit contained all
my eye were two different cir-
I had always wondered of the latter on cover. of the exhibit. known airmail varieties up to
cular datestamps used by the
about the origin of tracings for Tena's collection contained He covers his subject very about 1953, including a used
U.S. Army Garrison at Tampi- copy of the San Luis Potosi
the beautifully clear postmark all values of the 1864 Juarez well, showing representative
co during the Mexican Ameri-
reproductions in Jorge Guino- stamps (Scott 14-17) overprint- usages, many of them rare, (Scott C76B) on revenue
can war, 1846-48. watermarked paper, of which
vart's Prefilatelia Espanola, ed Saltillo. All were legitimate- from a very troubled and un-
These were used on letters
the authoritative work on ear- ly used except the very rare 1- certain period in Mexican his- only eight copies have been
addressed to San Antonio and recorded.
ly postmarks for Spain and peso value. tory.
are exceedingly rare.
Colonies. The exhibit earned a large The judges obviously recog- The Amelia Earhart
The French occupation peri-
It is now clear that many ex- gold, which moves it into the nized this and awarded a gold. goodwill flight overprint was
od (1864-67) was well repre-
amples must have come from championship class at future I was awarded a vermeil for
sented. A cover bearing a represented on an auto-
Dr. Camino's collection. He internationals. my exhibit, "Mexico: The First graphed cover addressed to
Design, 1856-1867." Spanish stamp used at Vera-
was a collaborator in the Indi- Quintus Fernando (U.S.) dis- cruz (1861-62) and covers with her husband, George Putnam.
as section. played his "Imperial Eagles I felt lucky, since the exhibit legitimate usages of the sel- Rarely seen essays and proofs
His pre-1800 material, which 1864-1866." This is an elegant had to be drastically reduced
is scarce to rare anyway, was display containing several from its normal nine-to-ten-
especially attractive and a de- large blocks and many rare frame format to fit the six
light to see. usages. frames allotted me.
The exhibit took a large gold It has won grand awards at There were two Mexican ex-
52 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 11, 1986

Beyond the catalog: 20th-century imperfs

After we have filled the spaces in our al- first examples I know of with minor variety reportedly sold out on the day of issue. previous issue. Such stamps should be exa-
bums for the major catalog-listed varieties, imperforate listings (Figure 1). They both were available imperforate, and mined very carefully to make sure they are
some of us turn to the minor varieties or the These beautifully engraved stamps, issued a pair or block makes a very attractive addi- not lightly rouletted stamps with trimmed
unlisted material for the areas we collect. Im- to mark Gen. Venustiano Carranza's trium- tion to an album page. edges. I have seen a few such items which
It appears some collectors made philatelic could fool an unwary collector.
covers with these varieties; I have an imper- No further imperforate varieties of regular
Mexico forate pair of the blue stamp with a contem- issues are known to me until the issue of 1934.
Two values of the large-size, engraved stamps
By Dale Pulver porary cancellation.
The regular definitive issue of 1916-20, a se- were issued without perforations, the 50c and
ries of portraits of revolutionary heroes, also the 1 peso. These are listed in Scott as 718a
perforate Mexican stamps of the 20th century is known to have imperforate stamps. and 719a.
are examples of this. These do not rate minor variety listings in When this same design was reduced in size
The time period spans the years between Scott, nor do they get any special attention in and redrawn in 1937 for production by the
1916 and the late 1940s. other major catalogs. However, Celis Cano's photogravure process, imperforate stamps
Nearly all Mexican stamps of this century, catalog (Mexico, 1968) lists them as subva- were again available in what appear to be
with the exception of some revenues, were rieties from 10-40 times the price for a nor- fairly generous quantities. Scott lists these for
meant to be issued perforated. As we all Figure 1. The "Carranza" issue imperforates mal unused specimen of the same denomina- four of the five denominations printed on the
know, some sheets occasionally slip through includes Scott 574a. tion. regular "CORREOS MEXICO" watermarked
the inspection process at the printing plants An imperforate pair of the 10c Madero paper.
and find their way into the market, philatelic stamp (a Scott 614 variety) is illustrated in These are illustrated and are not too hard to
or otherwise, in an imperforate state. Figure 2. find in auctions or dealers' stocks.
We can reasonably assume some of these
"slips" were intentional; designed to fill a col- In 1921, two stamps commemorating the Much scarcer are the lc, 6c and 50c denom-
lector demand. We might even call these a centenary of one of the final events of the inations of the same design printed in 1947-50
controlled release. War of Independence were issued. Both were on paper watermarked "GOBIERNO MEXI-
And since philatelic needs definitely were bicolored, meaning two passes through the CANA" with an eagle.
catered to during the Mexican revolution, press and an opportunity for mistakes. Except for an imperforate variety of the
what happened afterward wasn't immune to Scott lists the inverted center variety of the 10c value of the three-stamp set honoring the
this influence. 10c, of which only two or three have been 400th anniversary of the founding of the San
What we may have is a mixture of contrived recorded. But they also exist imperforate, and Nicolas de Hidalgo College (1940), very few
imperforate stamps and stamps which got into are very scarce in this state, too. regular issue 'stamps have escaped the gov-
Figure 2. This imperforate pair of the 10c ernment printing plant unperforated.
the philatelic mainstream by simple over- Madero stamp comes from the 1916 series. The next regular issue, the so-called Monu-
sight. ments and Public Buildings series of 1923, is During roughly the same period cited previ-
In the Scott catalog, a number of references phant entry into Mexico City April 14, 1916, likewise available in the imperforate state. ously, certain airmail stamps were issued
are made, either in the listings of the major went on sale June 1, the same year. These, too, receive no more than a footnote without perforations. Disregarding proofs and
issues themselves or in footnotes, about im- There was only one denomination, 10 centa- listing in Scott. essays, the first regularly issued stamp which
perforate varieties. vos, but the stamp was printed in two colors, A note of caution should be given here. Ex- is found imperforate is the 35c denomination
The so-called "Carranza" commemorative blue and brown. The brown stamp had a treme care should be exercised in the pur- of the 1929 set depicting the Mexican coat of
stamps issued in 1916 (Scott 574-75) are the much smaller printing than the blue one and chase of imperforate varieties of this and the arms and airplane (Scott CI 5a).
 paper had two imperforate varieties; 50c and
1p.
From time to time since 1947, imperforate
varieties have cropped up among Mexican
regulars and airmails. Most of these are rare
and command prices in the hundreds of dol-
lars.
There have been a few instances of
"printer's waste" making it out the back door
of the printing office to be acquired by willing
and well-heeled collectors. However, the con-
trolled issue of imperforate stamps seems to
have ceased during the late 40s.
Not every collector wants these items.
Many cannot, or will not, pay the high prices
these varieties demand. Still, they form a part
of the collectible material of a country, and
Mexico has a nice selection of 20th century
imperforates. •

Figure 3. Smaller, redrawn types of the 1934 series include (clockwise from upper left) Scott
729a, 730a, 731a, and 733a. Quantities of this photogravure issue have reached the market.
This stamp is rare. Only one sheet of 60 is There are a few other instances of imper-
believed to have existed. forates in the airmail section of the catalog.
The next stamp to be issued imperforate The series of 1934 has two: 15c and 50c. The
was the 25c Aeronautic Exposition of 1931. 20c "Eagle Man" stamp printed by photogra-
Pairs of this are not too difficult to secure. vure in 1937 (Scott C81) comes imperforate,
The same stamp, revalidated with a 20c sur- and is not too expensive to own.
charge in 1932, was likewise issued imper- Among the commemorative airmail issues,
forate. the 40c value of the set honoring the 400th
It was reported that 1,000 copies of both the anniversary of printing in Mexico is known
imperforate varieties were released. without perforations. This is probably a. true
The commemorative airmail stamps honor- error, that is, a sheet or two of imperforates
ing Capt. Emilio Carranza with the 1932 "Ha- escaping quality control at the printing office.
bilitado" surcharge were issued imperforate, Similarly, the 30c from the CIPEX set
and these items are rather pricey. Only 500 (1947) exists imperforate. Also in 1947 the en-
were sold, and they were snapped up by the graved reprints of the 1934 airmail series on
airmail specialists. the "GOBIERNO MEXICANA" watermarked
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 8, 1986

Control codes liven latter Hidalgo Heads

For nearly 30 years follow- them good material for the se- The system involved im- to Acapulco, 3 to Aguascal- varieties (Figure 2).
ing the introduction of stamps rious specialist. printing control numbers and ientes, and so forth. Furthermore, the alphabeti-
in 1856, portraits of lather These issues certainly did year dates on the stamps be- There is a complication to cal listing order was reversed.
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla were not compare favorably with fore shipment to the outlying this, since after 51 was as- Thus, in 1878, the numeric des-
the invariable motif of Mexi- contemporary stamps of other district offices. signed to Zacatecas, at the end ignation for Zamora was 178,
countries from the standpoint Once the stamps were
of design and workmanship. received there, local postal au-
Mexico This probably inspired the
Hidalgo Head issue of 1874-
thorities were supposed to add
district name overprints be-
By Dale Pulver
1883 which went on sale May fore selling them.
5, 1874, the seventh anniver- As I've noted in many of my
can stamps except during the sary of the Mexican victory earlier articles, this business
monarchy (1864-1867), when over the French in the Battle of overprinting on the early is-
the Mexican Imperial Eagle of Puebla. sues of Mexico generated
and Archduke Maximilian Mexico was struggling for a Figure 2. The usual way'con- countless varieties.
were the subjects of stamp de- new, more modern identity. It trol numbers were overprint- Collectors can't seem to re-
sign. had the 1874 issue designed, ed after 1878 has the district sist the temptation to search
The two lithographed issues engraved and printed by the number (53 in this case) and for as many as they can find.
immediately following the American Bank Note Company year (78) together. In this instance there are
monarchy period weren't es- of New York, and the stamps plenty of different names and
pecially attractive, although tions, from 5 centavos to 100c,
were of very good quality. numbers to look for. Figure 3. These are examples of "bottom" numbers.
numerous varieties make all showing Hidalgo's profile
There were five denomina- From 1874 to 1877, the of the usual list of districts, Zacatecas was 278, Veracruz
facing left. dispatch overprint, consisting several more districts were was 378, and so forth.
The stamped envelopes of of a control number (a differ- added up to control number Mexico City, the largest dis-
this issue will be dealt with in ent one for each district) and 61. trict, was given the control
a future article. the last two digits of the year Many of the added names number 5478. Colima must
Like their predecessors, date, was applied near the had been suboffices in earlier have come as an afterthought
these stamps underwent an middle of the stamp. times, although for some rea- and got 5578.
elaborate control treatment These have become known son, Guanajuato, which was a Normally, the unseparated
with overprints to forestall un- as the wide apart, or separat- large principal office, was numbers were placed near the
authorized use in the event of ed, numbers (Figure 1). skipped in the normal top or upper right corner of
theft or misappropriation. There was a system to the sequence and given number the stamps.
But this issue and a compan- control numbers, too. 52. However, for a short period
ion series, the Juarez stamps Mexico , City was assigned Commencing in 1878, the in 1878, some were imprinted
(1879-1882), issued exclusively the control, number 1 and suc- control number and the last near the bottom (Figure 3).
for foreign mail, were among cessive numbers were as- two digits of the year were
Figure 1. These two stamps show the normal "wide number" the last ones to suffer this signed to the rest of the dis- printed together, resulting in These are considerably
format used for overprinting up to 1877. cumbersome process. tricts in alphabetical order: 2 the so-called "close number" scarcer, and such stamps from
 SEPTEMBER 8, 1986 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 35
some districts are unquestiona- varieties (Figure 4). stamps directly in the initial scarce to rare stamps he was To me, the bottom line on the earlier classic stamps with
ly rare. As in the earlier issues, the 1874 distribution were able to locate in important col- this issue is that it offers a one important difference — it
Experts feel this probably two high values, 50c and 100c, dropped from the list because lections around the world. broad scope for serious phila- can be done at less than half
happened on only one, per- are scarce to begin with since of low sales. Unfortunately, some postal telic study just as interesting as the price. ■
haps the first shipment and few were needed for normal Only a few stamps have ever records were not complete, so
this would explain their scarci- mail. been found from these towns estimates had to be made.
ty. The smaller offices often and can be considered great But the Billings data does
Other changes occurred. In received none, or at most a rarities. give a good basis to judge
1878, the color of the 10c few hundred copies. Some For would-be specialists, whether a given number and
stamp was switched from there are a few reference overprint name is run-of-the-
black to orange. works on this issue. mill or something special.
And, to cover a change in Bruce L. Chittenden pub- Until a few years ago, this
postal rates, a 4c in orange was lished a monograph (Collec- group of Hidalgo heads was
added to the series in 1880. tors' Club Handbook No. 1) in not as popular as the engraved
These are noted in the Scott 1918 which deals with the pa- stamps issued prior to 1867.
catalog listings. pers and watermarks quite ex- However, they have
Near the end of 1877, the tensively. received more attention lately,
American Bank Note Co. trans- Calvert Steir wrote some ar- probably because they are still
ferred the printing plates to ticles in 1950 for the Collec- less expensive than the earlier
the Mexican government print- tor's Club Philatelist which classics and offer a similar col-
ing office, and the stamps simplify and clarify the Chit- lecting challenge.
were henceforth produced in tenden work. Another advantage is that to
Mexico. Probably the best source of my knowledge there have
This transfer coincided with Figure 4. Note that the num- information on the varieties been no reprints or forgeries
the appearance of the numer- ber on this stamp has been which exist is a book by R.R. which might scare some col-
ous paper and watermark vari- applied inverted. Billings titled Mexico — Post- lectors.
eties, since the Mexicans ap- years no stamps were sent, in- al Issue of 1874-1883. The aspect of postal history
parently used paper from vari- ventory stocks being adequate. I believe Billings published it shouldn't be overlooked.
ous sources. Common denominations are himself privately in 1960, and As noted, the Hidalgo heads
These varieties include the likewise scarce to rare for post it may be a bit difficult to lo- represent the last major issue
so-called horizontally laid pa- offices like Texcoco, Tacu- cate. The American Philatelic to receive number and name
per, the "LA + F" (La Croix baya, Huejutla, Soyaniquilpan Research Library should have overprints, which track usage,
Freres, a French papermaker) and Cuautitlan. a copy. routing and so forth.
watermarked paper, and the These same offices are the From various sources, in- The stamps also were used
"PAPEL SELLADO" (Mexi- tough ones to find on the pre- cluding some of the Mexican on foreign mail up to the
can) watermarked paper. ceding issues as well. Small official postal records, Billings Juarez issue (1879).
In the final two years of the towns like these just didn't tabulated all the various Thereafter their use was
issue, virtually all stamps were generate much mail. stamps known to have been is- confined to domestic mail, but
printed on a distinctive thin, In fact, five small districts sued and the total shipments to foreign usages generally re-
unwatermarked wove paper. (Guadalupe Hidalgo, Otumba, (and returns from) the district quired more than one stamp
All these combinations cre- Tepeji del Rio, Tlalnepantla offices. and some eye-appealing com-
ated hundreds of collectible and Tlalpam) which received He also included data on the binations exist.
 18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 13, 1986

Linn failed to het

stamp printing business
In my article about George Ward Linn patterned after the ones then in use, Scott
(Linn's July 9, 1984, page 24), I noted, besides type A50.
a keen interest in the Civil War issues of Mexi- These show the Mexican eagle coat-of-arms
co, his unfruitful attempt to secure a contract and contain the word "transitorio" (transition-

Mexico
By Dale Pulver

to print stamps for that country.

This is the story of that unlucky episode.
The year 1913 found the Constitutionalist
movement concentrated in the northern
states of Mexico.
Because the equipment and sophisticated
printing skills for anything beyond crude
Figure 1. The first Sonora Transitory issue
adhesives were lacking, provisional stamps al-
(Scott 357, left) was lithographed by the
ready were being produced abroad (such as
Maverick-Clarke Co., of San Antonio, Tex.
Scott type A50) and were being used in areas
controlled by these forces. And the supply of Linn's redrawn stamp (Scott 369, right) has
many design differences, particularly the
postage stamps on hand was running low.
taller letters in "CINCO CENTAVOS." It is
During the summer of 1913, a business rela-
perforated 12 rather than rouletted.
tionship began to develop between the W.M.
Linn & Sons Co. of Columbus, Ohio, and postal al) in the design.
authorities of the Constitutionalist govern- Linn replied that it would be very expensive
ment of Mexico. and next to impossible to duplicate exactly
It is clear from surviving correspondence the desired design.
that Linn was anxious to become a supplier of As alternatives, he submitted some essays
stamps. This probably sparked George Linn's showing a female figure of Liberty holding
lifelong affection for these war issues. the scales of justice and brandishing a sword.
An early letter from the Mexicans (July The state name of Sonora also was part of the
1913) requested samples and prices of stamps design.
To this proposal, Cosme Hinojosa, postmas- stamps were on their way to Mexico and
ter general at Hermosillo, Sonora, answered again raising the question about colors.
to the effect that the workmanship was satis- This shipment constitutes the actual stamp
factory but the design had to conform to the Scott lists as 369, type A51, in gray-green (Fig-
coat of arms stamp in current use. ure 1).
He also inferred that "millions" of stamps The March 24 letter also improved on the
might be required and that samples would be earlier price quotation: "We find after com-
welcome. This letter was dated Feb. 14, 1914. pleting this lot . . . we can supply you with
Linn proceeded to have an artist, A. Blanc stamps in any quantity for 121/2 cents per
of Philadelphia, copy the desired coat of arms 1,000 stamps ..."
stamp as closely as possible. From this the On April 2, Hinojosa acknowledged receipt
firm prepared a zinc etching and an electro- of the 75,000 stamps but used the dodge that
plate of 100 subjects for the 5-centavo denomi- the secretary of communications, Ignacio
nation. Bonillas in Ciudad Juarez, was the one who
Linn then wrote Hinojosa advising him that must decide whether or not Linn would get
a full plate was in production, that the first the contract.
100,000 stamps would be supplied gratis, and But he enclosed a copy of a letter he had
that subsequent stamps would be charged at sent to Bonillas, together with samples en-
25c per thousand. dorsing Linn as a suitable supplier.
Furthermore, he wrote that he would send Time dragged on with no reply, and two
various color proofs so that the question of more letters, this time to Bonillas directly,
what to use for the other denominations could went out from Linn repeating the offer and
be resolved as soon as possible. seeking some sort of response. The corre-
On March 23, another letter from Linn en- spondence file ends here.
closed a full, unperforated sheet of the 5c Apparently, Bonillas did not like or approve
stamp and noted that Linn had just completed of the stamp and requested no further design
a sizable printing which was awaiting perfora- proposals.
tion with "round holes" (the current issue was However, the stamp shortage prevailing at
rouletted) and a shipment of 50,000 stamps the time caused the Linn's samples to be put
would be dispatched in a few days. into service, and they were legitimately used
The next day, another letter was sent advis- over a period of several months.
ing that three packets containing 75,000 Numerous covers exist, and it's not too diffi-
 of E PROOF
LNNEE -.ouNEINED DOStES ISSUED FOR
0-IST.IDUT,ON AT LNE ANNUAL MEET$RD
Figure 2. This die proof on card is in a gray- Or LDS *mtommq PfritLATELtC SOCIETY
NAEGAft* FALLS 1914
green close to the issued color.
cult to find loose stamps with cancellations
from the area where it was used. Figure 3. This die proof was prepared espe-
Ultimately, the Mexicans were forced to go cially for the American Philatelic Society's
outside their country for stamps, and con- annual meeting of 1914.
tracted with a printing firm in Denver for a for the 75,000 stamps sent to Hinojosa.
series which Scott lists as 386-393. (This so- As a final blow to the ill-fated Linn stamp
called Denver issue also has an interesting issue, Cosme Hinojosa issued a postal circular
story.) on July 31, 1914, allowing a 10-day grace peri-
Furthermore, no payment was ever made od for the full exchange of the first Sonora
INISTOOMPOSIIMMEINIMIVINEE■MENIMINA

OCTOBER 13, 1986 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 19

issue for the new Denver stamps but specifi- ples of card proofs in various colors (the Es-
cally excluding the 5c denomination, which say Proof Society lists more than 25) of this
he stated had been counterfeited. stamp found their way into the philatelic mar-
Hinojosa had further and extensive involve- ket, including a die proof especially prepared
ment in philatelic exploitation, but that, too, is for the 1914 annual meeting of the American
another story. Philatelic Society at Niagara Falls (Figures 2
George Linn saw to it that numerous exam- and 3). ■
56 LINN S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 10 1986

Early high values difficult to locate

When I peruse dealers' We are talking about three registered mail. Not as many ate to large district offices.
the low rated letters from busi- never more than 5,000 and
stocks or general collections of major issues spanning a period were needed. ness archives. District size correlates with usually in the 2,000-4,000
Mexico, the stamps of the of ten years. Further, many 4r and 8r Parcel wrappers would have quantities of stamps consigned range.
1856-68 era which invariably Quantities for individual is- were cut into fractions as sub- and used. Large districts
been a source for high values, Multiply that by the 3 to 5
are missing or which are sues range from 110,000 to stitutes for low denominations would be Mexico City, Vera-
and it is doubtful that many of percent survival factor and
when these ran short. these were saved. cruz, Guadalajara, Zacatecas,
To me, the ten-to-one ratio Anyhow, the search for 4r Morelia and possibly a few
Mexico does not seem consistent with and 8r stamps is a challenge.others like Puebla, Queretaro
By Dale Pulver general offerings in the mar- and Mazatlan.
Recall, too, that these first is-
ketplace. sues received name overprints In the category of intermedi-
These two denominations, ate, or medium size offices, we
designating the postal districts
represented. by only one or two
especially the 8r, are hard to where they were sold and would put Durango, San Luis
examples are the two top de-
find. Several factors no doubt Potosi, Jalapa, Orizaba, Chia-
used. This further complicates
nominations; the 4-real and 8r.
contribute to this situation. the scarcity story. pas and so forth.
This is not surprising. They
Most experts in Mexican phi- Getting complete sets from
are key stamps of the classic In my collection of the first
lately use 3-5 percent as the the Mexico City district is
issues and have always been design stamps of 1856-67, I
probab'I survival rate for easy. It was, by far, the largest
expensive. In the currency of have tried, over the years, to
stamps including stamps on office in the postal system and
the period they were equiva- UAIR EALE acquire 4r and 8r stamps
cover) from the so-called clas- for the '56 issue received
lent to 50it and $1, respective- which allow me to show com-
sic period. 45,000 4r stamps and 24,000 8r This 8-real black on brown
ly. plete sets from the intermedi-
The large Gulf port of Vera- Simple arithmetic shows that stamps. paper, 1861 issue, is from the
Most collectors who begin to
cruz was among the Mexican between 15,000 and 25,000 4r Veracruz, as the major district of Guadalajara. It
form collections of major Scott
postal districts that received stamps should still be around seaport on the Gulf coast, also was used in Tepic, has the
varieties have no problem
the largest consignments of and from 7,500 to 12,500 8r was well supplied. distinctive "flower" cancel
finding the 1/2r, lr and 2r val-
stamps. Thus quantities of 4- stamps. Guadalajara, Zacatecas, and is extra fine.
ues of the first three or four
real 1856 stamps with the Ve- Granted, we have to discount Puebla and other medium size
series.
racruz district overprint are the stamps that were cut to offices aren't too tough either. one can appreciate how scarce
Even collectors not fright- relatively large. make smaller rates, but these But then it gets difficult. these stamps can be.
ened by the Scott catalog pric- figures still seem excessive to Top values of the '61 issue The problem is compounded
es listed for the 4r and 8r 183,000 in the case of 4r me. are hard to find; the duration in the case of small districts.
stamps soon discover that stamps and from 69,000 to Those who specialize in of the issue was shorter than These offices almost never
securing\ sound, well-centered 102,000 for the 8r. these issues also recognize that the '56 and fewer stamps were received more than a few hun-
examples\takes a bit of search- It may surprise some read- the much sought after registry issued. dred high denomination
ing. ers to learn that the largest fronts often were franked with For medium size offices, ac- stamps, and in a few instances,
To acquire them, one must number of 8r stamps was multiples of the high denomi- tual quantities of 9r stamps none at all!
often disregard Scott as a price printed for the first issue of nations. This 8-real 1856 stamp, also sent and sold were around The high values of the Eagle
guide. Part of this problem is a 1856. We could argue that a higher from the Veracruz district, 5,000, give or take a few hun- issue constitute another spe-
simple numbers game. In contrast, 1 r and 2r loss factor should be used for shows the quality collectors dred. cial situation.
For the issues of 1856, 1861 stamps, which covered the these documents compared to should seek in this issue. For the 8r stamps, it was Specific consignment num-
and the Eagles (1864-66), the usual letter rates, were issued
aggregate total of 9r stamps in quantities at least ten times
printed and issued was less greater.
than a half million (500,000). The reason for low printings
The corresponding number for is clear. High value stamps
the 8r stamps was around were meant for heavy letters,
250,000. small parcels and especially
 bers were applied to nearly all ing the best copies he or she Also, careless use of the dou-
shipments from the main of- can afford of any high denomi- ble ring canceler used in the
fice to the various districts. nation stamps issued before Mexico City office has left us
Since 4r and 8r stamps were 1868. many poor specimens.
never sent in large quantities, Steer clear of close cut or In my experience, 4r and 8r
there are many instances damaged copies which lan- stamps from other large offic-
where only a handful of guish in dealers' stockbooks or es like Guadalajara, Veracruz
stamps are known from some sell at heavy discounts in auc- or Zacatecas are apt to have
offices. tions. good margins and clear can-
These, and the tiny districts Both the 4r and 8r stamps cellations.
of '56 and '61 are the source of were printed from plates of 60 Finally, do not be fearful of
major rarities. subjects which had ample paying full catalog for sound,
There were some excep- spacing between impressions. full margined copies of either
tions, of course. Acapulco, a So there's no reason to com- of the two top denominations
scarce district for all these is- promise on margins (except in from any but the large district
sues, accounted for some left- the case of rare districts). offices. They do not appear on
overs of high values which ulti- For reasons I don't under- the market often.
mately reached the philatelic stand, many 4r and 8r stamps Also, be cautious of forged
market. from the Mexico City district cancels and overprints; howev-
The 44 and 8r from Tixtla were trimmed close, frequent- er, most scarce items now car-
Guerrero and a few other dis- ly having the design cut into. ry certificates. ■
tricts are known unused.
And there's the case of Cui-
dad Victoria, where several
sheets including 4r and 8r
stamps were stashed away
during the mid-19th-century
civil uprisings.
These came out of hiding
around 1925, providing some
of the very few large pieces
we have of the '56 issue.
I always have believed that a
collector who is serious about
the classic issues of Mexico
should waste no time in obtain-
60 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 8, 1986

`Denver Eagles' videotape impressive

I typically end the year with a wrap-up arti- were involved. the philatelic literature on the subject. Here's Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic Society Interna-
cle covering a number of items related to Mitchell has thoroughly researched his sub- a good area for some serious work. tional (MEPSI).
Mexican philately which are not big enough ject and has spiced up the videotape by in- • ARIPEX, an APS accredited national show,
for a single column. I also use this opportunity cluding rare c mtemporary newsreel clips, old Now, a little plug for ARIPEX '87 and the will take place in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 23-25.
photos, maps, portraits of the principal play- Venue is the Tucson Community Center.
ers in the business and so forth. It will be of special interest to collectors of
Mexico Still, there is enough solid philatelic infor- Mexico because MEPSI will hold its annual
By Dale Pulver mation to delight any specialist of this period. meeting there.
The tape has been entered in philatelic litera- MEPSI publishes Mexicana.
ture competitions, among them COLOPEX in Besides plenty of educational and social ac-
to throw a few bouquets.
Columbus, Ohio, where it took a well deserved tivities, the organizers hope to have about 100
•
Last September, the stamp club I belong to gold. frames dedicated exclusively to the stamps
I am not aware of what kind of loan ar- and postal history of Mexico.
in Cleveland (Garfield-Perry) had as the en-
tertainment for one of its weekly meetings, a rangements might be possible, but I can
For those readers living in the Southwest or
videotape program; Mexico, 1914 — The Den- strongly endorse this film.
others anxious to flee for a few days to a mild-
ver Eagles. This videotape is the creation of Next year I hope to do a column on the Den-
er climate, here is an opportunity to check out
Ron Mitchell of Aurora, Colo., who's a profes- ver Eagles. Mexico.
•
sional in the TV industry. •
He's also a very competent philatelist who None of us who attended can ever forget
Thanks to the many readers who have tak-
has collected and studied the Denver Eagles AMERIPEX. It was, without question, the
en time to write me. I appreciate the feed-
for many years. show of the decade. One of the highlights of
back. Many times it stimulates thought which
By combining these two talents, he has my visit was the chance to see some unusually
The 0-peso Steel Tubing stamp in the Expor- leads to an article or motivates me to do some
come up with an absolutely outstanding video- fine Mexican collections. I *rote about them
ta series was issued in gray (top) as well as deeper research. Best wishes to all for the
in Linn's July 19 issue, page 35.
tape. It is first class In every respect: well the earlier orange (bottom). holidays! ■
conceived, well produced and well narrated AMERIPEX convinced me there Is still
(by Mitchell himself, naturally). keen interest in Mexico as a collecting area
From my perspective it is the best philatelic and proved what I've been writing about the
media presentation I have seen and should be broad spectrum of philatelic challenge. At
a model for what can be done for our hobby AMERIPEX we saw some outstanding work
in this era of electronic communications. in diverse areas.
Obviously, not all of us have access to the •
kind of facilities Mitchell used. But I have Mexico's Exporta series continues to be
seen a large number of the American Phila- very popular with collectors. At least eight
telic Society and Philatelic Foundation slide new varieties have been reported to me dur-
shows, and it struck me that the videotape ing 1986, ranging in denomination from 6
medium offers enormous possibilities. pesos to 90p. All repeat earlier designs.
Also, the programs can be more personal- I was Intrigued by a letter written by Walter
ized. Widmaler to the editor of Mexicana relative
This show lasts about 35 minutes and moves to the Exports stamps.
briskly, keeping the viewer's attention. He made the point that while these stamps
The story is about a series of Mexican offer the opportunity to apply most of the ba-
stamps (Scott 386-93) which was ordered sic mechanical tools of philately, that is, per-
from and produced by the Smith-Brooks Co. foration gauge, watermark detection, paper
of Denver during the height of the Mexican thickness, tagging, and so on, we should not
Revolution. overlook the postal history side.
Revenue stamps and paper currency also Questions such as these arise: What are the
rates which have been in effect during the
tenure of the issue? Why all the denomina-
tions? Were some issued for specific tariffs,
and if so, what were they?
A few people probably are aware of these
details, but I certainly have seen nothing in
Illustrated advertising covers scarce local club meeting.
For the last dozen years or no middle class to be the tar- mountains. illustrated envelopes for their than 750 that are APS chap-
so, illustrated advertising cov- get market for the type of The reverse of the cover is correspondence. ters, it still represents an op- It's available in both VHS
ers almost have become a new products so advertised. also interesting. It shows nu- Music emporiums (records portunity for program chair- and Beta format. If interested,
rage in philately. And finally, I presume the merous medals won in compe- and instruments), office equip- men to schedule first-class write the APS office, Box 8000,
Many dealers have a box or uneasy civil situation, with tition, including one from a ment firms, tire companies philatelic entertainment for a State College, Pa. 16803. ■
uprisings and revolution, contest in Paris. and automobile distributors
played a role against the use of The letter was sealed with a had pictures of their products
Mexico such items. blue "sunburst" registry clo-
sure (see my article, Linn's
printed on envelopes.
These are not too difficult to
By Dale Pulver Persistence has paid off,
though, and I have found a few Nov. 11, 1985, page 27) and find. Corner cards of resorts
nice illustrated covers. two colored labels cut to the and hotels, picturing the estab-
two of them at stamp bourses; shape of bottles of Superior lishments themselves, are of-
The oldest one in my small
a few dealers even tout adver- beer, a brand that is still being ten seen.
collection dates from 1899 and
tising covers as a specialty. Many of the latter, especial-
is the corner card of a drug brewed.
Strictly speaking, an exhibit ly if they were located in
firm in Tampico. The envelope design, which
of these items usually cannot downtown Mexico City, no
excel in competition since the The main part of the design is very elegantly done, was
longer exist, having fallen vic-
fanciful designs (for which is a portrait of a Felipe Gon- produced in a Paris print shop.
tim to redevelopment.
they are collected) are not tru- zalez, a distinguished looking This stationery could not
So here's another niche to
ly philatelic. gentleman with a magnificent have been cheap, so we con-
flowing beard. I assume he clude that the profit margin in explore. I would very much
But nearly all good exhibits was the owner of the business. beer was sufficient to justify appreciate hearing from read-
of stamps and postal usage will A few sprigs of the hemp its expense. ers who have illustrated adver-
contain specimens combining plant (marijuana), a native I have yet to find anything tising covers from Mexico,
eye appeal and appropriate source of narcotic drugs, form significant in the way of illus- particularly from the 19th cen-
franking. tury.
During the same time period But any envelopes which
when U.S. illustrated ad covers
Itotustuts4,010 show a product, preferably a
have soared in popularity, I locally produced one, or a ser-
have sought similar covers f vice which can be pictured
would be interesting to hear
originating in Mexico.
Preferably, these should 10iiionzalez about.
Photocopies are welcome
have designs or illustrations
touting local products or ser- and all letters will be acknowl-
vices. edged.
•
However, my pickings
through dealer boxes have Kitty Wolsiffer, assistant to
been slim indeed. the executive director of the
American Philatelic Society in
The fad of illustrating prod- State College, Pa., wrote to tell
ucts or services on mailing en- me that the video Denver Ea-
velopes by Mexican merchants The oldest Mexican advertising cover in the author's collec-
gles, 1914, which I discussed in
and businesses simply did not tion dates to 1899 and was used by a Tampico drug firm.
last month's column, is among
parallel the practice in the the many audio-visual pro-
part of the elaborate design. trated advertising covers dur-
United States and other more grams In the APS lending li-
It is an engraved cut which ing the period of the Mexican
developed countries. brary.
was probably produced out- revolution. Although Mexican advertising covers seem to have relatively
There are probably several side of Mexico. However, during the '20s The hitch is that it can be few varieties, at least one very elaborate design exists. This
good, logical reasons why this A favorite item of mine, more companies and business- borrowed only by APS chap- cover (front and back shown) was used by the Moctezuma
didn't happen. which is also illustrated with es, particularly branches of ters. Brewery of Orizaba. The back has two labels picturing bottles
First, Mexico was far behind this article, is an all-over ad- American firms, started using But since there are more of Superior beer, a brand still brewed today.
the United States in its indus- vertising design of the famous
trial development, and many Moctezuma Brewery of Oriza-
products were manufactured ba, in the state of Veracruz.
elsewhere and imported. It is a registered cover used
Second, there was not a high in July 1924 and directed to
level of literacy during the late Chicago, where it arrived (via
19th and early 20th centuries Laredo) eight days later.
when this form of advertising On the face is an aerial view
was in vogue. of the factory against a back-
Third, there was practically drop of the city and distant
 26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 9, 1987

Early provisionals now extremely rare

If you look near the end of ments in the last months of and Cuernavaca were like quently in the philatelic mar- until the Hidalgo full-face issue the 1800s group. The Cam-
the Scott catalog listings for French control. handstamps struck on paper ket which is more than you (Scott type A6) appeared on peche provisional has long
the stamps of Mexico, you will But handling mail without and trimmed to resemble can say for the others. Sept. 8, 1868. been known and recognized.
find a special section devoted stamps would be cumbersome, stamps. These were then put I am aware of at least one Unfortunately, all 19th cen- Again, it is one of those
too. Still, most postmasters re- tury Mexican provisional
which was handstamped on
verted to prestamp franking stamps have been extensively
Mexico practices to indicate postage counterfeited. This is not too
paper, struck again with a de-
nomination numeral and vali-
By Dale Pulver had been prepaid, which was surprising since many of them dated with an initial (rubrica).
then a postal requirement. were fairly crude fabrications There were three denomina-
This involved reviving the to begin with and easy to copy. tions and all are rare.
to provisional issues. These
use of old handstamps (sello Luckily, numerous experts
items, for the most part, consti- The Chihuahua provisional
negro) containing the words: have examined this false ma-
tute some of the aristocrats of of 1872 has been recognized
"Franca," "Franco," or "Fran- terial, so buyers can expect
Mexican philately. and listed for only about 10
queado." But some offices de- reasonable protection with
Provisional stamps of the years.
cided to produce a form of certificates of authenticity.
post-Maximilian period are With the exception of a cou-
stamps on their own. Many years ago Scott listed
seldom seen because of their ple of obscure items, this sum-
extreme rarity. The postal district of Chia- These provisional stamps were issued by Guadalajara in 1867. provisionals from Monterrey,
The used 1-real stamp (left) is printed on gray-blue paper. The Morelia and Patzcuaro and marizes the major Mexican
The only exceptions to this pas was the first to do this,
unused 1-peso (right) is on lilac. provided spaces for them in provisional stamps up to the
are the provisional stamps is- printing a typeset stamp of the
turn of the century.
sued in the large city of Gua- design Scott illustrates as Al. on envelopes or folded letter- exhibit-grade collection of the their specialized Mexico al-
This happened in 1866, well sheets as stamps would be and Guadalajara provisionals. Like bum. These have since been I will continue next month
dalajara. It takes very deep
pockets to collect this materi- before the demise of Maximili- subsequently canceled. the Chiapas provisionals, the thoroughly studied and de- with some of the 20th century
al, but it is interesting, never- an in June 1867. I have seen a few of the Cu- stamps were mostly printed on clared bogus. provisional issues. They are
Four denominations were ernavaca provisionals. They thin, colored papers. They There are two other provi- somewhat more accessible to
theless.
printed on thin paper in light are not particularly attractive, were issued either imper- sionals in the Scott listing for the average collector. ■
The reasons provisionals ex-
ist are not too hard to explain. pastel shades. Few of these but a lucky owner does not forate or with serrate perfora-
As royalist forces began losing stamps survive intact because hesitate to mount only one, ei- tions in a circle.
their grip on the country, par- it was customary to affix them ther on or off cover, on a sin- Experts have defined sever-
ticularly on remote areas to the back of a folded letter- gle exhibition page. al printings, the last of which
which were never strongly sheet across the joint. The Guadalajara provision- was in the early months of
held, postmasters were faced When a letter was opened als of 1867 have sufficient vari- 1868.
with the dilemma of what to they were destroyed, or at eties (Scott uses 51 numbers to It's worth noting again that,
do about franking mail. least badly torn. The handful list them) so that a fairly de- except for 1856-1861 remain-
It would be unthinkable to that escaped this fate usually cent collection can be made. ders used in the capital, Mexi-
use stamps of the monarchy, fetch prices very near or And they're not entirely out of co was without a valid issue of
even if such Were available. above catalog whenever they reach of the moderately en- postage stamps from the early
Many of the remote offices did appear on the market. dowed collector. summer of 1867 (Maximilian
not even receive stamp ship- The provisionals of Cuautla These stamps appear fre- was executed June 19, 1867)
80 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 9, 1987

Dubious origins belie cataloged provisionals

Continuing the theme of last month's col- visionals, authorized and prepared by tempo- the Oaxaca stamps (Scott 414-19). for stamp issues.
umn on 19th-century provisional stamps, rary or provisional governments. These were To be sure, there are legitimate uses of Overprint varieties had always been popu- al issues from Sinaloa (1929) and Yucata
there is another side to the story of Mexican not available or not recognized outside local these stamps, but not so many as the used lar with collectors, and there was plenty of (1924) resulted from momentary uprisim
spheres of influence and usually were valid material in post office inventories. against the entrenched government in Mexic
only for brief periods. The distribution of some items was con- City.
Mexico These issues, between Scott 321 and 607, ap- trolled to the extent that certain overprints At Sinaloa, the Federals regained power
By Dale Pulver pear in many catalogs, but some nevertheless are much scarcer than others. quickly that the provisionals could not evc
have dubious credentials. These scarce items were never made avail-
be used.
provisionals, a side that brings us much closer There is no question about the legitimacy of able to the general public and usually
While reports indicate the Yucatan stain
to the present time. the White and Green Seal issues of Sonora reached the philatelic market by virtue of "in-
were used locally, I have never seen any use
When regular stamps could not be obtained (Linn's July 9, 1984, page 24). side" deals.
examples.
through normal channels or were unavailable These were used extensively to frank mall Scott uses italics to price some of the ques-
Mexico's provisionals, like other facets
because of political upheaval, certain Mexi- and have been the subject of recent philatelic tionable items.
The Oaxaca provisionals hold a special fas- the country's stamps, offer both opporturn
can factions solved the problem by printing studies. and challenge.
their own stamps. The same can be said of many of the over- cination for collectors of the revolutionary pe-
Few of us can afford the 19th-century pro'
This was particularly true during the turbu- printed varieties of regular engraved Mexi- riod.
lent years of the revolution, 1910-16. can stamps of the 1899 and 1903 series. They were printed, somewhat crudely, on sionals, such as those from Chiapas, Coati(
The provisionals of that era are recognized However, caution must be used when deal- the backs of post office forms. Many errors, and Cuernavaca mentioned last mow
as more than back-of-the-book material. Sev- ing with the Baja California stamps (Scott 401- which resulted in collectible varieties, were (Linn's Feb. 9, page 26), although those
Guadalajara are more reasonably priced.
eral Scott-listed regular issues are clearly pro- 4), the "Sonora" and "Plata" overprints and made.
The quantity printed seems to be abundant, While the revolutionary issues are mu(
perhaps enough for several generations of more accessible, collectors must be wary an
do their homework.
collectors. However, copies properly used
during the time they were valid from towns Fortunately, there is plenty of referenc
A block of four 10-centavo Sinaloa 1923 pro-
visionals includes two tete-beche pairs. where they were accepted are definitely material. Heed the footnotes in Scott, and col
sider acquiring a late edition of the Minku
These stamps were never put into use. scarce.
Latin America catalog for it has more to sa
On the other hand, thousands of remain-
prices in the catalogs would suggest. ders, many canceled to order after the fact, about the revolutionary issues than does Scot(
The problem is that stamp collecting was an flooded the stamp markets of the United There are rewards for one's efforts. Th,
active hobby at the time of the revolution, and convention of the Mexico Elmhurst Philateli,
States and Europe.
Society International brought 100 frames o
this fact did not escape the parties responsible Two back-of-the-book listings for provision-
Mexican material, including four exhibits o
the provisionals I've described the past two
months, to ARIPEX '87 in Tucson Jan. 23-25.
Two exhibits dealt with the 1867-68 Gua
dalajara stamps, and the other two were stud
ies of the Sonora issues. All four exhibits woe
gold awards. ■

Yucatan provisionals of 1924 exist imperf

and perf 12. There are three denominations.
While they are said to have been used local-
ly, few, if any, copies are to be found.
Catalogs useful to beginners, specialists
Readers occasionally write me with a sim- a 20-year-old edition of Stanley Gibbons and prices are in "oro Americano" (dollars).
ple question, "What is the best catalog to use the other is a Minkus catalog. Many collectors of classic Mexico will rec- CATALOGO ESPECIALIZADO
in building my collection of Mexico?" I don't use the Gibbons very much, although ognize the Aguirre name, as he frequently DE 1.0s
Usually this is in regard to specialized areas it contains information missing from Scott stamped his guarantee mark on the backs of
that have captured their interest. Unfor- about certain varieties, particularly the over- scarce and rare stamps he handled. TIMBRES POSTALES DE MEXICO
tunately, there is no simple or direct answer. printed issues of the Mexican Revolution His 1928 catalog (128 pages) contained a CONVENE POR orsoEN citoN6LoGico Tows LAS
Is the main objective philatelic information or (1916-1920). great deal of supplementary information on EMISIONES ESPECIALIZADAS, CON LAS
VARIEDADES DE P.\PELES, COLORES ERROBES,
The Minkus catalog is especially useful various classic issues, and it appears he drew PERFORACIONES ETC , ASI COMO LOS PRECIOS
since it contains numerous historical notes in- heavily from the work of Samuel Chapman CORRIENTES A QUE SE PUEDEN COMPRAR
Mexico terspersed with the philatelic data. These who had just published his famous The Post-
EN EL ESTABLECIMIF.NTO FILATELICO
DEL EDITOR
By Dale Pulver help the collector understand the significance age Stamps of Mexico, 1856-1868 (1926).
of certain issues as well as the background of Stamps from the postal districts were listed 1928.
up-to-date prices? stamp designs. It is excellent with respect to and priced separately, so it is possible to get
Some of my previous articles have noted the classic era, too. some idea of how rare such items were even Tercera Echelon profusamente ilustrada y corregida
specialized literature sources; this one deals Both Gibbons and Minkus list all stamp em- then. por
with catalogs available in English and Spanish issions in strict chronological order. Airmails, The Aguirre catalogs continued to be issued EDUARDO AGUIRRE
for beginners as well as specialists. Officials and so forth do not appear in sepa- from time to time up to about 1960. The latest Filatelista Expert°.
Without a doubt, the best known and proba- rate sections. And the numbering is complete- one I have is the eighth edition, 1957, edited
bly the most universally used catalog of Mexi- ly different from Scott. by Aguirre's son, Alfonso. By that time, it had
co is published under the Scott name. It has For the collector who has some facility with grown to a hardcover book of more than 300
been around for more than 100 years and in the Spanish language, there have been sever- pages.
the United States is considered the "bible" of al catalogs over the years dedicated solely to
philately. In .196t, the first edition of a new catalog
the stamps of Mexico. was published in Mexico. Edited by Guillermo
With few exceptions, auctioneers, philatelic CASA FILATELICA
Many are no longer in print and have them- Celis Cano, this, too, was a hardcover book of
writers and collectors use the Scott number- selves become collector items. One of the about 400 pages and was based, in large part, M ERI DA. 158,—MEXICO. D. F.
ing system to identify stamps. Even when the most famous was a catalog published by the on information extracted from other catalogs DESPACHO PAPA VENTAS AL MENUDEO:
Scott number does not distinguish between noted Mexican philatelist and dealer, Eduar- and various articles.
well-known varieties, it is still used and sup- CAPUCHIN:AS 21.—Mrxico, D. F.
. do Aguirre. Celis Cano worked very hard to include list-
plemented with added description. I do not know the date of his first edition, ings of all subvarieties known to him at the
The Scott catalog comes out every year with but I do have a copy of his third catalog, pub- time, particularly those of the revolution.
current prices. So most of us start with Scott lished in 1928. This pocket-size book also was There were numerous footnotes, too. The third edition of the Aguirre catalog of
and go on from there. used as a price list. The prices in this catalog were quoted in Mexico contains supplementary informa-
My library contains two other catalogs in It contains a paragraph on "Conditions of Mexican pesos, which at that time were stable tion on classic issues. As this title page
English which treat Mexico fairly well. One is Sale" beginning with the statement that all and worth 8t U.S. Only 2,000 copies of the shows, the catalog was published in 1928.
catalog were printed. ly what will be included. I do know that the
A second edition (1,000 copies) of the Celis collaborators include some of the foremost
Cano catalog appeared in 1968. This con- experts in Mexican philately.
tained an update on stamp issues, new prices, In summary, there is probably no one cata-
corrections from the first edition and new log which will meet the needs of all who spe-
data on the number of stamps issued for cialize in Mexico. For example, varieties of
many of the modern issues. The catalog has a the Exporta stamps, a current issue, are not
following in Mexico, but is not too often seen well covered in any of the catalogs currently
outside of that country. available.
Also in 1968, a Mexican dealer, S. Vack- Some of the older, out-of-print catalogs
imes, produced a commercial catalog on the might be worth hunting for if one is looking
stamps of Mexico. It was quite well done, with for additional philatelic information. If you
clear photos on glossy paper, and ran to about must have price information year by year,
100 pages. Scott is probably your answer.
All of the major varieties and most of the If you do not know Spanish and have a heart
generally accepted subvarieties were includ- for adventure, you might want to track down
ed. Prices for material he could supply were an Aguirre or Celis Cano and try your hand at
quoted in pesos except for the major rarities. them. They may contain just the information
Presumably, they weren't normally in stock you're looking for. ■
and subject to price negotiation, anyway.
The Vackimes catalog is now in its 11th edi-
tion (1987) and appears about every other
year.
It is still quite well produced, though no
longer on coated stock. It does have one big
advantage for those collectors who want to
keep up-to-date on new issues.
My 1987 edition, which arrived the first
week in February, lists and illustrates stamps
issued through the end of 1986.
Prices are now in U.S. dollars; the peso has
been depreciating rapidly for several years.
This catalog sells for $7 postpaid (S. Vack-
imes, Londres No. 106, 06600 Mexico, D.F.).
The Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic Society In-
ternational has just embarked on a project to
produce a catalog of Mexican stamps which
they expect to publish by the end of this year.
I have no information yet on price or exact-
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 11, 1987

Full-face Hidalgos a specialist's dream

In many respects the issue of figures of value and those with overprinting and consignment vast field for study. Retouches
1868-72 offers almost every- thick figures. Some of these is- numbers gives an opportunity were attempts to correct mi- CUADRO N 0 CUADRO

Nw
thing a specialist could want. sues receive "Anotado" over- to form a specialized collec- nor flaws in the design which
These are the stamps which prints, but since those were tion. There were 41 numbers occurred during the transfer IRIANOVLO N 0

TRIANGLE NW
Scott lists between Nos. 46 and 1 covered in Linn's July 11, with abbreviated year dates process.
80. Most Mexican specialists 1983, issue, page 26, I'll over- and 43 district names. Because of the large number COLUMNA N 0

COLUMN N W COLUMN N E
Stamps from some of the of stones needed and the num-
smaller districts are difficult ber of transfer operations for
Mexico to locate, and many are rare. each stone, retouches become CIRCULO EMTEMO ONDO

IACKGROUND
By Dale Pulver Also, the high values — 50 cen- quite numerous. OUTER CIRCL

tavos and 100c — are, as ex- Swedish philatelist Gunnar CIRCOLO INTERIOR MARGINAL

refer to them as the full-face pected, somewhat pricey, es- Benson spent many years CIRCE ARGO,/ LINE

Hidalgos. Miguel Hidalgo, pic- pecially the brown on brown working on these stamps. The
tured on the stamps, was the 100c stamps with thin figures. handbook he and John Heath
father of Mexican indepen- An array of lithographic are putting together will be a COLUMNA 5 0
COLUMNA S E

dence. transfer types and retouches welcome addition to the refer- COLUMN 5

They came out after a peri- attracts serious philatelists to ence libraries of serious Mexi- NITANGULO

od of about a year when post- this issue. can philatelists. TRIANGLE S w

tage stamps were unavailable This was only the second The major portion of Ben-
and postal authorities had to
revert to prestamp franking
Mexican issue to be produced
by lithography. (The Maximil-
son's studies deals with the 25c
thick-figure stamp and the sev-
COMA° 5 0

SQUARE 5 ENT. SQUARE

practices. ian profile stamps were first.) en stones used in its printing.
This 50-centavo stamp is a Printers were still learning Since 25c was then the most This graphic was developed by Roberto Garcia-Larranaga to
This situation was forced by
subvariety listed by Scott as how best to prepare their common rate, these stamps describe locations of plate flaws and retouches on the 1888-72
the sudden end of the Maximil-
02a. There is no period after stones (plates) for large quan- are plentiful and not terribly full-face Hidalgo issue of Mexico.
ian affair, with insufficient
time to design and produce a the "50" in the denomination tities of stamps. This led to nu- expensive. since January 1982.
Mexico by Eduardo Aguirre.
suitable stamp for the restored label. The overprint shows merous varieties. However, one needs a large A comprehensive listing of
This also has the advantage of
Republican government. the district name, "Vera- There are ten transfer types number of them to get started older literature relating to the
showing the relative scarcity
Some old stocks of the first cruz"; the consignment num- for each of the five denomina- on any serious plating studies 1868.72 Hidalgo issue can be
of district varieties.
design were used in Mexico ber, "2" (over "0" in "MEXI- tions. These occurred when and so should look for job lots found in Vol. 17, No. 3 (page
If one is intent in pursuing
City (validated by a name CO"); and the year, "71" (Just the lithographic transports or a specialized c011ection with 115) of the Philatelic Litera-
the types and retouches in
overprint in Gothic charac- above the "T" in "CENT."). were made to form the plates. which to begin. ture Review published by the
depth, I recommend first the
ters), but the rest of the coun- The types have been studied These should not be too hard American Philatelic Research
look them here. specialized study by Garcia-
try went without stamps from and written about extensively, to find; I have noticed some in Library.
Within the main groups are Larranaga. One should also ob-
about July 1867 to September so it is not difficult to categor- recent auctions of Mexican Most, if not all, of these ref-
listed imperforate stamps and tain Benson's articles, number-
1868. ize them. material. erences would be available to
perforated stamps. Actually, ing about 14, which have
Some collectors claim the there are several perforation It's a simple matter of "fly- Remainder collections are appeared from time to time in American Philatelic Society
full-face Hidalgos are Mexico's varieties because of experi- speck" philately: careful ex- another source, since a dealer Mexicana, journal of MEPSI, members at the library. ■
ugliest stamps. That may be ments with stamp separation amination of hundreds of usually will not take the time
true, but in this case appear- at the printing office. stamps under moderate mag- to sort through for scarce
ance has not discouraged In- Scott's list of subvarieties nification. types or retouches and be con-
terest in their philatelic calls attention to a few of the A booklet by Roberto Gar- tent with picking out the more
charms. notable printing mistakes, cia-Larranaga and published desirable Scott-listed items.
They were a favorite of flaws, and paper varieties, but by the Mexico-Elmhurst Phila- There is a fair amount of lit-
many early Mexico specialists these barely scratch the sur- telic Society International, erature on the 1868 Hidalgos.
and are enjoying a revival in face of what's available if you 4860 N. Camino Real, Tucson, Overprinted consignment
popularity. enjoy this sort of thing. Ariz. 85718, will steer you number varieties are well cov-
Scott divides them into two As with the preceding issues, through this maze. ered in Catalogo Especializa-
main groups: stamps with thin the system of district name The area of retouches is a do de los Sellos Postales de
Classic Mexico-Canada covers prove elutsive have gone overland to Derby
By Dale Pulver
During my years of seriously Line.
collecting the classic issues The first segment would
and postal history of Mexico, I have been from Brazos to New
have been alert for uncommon Orleans on a contract mail
usages to foreign destinations. steamer servicing the Army.
These are always appropri- From there it would have en-
ate to include in an exhibit and tered the normal mail system
usually enhance the interest which normally involved a
for the general viewer as well steamer trip from New Or-
as for the judges. leans to New York.
Surprisingly, covers from In all, 27 days were required
Mexico directed to Canada for delivery of this letter. This
during the 19th century seem wasn't too bad for those days.
to be rather elusive. Another letter Miss Bacon
It is not difficult to find mail Figure 2. Ten months later, Emily Bacon sent this letter by mailed almost a year later
destined for the United States, the same route, but it took 37 days to reach Batley, probably (Figure 2) using identical rout-
England, France, or even because of unlucky steamer connections. ing took 37 days to reach its
Spain. There were strong com- destination.
mercial ties between Mexico this instance the writer elected forward to Hatley, C.E. (Cana-
The extra time was probably
and these countries during this to prepay the U.S. portion of da East)."
a result of unlucky connections
time. the postage. At Stanstead, a red date- with the steamers.
But Canada seems to have Thus, the letter was en- stamp with "APR 22/1848" This postwar cover shows a
been outside the mainstream dorsed in manuscript "Paid was struck on the face of the fairly clear strike of the blue,
of business, perhaps because it 10." This amount would cover letter. I also believe it was double-ring datestamp the Bra-
was just beginning the change Figure 1. Only 27 days were required for this letter to travel postage to any U.S. destination here that the "41/2 d" notation zos post office began to use at
from a British colony to an in- from Matamoros, Mexico, to Batley, Quebec, Canada, in 1848. beyond 300 miles, but not to was added to indicate the the end of the war.
dependent nation and did not It was sent by a teacher, Emily Bacon, to her mother. the final Canadian delivery amount of postage due for the The handstamped "10" rate
yet have an established indus- point. Canadian service. marking is also in blue. Again,
trial base. to Miss Bacon's mother in Hat- mail system established by the Consequently, the writer ad- we see the "41/2 c1" due notation
Finally, on the back of the
Some years ago I did obtain ley, Quebec. U.S. Army. dressed it "Care C.G. Johnson letter, the postal clerk at Hat- for Canadian postage (up to 60
a few letters written in Mexico The earliest letter in the The first postal marking it Esq., Derby Line, Vermont," miles).
ley added his handstamp as a
and addressed to a small town group, Figure 1, was written received was applied at the for special handling. receiving mark. As always, I would be inter-
in southern Quebec near the during the final months of the Army post office in Brazos. Many readers will recognize ested in hearing from readers
U.S. border. U.S. occupation of Mexico dur- This was a straightline "BRA- Derby Line as a much-used It is inscribed with the
handwritten date: "22/Ap /48." who may have Mexico-to-Cana-
They were from a corre- ing the Mexican-American ZOS" with the month and day transfer point for mail going da covers from the pre-stamp
spondence of Emily Bacon, a War. in a separate line below. between the United States and Hatley is only about 20 miles
northeast of Stanstead, so the or classic period. ■
teacher who had gone to Mata- It is of particular interest to In this example, the "BRA- Canada.
moros, Mexico, to establish a me because it fits nicely in my ZOS" is struck so weakly that it Johnson, or his agent, car- final leg of the journey was
school. postal history exhibit of Mexi- probably will not show in the ried the letter across the bor- completed in one day.
Matamoros is on the south can-American War mail. photograph, but the "AP 1" der and put it into the Canadi- Most of the time it took to
bank of the Rio Grande near This letter, datelined Mata- (April 1) should be visible. an mails at Stanstead, comply- deliver this letter was proba-
its mouth on the Gulf of Mexi- moros, March 26, 1848, began Although most letters in ing with the writer's note in bly in the transfer from Brazos
co. The letters were addressed its journey in the provisional those days were sent collect, in the lower left corner, "Please to New York where it would

92 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 1, 1987

 48 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 8, 1987

`Dead letter' covers generally inexpensive

If you would like to have undeliverable. passed through Mexico City was marked "NO RECLAMA- limeters and contain the words check the list.
some fun with modern postal This item began its journey Aug. 24, was received in Pueb- DO" (not claimed) and the let- (which I've translated) "Mexi- After six weeks, further at-
history, you might want to in Queretaro on Aug. 23, 1914. la Aug. 26, and was immediate- ter was turned over to the can Postal Service/Officially tempts at delivery were aban-
search for Mexican "dead let- To make the 10-centavo rate, a ly posted on the list for general dead letter office in Mexico Sealed/Dead Letter Depart- doned. The letter was marked,
ter" covers the next time 5c Denver Eagle stamp was delivery. City for processing. ment." again on the face, "CUMPLI-
you're browsing through your added to the 5c stamped enve- This is affirmed by the large There, the letter was opened At that point, the letter was DO" plus a datestamp of the
Queretaro office (Dec. 21,
1914).
Mexico This meant that all provi-
By Dale Pulver sions of the regulations con-
cerning attempted delivery
had been complied with.
favorite dealer's shoe boxes.
The letter was then returned
Lots of auxiliary postal
to the dead letter office where
markings, handwritten en-
the contents were removed,
dorsements and "rezago"
breaking the original seal, and
(dead letter) seal labels are
destroyed.
the tip-off to these covers.
Generally, dead letters are In theory, envelopes were
quite inexpensive. They usual- supposed to be destroyed, too,
ly are in pretty scruffy condi- but obviously many weren't
tion after all the traveling and and eventually found their
The front of this dead letter shows cancellations of Aug. 23, Each "LISTA" marking on the back of this cover indicates way into the philatelic market.
handling they have been sub-
1914, when the letter was mailed, and Dec. 21, 1914, when when the letter was advertised. The seal at the bottom was The three numerical nota-
jected to.
efforts to deliver it ceased. used after the letter was opened to try to identify the sender. tions on this cover probably re-
Besides, I'm not sure many
people understand what they lope. circular handstamp inscribed with a slit along the bottom re-addressed for return to the late to the various lists on
are or are inclined to collect Perhaps the letter was des- "LISTA/Ago 26 1914/PUEB- edge. Since there was no re- sender. This was normally which it appeared or perhaps
them. tined for trouble from the be- LA, PUE." turn address, the contents done with red ink on the face a log book. All my dead letter
But each cover has its own ginning, since the address For two months, Morales were examined for some clue of the letter, in this instance covers have numbers of one
story, and they do give inter- reads: "Sr. Jose Morales, A Lis- failed to call at the post office to the identity of the sender. It between the lines of the origi- sort or another.
esting insight on the extent to ta de Correo (General Deliv- or did not receive notice his was determined that a Carmen nal address. I have described the travels
which the postal administra- ery), Puebla, 'urgente.' " name was on the general deliv- Martinez was the writer. Once the letter reached the of but one dead letter. There
tion went to track down an ad- This means the writer was ery list. The letter was resealed us- Queretaro post office, it was are numerous variations, and
dressee and deliver a letter. anxious to contact Morales, did Once again he was included ing a stamp-like label designed again advertised on the gener- some can turn into very inter-
The cover shown is from the not have the exact address, on the list of Oct. 27, a fact expressly for this purpose. al delivery list and so noted esting puzzles.
revolutionary period (1914- and wanted the letter to be ad- recorded with another strike This was affixed across the with the "LISTA" handstamp And there is a broad range
16), when there was tremen- vertised at the main post office of the "LISTA" hand- open slit and received a spe- of Queretaro (Nov. 8, 1914). to the types of markings which
dous civil dislocation through- in Puebla. stamp. cial "rezagos" cancellation. Presumably, Carmen Mar- will be found on dead letters.
out Mexico. I'm sure a great Postal markings on the re- When this did not produce These ornate postal seals tinez did not expect the letter The "LISTA" markings are
deal of mail ended up being verse of the letter show that it results. the face of the letter measure about 30 by 46 mil- to be returned, ancishe did not similar in design and were

struck in blue or purple ink. so forth.

I have another dead teller
"Rezagos" is another word which bears a very ornate
regularly stamped on dead let- "pointing finger" handstamp
ters. Handstamps indicating
containing the Spanish words .
directory service at the vari-
for "Return to Sender" and in-
ous post offices also are quite structions to check the local
common.
directory and then advertise.
Attempted delivery often re- This letter was opened and
sulted in curious notations by resealed twice, once with the
individual letter carriers: "No label described earlier and the
hay numero" (no such num- second time with a crude label
ber), "No esta" (not here), and used by a local post office. ■
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 13, 1987

Amelia Earhart story elicits new interest until then, had been very cor-
The inspiration for this arti- Earhart's flying talents had WILL FLIGHT/MEXICO/1935. with the Mexican postal offi- knew about the special ar-
cle comes from the photo on been recognized in this man- Scott, which did not recognize cials to purchase 250 of the 300 dial to Miss Earhart and her rangement, and certainly
the front cover of the ner by any of the many coun- this variety until 1956, now stamps reserved for collectors. project. would not have condoned it if
Christie's/Robson Lowe auc- tries she had visited. lists it as C74. Some he would use on spe- Some collectors went so far she had.
tion catalog for June 25. It Is Her flight into Mexico began H is reported that 780 such cial covers that he would as to have 20c airmail stamps There is another story. When
an airmail cover flown from April 19, 1935, from Los Ange- stamps were prepared; 480 dispatch with his wife on her privately overprinted with the Mexican postal agents
flight back to the United their own derogatory message showed the overprinted
States; the rest he would keep (translated): AMELIA "WITH- stamps to Putnam, he objected
Mexico for sale later on. OUT" HEART/BAD WILL to them, stating the ink used
By Dale Pulver Evidence supports the fact FLIGHT/TEXCOCO / 1935. for the overprint could be
that Putnam did have a large A black cat was worked Into counterfeited.
Mexico City to the New York measure of control over the is- the overprint design. These Somehow he was able to con-
City area by Amelia Earhart sue. cinderellas are usually re- vince them to destroy the orig-
on May 8, 1935, and bears one Many of the flight covers ferred to as the "Black Cat" inal batch and to redo them us-
of the special Mexican com- Miss Earhart carried on her overprints. ing a special non-counterfeit-
memorative stamps issued for various trips, and which she Most feel the message was able ink he had brought along
this event. usually autographed, were ad- not so much directed at Miss for that purpose.
This rare and choice item dressed to George Putnam, 50 Earhart as to her husband and It was rumored that these
for airmail specialists reposed W. 45th St., New York, N.Y. the Mexican bureaucrats. extreme precautions were
In the famous airpost collec- And the ones to and from Mex- Also it is doubtful that she motivated by the fact that Put-
tion of Lt. Col. John F. Rider ico were no exception.
UNITED NATIONS: umt, mg, yr Yaw Scott Not
which is now being dispersed Mexico's Amelia Earhart overprint appears on this auto- The Earhart non-stop return 1972 2229 10.83
Yaw Scott Not
at public auction. graphed registered cover addressed to Amelia Earhart's hus- flight from Mexico City to 1951 1.11 14.00
1973 3036 6.01
1974 37.45 840
The Amelia Earhart story band, George P. Putnam. Newark, N.J., took place on 1952 12.14 2.66 1975410 46.97 60.57
1953 1522 14.98 1981 98-104 5.46
has been told a number of May 8, and she is supposed to 1954 23.30 39.90 1982 105.112 6.69
times but seems to elicit re- les. She carried a number of were to be sent to the Univer- have carried about 85 letters. 1955 31.40 23.50 1983 (8 stamps) 6.21
1955 38 FOR 1984 (8 stamps) 5.34
newed interest at each retell- covers on this flight. sal Postal Union (these had Of these, about 35-40 were 1956 60 41-87 16.06 1985 (10 stamps) 5.77
ing. As near as collectors can the additional word "Mues- franked with the commemora- 1961-65 88153 21.00 1986 (13 stamps 1 S/S) 9.77
1966-70 154.214 16.85 VIENNA
In the spring of 1935, ar- determine, the Mexican over- tra," i.e., Sample or Specimen, tive overprinted stamp. 1971-75 215.266 16.25 1979 1.6 3.55
My own observation is that 1976.80 267342 35.86
rangements had been made printed stamp was to be valid in the overprint). The remain- 1981 343.367 9.12
1980 7.16 11.87
1981 17.23 4.67
for Amelia Earhart, the noted on April 16, which suggests her ing 300 were for sale to philat- many of the flown covers with 1982 368391 9.50 1982 24.29 4.99
1983 (25 stamps) 10.33
American aviatrix, to make a arrival might have been later elists. the Earhart stamp that I have 1984 (26 stamps) 10.81
1983 (9 stamps) 6.50
1984 (9 stamps) 5.47
goodwill flight to Mexico. In than expected. Enter George Palmer Put- seen in collections or illustrat- 1985 (24 stamp.) 14.77 1985 (8 stamps) 5.00
1986 (28 stamps & 1 5/2) 14.99
honor of this event, the Mexi- The stamp itself was the nam. Putnam was Amella's ed in auction catalogs were in- GENEVA
1986 (13 stamps 818/3) 10.69
Allis
can government authorized, in then-current 20-centavo air- husband, and he apparently deed addressed to Putnam. 1969-70 1-14 ILO° 1961.69 C14 6.75
1971 15,21 7.94
the form of a handstamped mail (Scott C68) which was had some extracurricular busi- Putnam's special arrange- 1972.77 C15.23 8.01
10% DISCOUNT on any purchase with request to our U.N. New Issue &wake. WANT LISTS los NI.
overprint, a special commem- overprinted in violet ink with ness ideas of his own. ments with the postal authori- 4's FDC's, used filled against deposit to establish ood will. VA residents add sales tax.
orative airmail stamp. the words (translated) It has long been believed ties infuriated philatelists, es- KELRAY STAMPS P.O. Box 12441 Nodolk, VA 23502
This was the first time Miss AMELIA EARH ART/GOOD that he made an "inside" deal pecially the Mexicans, who,

nam had made a 50-50 deal submitted for certificates, the Anyone contemplating pur- tough, too. And one of the fa-
with an unnamed New York Amelia Earhart overprint had chase should definitely obtain mous Earhart/ Putman flown
stamp dealer. one of the worst records for a certificate from the PF or covers will, by the time you
None of this has been proved falsification. the Mexico-Elmhurst Philatel- read this, have a new
conclusively, and most of the More than 50 percent of the ic Society International. owner. ■
parties to the event have long stamps sent in during a I5-year All flown covers with this
since passed away. But the leg- stamp are fairly well docu-
end lives on. mented so anyone with enough
The stamps themselves are money to own one would cer-
key to a complete Mexican air- tainly spend a little more to
mail collection. And flown cov- check the pedigree of a pro-
ers from the Earhart flight, de- spective acquisition.
spite the circumstances sur- It has always been some-
rounding their origin, are a what amusing to me that the
must for the serious airpost A forged overprint appears Earhart stamp, even with its
collector. on this wiised copy of the publicized rarity, is usually on
Because of their rarity, the Amelia Earhart issue. the market a few times each
stamps have been widely coun- year.
terfeited (in spite of Putnam's period were bad. Other modern Mexican rari-
precautions). The fake overprints are usu- ties, many of which do not
Some years ago, an article ally somewhat blurred and not have nearly as high a catalog
from the Members Bulletin of as clean as the genuine ones, value, are seldom offered and
the Philatelic Foundation re- but this is not a do-it-yourself much more difficult to locate.
ported that among the stamps situation. Early flight covers are
1'8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 1 0, 1987

Some Mexico cancels used

100 ears
One of the remarkable Their methods were adopted postage was still the exception,
things about Mexican philate- by most of the independent but in those cases where it
ly, as I've noted in many previ- countries which formed later. took place, the larger post of-
ous articles, is the number of Marking devices were used to fices usually had supplementa-
diverse aspects which can be indicate the origin of letters. ry handstamps containing the
the subject of serious study These quaint and attractive words: "Franco, Franca, or
town marks are much sought Franqueado" to indicate post-
after by collectors. age had been paid.
Mexico Postage rates, usually follow- During the first months of
By Dale Pulver ing some obscure tariff, were the stamp period, beginning
marked on the letters in manu- August 1856, letters could go
and/or a first rate collection. script most of the time. In either paid or unpaid. To en-
Recently I had the opportu- some instances, letters dealing courage prepayment, the rates
nity to examine a fairly large with official government busi- for unpaid letters were higher.
holding of stampless covers. It ness were sent free of postage Still, a few people sent let-
was the source of considerable and so marked. This could be ters collect, especially if they
excitement because there is al- considered a form of free had reason to suspect the
Figure 1. A small fragment of
ways the chance of seeing franking. All covers from the mails might not get through
a cover on which a postal
some postal markings in the colonial period are scarce, and because of the ever-present
most are beyond the means of highway bandits. But this did agent in Candela, a small vil-
flesh for the first time. And
such was the case here. the average collector. not end the stream of Mexican lage in the postal district of
When the War of Indepen- stampless letters. Saltillo, used the "Franco"
Except for an article shortly
dence ended in 1820, Mexico Even after stamps, there handstamp Nov. 24, 1857, with
after the start of this column in
were many instances where the handwritten explanation
1983, I have not written about entered what most historians
call the Republic period. Until small or remote offices did not that "there are no stamps."
Mexican stampless covers.
Some people feel stamp co- stamps appeared, mail contin- receive stamps. So they simply common, especially from the
lumnists concentrate on ued to be handled in a manner used the pre-stamp franking cities which were never
stamps exclusively. But many similar to that prevailing in co- methods they knew so well. strongly held by the monar-
of us do enjoy collecting letters lonial times. Handstamps, Once in a while such letters chists.
or covers without stamps be- many of which were the same were marked with an explana- Another time from which
cause they are just as much a ones the Spanish used, marked tion: "No hay estampillas," stampless covers are occasion-
part of how mall was handled the names of towns where the Spanish for "There are no ally seen was in 1871.72 when
as are letters with stamps. So mail was dispatched. stamps," Figure 1. the Mexicans were having
here is a brief overview. As business and commerce At other times during me trouble with postal forgeries
Mexico offers some interest- expanded, so did the postal turbulent years following the and the new, 1872 issue, was
ing, if not unique opportunities system. This meant there were introduction of stamps, mail late. See my article on "Anota-
in this area. Until the introduc- more towns of enough impor- was routinely carried without do" stamps, Linn's, July 11,
tion of stamps in 1856, all do- tance to have post offices, so them. For example, during the 1983, page 26.
mestic and outbound foreign the list of collectible town waning years of the Maximili- Finally, most foreign-bound
mail moved, obviously, as marks grew correspondingly. an period (1864-67), postal Mexican mail was sent stamp-
stampless letters. And since there seemed to be agents in the cities and towns less right up until 1879 when
As most of us know, the idea no set standards as to the form controlled by the Republican Mexico joined the Universal
behind postage stamps was a of these postmarks, they came forces under Benito Juarez Postal Union. Only then could
means for prepaying postage in all shapes and sizes, which refused or were forbidden to letters be sent completely pre-
fees. Prior to that time, nearly further endears them to col- use the current issue of stamps paid with postage stamps to
all mail was sent "collect," lectors. bearing the likeness of Maxi- other member countries of the
with the addressee being re- There are, in addition to the milian. UPU.
sponsible for postage. common straightline names, Old "Franco" handstamps Some letters left Mexico
The earliest stampless let- boxes, ovals, fancy wreaths, were brought out and used to with stamps. The stamps paid
ters we know from Mexico ribbons and numerous other indicate postage had been paid the domestic portion of the
date from the Spanish colonial ornate, handcarved designs (prepayment was still obligato- postage. Also, covers exist with
era. That would be before 1820 Some are quite common, oth rY). combination usage: Mexican
and going back into the late ers are scarce. Postal historians refer to this stamps paying the internal
1700s. The Spanish had estab- Handstamped numerals type of usage as "sello negro," rate and British stamps, for ex-
lished a pretty good mail sys- were used more and more to Spanish for "black ample, paying the sea rate to
tem in their colonies of the indicate the amount of postage handstamp." Sello negro cov- England or some port on the
Western Hemisphere. to be collected. Prepayment o ers from this period are fairly continent. But these usages are
quite scarce, and very expen-
sive.
Still, a representative collec-
tion of Mexican stampless cov-
ers can be assembled within
the budgets of most serious
collectors. Large correspon-
dences from the 1830s-1860s
have survived and provide the
philatelic market with stamp-
less material.
Generally, stampless covers,
except those from small,
scarce districts and towns, are
much cheaper than those with
stamps. That doesn't make
them any less desirable or less
interesting from a philatelic
HOLVLA
standpoint. Figure 2. The 1884-85 stamp
The abundance of attractive pictured at the top is can-
designs and forms, combined celed by a Cholula handstamp
with the fact that they come in dating to circa 1788. It is
various colors, are further shown below the stamp.
lures to the collector.
Some postmarks sustained a with two basic reference
long period of use. They can books. First, The Pre-Stamp
be found used on colonial piec- postal Markings of Mexico, by
es, on letters from the pre- Otto Yag and John Bash, pub-
stamp era, and right up into lished by the Mexico-Elmhurst
the stamp period. Philatelic Society Internation-
A small town in the postal at (MEPSI) in 1965 and updat-
district of Puebla, for exam- ed in 1971.
ple, used a device to cancel The second is The Cancella-
stamps more than 100 years tions of Mexico by Joseph
after its first recorded use on a Schatzkes and revised by Karl
Spanish colonial letter! See H. Schimmer in 1983 and pub-
Figure 2. There are other lished by W.E. Shelton.
marks with extended usage if The second book is still in
you enjoy searching for them print and both items would be
(and I do!). available on loan to American
Stampless foreign covers Philatelic Society members
from Mexico aren't terribly from the library in State Col-
hard to find, and some aren't lege, Pa.
too expensive either. Normally Although I know of no at-
these items will have other tempts to forge or counterfeit
postmarks on them, too: Unit- Mexican stampless covers,
ed States, British, French, and watch for attempts to alter or
so on. enhance scarce markings.
Figuring out the routing and Finally, try to secure the
rate structure on these covers best possible strikes of coin-
can sometimes turn into a mon markings. You may have
pleasant evening of research to compromise a bit on the
(assuming you have or can get scarce to rare ones, but I have
to basic references). seen many medium to poor
A few words of advice if you grade stampless covers being
- decide to collect stampless pushed by dealers or at auc-
covers. Do spend some time tion. ■
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 14, 1987

Beal's passing is a loss to all collectors

This article is dedicated to it to less experienced collec- de Thuin work. This would and forgeries was unmatched. bition, in Mexico City. He en- common energy and time to
the memory of James H. Beal, tors, was that he conducted it provide students and serious And he put this to good use. tered a similar exhibit, but his role as a watchdog against
who passed away very sudden- bilingually. He spoke Spanish collectors a basis for the study He wrote and lectured exten- freshly remounted with anno- philatelic theft. To me it repre-
ly at his home July 29. Jim was almost as easily as he did Eng- of suspect material. sively about fakes and coun- tations in Spanish. It won the sented a true labor of love on
a close personal friend and lish. In that venue it was a de- Jim was one of the principal terfeits in an effort to grand prix national. After that behalf of all collectors — not
contributed, perhaps more cided advantage. authors of this work, which the forewarn and educate less ex- he elected to give his collec- just those of us who collect
After my return to the Unit- APS published in 1974 under perienced collectors. tions a rest from the competi- Mexico, or who are members
ed States the following year, the title The Yucatan Affair - tive arena. of the APS, but everyone who
Mexico we began to see each other The Work of Raoul Ch. de Then came a devastating
enjoys the hobby.
By Dale Pulver quite regularly. In those days, Thuin. And even though he lost all
blow, one which can strike any
Jim was deeply involved with The section on Mexico con- of us if we do not exercise ex-of his stamps, he continued to
than anyone else, to my inter- the APS project to put the noto- tains more than a thousand treme caution. On a snowy encourage and help collectors
est and knowledge in the phi- rious Raoul de Thuin out of reproductions of overprints, evening in January 1977, while in all stages of their develop-
lately of Mexico. business. cancellations and surcharges Jim was dining out with ment, from beginning to ad-
Readers who are members De Thuin, who had been liv- de Thuin had used to create friends, thieves compromised vanced. He never lost his love
of the American Philatelic So- ing and operating out of Mexi- fraudulent philatelic pieces. It his security system, broke intoof Mexican stamps, either.
ciety will readily recognize co for many years, was a phila- was organized and written al- his home, peeled his heavy
telic scoundrel. He had bilked most entirely by Jim Beal. The Although he did not attempt
Jim's name as the chairman of safe, and carried off his entire
to re-form a collection suitable
the APS theft committee. But dozens and dozens of unwary section fills 140 pages, about collection. No trace of it has
collectors by producing and one quarter of the finished for exhibit, he did buy classic
his work to combat stamp been seen since. Such a disas- Mexican stamps from time to
theft, and even more impor- selling faked overprints and book. I recall vividly the hours ter would, I fear, drive most of
cancellations on Mexican he spent telling me about this time. He would often tell me,
tantly, the counterfeiting and us completely from the hobby. "this one really caught my
manipulation of stamps and stamps and covers. master counterfeiter.
Jim and other Mexican spe- I was also aware of the hun- In Jim's case, it seemed to eye, and I got it for a fair
postal markings to deceive intensify his determination to price."
stamp collectors, goes back cialists knew these all too well. dreds of hours he must have
Since the Mexican authori- spent giving some order to the combat some of the bad ele- I'm convinced Jim had a
much further than his tenure ments he saw in stamp collect-
as theft committee chairman. ties seemed unable to put a artwork and cliches recovered great deal to do with my selec-
Jim Beal has left his mark on ing. He began devoting more
Also, he constantly preached stop to his activities, Jim was from de Thuin's workshop. tion as author of this column in
Mexican philately. time to the activities of the
the fact that acquired knowl- fearful that Mexican philately Frequently he would hand me Linn's. When first approached,
would be irreparably harmed. a batch of stamps and say, He also served as an APS ex- APS theft committee. Obvious- I told Linn's I felt Mr. Beal was
edge is the absolute defense ly, he had a personal stake in
against being taken in the APS had made the decision to "See if you can identify which pertizer for circuit books and eminently more qualified to
purchase all of de Thuin's tools of these are de Thuin's work." stamps submitted for certifica- seeing to it that stolen collec-write on the broad aspects of
stamp market. tions were recovered, if at all
Jim and I began our friend- and paraphernalia and in this Some of the items were very tion. In this capacity he was Mexican philately. I was in-
manner stop the flow of spuri- difficult to place in either the able to help purge much bad possible. formed he had declined.
ship at EFIMEX, an interna-
tional stamp show held in Mex- ous material. good or bad category. material from the philatelic And through his organization In any event, Jim was a fre-
ico immediately following the De Thuin's advancing age, The first edition of the de marketplace. of a dealer/collector network, quent resource and critic, so
Olympic Games of 1968. I was declining health and failing Thuin book sold out fairly His own collections of Mexi- he helped assure that stolen my readers and I owe him
working in Mexico at the time, eyesight seemed to make this quickly. A second printing was co, from the Spanish colonial material would be very diffi- thanks for this behind-the-
and although I had collected a likely option. Jim played a ordered a few years ago. So it's period through the classic era, cult to dispose of by fences. scenes help.
on and off since childhood, major role in this planning, probably safe to assume that were both extensive and exqui- During Jim's tenure as theft While his many philatelic
that event was the first really and because of his fluency in many serious collectors of site. He did not exhibit too of- chairman some dramatic reco- friends mourn the loss of one
big stamp show I had ever at- Spanish, acted as one of the Mexican classics have it to use ten, but when he did, you could veries of stolen stamps have of the great champions of Mex-
tended. Jim was one of the primary negotiators. when it comes to discerning de be certain you would see occurred. Regrettably, Jim's ican philately, we can all take
judges. In December 1966 the deal Thuin fakes. But Jim wasn't something extra special. collection of Mexico was not comfort that through his writ-
He also gave a seminar on was consummated. All of de only interested in the de Thuin My first exposure to a Beal one of those success stories. ings and work with the APS, he
the falsification of postal Thuin's stock in trade was fabrications. exhibit was in 1971 when he Until the time of his death, has left an indelible imprint on
markings on the classic stamps shipped to the United States He collected fake stamps mounted an exhibit of classic Jim continued to devote un- our hobby. ■
and covers of Mexico. for study and eventual destruc- and fake markings broadly. He Mexico for the APS summer
One of the things that im- tion. had, until it was stolen, one of convention in San Antonio. It
pressed me most about his The other half of the APS-de the most outstanding refer- won the grand award.
presentation, apart from his Thuin project involved the ence collections of bogus ma- Three years later he was a
obvious depth of knowledge publishing of a comprehensive terial in this country. Certainly commissioner to EXFILMEX,
and a sincere desire to impart reference book describing the his holding of Mexican fakes the Fifth Interamerican Exhi-
18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 12, 1987

Mexican 1916-20 regulars fun to study

One of the 20th century is- sent a greater challenge. ally wasn't any big need for a somewhat underinked so that mentioned earlier, there are imperforate. Double entries
sues of Mexico which I have It is reported that there was 3c stamp. And there may have it appeared to take on some of numerous other collectible va- and other engraving mistakes
felt would be fun to study in a small early printing on been ample inventories of the the bluish color of the sur- rieties. As noted in Scott, the are reported for the lc and 2c
depth is the regular issue of rather thin paper. 3c rouletted stamp on hand. rounding frame. But inspec- 10c stamp comes with and denominations.
1916-20 (Scott 608-28). This thin paper presented Collectors should exercise tion under a strong glass al- without imprint at the base of I suspect there may be other
The lower denomination some handling difficulties for caution when purchasing a 3c ways resolved this false per- the design. The 40c stamp has flyspecks for those who enjoy
perforated stamp. There have ception. been reported without imprint, looking for them. Devotees of
been instances where large but I have never seen one. The postal history could certainly
Mexico margin copies of the rouletted Eventually a good one was 5p stamps were sometimes
found, but it required a bid overprinted with control num- have some fun looking for ear-
By Dale Pulver stamp have been perforated to ly usage and unusual rates for
resemble the scarce ones. Ob- very near full catalog. I have bers, usually in red.
always considered this to be this issue.
tain a reliable certificate or I have only a couple of
stamps have the theme of fa- one of the dozen or so really
examine the stamp carefully The rouletted series is avail- stamps which, from cancella-
mous men, mostly heroes of difficult 20th century Mexican
under high magnification to able in imperforate state, but a tions, I can postively ascribe to
the revolution. stamps. Its catalog value has
make sure there are no traces collector should purchase 1916. It would be most interest-
The three top denomina- risen six-fold in the past 20
of roulette marks on the per- pairs, and examine the space ing to hear from readers on
tions, 40 centavos, 1 peso and years, and that pretty much
forated tips. between the impressions very this subject. And I promise an
5p, are in a larger horizontal tells the story.
format and show a map of The perforated 20c and 30c carefully. If traces of roulette answer to everyone who
Mexico, the lighthouse at Vera- stamps in unused condition are Besides the color shades indentations are found, it is not writes.
cruz and the main post office tough to come by, too, and
in Mexico City. should be acquired with care.
They remained in use for The perforated 3-centavo val- The 1p and 5p stamps pro-
about seven years in the post- ue is one of the key stamps in vide some remarkable vari-
revolutionary era. The earliest the 1916-20 Mexico definitive. eties. Both stamps were de-
printings, which, except for signed to be bicolor, requiring
the 40c, 1p and 5p, were sold the post office, so a switch was two separate printing opera-
in rouletted form, and were made to medium-to-thick pa- tions.
printed on a soft, thick, and per. As a result, the 1p is known
unwatermarked paper. The printing of stamps on with the vignette of the 5p, the
I have never discovered ex- the thin paper, at least the lc central post office; and the 5p
actly when this series was to 10c denominations, was is known with the Veracruz
made available for public sale. turned over to the philatelic lighthouse as its center. There
Most catalogs show the date office for sale to collectors. As has always been some suspi-
1916, but stamps and covers a result, used copies of these cion that these were more
with 1916 postmarks are very stamps are considered to be than just pure accidents.
hard to find. mostly favor cancellations. The other variety Scott lists
There was a severe inflation The top value stamps are for the 1p is one of my favor-
in Mexico during the latter readily found on thin paper. ites, the blue frame with a
half of 1916. Postal rates were Since fewer of these were re- somewhat darker blue vi-
raised several times and there quired in the normal ship- gnette. Scott formerly cata-
was widespread usage of sur- ments, they did not present the loged this stamp as No. 627, a
charges on earlier stamp is- handling problems the low de- major variety. They have since
sues. This may partially ac- nominations did. renumbered the series be-
count for the scarcity of this is- A key stamp in the perforat- tween the 4c and 5p so that
sue used during its first year. ed series is the 3c brown, this is now listed, and correct-
showing a portrait of Jose Ma- ly, I believe, as No. 627b. It is
In any event, most of the ria Pino Suarez, a martyr of now called an error. The blue
rouletted stamps are plentiful the revolution. This has always on blue is not difficult to find
and quite inexpensive in used been a difficult stamp, in stark in used condition and well-cen-
condition. Only the imperf be- contrast to the rouletted 3c, tered copies are easily within
tween pair of the 5c, and the which is one of the most com- reach of most of us.
unused 20c and 30c stamps mon stamps of that series. I do But a genuine unused blue
will take a significant nip at not have a good explanation on blue is quite another mat-
your pocketbook. for this. ter. When I was searching for
I have found numerous In 1917, when the 3c was is- one many years ago, several
shades for many stamps in the sued, postal rates had been re- times I was presented with ex-
series, so this would be a good stored to more normal levels amples of the normal stamp,
area to explore. The perforat- after a year of inflation. But blue frame, black center. Usu-
ed stamps (Scott 618-25), pre- rates were such that there re- ally the vignette was weak or
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 9, 1987

French army had own mails in Mexico

Two of my previous articles To facilitate communication Killers used to cancel the polean Head Empires, either fetch high prices in the phila- They will fit nicely in a col-
(Jan. 9, 1984, page 50 and June between dispersed units of the stamps consisted of a rhom- imperforate or perforate telic market. lection of classic Mexican post-
11, 1984, page 66) dealt with army and to expedite mail boid of dots. There were eight (Scott 12 through 28). There were stampless let- al history, or in a collection of
the postage stamps used in from the military back home, rows of dots each way, with ters, too, and these usually French classics and offices
Mexico during the brief the French established post of- four initials in the center of Postal rates were such that trade for somewhat less than abroad.
monarchy of Archduke Maxi- fices in the major cities under the rhomboid. the denominations used were covers with stamps.
their control, as well as in cer- Once in a while a loose And since most of the letters
tain other field locations. f stamp is found with the "CEM" bear additional transit and
Mexico These were called bureaus. and letter initials but I suspect ship markings, they are ideal
for a collection or exhibit of
By Dale Pulver Each of them was supplied that by now most of them have
with contemporary French been picked out of everyone's maritime mail. I realize that
stamps together with appropri- bulk stock. not too many of my readers
milian, 1864 to 1867. can aspire to own many such
Throughout that period Max- ate datestamps and canceling The "CEMA" covers mailed
devices. at Mexico City are by far the covers, but I have always been
imilian was supported by a fascinated with this small seg-
substantial army of French It was really a mail system most plentiful. One of these is
within a mail system, since the illustrated. Next come those ment of Mexican postal histo-
soldiers, including small con- ry. And it makes a good story,
tingents of Belgians and Austri- Mexican post was operating at from Veracruz, with "CEMB"
the time, too. or "CEMC." too.
ans. This column will be about
The identification of letters Y When you get to the lower
mail handled by the French There are other items in
forces. that were handled in this sys- ranking letters like "H," "K" what I call my "French-Mexi-
French military presence in tem is really not difficult al- and "M," which were assigned can Connection" exhibit that
Mexico actually began two though finding them is. to the smaller bureaus, they are just as interesting and a lot
years before Maximilian and They nearly always bear a are true rarities. more affordable.
double-ring datestamp in- Jan. 9, 1866, cover is from the French army post office in Another thing that enhances
Carlota stepped ashore at Ver- Mexico City and was sent to Bordeaux, France, where it ar- the desirability and demand
acruz on June 12, 1864. scribed "Corps Exp Mexique," A great deal of mail flowed
which stands for the Mexican rived Feb. 6. The datestamp shows the words "Corps Exp Mex- for Corps Mexique covers is
Originally, the French had between Mexico and France in
Expeditionary Force. ique" and the letter "A." The killer is a rhomboid of dots with their suitability for many dif-
been joined by British and the 1860s and 1870s. I'll discuss
the letters "CEMA." The "A" identifies the Mexico City office. ferent types of collections or
Spanish units to force collec- At the base of the handstamp some of these in a future
tions of a large foreign debt will be "Bau" plus a letter, Again, the initials tell us mostly the 10 centimes, 20c exhibits. article. IN
the Mexicans had refused to which designated the bureau where the letter originated. and 40c.
repay on time. or post office at which the let- The first three, always "CEM," All examples of mail of this
When it became evident that ter was mailed. There were 12 stand for Corps Expeditionaire type that I have seen were di-
the French had designs on ex- such bureaus, each identified Mexique. The fourth letter, as rected to places outside of
tending their empire into the by a letter. "A" was the bureau noted above, signifies the bu- Mexico, usually France. I
Western Hemisphere with this situated at Mexico City. "B," reau where it was used. know of one cover that went to
debt collection pretext, Eng- "C" and "D" designated The French stamps used on Algeria.
land and Spain quickly with- French army headquarters at these letters were from the Unfortunately, Corps Mex-
drew their forces. Veracruz, and so on. two issues of the so-called Na- ique covers are scarce and
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 14, 1987

A triumphant year for Mexican collecting;

new Mexican stamp catalog coming in 1988 about the Exportas. There months and make it available line cannot be met. However,
This will be the fifth time Tucson qualified him for Bos- award winners, such a feat
that I have used the December ton and, although Bob is a sea- merits recognition here.) were about a half-dozen re- to readers for a stamped, ad- good progress is being made,
column to catch up on short soned exhibitor, it was the first quests in this year's mail for dressed envelope. and several sections are near-
items which in themselves do time he had shown this materi- I am waiting for someone to the checklist I offered over • ing completion.
not merit a full-length article. al. come up with an exhibit of the two years ago. (Apparently, My article on Mexican ad- I am confident that once this
It is also an appropriate way to His triumph also under- current Exporta issue of Mexi- some collectors really get be- vertising covers (Linn's, Jan. catalog is available, it will be a
scores the fact that a choice co. 12, page 34) elicited a surpris- boon to collectors wishing to
array of stamps and covers of ing amount of interest and specialize in Mexico. The final
Mexico Mexico, well organized,
There is plenty of material
now, some common and some
reader response. I received product may not be so much a
By Dale Pulver mounted and annotated, can about 25 letters, most of which catalog as a handbook.
scarce, so creating a substan-
stand up against any of the contained photocopies of items As I pointed out in my article
tial display should not be a
other philatelic powerhouse in the writer's possession. on page 36 Of. the April issue of
call attention to people and problem. However, usages and
events in Mexican philately countries we are accustomed commentary on Mexico's fast- While I make no pretext of Linn's, none of the catalogs
which deserve mention. to seeing at this level of com- changing postal rate structure trying to maintain a complete currently available covers the
I consider 1987 as a banner petition. during the years of the Expor- In service since 1975, Mexi- listing of reported designs, I field adequately in all re-
year for those of us who spe- ARIPEX also brought forth ta issue will be an important co's Exporta issues, such as am now aware of well over spects. One is obliged to secure
cialize in Mexican philately. some other fine exhibits of part of a successful exhibition. Scott 1125, boast numerous 150. My thanks to all readers, several to get a rounded pic-
In August, a collection of Mexico, a few of which were varieties. If there is enough too many to mention here by ture.
Speaking of the Exportas, reader response, the author name, for taking time to write
Mexican classics won the by contestants new to the The MEPSI catalog may
new printings keep coming. will prepare a revised and me on this subject.
Champion of Champions scene. This I view as a healthy solve this problem in large
award at STAMPSHOW in Bos- trend. My supplier has sent me 22 updated list of these stamps. By the way, it's not too late measure.
ton. varieties so far this year. The to begin collecting illustrated Furthermore, it is hoped
Some of the more seldom
Bob Paliafito's exhibit of experts are still discussing hind in reading their Linn's.) Mexican advertising covers. that many past mistakes will
seen areas deserve attention,
Mexico, "The First Designs, whether the most recent issues I wasn't planning to do this Recently I found several in the be corrected. The editorial
and they are getting it, espe-
1856-1867," took the honors in are distinctive enough to war- again, but there still seems to cheap cover boxes of a dealer staff for the MEPSI catalog
cially late 19th-century and
what I am told was rather stiff rant separate status as an be a demand among the gener- in a local stamp show bourse. contains many of the foremost
early 20th-century issues. Let's
eighth issue. al collectors of Mexico as far experts on Mexican philately.
competition. hope we see more of them.
This did not surprise me. I (Editor's note: Out of modes- As of the end of 1986, seven as an up-to-date listing for Ex- MEPSI continues working And now for an annual plug:
saw his marvelous showing at ty, Dale has not mentioned his such issues had been generally porta varieties. hard on their new catalog of If you have a keen interest in
ARIPEX in January among exhibit of Mexican forwarded accepted, with paper, colors, If there is enough reader re- Mexican stamps. the stamps of Mexico and are
some equally keen competi- transatlantic mail that won and gum characteristics being sponse (a postal card to me in It was originally hoped that not yet a member of MEPSI,
tion from his Mexico-Elmhurst the grand award at NAPEX 87 - the principal controlling fac- care of Linn's Stamp News is this ambitious undertaking join now.
Philatelic Society Internation- in Arlington, Va., at the end of tors. sufficient), I will attempt to would be finished sometime The organization's quarterly
al colleagues. May (Linn's, June 22, page 53). From time to time, I still put together an updated ver- near the end of this year, but it journal, Mexicana, continues
Winning the grand award at In a field of 14 other gold- receive letters from readers sion in the next two or three is now certain that this dead- to be packed with useful infor-

mation for the generalist and dich, 1014 37th St., San Pedro,
specialist alike. Calif. 90731.
Additional services, such as •
expertization, periodic auc- Finally, sincere holiday
tions, publications and stamp wishes to all readers of the
circuits, are valuable adjuncts Mexico column. Let's hope
to membership. For more in- that 1988 will be a good year
formation, write to John Kor- for stamp hunting. ■
28 LINN S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 11 1988

Mexico's fascinating Porte de Mar stamps

The stimulus for this article co and Veracruz as early as ico, since the British gave rec- ments was then to be paid di- Later lithographic stones co joined the Universal Postal
came from a bonus that Mexi- 1826. ognition to the unpopular Max- rectly to the captains of the used in printing some stamps Union, but these stamps were
co Elmhurst Philatelic Society These consular post offices imilian Empire. There was steamships. of the second issue, which dis- never officially put to use.
International members re- handled the bulk of the mail in more rumbling about these This new scheme effectively played somewhat larger num- That same year, the Juarez
ceived in November with a and out of Mexico until the foreign post offices, and mat- cut the foreign postal agent out erals of value, had 56 subjects. regular issue (Scott 123-45)
copy of Mexicana, the soci- French arrived in 1862. The ters finally came to a head in of the picture. Within a couple As the footnote in the Scott was introduced for exclusive
January 1875. of years, both the British and
Mexican postal authorities the French closed their consu-
Mexico PORTE DE MAR sent instructions to all post of- lar post offices permanently.
By Dale Pulver fices dictating the treatment of Three separate series of
mail addressed to foreign des- Porte de Mar stamps are rec-
ety's quarterly journal. tinations. ognized, although only the sec-
Such letters were to be ond issue was ever legitimate-
Figure 1 shows the bonus, a
charged the normal domestic ly used. In the Scott catalog,
new book written by Karl H.
postage using regular stamps, these stamps are listed before
Schimmer on another of Mexi-
and would be assessed an addi- the Official stamps of Mexico,
co's curious philatelic facets,
tional charge for sea postage and carry the numbers JX1-31.
the Porte de Mar stamps of Figure 3. An authentic second series 35-centavo Porte de Mar
according to a specific tariff. Figure 2 shows the 25-centa-
1875-79. stamp used at Veracruz (left) and a common forgery of the
This extra cash payment was vo value from the first series
The expression "Porte de to be accounted for separately, 10c value (right). One test to find the forgery is that it has
Mar" roughly translates as sea- (JX1-8). These designs in eight only one dot between the bottom left corner ornament and the
oforsismossom and represented by special denominations were printed
mail postage. The term first Figure 1. This 138-page book Porte de Mar stamps affixed to oval frame around the numeral. Genuine stamps have two.
appears in the 1862 postal con- on yellow paper.
was a bonus for MEPSI mem- the back of each letter. The
vention between the United There is no record of why catalog reveals, each sheet
bers with a recent issue of sum of these extra cash pay-
States and Mexico, and relates these stamps were not author- contained all Porte de Mar de-
the journal Mexicana.
to fees for the transfer of mail ized for use. Some say they nominations in quantities con-
by U.S. steamships. system worked well, since simply did not please the post- sistent with their expected us-
British and French packets master general. age. Complete sheets could
The history behind this con-
were regular and reliable. The second issue (JX9-19) is thus be sent to post offices as
cept is interesting, and merits
However, the system ran- very similar to the first, except needed without complicated
a brief description. kled the Mexican authorities. bookkeeping or the bother of
that there is a background of
In those times, Mexico had They didn't like the control horizontal lines, and orna- breaking sheets into smaller
practically no commercial that foreigners had over the ments appear in the spandrels units.
maritime fleet. Virtually all mails. Foreign postal agents at the corners of the design. A Exemplified in Figure 4,
communications with the Unit- were the first to get their genuine, used 35c stamp from stamps of the third Porte de
ed States and Europe depend- hands on the mailbags as they the second issue is shown on Mar series (JX20-31) exist in
ed on foreign-owned mail came off the packets, and only the left in Figure 3. six denominations, printed in
packets and steamships. later were letters bound for Both the first and second is- various colors on white paper.
As I noted In an earlier arti- the interior turned over to the Figure 2. The lack of orna- sues were lithographed in These stamps were much Figure 4. Never issued for
cle in Linn's (Feb. 11, 1985, Mexican post office. mentation in the corners composite sheets seven sub- smaller than those of the first use, stamps of the third de-
page 20), the British establish- This awkward situation be- marks this stamp as one of jects wide by seven subjects two series. sign, such as Scott JX28, are
ed post offices in conjunction came even more tense during the first 1875 Porte de Mar deep, producing a 49-stamp The third designs were pre- the only ones on which the
with their consulates in Tampi- the French occupation of Mex- designs, Scott JX2. sheet. pared for 1879, the year Mexi- name of Mexico appears.
use on mail to foreign destina- these issues were used from Even so, to date his registry these stamps in the back of
tions. 1876 to 1880. lists only 49 items that meet their albums. It's also likely
Except for the 35c and 60c To begin with, the first and his criteria to be considered as they have a few forgeries of
large numeral values (J22, second series stamps contain genuine. the second issue.
J24), unused examples of no mention of Mexico. Many An authentic Porte de Mar For those whose curiosity
Porte de Mar stamps are read- early collectors probably con- cover is a true rarity. Unfor- about Porte de Mar issues has
ily available and cheap. sidered them labels, which in tunately, I cannot show one been piqued, you may want to
When their use was discon- a sense they were. with this article other than the consider getting Schimmer's
tinued in 1880, large stocks re- In addition, these stamps one on the front of Schimmer's book and reading the whole
mained in the post office, and were placed on the backs of book. story.
these eventually found their letters, where they may have Between the scarcity of legit- The book is quite a bargain
way into the stock books of escaped notice and preserva- imately used stamps and cov- at $10, and goes into much de-
stamp dealers. tion. Further, stamps were ers on the one hand, and the tail about the different issues,
Early albums had spaces for usually affixed over the clo- relatively ample supply of in- settings, plate varieties, re-
the stamps, and they became sure of the letter, like a seal, expensive unused stamps on touches, transfer types and
favorites in packet mixtures. and many were destroyed the other, a great deal of mon- more.
In fact, demand was so great when the letters were opened. key business has gone on over The final section of Porte de
that several forgeries were In any event, sound used the years. Mar is an appendix that,
made of the second issue, one Porte de Mar stamps are valu- Though mint forgeries are among other things, contains
of which is common. It is illus- able and hard to find. The situ- fairly easy to detect, approach Schimmer's registry of the 49
trated on the right in Figure 3. ation regarding Porte de Mar both used Porte de Mar stamps covers known to him. He read-
While unused stamps are covers is even more desperate. and covers with caution. ily admits that there must be
plentiful and inexpensive, gen- In researching his recent I realize that few readers others out there, still waiting to
uine used examples are quite book, Schimmer searched dili- will share Schimmer's deeply be discovered.
the opposite. There are proba- gently for such covers for rooted interest in the Porte de Perhaps the book will help
bly several reasons for this, many years, with the aim of ei- Mar stamps of Mexico. Howev- these obscure yet fascinating
despite the fact that postal ther acquiring them or simply er, most longtime collectors stamps finally receive the at-
records show that thousands of recording their existence. may have a smattering of tention they richly deserve. ■
10 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 8, 1988

Official stamps of Mexico offer challenge

Back-of-the-book items are substituted. years. The Scott catalog recog- ment to the right of the stamp CIAL." A quick glance at the Probably the two toughest
attracting more attention these Further, the outer frame and nizes eight major varieties, al- needs some explanation be- Scott catalog shows that, with Official stamps are Scott 0101
days, so this month's column the ornamented spandrels on though they may have cause it typifies correct usage few exceptions, every major and 0112, both issued in 1916.
takes a look at the Official the regular issues are com- stretched the point a bit. Other of Official stamps. It reads: definitive issue up to 1937 is Neither stamp was ever legiti-
stamps of Mexico. pletely omitted on the Official catalogs list some of these as "De of /El J. de E.M./Mendo- also found with "OFICIAL" or mately used and it is speculat-
Mexico's decision to issue stamps. subvarieties. za." "SERVICIO OFICIAL" over- ed that no more than one sheet
A rough translation of this
Mexico abbreviated endorsement
would be: "On official
By Dale Pulver (business) /Commander of the
Mexican Army/ (signed) Men-
Official stamps probably came doza." Further, there is a
as a reaction to the fact that handstamped seal on the back
the United States, as well as of the envelope with an in-
other countries, were pro- scription that translates as
ducing special stamps to frank ( rt;1 14,(14," "Commanding General of the Figure 2. Beginning in 1895, Mexican Official stamps were
official government mail. Military Zone." created by applying an "OFICIAL" overprint to contemporary
The first Mexican Official definitives. The examples shown are, from left to right, Scott
Although one occasionally 011 of 1895, Scott 0165 of 1924, and Scott 0214 of 1934.
stamp appeared in 1884. The
sees plain envelopes franked
design resembles very closely prints. of 50 of each of these 5-peso
with Official stamps, it is my
the so-called Medallion issue Until recently, Mexico's Offi- stamps was overprinted.
Figure 1. This letter on Mexican army business is franked understanding that postal rules
of the same year that was used cial stamps were not too popu-
with the perf 51/2 Official stamp of 1894, Scott 06. required that the envelopes From time to time these
on regular domestic mail. lar and could readily be pur-
bear evidence of their official stamps do appear in auctions,
That series shows a left-fac- It is interesting to note that Figure 1 shows a cover dis- chased at large discounts from
nature to qualify for use of Of-
ing, profile of Father Miguel the design of Mexico's first Of- playing correct use of one of
ficial stamps. catalog prices. However, it if one has the money to go af-
Hidalgo in an oval surrounded ficial stamps was chosen as the the first Official stamps. The seems that they are now being ter them, but bidders must be
by a machine-engraved design. central motif for two airmails stamp is Scott 06, the 1894 ul- I suspect that a fair number discovered as a neglected sure to buy them with certifi-
One difference between the issued in 1968 to publicize EFI- tramarine issue perforated of favor cancellations were ap- area, and they aren't as easy to cates. As you might suspect,
definitive and the Official MEX, an international stamp 51/2. plied for collectors in violation find as they once were. these overprints have been
stamps is that the latter have show staged in Mexico City im- The dated cancellation of this rule. There are a number of key forged.
no denomination. In the lower mediately following the Olym- shows that the cover was As shown in Figure 2, begin- stamps in the listings of Mexi- Another scarce stamp is
part of the oval that displays pic Games. mailed from Monterrey on ning in 1895 Mexican Official can Officials that fetch high Scott C018, an airmail Official.
the denomination on the defin- The Medallion design re- Aug. 24, 1894, to Marin, a short stamps were created simply by prices whenever they are sold. This one can be dangerous,
itives, the inscription "COR- mained in use on Mexican Of- distance away. overprinting regular postage Generally these are the top de- too, because another cheaper
RESPONDENCIA OFICIAL" is ficial stamps for about 10 The handwritten endorse- stamps with the word "OFI- nominations in a set or series. stamp, Scott Cia, has been the
FEBRUARY 8, 1988 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 1 1
object of fraudulent overprint- strikes, inverted overprints items separately, or some- century issues as well. thrown away by the govern- still isn't too crowded. A
ing. and so forth, and you come up times as part of a set, but you I once wondered if the post ment officials who received modest amount of money is
Another airmail Official to to about 500 or so collectible really didn't have too much to office deliberately chose poor- them. needed, but perhaps the
be wary of is Scott C030. At- items. lose when you purchased ly centered stock to overprint Mexican Officials offer a se- toughest part will be finding
tempts have been made to fa- Many of these stamps are stamps from the post office. as Official stamps. I'm sure rious collector plenty of oppor- sources of material. Let me
bricate fakes of this stamp by still available for pennies. Even if you ended up with a this was not the case, but a col- tunity to work in a field that know how you make out. II
perforating its cheap, roulet- When I left Mexico about 20 few duplicates, at least you lection of well-centered Offi-
ted cousin, Scott CO26. years ago, the philatelic win- knew you had genuine over- cials will require patience and
Including the airmail Offi- dow at the main post office prints to use for reference pur- diligence.
cials, there are about 270 ma- still had a substantial stock of poses. I've never had too much
jor varieties of Mexican Offi- what were then 30-year-old Of- Finding really fine copies of luck locating Official stamps
cial stamps. Add to this ficial stamps that they sold at some of the older Officials pre- on cover. Every so often a few
misspelled overprints, differ- face value. sents a challenge, and the crop up, but I suspect that the
ent colored overprints, double True, you had to buy the key same holds true for some 20th- vast majority were simply
10 LINN'S/ \ MP NEWS MARCH 14, 1988

Ultraviolet exposes new Mexican varieties

In an earlier article in Linn's on Aug. 13, after the ultraviolet light source is removed. printings of several engraved denominations Scott listings, but the effort is well rewarded
1984 (page 46), I focused on Mexico's long se- Mexican postal authorities began experi- on paper with the vertical "MEX-MEX" with a comprehensive picture of what exists.
ries of definitive airmail stamps used between menting with phosphorescent tagging and flu- watermark (Scott type 300) that looked like I know of no album which provides spaces
1950 and 1976, popularly called the Architec- orescent papers in the late 1960s. It seems they belonged in the 1955-65 series (Scott for all these varieties, although the Light-
ture and Archaeology series. there was no public announcement of this C218-21). house album for Mexico does a rather good
This series not only contains attractive fact, so it took a while for stamp collectors to On closer inspection, there were three nota- job of annotating and including the major va-
ble differences: the paper had an almost laid rieties. A showing of the complete series
like appearance, there was blotchy phos-
Mexico phorescence on the face of the stamp's when
would require mounting on blank pages.
Most of the varieties are still available from
By Dale Pulver viewed under ultraviolet light, and the per-
foration holes were smaller than those of the dealers specializing in modern Mexican is-
earlier issues. sues, but prices for some have been volatile,
stamps, but offers opportunity for serious and others are beginning to appear on buy
philatelic study of the varieties of papers, Scott C422, the 80c airmail stamp, is an in-
teresting variety printed on paper normally lists. It might be well to try to complete your
gum, watermarks and printings. collection before the scarcest of these stamps
The contemporary surface mail stamps of reserved for revenue stamps. It shows a
gets out of reach.
Mexico are similarly challenging, but were beehive pattern of fluorescent lines on either
the front or the back of the stamp. If you are one of those collectors who have
omitted from discussion to keep the article to
Figure 1. Some of Mexico's experimental The final printings of the Architecture and not yet experienced the joys of working with
a reasonable length.
coil airmail stamps of 1969, such as Scott Archaeology stamps in the mid-1970s, includ- ultraviolet light, you really should get with it.
However, one important aspect of these
C347, were printed on fluorescent paper, ing the two values shown in Figure 2, were all I feel it will soon be an indispensable tool for
stamps that did not receive attention in the
while others had a phosphorescent coating. on a chalky surfaced phosphorescent-coated collecting modern stamps of almost any coun-
earlier article was the sequence of late print-
paper. Some of them (Scott C444-51) had the try, and it can also be most useful in detecting
ings on light active paper. stumble upon stamps with light active mark-
"MEX-MEX" watermark; the rest (C471-80) repairs, fugitive hinge marks and filled thins.
Light active paper is paper which contains ings.
optical brighteners, or which has been coated As a result, collectors who thought they had did not. •
with light sensitive material, so that it reacts obtained all stamp varieties discovered they All but three of these stamps were printed By popular demand, next month we will re-
to ultraviolet light. were missing many of those printed on light by photogravure, and many were in contem- visit the Exporta series 'of stamps, which re-
For the past 20 years or so, many countries active papers. poraneous use with stamps of the then new mains an extremely popular facet of modern
have produced postal paper with these char- For example, the photogravure reissues in Exporta series. Mexican philately.
acteristics, both for security reasons and to 1963 of the 80-centavo, 5-peso, 10p, and 20p Unfortunately, the Scott catalog does not In this area, a good ultraviolet light is essen-
facilitate high-speed mail handling in rapid stamps (Scott C265-68) were first issued on or- differentiate between the light active paper tial, because it is practically the only way to
sorting and canceling machines. Mexico is no dinary papers. However, later printings show varieties, and it should be obvious from this detect subtle differences among the varieties.
exception. both fluorescence and phosphorescent coat- outline that the total picture is quite complex. If you're in the market for one, a dual range
In the long wave ultraviolet light range ings.
(3200-4000 angstroms), which I have found CONST1T
best for studying Mexican stamps, there are
two phenomena of interest: fluorescence and
Since the 80c denomination comes with two
die sizes and two different perforation for-
mats, the four Scott-listed stamps actually em-
50
PESOS
phosphorescence. Both terms refer to behav- brace more than 20 varieties. A couple of
ior of substances under ultraviolet light. these are not easy to find. coRReo
Fluorescence is the result of chemicals,
called optical brighteners, which are added
The next airmail stamp series in the Scott
catalog (C285 /C298) is split about half and
R6R60
during the paper-making process. half with respect to light-active papers.
Ordinary fluorescent paper glows, mostly in The engraved 20c, 40c, 50c, 80c, and 2p
white to bluish violet shades, but shows no stamps are on slightly fluorescent paper; the
afterglow when the ultraviolet light source is photogravure stamps are not. The 40c stamp Figure 2. Exposed under ultraviolet light, the phosphorescent coating on 1975 Architecture
removed. in this series is quite scarce. and Archaeology airmail issues, including Scott C449 and C451, is readily apparent.
Since optical brighteners permeate the pa- When experimental coil stamps, such as the
per, fluorescence is normally visible on both 20c issue shown in Figure 1, that first The 1982 fifth edition of the catalog of Mexi- ultraviolet light is recommended, with long
the front and back of stamps. "Hi-Brite" is a appeared in 1969 (C347-49) were examined can stamps by Celis Cano contains a table wave light for Mexican stamps and a short-
term often used to refer to a particularly light carefully, some were found to have been which is very helpful to anyone attempting to wave setting for stamps of the United States.
active type of this paper. printed on ordinary fluorescent paper, while search for these varieties. Collectors who would like to find out more
By contrast, phosphorescence is usually a others carried a phosphorescent coating on You must understand or translate a few will do well to refer to Wayne L. Youngblood's
yellow or amber glow from a surface coating the face of the stamp. Spanish words, and become accustomed to a Stamps that Glow column in last week's issue
which will persist for a fraction of a second In the 1971-73 time frame, there were some numbering system entirely different from the of Linn's (March 7, page 16). III
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 11, 1988

Endless variety in Mexico's

Exporta series
Unquestionably, the Exporta This doesn't even begin to printed. Paper thickness, gum of little use to the specialist.
stamps of Mexico are now account for the many, many texture and color, and behav- The 1.60p Bicycle airmail
among the most popular varieties serious collectors ior under ultraviolet light are stamp is a case in point. The
stamps of that nation. have identified and seek. the distinguishing factors. current Scott catalog recogniz-
Earlier columns in Linn's on During the 13 years that To be able to make these dis- es the unwatermarked 1975
July 8, 1985 (page 30), and Oct. these stamps have been avail- tinctions, you should possess stamp (Scott C491), a 1981 thin

Mexico
By Dale Pulver

14, 1985 (page 56), introduced

readers to some of the inter-
esting aspects of these issues.
More recently, my offer in
December of a rough checklist
of the Exporta issues generat-
ed more than 200 requests. Figure 1. The Cattle and Meat design from Mexico's Exporta series is still in regular use
This was far more than I had today, a dozen years after it was first issued. The original 80-centavo design is seen on the
expected, and attests to their left, and a recently issued 10-peso value on the right.
continuing appeal.
able, assorted papers, with and certain philatelic tools. A pa- paper variety (Scott C491a)
A brief review of these fasci-
without light-sensitive coat- per caliper and a watermark and a watermarked 1979 ver-
nating stamps is in order.
ings, have been used in the detector are useful. sion (Scott C596).
As the name implies, Expor- In fact, there are seven re-
many printings. You might be able to get by
ta stamps depict products
In a few instances, more without the caliper once you cognizably different varieties
manufactured or produced
than one die size exists for a get the feel for these stamps, of the stamp in the first four
within Mexico, and serve as
given design. Imperfect con- but a ultraviolet light is an ab- issues of the series.
miniature advertising labels
trol of printing inks has caused solute necessity. As noted in Figure 2 depicts the semi-
on mail leaving the country.
a number of color shades. last month's column, a long- transparent paper variety of
The illustrations show the
When all these aspects are wave ultraviolet lamp works the third issue 1.60p Bicycle on
standardized design. The prod-
thrown together, you have a best with Mexican stamps. the left, and a recent reissue of
uct occupies the left three-
specialist's paradise. As a Further key tools for intelli- the design as a 20p surface
fifths of the stamp, with the ex-
bonus, there are also some in- gent collecting are catalogs mail stamp on the right.
port logo, denomination and
teresting constant plate flaws. and albums, and here we begin Most of the well-known al-
class of service filling the bal-
Stamps with the Cattle and to run into problems. The Scott bums are found wanting, too.
ance of space. The designs are
Meat design, including the two catalog does not break the Ex- At present, I feel the best job
clean, the stamps are well
shown in Figure 1, are typical porta listings into the issue of providing for the Exporta
printed, and they come in a va-
of the diversity to be found types adequately, and so it is stamps has been done by the
riety of attractive colors.
among the Exporta issues. publishers of the Lighthouse
Up to now, 28 subjects, or
products, have been featured The 80-centavo denomina- specialized albums.
on Exporta stamps. Continuing tion seen on the left debuted Lighthouse has taken a keen
inflation in Mexico has caused with the series in the mid- interest in these issues, provid-
postage rates to rise sharply, 1970s. The five varieties listed ing pages with spaces for most
creating a need for even high- in the Scott catalog are among major varieties. Annual sup-
er denominations. 13 recognized by specialists in plements often include revi-
As a result, many of the these stamps. A recent reissue sions of previously issued pag-
product motifs have been re- of the Cattle and Meat design, es to accommodate new de-
cycled one or more times. now in a 10-peso denomina- nominations or discoveries.
New use of an old design has tion, appears on the right. Incidently, you may be able
To bring some order to the to secure through a Lighthouse
often produced perceptible
260-plus major varieties now dealer a pamphlet titled Over-
differences in color, paper or
perforation. between original recorded for the Exporta
and
nd subsequent stamps, most specialists divide
reprints. There are also sever- them into issues.
al dozen varieties simply as a These issues, which follow a
result of the redenominating rough chronological sequence,
of various designs to keep up are segregated according to
with Mexico's skyrocketing the characteristics of the pa-
postal rates. per on which the stamps are
 Figure 2. Seven varieties of the 1.60p Bicycle airmail stamp (left) can be recognized by
specialists. A new 20p surface rate value (right) continues this design in the Exporta series.

view of the Exporta Issues. ing collectors and dealers. It you an area of paper that is particularly those of the Maxi-
This pamphlet cross-refer- contains notes that should en- clear of the stamp's design for milian monarchy, of which he
ences major catalog listings able anyone to determine what careful scrutiny. was an ardent collector.
and gives very detailed infor- is present or missing from his In summary, the Mexican For years he served as the
mation on the stamps, maybe Exporta collection. Exporta stamps are prime can- chief examiner on the MEPSI
more than most people need. One difficulty in trying to didates for an attractive col- expertization committee. He
As far as mounting my own produce a universal checklist lection involving some fairly received all the top honors
Exporta collection goes, my is that the experts can't agree serious philatelic study. awarded by MEPSI, including
preference is to use blank al- on how many distinct issue Most of the varieties are still election to the Hall of Fame,
bum pages, which gives me groupings there should be. In available at modest prices, the Irwin Heiman memorial
maximum flexibility. some cases differences are so though there are some scarce award and the Distinguished
Without catalogs, how can subtle that people ignore them. ones that require a larger fi- Service award.
we know what is available in In my list, I have tried to nancial commitment. We will miss both John's ex-
the various issue groupings of strike a balance that should be One error, in which the phos- pert knowledge and his wise
the Exporta stamps? acceptable to all but the most phor coating appears on the counsel. ■
As promised in my Dec. 14, picky collectors. My checklist back of the stamp, is already
1987, column, for a stamped, of the Exporta stamps has well into the three-figure
addressed No. 10 envelope eight groupings in all. range. Fortunately, there are
sent to me in care of Linn's, I Judging from questions I but a handful of varieties in
will send you a copy of a re- received from readers, it is apt this more expensive category.
cently updated and expanded to take some time and practice •
checklist that I put together to to become adept at sorting Ex- With regret I add a
help me sort out the issues. porta stamps with the ultravio- postscript to this column an-
It is really a composite of in- let light. The difference be- nouncing the passing of anoth-
formation generously supplied tween phosphorescence and er of the giants of Mexican phi-
from several sources, includ- fluorescence continues to lately, John K. Bash of Port
confuse some collectors, and Republic, Md. He died on
was dealt with in last month's March 5.
column (March 14, page 10). John was mainly known for
The watermark in the sec- his authoritative articles on
ond Exporta issue is usually early Mexican postmarks,
hard to see clearly, and I don't which led to the book co-au-
have a good solution to that thored with the late Otto Yag
problem. Again, experience is entitled The Pre-Stamp Postai
the best teacher. Markings of Mexico.
One useful tip with stamps In recent years, John also
like the Exportas, where mi- wrote extensively in Mexica-
nor differences in the charac- na, the quarterly journal of the
ter of the paper are important, Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic
is to deliberately buy a few Society International. His arti-
sheet margin stamps. The cles dealt mostly with the
blank margin selvage gives stamps of the classic era, and
.34 LINN S AMP NEWS MAY 9, 1988

Gothic-overprinted stamps of early Mexico

This month we will consider would revert to the Sello Ne- were used on mail. These are not common, to be white paper, and the 8r green returned 8r black on brown
one of the many interesting in- gro handstamp system for Name overprinting, the nor- sure, but are relatively more on brown. stamps. In any event, so limit-
terludes in Mexican postal af- franking letters. mal Mexican post office prac- plentiful than similar varieties There was no record of ed were their numbers that no
fairs during the 19th century. The first of Mexico's first-is- tice to validate stamps for use, on the regular issues of 1856 these denominations in the re- separate record of them was
These are the Gothic name sue remainder stamps appear seems to have resumed in ear- and 1861. This is another indi- mainders inventory of May kept.
overprints on stamps of Mexi- to have been issued and used nest at about the time the thin- cation that the remainder 1864, when use of the Eagle The 4r on white paper is a
without a name overprint. We paper stamps were issued, and special case. Some experts be-
might speculate that postal continued until the full-face lieve that these stamps were
Mexico clerks, aware that the stamps Hidalgos came into use 13 made when a new printing of
By Dale Pulver were intended for use only in months later. 4r stamps on normal paper
the Mexico district, considered Figure 1 shows the stamped was ordered in the summer of
co's first design used during the overprinting unnecessary. impression of the Mexico 1867.
1867-68. Numerous covers bearing name in Gothic letters, applied The Scott catalog formerly
These stamps are listed in non-overprinted stamps with with the same device used for priced this stamp, but discon-
the Standard Postage Stamp June and July 1867 dates have overprinting the Eagle and tinued the listing in the early
Catalogue as Scott 35-45, a been recorded. Maximilian issues. The earli- 1980s. So many of the stamps
group that includes three of At about the same time, an est recorded usage of the Goth- purporting to be this variety
the rarest classic stamps of order was given to clean up ic Mexico overprint is Aug. 9. turn out to be 1856 remainders
Mexico. the plates of the 1861 issue and Collecting these Gothic over- with forged overprints that
First, some historical per- reprint the four low denomina- prints can be frustrating for genuine copies rarely appear
spective is useful. tions, excluding the 8r value. the fussy collector. Much of on the market.
This order gave rise to the the 1861 remainder stock, es- Figure 2. Two 2-reale stamps with the Gothic Mexico over-
In the spring of 1867, the Over the years, some stu-
pecially the 1r and 2r stamps, print: a printing on pinkish paper from the 1861 remainders
French-supported monarchy dents have refused to accept
(left) and a printing in green on thin paper of the 1867 reissue
collapsed completely. Arch-
duke Maximilian was executed ,cr had been poorly printed and
clear impressions are hard to
find. The thin-paper reissues
(right). Characteristic of the remainders, the overprint is ex-
tremely difficult to see on the stamp on the left.
the Gothic overprints as regu-
lar issues. They claim, with a
on June 19.
The Mexican army occupied Figure 1. An enlargement of generally gets better marks in stock was of substandard qual-
the capital on June 21, and the stamped impression of this respect. ity to begin with.
President Benito Juarez ar- the 1867-68 Mexico overprint. Figure 2 shows the differ- While the vast majority of
rived in the city on July 15. The style of lettering gives ence in printing quality be- Gothic overprinted stampt are
On Aug. 6, a decree was is- the Gothic overprinted issues tween these issues. The verti- found with Mexico City cancel-
sued to the secretary of the their name. cal "Mexico" overprint is bare- lations or on covers originating
treasury for reorganization of 1867 reissues printed on thin, ly visible on the 2r remainder there, an occasional letter
fiscal matters including the gray revenue paper with the issue on the left, beginning at crops up from a nearby town.
collection and distribution of large R.P.S. (Renta Papel Sel- the OS of "DOS" on the stamp's
Figure 3 shows a cover from
revenue. lado) watermark, Scott 42-45. design and running upwards. It
my collection bearing a pair of
New postage stamps would The watermark appeared is easily seen on the 1867 reis-
the lr Gothics, mailed from
be designed and printed, but only once in the center of each sue on the right.
and canceled in Chalco, a
these would not appear until sheet of stamps, so about half Further, the name over-
small village southeast of Mex-
September 1868. Continued of the reissued stamps will prints and cancellations are of-
ico City. It is dated Sept. 9,
use of stamps of the deposed show parts of it. ten found smudged, reflecting
1868, at the very end of the us-
monarch was unthinkable. It was not a large printing. carelessness on the part of
age period.
Meanwhile, postal authorities Only 15,000 1/2 r stamps, 26,200 postal workers. Figure 3. A Sept. 9, 1868, letter from Chalco to Puebla. A pair
located remainders of the 1861 1r stamps, 81,320 2r stamps Since use was limited to In fact, the full-face Hidalgo
stamps were already on sale in of the lr Gothic overprints is canceled with an oval wreath
issue, mostly 1-reale and 2r and 13,470 4r stamps came off Mexico, the usual cancella- "Franqueado/EN/Chalco" handstamp.
stamps. the presses. tions were the double-ring Mexico City. At this time, all
Because the relatively small Postal records indicate that datestamp types common to but the lr Gothic overprinted stamps became mandatory. certain logic, that these stamps
quantities were insufficient to most, if not all, of these thin- the period. stamps had been sold out. It is generally assumed that were strictly limited in their
service the entire country, it paper stamps were sold. These Gothic overprinted The scarcest of these Gothic the 1/2r stamps were probably use and should be classified as
was determined that these re- Unused examples, particularly stamps are the source of a fair overprinted stamps, and the among returns from outlying provisionals.
mainders would be reissued the lr and 4r denominations, number of varieties printed on key stamps in any collection of post offices received later. The In this same time period, the
for local use only. The rest of are scarce and high-priced, both sides, especially among first design varieties, are the rare 8r stamps may have been district of Guadalajara issued
the post offices in the republic suggesting that the majority the 1861 lr and 2r remainders. 1/2 r black on buff, the 4r on part sheets mixed in with the an extensive series of provi-
sional stamps. The state of Chi- ry stamp, perf 14, 36.0 milli-
apas and the town of Cuerna- meters, exists in issues 2 and 4.
vaca did too, but authentically Another 50p stamp, the blue
used copies are very rare. and yellow Books design, perf
As you would expect, the 14, 36mm, exists in issues 5, 6,
forgers have been at work with 7 and 8, with color varieties re-
the Gothic overprints, espe- ported in 5 and 7.
cially the rare values. Many These omissions apply only
are rather crudely done and to those Exporta checklists
not too hard to distinguish. mailed out before April 21.
A few cheap 2r Eagles with Lists sent out after that date
clear name overprints can are complete.
serve as good examples for
I apologize for this mistake
comparison to detect the more
made by an inadvertent slip of
obvious fakes.
the scissors. I will be happy to
Still, the valuable Gothic
mail a corrected page to any
overprinted stamps should al-
of the recipients who drops me
ways be acquired with ex
a postal card requesting one.
treme care as many dangerous
forged overprints do exist. My sincere thanks go to
• Civia Tuteur, an alert Exporta
I knew it would happen fan in Chicago who first
eventually, and it did. There brought this omission to my at-
are two glaring omissions on tention.
page 2 of the first group of Ex- Response has been most
porta checklists that I mailed gratifying, as well over 100
out. readers sent for Exporta lists
In the 50-peso category a within two weeks of the
violet, silver and black Jewel- offer. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 13, 1988

Postmarks track growth of Mexican railroads

The postal history of the rail- when numerous grants were offices were officially author- form of "Oficina Postal Ambu- Marfil in the state of Guanaju- about 1903 and are found in
roads of Mexico is a broad given to promote business and ized. lante" or "Administracion Am- ato. This was a branch line of many types.
field that I have not previously commerce. There is a vast array of bulate," which means travel- the Central Mexican Railroad Figure 2 shows a cover with
discussed in this column. For the railroad people this markings associated with the ing post office in Spanish, the which ran from Mexico City, a typical OPA cancellation.
This area has been the ob- was an exciting era. Lines railroads. The earliest of these equivalent of the railway post through Chihuahua, to Ciudad The OPA initials and route
ject of study by a few serious sprang up everywhere, many are the so-called conductor offices in contemporary use in Juarez on the U.S. border. number are at the top of the
the United States and Europe.
Figure 1 shows a cover with
Mexico another type of railroad post-
By Dale Pulver mark called the agent type.
Since the datestamp is weakly
philatelists. Still, there is much struck, I will describe the im-
about the railroad mail system portant elements.
that is not known, providing At the top is "Ag. Post. * 21."
considerable opportunities for This stands for Postal Agent
the inquisitive collector. 21. The central panel contains
The history of the railroads the date and time the letter
in Mexico is fascinating, very was processed, "Dec 12, 1910
much intertwined with the de- 3:00 PM."
velopment of rail systems in At the bottom the cancel
the United States and abroad. reads "SIL * MARF." In marks
Figure 1. An agent type railway postmark of 1910 cancels this Figure 2. An OPA traveling post office duplex of 1914 ties a
Concessions to build rail- of this type, this normally indi-
Mexican stamped envelope. Sonora provisional stamp to a cover to Hermosillo, Mexico.
roads in Mexico were granted cates the route on which the
as early as 1850, with most of them in non-standard rail types. These are oval or circu- letter was processed. There are numerous agent datestamp, and the initials of
going to British and American gauges. The mining interests lar handstamps containing the The agents in charge of the type postmarks. They are fair- the railroad appear at the bot-
capitalists. were particularly active in this name of the railroad line, a traveling post offices applied ly easily identified because tom.
The first line, a link between regard because of the difficult date slug and the word "con- their own cancellations on they contain either the word This postmark shows that
Veracruz and Mexico City with terrain and remote locations ductor," sometimes with a mail that did not receive pro- "Agente" or the abbreviation the letter was handled on the
a branch to Puebla, opened in where efficient freight service numeral designation. cessing at the town post offic- "Ag." Southern Pacific Railroad of
1872 although parts of it were was needed. Then came the ambulante es, or which was handed di- Although the agent markings Mexico during the time of the
in use before that time. The The Mexican railroads car- handstamps. These display rectly to them along the route. continued to be used after revolution. It is franked with a
most expansive railroad build- ried mail almost from the be- similar information, except In the example shown in Fig- 1900, they were mostly re- provisional stamp of Sonora
ing programs occurred ,be- ginning, but designating post- that the word "ambulante" re- ure 1, "SIL * MARF" stands placed by Oficina Postal Am- State, and a backstamp shows
tween 1876 and 1910, during marks are not known until the places "conductor." for a segment of railroad be- bulante, or OPA, devices. it was delivered to Hermosillo
the tenure of Porfirio Diaz, early 1880s, when railway post "Ambulante" is a shortened tween the towns of Silao and These came into general use on the same day it received
the OPA cancellation. published in HPO Notes, jour- for tracking down the obscure
The canceler is a duplex nal of the Mobile Post Office location markings in some of
type with killer containing the Society. the handstamps. I used these
initials EUM, for the United Thomas Todson also pub- maps to pinpoint where the
States of Mexico. lished a preliminary listing of postmark on the cover in Fig-
Figure 3 shows part of a cov- authorized ambulante routes ure 1 was applied.
er with an even more modern in the April 1981 issue of Mexi- Ambulante markings have
type of railroad handstamp. cana, and indicated plans to been used right up into the
Here the rim inscription has publish a monograph on the modern era, and recent exam-
been reduced to simply read ples aren't too hard to find.
"SERVICIO/AMBULANTE." Many of the reproductions in
The office number appears the references cited were
both above and below the date based on single recorded ex-
panel and also at the center of amples. One author estimated,
the killer bar. based on a survey of an un-
This letter was posted picked lot of Mexican stamps
aboard a traveling post office and covers from the 1890-1910
in the state of Veracruz on period, that less than 1 percent
Feb. 20, 1928, and was of regular mail received rail-
received in Mexico City the road cancellations.
following day. Figure 3. This Servicio Ambu- It seems to me these items
I know of no single consoli- lante duplex from a 1928 cov- are well worth looking for
dated source for information er clearly shows the travel- when you are rummaging
on all the railway-related post- ing post office number, 235. through cover boxes at the
al markings of Mexico. subject, but I do not believe it next bourse you attend. Also
The Mexico-Elmhurst Phila- has been completed yet. check your -loose Mexican
telic Society International Reproductions of the first stamps too for railroad post of-
quarterly journal, Mexicana, railway postmark types are fice cancellations. ■
has carried articles on railway shown in Dr. Karl Schimmer's
postmarks from time to time, definitive book, The Post-
notably those by the late Rob- marks of Mexico 1874-1900,
ert Evans in 1961, and by Pe- published in 1977 by MEPSI.
ter Lerpiniere in 1964. The lat- This book also contains post of-
ter article was simultaneously fice maps that are very useful
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 11, 1988

Early agents moved Mexico's mail abroad

This column deals with a fa- In the majority of cases for- co joined the UPU and such warding agents? The usual ant, VeraCruz, March 6/42, had them made especially for
cet of postal history that has warding agents had other prin- special handling became un- practice was to apply, either in Jose Riba." the purpose with appropriate
always been a favorite subject cipal occupations. They were necessary. manuscript or by handstamp, Forwarders' handstamps, or wording, there are instances
of mine, forwarding agents. merchant bankers, import and The peak of forwarding ac- endorsements to that effect. cachets, come in a variety of where a simple merchants'
Before the Universal Postal export agents, consular offi- tivity was between 1830 and Endorsements in English forms and colors. There are handstamp was used. In such
Union provided the basis for cials, ship owners, and even about 1870. While some for- contain such words as "For- straightlines, boxes, ovals and cases, forwarding must be
warded by ...," "Received and deduced from the letter con-
Forwarded by . . .," "Rec'd & tents, routing, or the fact that
Mexico Forw'd by your ob't (obedient) the handstamp is that of a
By Dale Pulver servant . ." and so forth. known forwarder.
Depending on the nationality The vast majority of for-
official linkages between the of the forwarder, other lan- warding handstamps and en-
postal systems of various coun- guages were used. dorsements are found on the
tries, there were problems in The phrase "Acheminee par backs of letters, and this com-
transmitting mail across na- .." was in French, "Befordert plicates the matter of display-
. . ." was the German phrase, Figure 2. The French-lan- ing them in an exhibit. Most of
tional boundaries, especially
and "Dirigida por ." or "En- guage handstamp of another us would prefer to show the
when the transfer involved a
caminada por . . ." were em- Veracruz forwarding agent, address side, too, but this is not
long ocean voyage.
Leverger Brothers. always possible.
How could a merchant in the ployed in Spanish.
interior of Mexico, for exam- Numerous abbreviations oc- circles, struck in black, red Figure 3 illustrates the
ple, ensure that his letter to a cur, too, which sometimes and blue. centerpiece of my Mexican
business contact in London Figure 1. The manuscript notation in the upper left corner on make deciphering a bit of a Figure 2 supplies another ex- forwarding agents' exhibit. It
would be delivered quickly the back of this 1842 letter from Mexico to London records the challenge. Most endorsements ample drawn from the city of is a rare example of triple for-
and efficiently? services of Jose Riba, a forwarding agent in Veracruz. were signed by the forwarder Veracruz. Originally struck in warding involved in the
This is where a forwarding coffee house proprietors. warding has been noted on let- and many were dated. blue on the back of a letter to transmittal of a single sheet
agent could help. What they all had in corn- ters moving entirely within Figure 1 shows the back of Paris, this is the French-lan- letter from Oaxaca, Mexico, to
The best definition of a for- mon were connections to the Mexico, most involved the an 1842 cover forwarded from guage forwarding agent's London, England.
warding agent is probably transportation links that could transit to or from the United Veracruz. The two manuscript handstamp of Leverger Broth- The first forwarder, Mann-
found in Kenneth Rowe's de- facilitate and expedite the States and Europe. lines at the upper left translate ers. ing, Marshall & Co., of Vera-
finitive 1984 book on the sub- movement of letters and How do we know when let- from the Spanish as "Received Although the majority of for- cruz, recovered the letter from
ject, The Postal History of the goods. They saw to it that the ters have been handled by for- and forwarded by your serv- warders who used handstamps the Mexican mails, paid the
Forwarding Agents. mail moved smoothly from
Rowe defines a forwarding one mail system to another.
agent as "A person, or firm, The practice of forwarding
who undertakes to see that the letters began as early as 1810,
goods or correspondence of although the first recorded ex-
another are transported with- amples in Mexico date from
out himself acting as the car- the 1820s. It continued right up
rier." until the late 1870s when Mexi-
 JULY 11,1988 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 15
mark in blue, adds visual ap- of serial numerical notations in 19th-century Mexico. Typi- those dealers who specialize in
peal to this exceptional letter. recorded within or near their cally they were located in the postal history and carry stocks
Covers with multiple for- handstamps. But most postal centers of commerce and the of 19th-century stampless cov-
warding are always exciting. historians believe the forward- major seaports. ers. Forwarded covers also
Letters with markings of two ers did this as a means of ad- New names come to light crop up in auctions from time
forwarders are scarce enough, vertising their names, and as a from time to time, so the lists to time. Don't forget to check
but beyond that they become service to regular customers. can never be complete. letters going into Mexico; for-
noteworthy rarities. While the prestamp era and For those whose appetite for warders handled them in both
There are less than a half the period when stamps were more information on the for- directions.
dozen recorded examples of not mandatory provide most of warding agents has been
triple forwarding covers from the examples of forwarded let- whetted by this column, I Until postal history became
Mexico. ters to and from Mexico, there strongly recommend the Rowe such a hot topic a decade or so
The only known example of are also attractive covers bear- book, which is worldwide in ago, these covers weren't in
quadruple forwarding in the ing stamps. scope. great demand. Now, they are
world involves a letter from In nearly all cases, the It is available for $35 from becoming tougher to find, not
Mazatlan, Mexico, to London stamps paid only a part of the Leonard Hartmann, Box 36006, because there are so many col-
Figure 3. No fewer than three oval forwarding agents' that passed through the hands lectors of forwarders' mark-
cost to carry the letter. Postal Louisville, Ky. 40233. A. Basur-
handstamps from Veracruz and New York appear on the back of two Mexican and two U.S. ings, but because the transat-
fees for the final delivery had to wrote a nice review (in
of this scarce 1841 letter from Oaxaca to London, England. forwarders. lantic mail that normally
to be extracted from the ad- Spanish) limited to the Mexi-
final forwarding to London. There has always been a dressee. I have several exam- can forwarders in the March- bears bunches of interesting
domestic postage due, and for-
The cover could not be question as to whether the for- ples where the forwarder April issue of Amexfil, the bi- postal markings has become so
warded it to New York, possi-
mounted to show the obverse warding agents charged for bought and affixed appropri- monthly journal of the Mexi- very popular. ■
bly in private hands or in a
bundle containing other letters of the letter, but luckily, there their efforts in expediting the ate postage stamps. can Association of Philately.
since there are no United were no important markings mail they handled. If they did, Although we will probably A more difficult question is
States markings. on the face. The fact that the it was never noted on the let- never know the number that of where to find letters
In New York, it passed two New York forwarders' ca- ters. precisely, there appear to with forwarding agents' mark-
through Gilpin's Exchange and chets are in red, and the Vera- We know that some of them have been upwards of 100 for- ings.
,on to Heckscher & Coster for cruz forwarder struck his kept logs or registers because warding agents who operated My best sources have been
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 8, 1988

New Exportas released in record values The 1,000p Farm Machinery stamp depicts
We all knew it had to happen sooner or lat- The Exporta stamps are a 13-year-old series As on previously issued high denominations
er. Mexico had to issue more Exporta stamps. of horizontal-format definitive and airmail is- of the Exporta series, there is a printed bure- a stylized disc harrow in red and black. The
With continued inflation, the United States sues depicting products manufactured or pro- lage or background of fine gray lines that stamp repeats the design of the 5.20p airmail
dollar now equals 2,290 pesos. duced in Mexico. There are now 270 or more curve to the lower left on the five new high stamp of the 1975-79 first Exporta issue,
Postal rate increases have left scarcely collectible Exporta varieties. values. The gum is shiny and, under ultravio- which hadn't been used on any stamp since
enough room on postcards from Mexico to ac- The newly issued 600p through 900p denom- let light, the stamps show a low level of since.
inations appear to be printed on the same pa- Figure 3 shows the 5,000p top denomination
per used for the most recent series, which of the nine new issues, which uses the cotton
Mexico many collectors identify as the eighth issue of boll for its theme.
By Dale Pulver the Exporta series. This is the same design selected for the
The paper is very thick, about 0.10 millime- 500p stamps of the seventh and eighth issues.
commodate the stamps required for postage ters. It is unwatermarked, has bright fluores- I have to wonder if the very strong similarity
and still leave room for a message. I have one cence on the face (more so than on the gum in designs and denominations may not cause
with 750p franking where the sender over- side of the stamp), and has a dull, somewhat some confusion among the clerks dispensing
lapped three Exporta stamps to maximize the creamy-colored polyvinyl acetate (PVA) gum. stamps at the sales counters.
space for his greeting. The 1,000p to 5,000p high denominations True, the green of the 5,000p stamp has
On about June 1, nine new Exporta stamps are printed on entirely different stock, also more yellow in it than the 500p stamps do,
appeared with face values ranging from 600p about 0.10mm thick. The paper is not so white Figure 2. The Exporta Jewelry design of and there is an extra zero in the value. How-
1983 was recently revived for use in this ever, at a fast glance the stamps do look pret-
new 600-peso denomination issued in June. ty much the same.
Value Description Width
We'll wait and see if identification problems
(pesos) of Design Colors (millimeters) splotchy fluorescence.
All of the nine new Exporta stamps released
600p Jewelry violet, silver & black 36.0mm in June are perforated 14.
700p Movie Film black, red & green 35.5mm Even though these stamps have a total face
800p Tiles brown & reddish brown 35.5mm* value of 18,000p, or roughly $8, I suspect that
900p Auto Parts black 35.5mm they will prove to be popular with fans of Ex-
1,000p Farm Machinery red & black 36.5mm porta issues.
These stamps feature the highest denomina-
2,000p Wrought Iron black 36.5mm
tions ever issued by the Mexican post office.
3,000p Electrical Cable blue-black & orange 35.5mm
Except for the Antonio Caso commemorative
4,000p Honey brown & yellow-brown 35.0mm*
of 1983, Scott 1342, the five high values are
5,000p Cotton orange & yellow-green 36.0mm* Mexico's first extensive use of granite paper.
Of the nine Exporta motifs used, six should Figure 3. This new 5,000p Exporta is the
All stamps are perforated in gauge 14. highest Mexican denomination ever issued.
be very familiar, having been prominent in
* Design width can vary slightly depending on register of colors during the
the last two issues. But it is good to see some develop. Check the covers you see for acci-
printing process.
of the early, less well-known designs brought dental overpayment or underfranking.
back. For the time being, there will be no updat-
Figure 1. This table presents the characteristics of nine stamps added to the Exporta series Figure 2 shows a three-color Jewelry de- ing of my checklist of the Exporta stamps of
in early June to keep pace with Mexico's spiraling inflation. Important paper and gum differ- sign, last used on the 1981 50p stamp of the Mexico.
ences between the high and low denominations are also detailed in the accompanying article. fourth issue, now used for the new 600p Some of my contacts feel we will see some
to 5,000p. There were no new designs on the and is what is referred to as granite paper, stamps. minor varieties in this new group of nine Ex-
stamps, all of which depict Mexican export with randomly embedded fine bluish threads. The 700p stamp shows a strip of film in portas as time goes on.
products that have been previously shown. The high values are watermarked "MEX - three colors. This Movie Film motif was used I obtained a set from each of two different
Figure 1 is a chart listing the salient charac- MEX" with the Mexican eagle, identified in only once before, on the 1981 20p airmail sources and found that one of the 4,000p
teristics of the new Exporta stamps. the Scott catalog as watermark type 300. stamp of the third issue. stamps displayed a brighter fluorescence than
the other, but probably not enough to be con- What makes Shelton's list valuable to the
sidered a new variety. serious collector of Mexico, in my opinion, is
Any feedback and information on the Ex- a series of fairly detailed introductions to the
porta varieties encountered by readers is al- various issues.
ways welcome. These write-ups give important information,
Incidentally, I still have a number of the . including the background of the issue, brief
previously revised Exporta stamp checklists details on printing and production, how to dis-
available for interested collectors. tinguish some of the common forgeries, gen-
A copy of the Exporta checklist can be ob- eral information on overprinting and so forth.
tained for free by sending a 25C stamped, ad- It is certainly not the last word for those
dressed No. 10 envelope. Write to me in care who intend to specialize extensively, but it
of Linn's Stamp News, Box 29, Sidney, Ohio does summarize a great deal of information
45365. that until now had to be gleaned from various
• separate sources.
Last month's mail brought a copy of the The substantial 164-page paperbound list is
1988 price list of the postage stamps of Mexi- available for $4.95 from Bill Shelton Philatel-
co published by Bill Shelton Philatelics of San ics, Drawer 39838, San Antonio, Texas 78218.
Antonio, Texas. •
Shelton has made a market in Mexican While on the subject of philatelic literature
stamps for many years and is one of only a about Mexico, the Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic
few dealers attempting to maintain a retail Society International currently has in stock
stock of Mexico in depth, especially the clas- about a dozen publications available to inter-
sic material. ested collectors.
Shelton's new price list tabulates every ma- These include definitive works on Mexican
jor Scott-listed variety, as well as many of the revenue stamps, the late 19th-century post-
recognized subvarieties that Scott does not in- marks and Mexican postal stationery, along
clude. with smaller studies on a variety of other sub-
As one might expect, most of the very jects.
scarce items are not priced, which means For a MEPSI philatelic literature price list,
they are not in stock. These are best acquired send a stamped, addressed No. 10 envelope to
by means of private treaty purchase or at Carl LeMar John, 4337 E. 5th St., Tucson, Ariz.
public auction. 85711. ■
34 LINN'S MP NEWS SEPTEMBER 12, 1988

The challenging Juarez issues of 1879-83

One of the quirks in the his- letter weighing one-half ounce features of the earlier classic a total of only 84 copies of thearray of them was seen at AM- raw material for favor cancel-
tory of Mexican postal affairs was charged 25c up to 45 miles issues, including overprinted 100c stamp. Only one used ex- ERIPEX 86 in Isaac Backal's lations or, in some instances,
is that for a period of about and 35c beyond that distance. district names and consign- ample has ever been recorded. Mexican maritime mail exhib- outright forgeries.
four years, there were two dis- The idea of separate issues ment numbers. The numerical Covers bearing the Juarez it, which won a large gold Complicating the matter fur-
tinct stamp issues in simulta- for foreign and for internal use overprints are a combination stamps are highly prized by award. The highlight of this ther is the fact that mute can-
neous use. was a neat solution to this of an account number assigned collectors and have become group was a portion of a cels were supposed to be used
I told half the story in my problem. The stamps would to each of the various postal rather pricey. A spectacular wrapper bearing 20 copies of on the Juarez stamps. These
districts plus the last two digits the 24c Juarez, plus three are not too difficult to dupli-
of the year. stamps from other issues. cate.
Mexico The overprint 5479, for ex- Unused Juarez stamps both As the Scott catalog notes,
By Dale Pulver ample, designates the Mexico with and without overprints the 1882 10c brown, 25c
district, No. 54, and a stamp is- are fairly abundant in certain orange brown and 85c red
column in the Sept. 8, 1986, is- sued in 1879. denominations. At the expira- violet on thin paper were nev-
sue of Linn's (page 34), which Mexico was the last district tion of the issue in 1883, rela- er placed in use and will never
dealt with the Hidalgo issue of on the list of accounts. The tively large stocks of unused be found with genuine over-
1874-83. other 53 districts were as- remainders were returned to prints or cancellations.
The Hidalgo issue was used signed numbers from 1 (Zamo- the main post office, and most Mexico's consignment over-
to frank both domestic and for- ra) to 53 (Acapulco) in reverse of these stamps eventually print system provides some in-
eign mail until 1879 when Mex- alphabetical order. found their way into the phila- teresting varieties. For exam-
ico joined the Universal Postal Collecting the Juarez stamps telic market. ple, you will occasionally find
Union. presents the would-be special- A few had been invalidated a Juarez stamp with two con-
After Mexico gained UPU Figure 1. An unoverprinted ist with a formidable chal- Figure 2. Though most Juarez with pen cancellations, but un- signment overprints, including
membership, another set of 25-centavo Juarez from the lenge. Legitimately used cop- stamps display mute cancels, fortunately many of the clean one usually in red, and with
stamps was prepared called 1879 thick-paper printing has ies are not rare, but are this copy of the 5c has a Vera- stamps and those with over- perhaps two district names.
a plate crack at the top left. scarcer than one might sus- cruz circular datestamp. prints have since been used as This demonstrates an in-
the Juarez issue, Scott 123-45.
It was so named because the clearly signal foreign-bound pect.
stamps bore the portrait of letters to postal workers, and In those days there was not a
Benito Juarez, hero of the War also facilitate sorting and ac- great deal of foreign mail to
of Reform and president of the counting. begin with, and most of it ema-
Mexican Republic during and There were eight values in nated from the few Mexican
after the period of French oc- the first Juarez series, from lc port cities and towns of com-
cupation, from 1863 to 1867. to 100c, cataloged as Scott 123- mercial importance.
These stamps were for ex- 30. These were printed on fair- Low-denomination stamps
clusive use on foreign-bound ly thick wove paper. from these places are not too
mail, while the Hidalgo stamps Figure 1 shows an unover- hard to find. Figure 2, for ex-
were reserved for use on do- printed 25c Juarez from this ample, shows a 5c Juarez obli-
mestic mail. first 1879 printing, Scott 127a. terated with the datestamp of
The reason for this dual sys- This copy has a plus for the Veracruz.
tem was quite simple. One of collector in the form of a hair- Although all of the smaller
the objectives of the UPU was line plate crack to the left districts were issued Juarez
to standardize mail rates above the top of the design. stamps, usage in many of these
among the member countries. Between 1881 and 1883, new areas was extremely limited,
At that time a half-ounce for- printings appeared on a much and some are indeed extreme-
eign letter was to be charged thinner wove paper, including ly rare.
at 25 French centimes or 5¢ in some color changes and new Higher denominations, par-
United States currency. Since 12c and 24c denominations. ticularly those above 25c, are
the peso was almost at par Although listed separately, likewise scarce to rare in used
with the U.S. dollar, Mexico the Numeral stamps of 1882, condition, even from the larg-
wanted to adhere to a 5-centa- Scott 146-49, belong to the for- er districts.
vo rate. eign mail issue too, and includ- R.R. Billings, who made a
However, Mexico's internal ed two denominations not lifetime project of collecting
postal rates were extremely found in the Juarez series. these issues, noted that the
high. For example, a domestic These stamps have all the busy seaport of Acapulco sold
stance in which surplus stamps tors as a "habilitado," or reval- printing office. However, there most easily seen in the upper
returned to the main post of- idated stamp. are some fairly dramatic plate left corner of the stamp. Such
fice were reassigned to anoth- This lc thin paper Juarez flaws to be found by the sharp- flaws are worth looking for.
er district. originally received the con- eyed collector, such as the The philatelic literature on
Figure 3 shows one such signment overprint 3782 and plate crack in Figure 1. the Juarez issue is pretty skim-
stamp, referred to by collec- "GUADALAJARA" district The 24c Juarez shown in Fig- py. There are a few articles in
name. Returned to the post of- the older issues of Mexicana.
fice, it was given a new 5083 In 1937, Jose L. Cossio wrote
overprint in red along with the and published a small mono-
"CAMPECHE" district mark- graph in Spanish on the Hidal-
ing for use there. go and Juarez issues of 1874-
Many collectors are apt to be 83. I am unaware of any other
discouraged in their search for such definitive works.
thin paper Juarez stamps in The Juarez issue, together
good condition. This paper was with its contemporaries, the
very difficult to handle, the Hidalgo and Small Numeral
majority of stamps were poor- stamps, marked the end of
ly perforated, and used copies Mexico's era of district name
generally suffered further de- and consignment number
terioration during the soaking overprints. Though name over-
Figure 3. This revalidated lc off process. Figure 4. A 24c Juarez shows prints crop up on later stamps,
Juarez stamp, or "habilitado" The printing of the Juarez a striking double transfer in Mexican postal regulations no
was first given the district stamps, which was carried out its design, most notably in the longer required them.
name and consignment num- in Mexico, was carefully done. top left corner of the stamp. These issues may not be to
ber for Guadalajara, then lat- The stamps represent exam- ure 4 displays another breath- everyone's collecting taste, but
er overprinted with a new ples of fine engraving and a taking variety, a remarkable I have found them to be inter-
number in red and the dis- high level of workmanship double transfer at several esting and not without great
trict name of Campeche. achieved at the government points in the left of the design, challenge and opportunity. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 10, 1988

Colorful Mexican cover has much to offer

STAMPSHOW 88 did not are in purple. The result is a clear strike of the El Paso re- dispatched on the direct train took three days more. So the We do know that the 1910
have any exhibits of Mexican very colorful item. gistry handstamp, applied to Monterrey. From there it letter was just a week in trans- Centennial issue was printed in
stamps or covers, so I spent But its philatelic charms when the letter was trans- went west to Torreon, where it it, which is comparable to the massive quantities, and that
quite a bit of time there visit- don't end there. ferred to the United States caught the central Mexican time it often takes now for let- large stocks were distributed
ing the dealers to see if any of The reverse of the cover, postal system, and a San Fran- railway to Chihuahua and ters from Mexico to reach me. to the major cities of Mexico.
During the revolutionary
“yl 0 era, various warring factions
Mexico "EL GILSTTON DtitatONAL''
,
applied overprints and sur-
By Dale Pulver • 04.3 vez.04 charges to these stamps, which
4roalut tiAtatea77,11147 were then used in the areas
:Nsi....3RrAcKvau,s;
them had Mexican material of itigrA). f under their control.
interest. This column is about We could speculate that the
a fortunate acquisition at that Tampico post office ran out of
ez/kt,
show. certain denominations of the
Since the classic material I AZ-Ntto-9*Ilidk then-current issue and dipped
favor is becoming more and into its stock of remainders.
ei14C,v On the other hand, perhaps
more difficult to find, and con-
sequently much more expen- 12 6: 4. the merchant who sent this let-
sive, I have begun looking for • ter had a supply of pre-revolu-
unusual 20th-century usages Figure 1. This attractive and well-traveled advertising enve- Figure 2. The reverse side of the cover shown in Figure 1 tionary stamps that he was
such as advertising and regis- lope was mailed in 1922 by a wholesale and retail grocer in displays transit markings and is franked with a strip of Mexi- anxious to use up.
try covers. Tampico, Mexico, to the Canton Bank in San Francisco, Calif. co's Centennial stamps, originally issued in 1910. At one time, philatelists
Figure 1 shows the face of a shown in Figure 2, bears a cisco receiving handstamp, ap- thence to Ciudad Juarez. Another very interesting fea- thought there had been a gen-
cover I bought in Detroit at strip of six of the 5-centavo de- plied in the registry section. This thousand-mile journey ture of the cover that caught eral demonetization of early
STAMPSHOW. The attractive nomination of the 1910 Centen- All of these handstamps, ex- within Mexico required four my attention is the use of the issues of postage stamps late in
corner card was the first thing nial issue, Scott 314, which cept the Tampico marks, are days. That's not too bad when 1910 Centennial issue to frank 1916, when currency deprecia-
to catch my eye, but then I no- paid the 30c postage and regis- in purple or magenta. you consider that there were this 1922 letter. tion in Mexico was such that it
ticed that the cover was regis- try fee. With this evidence, it is fair- at least two transfers involved A glance at your Scott cata- cost 71/2 pesos or more to mail
tered, too. The stamps are tied by three ly easy to track the route that and the Mexicans were still re- log will show there were Sever- a registered letter.
The illustration and printing clear strikes of the duplex re- this cover followed from Tam- building railway services dev- al intervening definitive issues It is now known that this did
on the envelope are in blue. gistry canceler of Tampico. pico, where it was mailed, to astated by the revolution. between 1910 and 1922, so this not happen, or at least I am un-
The address and most of the There are also two faint im- its final destination in San The U.S. portion of the jour- represents a fairly late usage aware of any postal regulation
Chinese pictographs are in pressions of the certification Francisco. ney, west from El Paso and of these stamps. I have no to this effect.
black, and the postal markings handstamp of Ciudad Juarez, a At Tampico the cover was then north to San Francisco, good explanation for this. There are numerous legiti-
mate post-revolutionary let- per right in Figure 1.
ters, like this one, franked with It is written in the same pur-
pre-revolution postage stamps. ple ink as the second column
These covers are important of Chinese characters, so I sus-
items of early 20th-century pect it does not have postal sig-
postal history and are well nificance. It may have been
worth watching for. docketing applied by the bank.
It is also interesting to pond- Any ideas that readers might
er what the cover in Figure 1 have would be welcome.
may have originally contained. To me, this is a gem of a cov-
The sender was a Chinese er. And if there is a lesson to
grocer who advertised that he be learned from it, it is that
dealt in local and imported you should never underesti-
foodstuffs on both the retail mate the chances of finding
and wholesale level. something of philatelic impor-
There is a good chance that tance in the cover boxes of
he didn't trust the local Mexi- non-specialized dealers.
can banks and maintained his I did not pay very much for
accounts at the Canton Bank in this cover. In fact, I would
San Francisco, to which this have given two or three times
cover is addressed. what the dealer was asking in
One of these days I may try return for the pleasure and fun
to find someone who can deci- I have had unraveling its se-
pher the Chinese on the face of crets.
the envelope, which could pro- It is also probably fair to say
vide a clue as to the subject or that had the dealer known the
contents of the letter. full story of this item, his ask-
Another mystery is the ing price might have been
handwritten "150" at the up- much, much higher. ■
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 14, 1988

Postclassic stamps prosper in Scott Vol. 3

In recent months there has smaller, so-called rare dis- decreases than the increases of almost 20 percent in unused guished from the genuine item fit to advance-quite a few price
been a lot of fussing about the tricts, or even a stamp from a and few declines if any were condition. even by the experts. listings for Mexican issues of
1989 Scott catalog values so I large district bearing a cancel- connected to popular items. Similarly, the revolutionary And don't rely on the over- the 1930s and '40s.
decided to see what happened lation from some seldom-used I will try to summarize those stamps with the Villa over- print reproductions in Scott. The unwatermarked variety
with Mexico listings in Vol. 3 sub-office, you will have to issues for which the Scott pric- print, an example of which is They are close to what you of the, 10-peso University sur-
compared to those of 1988. I disregard the catalog com- ing editors felt catalog value seen on the 20c Abasolo on the see, but are deficient in sever- face mail stamp, Scott 706a, of
increases were merited. which only 100 copies can ex-
As noted, the 1899 issue en- ist, rose by $250 to $3,250.
Mexico joyed a general increase of Several commemorative sets
By Dale Pulver about 10 percent for all de- issued just prior to or during
nominations in used condition. World War II also enjoyed se-
normally would not devote an This is probably a fair move lective increases.
entire column to this subject, since these are getting tougher Another category of stamps
but in this case there are a to find in fine condition, espe- on the rise are Mexico's defini-
number of interesting points to cially the top denominations. tive issues. Not all stamps in
be made. There were numerous in- each series got favorable treat-
First, if all you collect are creases, and just a couple of ment, but the higher denomi-
the 19th-century issues of Mex- decreases, in the 1913-16 Civil nations and the ones that have
ico, the good news is that you War issues. had a history of difficulty of
won't need to buy a new cata- The Ejercito issue, Scott 347- acquisition increased.
log for price revisions. As far 53, a series of revenue stamps Figure 2. Values for many Mexican revolutionary era issues If some of these are missing
as I can tell, there aren't any pressed into postal service, increase in Vol. 3 of the 1989 Scott catalog. The 20c "GCM" from your album, I would not
catalog value changes up to shows substantial increases for overprint (left) rose 20 percent to $6, while the 20c Villa put off trying to get them.
the issue of 1899 — and that copies with the talon or monogram overprint (right) increased 10 percent to $5.50. They will not become less ex-
may be the bad news. F gure 1. This 20-centavo coupon attached, both in used pensive and many of them al-
right in Figure 2, also rise in al important details. ready trade at nearly their full
Nothing has moved in either E ercito of 1919, Scott 351a, is and in unused condition.
Figure 1 shows a typical ex- value. Substantial increases Another comment on the Scott catalog value.
direction. a revenue stamp that was
ample of a used copy with the are noted for overprints on the large script "GCM" monogram There were few changes in
That should not be too dis- pressed into provisional post-
early issues of 1899 and 1903, is that it is often found very Mexico's airmail listings. The
turbing to those of us who spe- al use. The value of this copy intact talon at the bottom.
Most denominations of the even though the latter were faintly struck or sometimes 1934-35 series in unused condi-
cialize in the issues of Mexi- with its attached coupon at
Transitorio issue, Scott 354-61, made primarily for collectors smudged from overinking. tion went up about 20 percent.
co's classic period. the bottom shot from $3.50 to
also show healthy increases, as suggested in the footnote in While the overprints may be The rare Amelia Earhart over-
Except for the everyday va- $15 in the 1989 Scott catalog.
especially the partially imper- the Scott catalog. perfectly good in these cases, I print, Scott C74, rose $250
rieties of the overprinted pletely.
forate subvarietieS. I have no quarrel with these consider such examples as un- unused to a full $4,000.
stamps of the first eight or Prices at auction for these
Figure 2 shows two stamps price changes, as some of collectible because the details Some better modern airmail
nine issues, Scott values have items are frequently multiples necessary to establish genuine-
from the large number over- these overprinted stamps are stamps in used condition got a
minimal bearing on what one of the Scott-listed values. This
printed in 1914-15 for use in very difficult to find. Acquir- ness cannot be seen clearly. boost as well, including Scott
might expect to pay for a given is why you must learn a lot
Mexico, most of which do well ing them can be a dangerous There are numerous other C296-98 and C471-80. These
desirable stamp. more about the market than
in this year's Scott catalog. game too, because the over- price, increases scattered will continue to climb, I feel.
Stamps from the large dis- you can possibly get from Vol.
The Independence issues of prints were extensively forged. among the stamps issued dur- Numerous changes are to be
tricts and bearing common 3 of Scott, or any other catalog
cancels are normally obtain- for that matter. 1910 overprinted in 1914 with One specialist I know claims ing Mexico's revolutionary found among Mexico's back-of-
able for some fraction of Scott The news releases for the the large "GCM" (Gobierno to have identified upwards of a era. Most of these apply to the-book listings.
in the 30-percent to 50-percent new Scott catalog noted that Constitutionalista Mexicano) dozen different types of for- high-denomination stamps and In the portion of the catalog
range. there were 406 price increases monogram, such as the 20-cen- geries of the large script subvarieties that always have listings devoted to Official
But if you are keen on hav- and 80 decreases for Mexico. I tavo Abasolo on the left in Fig- "GCM" monogram, including been elusive. stamps, a dozen or so new sub-
ing a stamp from one of the had a tougher time finding the ure 2, were raised an average two that can scarcely be distin- Surprisingly, Scott also saw variety listings have been add-
 NOVEMBER 14, 1988 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 15
ed along with some selective much to complain about in the cism that I feel is serious, and for watermarks 150 and 154,
price increases. changes that were made. At only grows worse from year to which show little more than
Scott Publishing Co. con- least most of us will not have year. blackened rectangles, are of
firmed that there is a typo- to adjust our thinking very Scott really ought to redo the no use whatsoever.
graphical error in the unused much regarding the appropri- illustrations for all items prior Overprint facsimiles have,
price listing for the 1919 20c ate percentage of Scott catalog to about 1945. for the most part, become so
special delivery stamp, Scott value to use in auction bidding. As Figure 3 shows, the depic- distorted that they may be of
El. The unused price should The new, larger catalog for- tions of stamps from the clas- more harm than help to the
be $40, not the $4 listed. mat Scott has adopted is fine sic era are especially bad. Vir- collector.
While classicists such as with me, except that I will tually no background detail Let's hope these matters
myself may lament the fact have to use a taller shelf to can be seen on any of them. Figure 3. These depictions of various 19th-century stamps of receive some -attention before
that early Mexican issues did store my catalogs. Some of the watermark illus- Mexico photographed from a copy of the 1989 Scott catalog the Vol. 3 of the 1990 Scott cat-
not gain ground, I cannot find However, I do have one criti- trations are atrocious. Those underscore the serious need for improved illustrations. alog is published. ■
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 12, 1988

Taking a topical tour of Mexican stamps

The popularity of thematic jara stands prominently on Of course, the architecture Music has been well served (Scott C589). Issued in conjunction with
collecting has surged in recent Scott 773, one of the stamps is- theme could be expanded far by Mexican issues too. Mexi- Figure 3 shows a 1970 air- the 77th annual meeting of the
years, and the formation of a sued for the 400th anniversary beyond the confines of relig- can composers featured on mail issue, Scott C375, portray- American Philatelic Society in
first-rate topical exhibit has of the founding of that city. ious edifices. Other stamps stamps of their native land in- ing Beethoven's signature and 1963 in Mexico City, it shows
been reduced to a fine science. Figure 1 shows the widely show civil works dating from clude Agustin Larr (Scott the opening bars of his immor- an earlier 1956 stamp which in
Mexico, like many countries, used 35-centavo airmail stamp pre-Columbian times right up 1036), Manuel Ponce (Scott tal "Ode to Joy" from the turn commemorated and por-
to those of recent decades. Ninth Symphony.
There are also dozens of The serious music topicalist
Mexico 55 CTS stamps depicting Mexican art will also want related items
By Dale Pulver CORREO and artists. Pre-Columbian ar- such as the stamps depicting
AEREO tifacts were chosen as subjects the Palace of Fine Arts, includ-
has produced a multitude of for a set publicizing the 1968 ing Scott 649, where many
stamps that fit into popular Olympic Games, which would world-famous artists and
thematic collections. I thought be equally appropriate for a orchestras have performed.
Figure 1. The church of Santa A musician friend of mine Figure 3. Beethoven's manu-
it would be interesting this sports topical.
Prisca in Taxco, seen on this has been searching for com- script music and signature
month to examine some of the I have always been fascinat-
common 1950 airmail issue, is mercial covers bearing stamps were featured on this 1970
topical possibilities if you are ed with the work of a group of
only one of many depicted on of the 1933 Palace of Fine Arts Mexican airmail stamp.
tired of just plugging spaces in Mexican painters and mural-
a general album. the stamps of Mexico. ists who were active during airmail issue, Scott C51-53, but trayed Mexico's first postage
The fine and the applied arts of 1950, Scott C191. The stamp and after the Mexican revolu- has not had much luck. stamp of 1856.
have always been attractive depicts the Churrigueresque- tion: Diego Rivera, Geraldo Figure 2. This 1974 commem- Stamps on stamps of Mexico Since my earlier article,
subjects for modern Mexican style church of Santa Prisca in Murillo "Dr. Atl," David A. Si- orative for Juan Aldama was was the subject of an earlier three 1985 stamps and a souve-
stamps. There is enough mate- Taxco, which thousands of queiros, Jose Orozco and Juan adapted from a historical mu- article in Linn's Feb. 13, 1984, nir sheet, Scott 1382-85, were
rial so that several distinct tourists visit on motor tours O'Gorman. ral by Diego Rivera, Mexico's issue (page 28). Mexico's first issued to commemorate an ex-
themes could be developed. from Mexico City to Acapulco These artists, and many oth- best-known artist. use of a postage stamp as the hibition in Mexico City dedi-
The churches and cathedrals each year. ers, have themselves and their 1059), Juventina Rosas (Scott central design was with a 1940 cated exclusively to stamps
of Mexico are among the most Churches, monasteries and works immortalized on numer- C407) and Carlos Chavez set of regular and airmail is- and postal history of Mexico.
beautiful in the Western Hemi- convents continue to be promi- ous postage stamps of Mexico. (Scott 1331), to name a few. sues, Scott 754-58 and C103-07, Collectors of maps on stamps
sphere and many have been nent subjects of Mexican Figure 2, for example, shows Other famous musicians to mark the 100th birthday of will find several items in their
portrayed on stamps. For ex- stamp design. In fact, there a 1975 commemorative for the have also been honored, such Great Britain's Penny Black. field beginning with the map
ample, the main cathedral in are enough church stamps so Mexican patriot Juan Aldama. as J.S. Bach (Scott 1377), The stamp on the left in Fig- of Mexico on the 40c stamp of
Mexico City appears on the 5- that several album pages could The portrait of Aldama is an Ludwig von Beethoven (Scott ure 4 is one of my favorites in the 1915-16 series, Scott 512.
peso denomination of the gen- be prepared tracing the evolu- adaptation from one of Diego C375), Pablo Casals (Scott this category, Scott 937, which Those who collect trains on
eral issue of 1899, Scott 303. tion of church architecture in Rivera's famous murals re- 532), Franz Schubert (Scott is really a stamp on a stamp on stamps can begin with the
The cathedral of Guadala- the Spanish New World. counting the history of Mexico. C587) and Antonio Vivaldi a stamp. transportation issue of 1895, in
 DECEMBER 12, 1988 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 31
which the three highest peso are several stamps with direct Mexican airmail stamps of neer woman with children that
denominations, Scott 254-56, ties to the people and events of 1962 and 1964. is located in Ponca City, Okla.
show a steam locomotive. the United States. President The Wright brothers were I doubt that many Ameri-
Unfortunately, if you feel Franklin Roosevelt appears on honored on two 1978 airmails cans, save those who live in
the need to have all the variet- three Mexican stamps issued marking the 75th anniversary the immediate area, are aware
ies of this design, you will be in 1947 for the centenary of of manned flight. You can that such a monument to peo-
faced with the challenge of ac- U.S. postage stamps. President even find the Washington ple who settled the West exists.
quiring one of the great Mexi- John Kennedy is shown on Monument on another Mexi- And it may seem a bit ironic
can rarities of the 19th centu- can airmail stamp issued that that some of the lands these
ry, the 5p Mail Train with the same year, Scott C569. settlers occupied originally be-
Eagle and RM watermark. Another set of stamps with a longed to Mexico.
This stamp, Scott 278A, now U.S. connection that I have al- If you are looking for a
catalogs $10,000. ways liked is Scott C94-96. change of pace in your collect-
The other peso varieties are The stamp on the right in ing approach, try building on a
rather expensive, too, but at Figure 4 is one of the three theme or topic. I am sure you
n •
least they are not too difficult CORFF OS that were issued for a 1939 will agree that there are a lot
to find. MEXICO philatelic convention in Tulsa of good prospects among the
Those who collect birds may portraying a statue of a pio- stamps of Mexico. IM
wish to consider the many va- Figure 4. An unusual 1963
rieties of the Mexican eagle. stamp on stamp on stamp de-
In fact, a rather large collec- sign is featured in the stamp
tion could be formed of the ea- on the left (Scott 937), while
gle coat of arms by itself, and the Mexican airmail stamp of
this could become a major top- 1939 on the right depicts an
ical if stamps from other na- Oklahoma statue saluting the
tions that use the eagle as a na- settlement of the West (Scott
tional symbol are included. C95). Both were issued in hon-
For Americana buffs, there or of philatelic conventions.
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 9, 1989

Used Civil War local stamps prove elusive

The second decade of this nominated in hard silver cur- backdated cancellations are correct usages with proper forged cancels abound. fact used to frank letters. Cov-
century found Mexico em- rency. rather common for some of and largely complete circular Unless you want to get ers are very scarce and many
broiled in a bloody revolution Far to the south, the revolu- these issues, and one has to be datestamps. deeply involved in the meticu- of the used stamps seen in the
wherein the working classes tionary government of the careful to avoid them. The Coach Seal stamps also lous study of these issues, it market are believed to be
and certain professionals rose State of Oaxaca issued some I look for stamps bearing were used rather widely, but might be safest to settle for canceled-to-order remain-
it is fairly obvious that the
overfranked registered cover
Mexico in Figure 2, which bears a NATIONAL PAPER & TYPE CO.
APARTADO 83 Z.rolt3 S
By Dale Pulver complete set, was a philatelic GUAYMAS. SONORA. MEXICO .
creation even though it un-
up against the entrenched ar- questionably passed through 404

istocracy. the mails. Ers

In this period of chaos, By contrast, the business

there were many instances of letter in Figure 3 shows an ex-
EerroTi113,
provisional postal procedures, ample of a Coach Seal cover
some of which I have men- properly franked.
tioned in previous columns. The Baja California set,
Regular stamp issues were Figure 1. Postally used Sonora White Seal (left) and Green Scott 401-04, is readily avail-
overprinted by political fac- Seal (right) issues created for use during Mexico's civil war. able in unused condition and
tions for local use, and region- local provisional stamps with enough of a cancellation so is quite cheap. You will see.
al authorities even contracted a Coat of Arms that the cata- that location, date of mailing, purportedly used stamps from Figure 3. This single-franked commercial cover from Guay-
with firms in the United log lists as Scott 414-19. and cancellation type can be time to time, but the vast ma- mas to Hermosillo with a 5-centavo Coach Seal stamp went to
States to print stamps for use With the exception of some determined. jority of these were made for the same addressee as the philatelic cover in Figure 2.
in areas under their control. of the scarce varieties of the The White and Green Seal the trade and never did postal unused copies of Scott 401-13. ders.
For me, some of the most early Sonora locals, it is not locals of Sonora were used ex- duty. The Oaxaca provisionals, Here again, I look for
interesting stamps of the era too difficult to assemble a full tensively, and it isn't too hard The same is true for the An- Scott 414-19, have always in- stamps with enough of a can-
are the so-called local issues. complement of these stamps to find them with legitimate vil Seals, Scott 405-09. The trigued me. As the catalog cellation to confirm the
The state of Sonora, for exam- in unused condition. When town or railway post office stamps with "PLATA" (sil- notes, these crude but quaint stamp's location and date of
ple, where many of the civil they were no longer needed, cancels. The examples in Fig- ver) overprints were never of- stamps were printed on backs use, and even that may not be
uprisings began, issued sever- unused stocks of these locals ure 1 are readily seen to be ficially put into use, but of postal forms because of a enough.
al sets of such stamps. quickly found their way into shortage of paper. There is Figure 4 shows the two
Figure 1 shows examples of the philatelic market. much more to the story of types of used 5-centavo
the first of these, the White But I like to collect used how these stamps came to be stamps from my collection.
and Green Seal issues, Scott stamps, too — used, rather printed, as we will see in a fu- The type I with the thick "5"
321-46. These were followed than merely canceled — and ture column. bears almost half of a rail-
by the Coach Seal issue, Scott herein lies a problem. With an The Oaxaca locals bear the road agent's handstamp. It is
394-404, and the Anvil Seals, ample supply of cheap unused word "TRANSITORIO," dated within the authorized
Scott 405-13. material available, how can which indicates they were period of use, so I think it is
There were further varie- one be sure that obliterated meant to be a temporary ex- probably an authentic cancel-
ties including a set overprint- stamps actually performed pedient. However, records lation.
ed for use in Baja California, the postal service for which show they were valid for use The other stamp bears part
and another with the added they were intended? from about June 1915 to June of a registry cancellation
word "Plata." The latter re- Many of these stamps did 1916. dated (19)16, but I can't be
ferred to the fact that in an not, and Scott has recognized It is apparent from reports absolutely sure about it. I in-
environment of monetary in- this fact with footnotes and Figure 2. This heavily overfranked registered cover bears a of genuinely used copies that tend to keep looking until I
stability, the stamps were de- italicized pricing. Favor or complete set of Sonora's Coach Seal stamps. few of these stamps were in find a copy with all or most of
a proper dated town cancel. that the type I stamp with the riety — has been the object of
Readers should be warned thick "5" — the expensive va- a clever forgery.
Copies of the common type
II stamp have been altered by
painting a thick figure direct-
ly over the thin figure "5" so
that it appears to be a type I
stamp. Usually, inspection un-
der a strong glass will reveal
such a deception.
Also, remember that the
type I stamp is somewhat
darker in color, and that the
eagle is more clearly defined
than on the type II stamp.
If you wanted a challenge in
Mexican stamps for the new
Figure 4. The thick "5" type I (left) and thin "5" type II (right) year, here you have one. Try
5c Oaxaca provisional stamps. The dated railroad agent's to find as many legitimately
cancel on the stamp on the left indicates that it was probably used civil war locals as you
postally used, but too little of the date and design appears in can. I'll be happy to learn of
the cancel on the right-hand stamp to be sure. any unusual discoveries. •
56 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 13, 1989

Gutter varieties add to one's collection

Did you know that there are gutter pairs or blocks of The Sonora coach seal
a total of almost 300 collecti- stamps would not otherwise stamps were similarly pro- 111111111,71.0 Alta*. Aom.,

ble Mexican gutter pairs and be available from normal post duced in 40-subject sheets.
blocks of stamps? office stock. Two rows of 10 stamps were
I didn't. And then I heard The first group of Mexican printed along the long edge of
a piece of paper 51/2 inches by
121/2 inches.
Mexico The paper was then turned
By Dale Pulver and the process repeated,
yielding 10 gutter pairs and 20 ) •
from George Platner of River-
additional stamps. • (m it* tit 0A.
0 • 0 •• • • • • 0 • • • • • • • • • • • • *
side, Calif. These are not the usual
I had not realized there was gutter material, but they are
a significant number of these collected avidly nevertheless.
Figure 1. A gutter pair of a
varieties available until Plat- Conventional gutter pairs
1939 10-centavo commemo-
ner sent me his checklists of rative for the 400th anniver- and blocks are fairly abun-
them. Since then, I have also dant among the Mexican de-
sary of printing in Mexico.
found reference to a couple of finitive issues of 1916-34. Fig-
dozen more. gutter pairs on Platner's list ure 2 shows two examples.
A gutter piece is a pair or involves the 1913-14 Sonora On the left is a gutter block
larger block of stamps with an locals I wrote about last of four of the 1923 20c Domi-
unprinted band of selvage be- month (Jan. 9, page 8). Forty- niguez Monument issue, Scott
tween stamps. This selvage, four varieties are tabulated 656. Because these stamps are
or gutter, can vary in width between Scott 321-413. rouletted, they appear to be
from several millimeters up To call these items gutter imperforate in the illustra-
to two or more centimeters. pieces as I previously defined tion. On the right is a perforat-
Figure 1 shows a typical them may be stretching the ed gutter block of four of the Figure 2. Mexican definitive gutter varieties include these blocks of four of the rouletted 1923
Mexican gutter pair. The 10- term a bit. 1934 4c Columbus Monument 20c Dominiguez Monument (left) and the perforated 1934 4c Columbus Monument (right).
centavo stamps show Antonio The white and green Sonora definitive, Scott 689.
de Mendoza from a 1939 set seal stamps were printed in There are perhaps 100 dif- the unprinted gutter from ferent answer. I would be uncut sheets.
marking the 400th anniver- sheetlets about 31/2 inches by ferent Scott-listed postage being used to make postal happy to report that fact in a With a few cunning cuts,
sary of printing in Mexico. 8 inches in size. stamps available in this form, counterfeits. future column. such sheets could have been
The gutter is the part of the Five typeset impressions and another 100 or so among Frankly, I was quite sur- Where did these gutter piec- converted into something col-
original large printing sheet were printed along one edge Mexico's airmails and other prised to find so many Mexi- es originate? lectors would find different
where a cut is made to sepa- of the sheet. Then the sheet back-of-the-book issues. can stamps in Platner's lists. Although I am not certain, I and desirable: gutter blocks.
rate the postage stamps into was rotated 180 degrees and Interestingly, there are But when I checked the 1988 suspect that most of them en- Retail prices for these items
smaller panes. five more impressions were some gutter subvarieties, too. Bill Shelton Philatelics cata- tered the market through the seem to be all over the map.
When sheets are cut cor- made on the opposite edge. Multiples of the rouletted log, the only other place I philatelic window at Mexico Platner's comparison of six
rectly there usually is no The result was five pairs of 1927 4c Columbus Monument, could find these items listed, City's main post office. unnamed dealers shows pric-
gutter. It ends up instead as stamps, with a large gutter be- Scott 653, can be found with there was good agreement be- Large quantities of remain- es varying by as much as 30
narrow strips of selvage on tween each pair. gutters in widths measuring tween the two. dered obsolete issues were percent to 50 percent for the
the edges of individual panes. These gutter pairs are also 14.5mm, 22mm and 25mm. How many varieties are turned over to the philatelic same gutter multiple.
A dealer or collector with tete-beche pairs. This means An extra row of perfora- there altogether? Is there a outlet for sale to collectors. I I have also seen gutter ma-
access to uncut sheets can that one design in the pair ap- tions was put through the source that lists them all? believe that it would have terial offered in the American
separate them so that the pears to be inverted with re- 22mm and 25mm gutters. This I know of none. Perhaps been very easy for the phila- Philatelic Society circuit
gutter remains intact. Such spect to the other. was presumably to prevent some reader can supply a dif- telic window supervisor to get books. Prices for these are
usually considerably below the sort of thing you would
those shown in dealers' lists. want to spend a lot of money
In a short article in Mexica- and time chasing. However, a
na several years ago, one few gutter pairs would cer-
writer deduced that a reason- tainly add interest to a gener-
able price for gutter pairs al collection of Mexico.
should be about six times the The Shelton Philatelics
catalog value of an unused price list probably has the
normal stamp. His logic was most complete listing of these
not altogether convincing. items currently in print.
In any event, most of the Copies of the list may still
items I've noted sell for less be available for $4.95 from
than $10. Many gutter pairs Bill Shelton Philatelics,
can be had for $1 to $3. Drawer 39838, San Antonio,
Gutter varieties may not be Texas. 78218-6838. ■
36 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 13, 1989

The fascinating first issues of Mexico

When I began this column almost six years The two stamps illustrated in Figure 1 show Overprints of the large district offices, like pay the 2r rate at Cosamaloapam, a suboffice
ago, I promised readers I would jump around the correct usage under the district name Mexico, Puebla, Guadalajara, and Veracruz, of Veracruz.
quite a bit from a chronological standpoint. I overprint system. are common and easy to find. In fact, these Using fractions of higher denominations to
said that I would probably write more about The lr stamp on the left came from Chihua- offices usually had more than one handstamp pay lower rates was authorized when supplies
the classic era and 19th-century Mexican phi- hua, as indicated by its overprint. The 2r for printing names, so that different settings of of the common values were exhausted. Indeed,
the overprint can be collected.
Figure 2, for example, shows two overprint
Mexico types from the Mexico district. The plain, unat-
By Dale Pulver tractive solid-letter overprint on the 2r stamp
on the right is actually much scarcer than the
lately since that was the focus of my own inter- fancy hollow-letter "MEXICO" overprint on
est and specialization. the lr value to the left. Figure 3. A bisect of the 4r first issue paid
Reviewing my columns since then, it ironi- Perhaps the most interesting and challeng- the 2r rate on this large piece from a cover
cally seems that I actually may have fallen ing collecting involves the postal markings with the boxed postmark of Cosamaloapam.
short on articles about pre-1900 stamps and used to cancel Mexico's first issues.
the Scott catalog lists nine such fractional
postal history. In the course of writing for While there were a few standardized designs
usages for this five-stamp set.
Linn's, my own interest in the philately of the for cancelers, mostly among the big post offic-
I have always touted 19th-century Mexico
modern era has grown considerably. es, Mexican postmasters were exceptionally
for offering the many collecting opportunities
This month we'll reconsider the first postage creative when it came to postmarking devices.
Figure 1. Used correctly, these 1-reale (left) just cited. But there are a couple of other good
stamps issued by Mexico. They are among my Apart from the usual straightlines, boxes,
and 2r (right) first issues display both a dis- and oval and round datestamps, one finds reasons why a serious philatelist should con-
favorites, and I have collected them seriously trict name overprint and a cancellation. sider this field.
for more than 20 years. wreaths, ribbons, acronyms and mute mark-
Thanks to earlier generations of collectors,
Scott 1-5 of Mexico were authorized and stamp on the right shows the district name and ings of enormous variety. Many handstamps there is a substantial body of literature con-
printed in the summer of 1856, and were first the main post office cancellation of Veracruz. from the colonial and stampless periods were
cerning classic Mexican stamps and postal his-
placed on public sale Aug. 1. The five stamps The problem was that some offices misun- used as cancelers, especially in the small tory. That literature can steer you through and
in the set were denominated to cover all possi- derstood or misinterpreted the rules. Stamps towns. around some of the danger zones.
ble rates in a postal system that was based on were sold and legitimately used with no dis- Postmark color is another variable. Black is
trict name overprint. by far the most common color seen, but red While the monetary stakes in collecting the,
letter weight and distance traveled. The com- first issues are substantial, the cost is not near-
mon design in the set is an elaborately framed A further twist in the system was that many and blue were used generously, too.
large district post offices had smaller, subof- Postal history buffs report and pursue a wide ly as steep as it is for popular United States or
portrait of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, the father European material of similar age and rarity.
of Mexican independence. fices that were dependent on them for stamps. variety of usages on cover. There is an ample
While the name of the principal office normal- supply of single letter rates and routings, but The Scott catalog sets $100 as the value of a
The stamps were generally well printed used copy of Britain's first issue, the Penny
from locally engraved plates and were issued ly appears on stamps from such suboffices, the there are also more elusive items.
stamps' point of use can be established from The most fascinating of these include stage- Black, of which 72 million were printed. Some
in attractive colors. Over their years of ser- 4.4 million copies were printed of the United
vice, repeated printings gave rise to interesting the postmark. coach letters, registered letter fronts, ship
Such is the case of the stamp on the left in States 1847 5t Franklin, which catalogs $700
color varieties, especially of the 2-reale stamp. used. But used copies of Scott 1 of Mexico, the
Wear and tear of the plates caused flaws and Figure 1. Validated in Chihuahua, it shows the
1/2 r Hidalgo, have catalog values of just $17.50.
other collectible varieties. last letters in a boxed handstamp used in Par-
ral, a mining center in the south central por- Only 992,000 of these 1/2r stamps were issued.
With a widely dispersed population in a gen- Of course, there are many spectacular Mexi-
erally mountainous country, communications tion of that state.
With these facts in mind, we have all the can first issues and first-issue usages that most
in Mexico were difficult at best. Bandits and
elements in the first issue of Mexico to titilate of us can never hope to possess. They are sim-
highwaymen often waylaid travelers and took ply beyond our reach.
goods in transit. even the most fastidious collector.
Because of this, Mexican postal authorities The classicist can search for color shades, On the other hand, there are plenty of
devised an unusual security scheme to prevent printing flaws and plate varieties. There is stamps and covers that have philatelic impor-
loss of revenue due to stamp thefts. enough material of this sort to fill several al- tance and are within the budget limit of many
bum pages with ease. Figure 2. Large districts sometimes had serious collectors.
For administrative purposes, the country
was already divided into postal districts. It was The collector who enjoys studying stamp more than one type of name overprint, such Although this quick tour has focused on just
decreed that stamps dispatched from the main usages can have a field day with the district as these two different "MEXICO" overprints. five stamps, many of the same collecting possi-
office in Mexico City should be overprinted, name overprints alone. mail to the United States and Europe, and let- bilities hold true for many 19th-century Mexi-
following their arrival at the district office, Nearly 50 separate offices followed the regu- ters franked with bisects and other fractional can issues that followed. District name over-
with the name of the district office to validate lations and applied their names to the stamps. usages of the high-denomination stamps. printing continued for another 30 years.
them for use. Stamps lacking this district name Several districts were so small and used so few Figure 3 shows one of the latter, a diagonal Still, it is Mexico's first issues that have al-
overprint would be presumed stolen and with- stamps that some denominations are so far un- bisect of the 4r stamp on a large piece cut ways had a special fascination for me. Start
out franking power. reported. Others are exceedingly rare. from a folded letter. The bisect was used to collecting them and I think you'll agree. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 10, 1989

Eagles abound on many stamps of Mexico

When avid collectors of vouring a snake. stamps in the issue of 1899. After the revolutionary gov- In 1944, paper normally re-
Mexico speak of Eagle stamps Legend has it that this is Meanwhile, Mexican postal ernment settled into power in served for revenue issues was
they are usually referring to a what the Aztecs saw when stationery from 1884 to the 1916, a presidential decree at- used for postage stamps. The
set of stamps issued in 1864. they arrived in the Valley of end of the century had nu- tempted to standardize the revenue paper carried a
Figure 1 shows one of these, Mexico near the end of the merous examples of the eagle Mexican national emblem. It watermark with the words
a 1-real value. As a central 13th century. The island in and serpent coat of arms, was to conform to its depic- "MEXICO/S.H.C.P." and an
both engraved and embossed. tion in an original Aztec co-
Mexican revenue stamps of dex: a sidewise view of the ea- CORKED y '
Mexico this period utilized the eagle gle with the snake gripped
MEXICO
By Dale Pulver motif rather extensively, too. with the beak and the right
These attractive stamps are claw. This was the basis for
motif, these stamps show an
eagle, perched on a cactus,
with a serpent in its mouth.
outstanding examples of the
engraver's art, as witness the
1897-98 5-peso federal tax
the depiction on the airmail
stamp in Figure 3.
This design received some
Cis •960
The eagle also wears a crown, stamp in Figure 2. Figure 4. A revised version curious criticism. Biological
Figure 2. The eagle and
which marks it as the symbol Commencing with Mexico's
snake are prominent on this Civil War issues, the eagle is of the national symbol ap- experts claimed the snake 72798 5;fii
FR
of the Maximilian monarchy. pears on this 1934 1p stamp. was grasped too far from its
1897-98 5-peso tax stamp.
This was the first time, but seen on postage stamps with head and would have at- PERM.
certainly not the last, that the the middle of the lake where
increasing frequency. Several If you are a flyspeck collec- tacked and killed the eagle.
coat of arms of Mexico was to provisional and transitory is- tor or a very dedicated topi- Once more the design was Figure 5. An adaptation of
the omen was observed be-
be used as the central theme came the site of the great city-
sues of 1914-16 use the eagle calist, diminutive eagles may modified by decree, and this the eagle and snake motif is
for a Mexican stamp. state of Tenochtitlan, which
design. So do the Oaxaca pro- be found on some Mexican latest revision seems to have seen on this portion of a 1972
The coat of arms symbol of thrived until the Spaniards ar-
visiona;, that I wrote about in stamps. For example, the 1p persisted more or less un- Mexico City meter imprint.
the eagle and serpent is pre- rived in 1519.
my Jan. 9 column (page 8). regular issue of 1923, Scott changed up to current times.
Columbian in origin, and 649, shows the Palace of Fine Figure 4 shows it as it first eagle outline in a circle. Scott
After the War of Indepen- K.FIS2 01,0%. .1•1Z311.0
appeared on the 1p regular is- lists it as type 272.
dates to the very early days of dence with Spain, the eagle Arts with its dome crowned
the Mexican nation. by an eagle. There is also a sue of 1934, Scott 719. Three more Mexican eagle
and serpent symbol was soon From time to time the eagle watermarks are listed by
The Aztecs, a tribe of wand- adopted as the coat of arms of variety of this stamp without
ering Indians, had been guid- the eagle, Scott 649a. has been cleverlyworked into Scott, commencing in the mid-
Mexico. 1940s: types 279, 300 and 350.
ed by their chief deity, Huitzi- The so-called Imperial Ea- An eagle also tops a dome the designs of modern issues.
Iopochtli, in search of a per- gles of the Maximilian era on a 1945 set commemorating For example, the 1934 20c These watermarks are all il-
manent homeland. They were provide a tantalizing chal- the reconstruction of the and 1p airmail stamps show lustrated in the catalog and
told they would recognize this lenge to the collector of clas-
Figure 3. A rendering of Peace Theater in San Luis Po- the Eagle Man, an important show a side view outline of
place by the sign of an eagle Mexico's national symbol as tosi, Scott 801-04 and C148-52. figure in Aztec folklore.
sic issues. the eagle in a circle with vari-
resting on a cactus and de- it originally appeared in an An eagle is also found on
There are five types, keyed Even the U.S. eagle can be ous inscriptions. The last two
Aztec pictograph was the ba-
to the time of issue and use. found on a Mexican stamp. It the 5p value of the 1960 Inde- watermarks are found on
sis of the design on the left
Furthermore, there are hun- appears in the presidential pendence set. It shows three many stamps issued in the
in this 1920 airmail issue.
dreds of varieties stemming seal included in the airmail is- important national symbols: 1950s-70s but are sometimes
from the different overprints If you scan the Scott catalog sue that honored President Father Miguel Hidalgo, the difficult to discern.
of district names and consign- you will find the eagle in the Kennedy's visit to Mexico in bell of liberty, and the eagle.
In addition, the eagle has Even postage meters from
ment numbers. designs of many modern Mex- 1962, Scott C262.
Mexico have made use of the
Among these Eagles are ican postage stamps. There seem to have been no appeared several times in the
eagle and snake motif. An ex-
some of the rarest stamp vari- The first airmail stamps of rigorous standards set for ea- watermarks of papers used to
ample is shown in the denomi-
eties Mexico has to offer. Mexico show an eagle in full gle and coat of arms designs. produce Mexican stamps.
nated box from a 1972 meter
These would be stamps from flight, but this representation In some presentations the The first such occurrence
imprint in Figure 5.
consignments to post offices lacks the snake and thus can- wings are only slightly spread; was in the 1897-98 printing of
where only a handful of ad- not be considered linked to others show open wings or the Transportation series, also The design is appealing to
hesives were ever used. Sev- the coat of arms. It is proba- wings very widely extended. called the Mulitas. The water- many collectors, and you
eral outstanding exhibits of bly an allegory to symbolize The eagle's head may face mark is an outline of an eagle might want to consider a
these have been formed. fast mail service. left or right, although the lat- with the initials of "Republica thematic or topical collection
Figure 1. Eagles first It was nearly 35 years be- The coat of arms does ap- ter seems to be preferred. In Mexicana" beneath it. of Mexican eagles. A few will
appeared on stamps of Mexi- fore the eagle again appeared pear on airmail stamps begin- some examples the eagle's The 5p stamp with this take a moderately sized bite
co's 1864 issue, including this on Mexican postage stamps. It ning with the issue of 1929-34. plumage is very finely de- watermark is a major rarity out of your stamp budget, but
1-real value with a Mexico contributed to the basic de- The 30c value of the set is tailed, while others display lit- of Mexican philately, current- most of them cost as little as a
district overprint. sign for the centavo-value shown in Figure 3. tle more than outlines. ly cataloging $10,000. few cents to a few dollars. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 8, 1989

New additions to Mexico's Exporta series

It's time to bring you up to The 1,000p, 2,000p, 3,000p, Several of the stamps are I believe this perception is spect except that its gum is seventh or eighth issues.
date on what is going on with 4,000p and 5,000p values were multicolored and the printed simply the result of the man- smooth and semiglossy. So there you have it — 12
Mexico's popular Exporta de- printed on granite paper and surface is smooth and slightly ner in which the gum was ap- One dealer assigns this new varieties to look for,
finitive issues. constituted a new, so-called shiny. They have a matte gum plied, as if with a finely stamp to a new 11th Exporta probably with more to come.
A few weeks ago Guillermo ninth issue. So far, these are that is off-white, tending to- grooved roller. issue. Clearly, it does not fit Postal rates in Mexico took
Wilkins, a reader in Mexico the only current stamps I've wards a cream color. Finally, the stamps exhibit into any of the earlier groups another healthy jump the first
seen printed on this type of as far as I can tell, but per- of the year due, I suspect, to
haps we should wait to find

Iti
paper. the continued slippage of the
Mexico The other four stamps I out if other stamps with the Mexican peso against other
By Dale Pulver mentioned (600p to 900p) be- same features are printed. world currencies. As yet, I do
long in the eighth series, Figure 4 shows the other not have a schedule of the
City, sent me a short note to- which now has more than 30 $700 i$950 surprise, a 200p stamp with new rates, but recent first-
recognized varieties. cORREDS the Citrus Fruit design.
gether with a dozen Exporta class letters I have received
stamps. Most of these were Ten of the new stamps just At first I thought it might be
varieties I had not yet seen, received have characteristics Figure 2. Among the most recently introduced Mexican Ex-. a subtle color variety of the
and there were some sur- unlike any of their predeces- porta definitives are two stamps in each of these two designs.' 200p 10th-series stamp. But on
prises among them. sors. The table in Figure 1 absolutely no ultraviolet-sen-
Some of the stamps, when closer examination it has all
In my last column on these summarizes some of the im- viewed from the gum side sitive properties. Under long- the characteristics of the
stamps (Linn's, Aug. 8, 1988, portant data about them. wave UV light, the face of the
against low-angle incident rather limited third-series set.
page 28) I tabulated nine new The paper of the stamps is stamps appears tan in color.
light, show a pattern of very The stamp's thin, semitrans-
denominations ranging from fairly thick (approximately fine parallel lines. The backs of the stamps show parent onionskinlike paper is Figure 4. This 200p Citrus
600 pesos up to 5,000p, the lat- .11 millimeters), is somewhat a lighter shade.
When the paper is held up fluorescent throughout, and it Fruit design has many char-
ter being the highest denomi- opaque and has no water- Four of the stamps in the
to transmitted light it might has a glossy, dextrin gum. The acteristics in common with
nation of any postage stamp mark. All of the stamps are group share two designs,
appear to some observers that green color is slightly paler much earlier Exporta issues.
ever issued in Mexico. perforated in gauge 14. which are shown in Figure 2.
the paper is a laid variety, but than that of the 10th-series
The 700p and 750p stamps from there have frankings
depict movie film. They are exceeding 1,000p.
Value Description of Width For example, the registered
fairly easily differentiated.
(pesos) design Colors (millimeters) letter I received from Wilkins
The logo, the numerals of val-
ue, and one of the film cell bore stamps totaling 4,400p -
50p Tomato red & sage green 36M* roughly $1.86 U.S. I am very
200p Citrus Fruit mustard yellow & bright green 35.5* colors on the 700p stamp are
bluish black in contrast to the grateful for his kindness in
300p Autos dark blue & red 35.5* sending me these new issues
450p Electronics bistre & cerise 36.0* 750p issue where these same
items are gray. The 900p Pis- Figure 3. Only its gum dif- so Linn's readers might share
500p Valves gray & dark blue 36.0* ferentiates this 500-peso this news early.
700p Movie Film green, red & black 35.5* ton stamp is printed in black,
while its twin, a 950p denomi- Valves stamp from an earli- Another question regarding
750p Movie Film green, red & gray 35.5* er Exporta definitive. the Exportas that readers re-
800p Tiles light brown & dark brown 36.0* nation, is dark blue.
The dealers I have heard stamp, and the inscriptions at peatedly ask is how to tell the
900p Auto Parts black 35.5 difference between the sev-
Auto Parts slate blue 35.5 from list this group as a sepa- the foot of the design are less
950p enth and eighth issues. They
rate 10th series. clear.
* Design width can vary slightly depending on register of colors during the The surprises I alluded to This 200p Citrus stamp also are very similar and I'm sure
involve the two odd stamps, lacks the burelage back- many collectors have difficul-
printing process.
the first of which is shown in ground of gray curved lines, ty with them.
Figure 1. This table presents the characteristics of 10 new Exporta stamps recently received Figure 3. This 500p Valves is- so there is no risk of confu- For unused copies of these
by the author from a Linn's reader in Mexico City. Important characteristics of these new sue is identical to the one in sion with any of the other stamps, I use three tests.
issues in the popular Mexican series are examined in detail in the accompanying article. the 10th series in every re- 200p stamps in the fifth, sixth, Compared to the seventh is-
sue, the eighth issue stamps August and this one, I believe
have gum that is less splotchy that there is nothing more to
when viewed against low-an- be added to my checklist of
gle incident light. They have March 1988. I'm going to sit
slightly less intense fluores- tight for the moment and see
cence on the face and are what the rest of 1989 brings.
slightly more opaque when The album makers are hav-
viewed from the back looking ing difficulty keeping up too,
into a light source. at least those who try to pro-
These checks seem to work vide spaces for varieties. Per-
for me but I do admit they haps I will do a single-sheet
have not been applied to hun- addendum late this year if the
dreds of unsorted stamps. I flow of new varieties has sta-
know those of you who collect bilized by then.
used stamps will continue to Incidentally, there are still
have a lot of trouble making a couple of dozen copies of
these distinctions. the 1988 checklist on my
shelf. This list ends with most
Will there be another of the varieties of the eighth
revised Exporta checklist?
issue.
Many loyal readers have writ-
A copy of the checklist can
ten asking that question. be obtained for a stamped, ad-
Except for the information dressed envelope sent to me
presented in my article last in care of Linn's. •
1 0 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 12, 1989

The Hidalgo Medallion issues of Mexico

If you love finely engraved in green and the peso denomi- These perf 11 stamps are printings were green to dark This makes it fairly easy to
postage stamps and are look- nations in blue. much scarcer than the usual blue green, and the last assemble a rather good show-
ing for a rather compact field The next year a second set perf 12 and command a sub- stamps to be printed were a ing of the Medallions without
in Mexican philately in which of these stamps was issued in stantially higher price from a sea green, the lightest shade spending much money.
to specialize, you might want different colors, perhaps be- knowledgeable dealer. How- of all. Odfjell noted that some A more complete collection
to consider the Hidalgo cause 15 denominations in ever, yoti can occasionally shades were very scarce for of the major varieties re-
find one included among the quires a considerable outlay.
cheaper stock. The two key items are the 5p Mexico 1884-92.
Mexico There are also imperforate and 10p stamps issued later in
The (items. here offered are unused and
have original gum, Perforated on lour
sides and are well tered.
Postage extra on orders of Ims than MOO.

By Dale Pulver Hidalgo Medallion stamps, 1892, Scott 230 and 231, print- NUMERAL TYPE. 1888-P2.

but heed the warning in the ed on paper with the "COR- Watermarked CORREOB EUM In each
row.
Scott catalog. These should in- REOS E.U.M." watermark. centavo,
Each
30.01
Medallion head stamps of centavos. carmine. .03
variably be purchased in These two stamps are centavos, scarlet .02
1884-85. centavo., scarlet .0)
pairs or blocks since perforat- among a select group of true ue
centavos, blue
centavo., bl
.01
.10
Except for denominations, 1 centavoe, .01
ed singles with jumbo mar- Mexican rarities seldom seen 12 centavos Iliac (no watermark) .60
the designs of all stamps in 30 centavos. scarlet
25 centavos, scarlet
.08
.08
gins can be trimmed to make or offered for sale. The cur-
the series are identical. Each READ TYPE, Mk
them appear as though they rent combined catalog value 50 centavo., green
features a broad machine-en- 1 peso, blue. .15
are imperforate. - for the pair in used condition 3 peso., blue. .75
graved central oval contain- These are all guaranteed to be originals,
Another variable that can approaches $4,000. and the above list represent. the full eerie.
ing the portrait of Father Mi- that was In use July, 1826, when the new
Issue came out. The former catalogue
be pursued by the specialist is Figure 3. This 12c stamp dis- Other Hidalgos can be pri- price of the above series of 13 stamps was
guel Hidalgo y Costilla facing Figure 1. A 1-peso Hidalgo
38.07. I will sell them all for 31.75, POST
color, especially among the plays the usual state of the cey, too. The lc blue error of FREE. Cash must moompany order.
towards the left. Medallion of 1884, Scott 161. JOE F. BEARD.
green stamps of 1884. perforations on these issues. 1884, Scott 150b, now lists at
Muscatine, Iowa.

Figure 1 shows a 1-peso Hi- The late Abraham Odfjell, a $275, but it hasn't risen as Figure 5. An 1896 price list
only two colors made check-
dalgo Medallion stamp. With- certain'clenominations. steeply in recent years as the suggests that large quanti-
ing for proper franking hard. famous Norwegian philatelist
in the machine work are the who specialized in Mexico, The perforating difficulties 1892 blue-green rarities.
These two issues mark Mex- ties of the 50c, 1p and 2p
words "SERVICIO POSTAL mentioned earlier mean that One anomaly of note is the Medallions may have been
ico's departure from the found a correlation between
MEXICANO" (Mexican Post- color and time of issue. obtaining a well-centered,
cumbersome system of dis- sold to stamp dealers, ex-
al Service) with the denomi- Early printings were gener- cleanly perforated example
trict name and invoice num- plaining their relatively low
nation spelled out. Numerals ally bronze green, the middle of any given denomination
ber overprinting used on all catalog value today.
of value appear in boxes at all will require patience and a
previous issues. Still, a way-
four corners of the stamp. great deal of searching. apparent undervaluation of
ward district name may occa-
The stamps are somewhat Figure 3 shows a 12c stamp the 50c, 1p and 2p stamps of
sionally be found.
larger than any previous Mex- with typical perforations for the first issue. The 50c value
Although the Hidalgo
ican issues, measuring about these issues. Ragged edges is shown in Figure 4.
Medallion issues were used
25 millimeters by 31mm. for barely two years, there and adhering blind perfs are When issued, these three
A rather thin wove or laid are enough varieties to pro- the rule, and this can be stamps would have been
paper was used to print them. vide considerable challenge discouraging to the fastidious equivalent in face value to
While it accepted the printing in a specialized study. collector. But that's the way about 50¢, $1 and $2 U.S. But
impressions well, it proved The vast majority of the these stamps and many subse- all of them are still cataloged
very difficult to perforate stamps were perforated in quent Mexican issues are gen- at less than a dollar in either
with the equipment at hand. gauge 12. However, most of erally found. Figure 4. Higher-denomina- unused or canceled condition.
The first series of Hidalgo the centavo stamps and the A glance at the Scott catalog tion 1884 stamps such as this I am not certain why this is
Medallion stamps in 1884 had two low peso values also are Figure 2. Perf 11 Hidalgo listings will show that most of 50c, Scott 160, are believed to so, but I suspect when the is-
15 denominations, ranging encountered in perf 11. Medallions, like this left- the centavo stamps and two of have come from large stocks sue was superseded there
from 1 centavo to 10p. The Figure 2 shows a left mar- margin copy of the 10-centa- the peso stamps are valued that were remaindered when must have been thousands of
centavo stamps were printed gin copy of a 10c perf 11. vo stamp, are desirable. from pennies to a few dollars: the stamps became invalid. remainders that were sold at
 deep discounts to dealers.
Figure 5 shows an 1896 fly-
er from a stamp dealer in
Iowa offering perfect, unused
copies of these stamps for
20t, 35t and 75t, respectively.
The oval Hidalgo Medallion
design was also used without
the rectangular frame and de-
nominations for Mexico's
short-lived first Official
stamps, Scott 01-9.
This set was the only in-
stance in which a special
Mexican stamp was produced
for official correspondence.
Subsequent Official issues
consisted of regular postage
stamps overprinted with the
word "OFFICIAL."
There are many other inter-
esting variations on these
Medallion designs too, includ-
ing printed private franks for
Wells, Fargo & Co., Official
envelopes and wrappers for
printed matter.
The Hidalgo Medallion
head issues provide an oppor-
tunity for research and col-
lecting in an orea that, to my
knowledge, has not received
too much attention. ■
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 10, 1989

Mexico's TB seals often misunderstood

A three-frame exhibit of Mexican tubercu- government paper. In addition, the seals were the seals have been devoid of designs or in- special causes. A locust plague, child welfare,
losis seals did not fare too well with the judges printed on the same watermarked postal pa- scriptions relating to health matters except for and malaria eradication through mosquito
at Aripex 89 last January. It was said to be per used for contemporary postage stamps. the familiar double-barred cross, the interna- control were all supported by the obligatory
interesting but of no philatelic value. This practice continued until 1954. These tional symbol for TB agencies. use of special tax stamps on mail. But I have
This last point may be arguable, but I sus- early Mexican seals can be found with three Commencing in 1956, Mexico's TB seals been unable to find evidence to indicate that
pect only a handful of philatelists, including different watermarks, listed in the Scott cata- were printed in sheets with multiple designs, this has ever been the case with the TB seals.
the first displaying 50 different Christmas mo- However, we know seals are aggressively
tifs. Since then, more than 1,000 distinct de- sold by the Mexican postal service, which for
Mexico signs have been used, including tropical fish, years constituted their major retail outlet.
A.W. Bork is a life member of the Mexico-
By Dale Pulver butterflies, monuments, churches, military
uniforms, popular art, regional costumes and Elmhurst Philatelic Society International and
so forth. a onetime resident of Mexico. He has observed
Mexico specialists, know much about these that post office window customers were often
adhesives. I hope this brief article can remedy
R.,
-ago. Figure 4 shows three seals of the 1960s, con-
the subject of mild coercion by the clerks to
that situation. veying some idea of this range of subject mat-
take their change in TB seals and use them in
Mexico was late among world nations joining Figure 2. A Mexican TB seal of 1955 is well ter. If these were bona-fide postage stamps
the battle against the ravages of TB, and a na-tied to this commercial airmail cover. they would be a gold mine for topicalists.
tional committee was not organized until 1940. log as types 272, 279 and 300. Over the years the face value of the TB seals
The committee quickly adopted a proven fund- Furthermore, with the exception of the first has increased steadily. It was 5c in the begin-
raising method and in 1943 the first TB seals two issues, all Mexican TB seals were denomi- ning, from 1945-52. It was then raised to 10c
were put on sale to the public. nated and were sold primarily at post offices. and remained there until 1977, when it dou-
Figure 1 shows Mexico's first TB seals, A single stamp design was used from 1943 bled once more to 20c.
which exist in two types. The one shown on the through 1955, which was the first year TB seals In 1984-85, when Mexico's currency devalua-
left has a single outer frameline around the were printed by a private contractor. Figure 2 tion became severe, the price for seals was
design, while the one on the right, a much shows a cover with a copy of the 1955 seal tied pegged at 1 peso. It rose to 2p in 1986, took a
more common type, has a double frameline. to the left of a 25-centavo airmail stamp. fivefold jump to 10p in 1987, and then doubled Figure 4. Starting in the 1960s, the emphasis
Whereas TB seals of the United States and Curiously, for the years 1949 and 1950 Mexi- to 20p for 1988-89. on health came to be replaced by a wealth of
most other countries were printed by private co used surplus 1948 seals with special revali- The official philatelic status of these TB colorful topics on Mexico's TB seals.
dation overprints. Five different types of these
overprints have been recorded. addition to the regular postage on letters pre-
4
4 Figure 3 shows two stamps photographically sented for mailing.
4 cropped from a commercial airmail cover to This was especially true during the Christ-
New York. Though mailed to New York in mas holiday season when the seals were ac-
1950, this cover shows a curious usage of an tively promoted. Bork also notes that un-
suspecting tourists have used such seals in the
I unoverprinted 1948 TB seal.
4 The barely visible inscription just below the belief they were valid for postage, since they
4 design of both the airmail stamp and the TB were purchased at the post office window and
seal reads: "TALLERES DE IMP(RESION) displayed denominations.
DE EST(AMPILLAS) Y VALORES MEXICO." In any case, TB seals are used extensively on
Figure 1. Mexico's first tuberculosis seals of With that inscription marking this adhesive Figure 3. The 1948 TB seal on the left was mail during the holidays, and often receive
1943 were produced In both a scarce single- as printed by the government, and a "5t" de- produced by the same government printing cancels just like the regular stamps. Finding
frameline variety (left) and the more com- nomination shown, is it any wonder some col- office that issued the airmail stamp on the covers bearing them is not too difficult.
mon double-frameline variety (right). lectors treat Mexico's TB seals as stamps? right, both from a 1950 cover to New York. Are Mexican TB seals collectible? Apparent-
firms, Mexican seals were produced in the The design theme of the early seals was seals of Mexico is not clear. ly so, because there is a small but avid group
government printing office, the same institu- clearly focused on the eradication of tubercu- There have been several instances of the use that takes them quite seriously.
tion responsible for postage stamps and other losis. During the last three decades many of of a postal tax in Mexico to generate funds for Most of the seals are available for pennies.
Even full sheets of the multiple design issues Seals of Mexico. As far as I know it is still
are traded for just a few dollars. available. Irwin obtained some of his informa-
tion from the long-out-of-print Green's Catalog
The early issues printed by the Mexican gov- of the Tuberculosis Seals of the World, origi-
ernment are getting tougher to find, and the nally compiled by Dick Green.
1945 stamp is especially scarce, now selling for If you are interested in MEPSI literature,
well above $10 a copy. The only other pricey contact Carl LeMar John, 4337 Fifth St., Tuc-
items are the 1943 stamp with single frameline son, Ariz. 85711. And if any of you have further
and the 1950 issue, a 1948 remainder with the insight on Mexican TB stamps I would be de-
"campana/1950" (campaign/1950) overprint. lighted to hear from you. You can write to me
Where can you find information on these in care of Linn's.
seals? In 1972, MEPSI published a short mono- My thanks to Carl L. John and A.W. Bork for
graph by Henry Irwin titled The Tuberculosis some of the background used in this article. ■
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 14, 1989

Mexico's Hidalgo Profile issue of 1872-74

Among the regular issues of to enrich themselves. Mexi- "SEIS" appears in the left white paper needed for this numerous schemes being test- Although these stamps were
Mexico I have not covered in co's top postal officials want- panel, though on all others the issue. The stamps display an ed at the time, most of which in service for little more than
this column are the Hidalgo ed a new set of stamps as inscribed denomination is in astonishing range of paper were not too successful. two years, three different
Profile stamps that appeared quickly as possible, with safe- the right panel. thicknesses ranging from The Mexico district was year dates are found in con-
following the "Anotado" guards against a recurrence Lithographic transfers were very thick to extremely thin. supplied regularly with per- junction with the consignment
fiasco in the spring of 1872. of the private printings by taken from the five cliches to Even fiscal paper was used forated stamps, but the outly- numbers: (18)72, 73 and 74.
For some collectors, the Hi- postal workers. make up the stones that print- for printing the stamps, which ing district offices usually A few numbering errors are
ed each sheet of stamps. The gave rise to the "PAPEL SEL-
final layout pattern was a 100- LADO"-watermarked variet-
Mexico stamp sheet printed 10 by 10, ies. The top of Figure 2 shows
By Dale Pulver although there is evidence this large watermark. It
that at one point in production appeared only once or possi-
dalgo Profiles represent the there were sheets with only bly twice on a single sheet of
nadir of Mexican stamp de- 90 subjects. stamps, so stamps that show it
sign. They have rarely been Transfer types have been are relatively scarce.
shown in exhibitions. identified, as well as numer- Figure 2 also shows a water-
The eminent British philate- ous retouches and other plate mark with "LA F" in large
list J.H. Barron described flaws. This area can give double-line block letters and a
these stamps in the May 1915 hours of enjoyment to the col- heraldic cross and a hypen
issue of the Philatelic Journal lector who loves to look at between the "A" and the "F."
of Great Britain as follows: stamps through a strong glass. This watermark is a rebus
"Faultily drawn, the por- Plating studies of most of for LaCroix Freres, a French
Figure 1. The 1H-centavo Figure 3. Perforated 1872 issues most commonly originated
trait of Miguel Hidalgo stands the lower denominations have papermaking firm, and is of-
high value of Mexico's 1872 in Mexico City, including this Sc (left), crudely perforated in
up uncertainly from a muddy been completely reconstruct- ten seen on lettersheets of the
Hidalgo Profile issue. gauge 13, and a pin-perforated 58c Hidalgo Profile (right).
background surrounded by a
miscellany of conventional or- A directive specified the received imperforate stocks. known, and there was at least
naments which are crowded
into every available space."
Figure 1 shows the 100-cen-
month of April 1872 for the
changeover from the old
stamps to the Hidalgo Pro-
ROgg ddcgcga00 As Figure 3 shows, perfora-
tions of various shapes and
sizes were tried, most be-
one reported case in which
shipments to two districts,
Morelia and Orizava, got
tavo high value of the issue. files, but it is clear that the tween gauges 13 and 15 as switched. Since the stamps
True, this stamp and the
others of the issue are cer-
tainly not beauties, but they
do have charms for the col-
lector. Considering the cir-
two issues were in use simul-
taneously during May and
probably early June.
The designer of the Hidalgo
ILAIDL77
Profile stamps is unknown, Figure 2. Parts of these large watermarks are sometimes
seen on the stamp on the left.
Pinhole perforations, as
seen on the right-hand stamp,
proved largely ineffective.
Most stamps with them were
were used anyway, they ap-
pear to carry the wrong in-
voice number.
The smaller post offices
received and sold few copies
cumstances in which they probably an employee of the found on Hidalgo Profiles. The revenue paper watermark cut apart when used. of these relatively short-lived
were issued, we may under- government printing office. It (top) is two-thirds actual size, and the papermaker's water- Consignment numbers and issues. Examples from some
stand and forgive the Mexi- is believed that one master mark (bottom) is shown at seven-eighths actual size. district name overprints offer can be quite hard to find.
can postal authorities for this die with blank panels was ed. Those of the high values period. Its presence on Mexi- an interesting and challenging However, the issue also in-
hastily produced set. made from which were pro- have not been, so far as I can postal and revenue issues field of specialization. There cludes an interesting color er-
The previous issue, which duced five copper cliches for know, because of the cost and of 1872 suggests that postal were 51 different consign- ror to tantalize collectors.
showed a full-face portrait of the various denominations. difficulty of obtaining the authorities may have pur- ment numbers used on the Hi- It seems that the 50c de-
Hidalgo, had fallen unto disre- Each of the five denomina- needed multiples. chased ordinary writing pa- dalgo Profiles, one for each nomination was printed in
pute because of a postal fraud tions shows some differences There seems to have been per in order to print stamps. district office. Mexico City blue, the correct color of the
wherein post office employ- in the printing of all the word- considerable difficulty in pro- Stamp separation was an- was No. 1, for example, and 12c stamp. Although most of
ees sold counterfeited stamps ing. On the 6c stamp the word curing adequate stocks of other problem. There were Zacatecas was No. 51. these errors were found be-
fore they got into circulation, ers of Hamburg, Germany. ing the genuine stamps, ap-
a few sheets slipped into the Ironically, the Spiro forger- pears too bold and too blue.
distribution system. Some of ies show much better craft- Unfortunately, there are
these were legitimately used. manship than the authentic is- still many examples of the
For all the criticism of the sues, though they differ in mi- Spiro fakes in circulation, par-
1872 Hidalgo Profiles, they nor details. Also, the moire ticularly in older collections,
did have one advantage over pattern, though closely match- since they were widely mar-
the issue they replaced. On keted and actually looked bet-
the back of each stamp was a ter than the genuine article.
security printing device, a For reference material on
blue pattern of rippled lines the Hidalgo Profile issue, I
referred to as moire (pro- recommend a series of arti-
nounced mwa-RAY). cles by Franco Vanotti that
Figure 4 shows the design appeared in the Mexico-Elm-
as it appears on the back of hurst Philatelic Society Inter-
the 6c stamp in Figure 3. national journal Mexicana be-
While the moire pattern tween 1984 and 1986.
may have helped prevent In Vanotti's treatment, the
postal forgeries, it curiously work of Barron and other spe-
failed to deter those who cialists of this issue has been
forged stamps for sale to col- Figure 4. This moire pattern, added to, updated, and cor-
lectors. The best known of from the back of the 6-centa- rected. These articles would
these counterfeits are those vo stamp from Figure 3, was be especially useful for plat-
produced by the Spiro broth- intended to deter forgers. ing studies. •
1 0 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 11, 1989

Mexico's Architecture and Archaeology series

In the Aug. 13, 1984, edition of Linn's (Page Figure 2 shows a good example, two stamps With very few exceptions, the surface mail
46) I wrote about the airmail stamps of the depicting La Purisima, a modernistic church stamps were perforated in gauge 14. The three
long-standing series that preceded the current in Monterrey. The 3c stamp on the left was that are not are perf 11: a 1 p stamp produced
Exporta stamps. Those stamps were in use for introduced in 1951. Its 3p counterpart on the in 1958 (Scott 822b), and two 1969 coil stamps
some 25 years and provide very interesting right was released in 1975. that are perf 11 vertically (Scott 1003-04). Ex-
collecting opportunities for the would-be spe- It also must be noted that a short set of amples are illustrated in Figure 4.
A number of different papers figured in the
production of these stamps, and this has been
Mexico the basis by which many catalogers and collec- Figure 4. The only Architecture and Archae-
By Dale Pulver tors categorize stamps of the series. ology regular issues not perforated in gauge
Figure 5 shows the three different water- 14 are the 1958 1p issue on the left and two
marks to be found on Architecture and Ar- 1969 coils including the pair on the right.
cialist in 20th-century Mexico.
Many collect the postage stamps of this era chaeology surface mail issues. The Scott catalog listings are somewhat
as a unit, including not only definitives and air- 3CORREOS The "GOBIERNO MEXICANA" paper of confusing since the chronology of series gets
mail stamps, but also those printed for special Mexican manufacture was the first type to be mixed up and the differences in light-active
delivery, postal insurance and parcel post. I
PESOS 141.11,,,c„„ )
„55, used on stamps of the 1950-52 printings. The properties of the late printings are completely
will confine this article to the regular defini- English-made "MEX-MEX" paper came into disregarded. English and European catalogers
tive stamps issued for use on surface mail. Figure 2. The 1951 3-centavo stamp on the use in about 1953 and the American-made pa- and album makers are better in this regard.
This group of stamps, used between 1950 and left and the 1975 3-peso stamp on the right per with a noticeably larger watermark design Lighthouse is my personal choice for a
1975, is usually referred to as the Architecture use the same design depicting a church. was introduced about 1963. preprinted album. The Lighthouse publisher
and Archaeology series. While this description stamps issued in 1956 to honor the centennial Readers familiar with Mexican stamps know has pretty much sorted out all the nuances in
pretty well covers the range of subjects chosen of the Mexican constitution, Scott 897A-900, is that the English "MEX-MEX" watermark saw papers, gums and light-active aspects of the
for the stamp designs, there were exceptions. customarily included in collections of this is- extensive use. Like other English watermarks, Architecture and Archaeology stamps.
As shown in Figure 1, two Mexican patriot sue. Figure 3 shows the three designs used. it is sometimes difficult to discern. Another advantage to Lighthouse is that the
leaders, Benito Juarez and Francisco Madero, These stamps were issued in denominations In about 1966 light-active components were regular, airmail, special delivery, postal insur-
were portrayed on the 15-centavo and 10-peso needed to meet specific new postal rates. In ance and parcel post stamps are all grouped
at iTNIU 0 4.
stamps of the issue. Juarez is also seen on a addition, there was no presidential decree lim- ,,,,N together in the chronological album sequence.
50p stamp issued late in the period. iting the quantities of these stamps to be print- Just after my 1984 article, there appeared a
As in the current Exporta series, many of the ed, as is customary with Mexico's commemo- CT CTS ET special supplement to the journal of the Asoci-
designs of early Architecture and Archaeology ratives. Further, new denominations of these acion Mexicana de Filatelia, A.C. (AMEX-
issues remained in use virtually throughout the Constitution designs were issued at later dates. 4 "1""
--
CORMS 60 70 CORMS
NE
:4,4 ,4,,,,,,,,,,.....,,•4
„.„....„_...„....... 4.....„.....,-cco PHIL), which deals with the Architecture and
life of the series. All of these surface mail stamps were print- Archaeology series in meticulous detail. This
ed in a small format, with the designs measur- Figure 3. Though they were issued to mark study, written by Ignacio A. Esteva M., divides
ing roughly 17 millimeters by 20mm and over- the centennial of the Mexican Constitution in the total series into 11 distinct issues plus the
all stamp dimensions of 20mm by 24mm. 1957, these similar designs were used for al- Constitution stamps. With full color illustra-
Two printing processes were employed. In most two decades thereafter. tions he notes the key characteristics of the
the early printings, the photogravure process incorporated into the manufacture of Mexican stamps in each issue.
was used for denominations up to 50c. En- security paper in the form of optical bright- If you can read Spanish this study would be a
graved plates were produced for the peso val- eners and phosphorescent coatings. These very good resource, especially if you plan to
0 CORREOS ues. By the end of the 25-year time span during characteristics can help one sort out the later mount your stamps on blank album pages.
PEES SNEKilgg which these stamps remained in service, all printings. Finally, in the printings of 1975 - There are no prices given, but the scarce and
tre4x,Starslares.errassaloY..wirsr,
values were being printed by photogravure. the last hurrah for the series — watermarked rare varieties are noted. I do not know of the
Figure 1. Mexico's Architecture and Archae- As expected, the numerous printings give paper was abandoned altogether. availability of this supplement, but if interest-
ology series also includes stamps depicting rise to a rich range of colors and shades, and The severest challenge facing a collector ed I suggest writing to AMEXFIL, Apartado
Mexican patriots, such as Benito Juarez there are plenty of minor plate and printing who aspires to form a collection of this defini- Postal 1313, 06000 Mexico, D.F.
(left) and Francisco I. Madero (right). varieties to add excitement to the hunt. tive issue is how to best organize it.
Architecture and Archaeology combine to make for an exciting search.
(Continued from previous page)
Even though the Scott listings are deficient Certain denominations of the early printings
in defining all the varieties that would attract are becoming tough to find. For example, the
the attention of a specialist, they do give some 20c Puebla Cathedral stamp of the first print-
idea of the collecting possibilities. ing, which paid a very common domestic rate,
Regardless of how one organizes his or her is quite cheap as a used stamp but rather ex-
collection, there is much to look for. Colors pensive in unused condition.
and shades and printing and paper varieties Most of the high values of all printings have
...) c ,,''' \tc, i zze,
y- r.... 1.. *3M-X3M
.} \\.. exhibited firm pricing in dealers' stock books
) ,.\00 0R,,i.\ c 3m x a (C?( \-__} >< ‘-- from the beginning. While it is a temptation to
3r ) = 0
:0e- `0 -- -- u/
1...:.)' rir,, . 3m-X3M
r defer their purchase in favor of the more
,-,_‘-.. 0 ,0 X > abundant cheaper varieties, these high values
', .„N--' -__".
•r ?.. <, \ -- r\0,,---,,,,
,0.qm xgri 4t• -----, r--- --- are the stamps that climb ever higher in cata-
Figure 5. These watermarks appear on Ar- log value and retail price year by year.
chitecture and Archaeology stamps printed Have fun collecting Mexico's Architecture
on paper produced in Mexico (left), England and Archaeology series, and let me know how
(center) and the United States (right). you make out. MI
56 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 9, 1989

Mexican semipostal and postal tax issues

Many collectors tend to overlook the stamps The purchase of semipostal stamps was pre- bearing the first postal tax stamp. I suspect the Figure 3 shows one such cover bearing Scott
that languish somewhere behind the regular sumably a voluntary action on the part of the obligatory use of these stamps was often over- RA5. I located it in a dealer's bargain cover
issues in catalog listings and in specialized al- mailer. The cost of each individual stamp cov- looked by post office clerks. box. If you are looking for completeness, try to
bums. But these back-of-the-book issues are of- ered both the postage and the charitable con- When the locust campaign ended in the ear- find the booklet panes and imperforate variet-
ten interesting and worthy of attention. tribution. ly 1930s, the surplus stamps were put to postal ies of these issues as well.
Our focus this month is on the semipostal By contrast, the purchase of postal tax use paying the rate for intracity drop letters In 1930, the 2c and 5c Mother and Child post-
and circulars. This is noted in the Scott catalog
footnote following the listing for No. 687A.
Mexico Pay careful heed to the gauge of perforation
By Dale Pulver on used copies of the stamp. If it is perforated
in gauge 12, the stamp was used to pay postal
stamps and the postal tax stamps of Mexico. tax. If it is perf 101/2, it was probably used for
The only two semipostal stamps Mexico ever postage. The usage of this stamp is often misi-
issued were produced in the waning days of dentified in dealer stock books and club circuit
the revolution in 1918. They were intended to books.
raise funds for the Red Cross and are often The next group of postal tax stamps raised
referred to as the Red Cross overprints. money for child welfare work, particularly the
The 5-centavo Hererra and 10c Madero de- support of orphans. Figure 4. Mexico relied upon special tax
Figure 2. Two Mexican Mother and Child stamps to help fund the fight against the
finitives of 1916 were overprinted with a red Initially, the drive for funds was launched
postal tax stamps of 1929, Scott RA6-7. mosquito and malaria in 1939 (left) and a
cross and red surcharges of 3c and 5c, respec- with the Morelos monument stamp vertically
tively, to create Scott B1-2. stamps was in most instances obligatory. Post- overprinted in red with the words "Protection drive to reduce illiteracy in 1946-47 (right).
I do not believe the semipostals saw wide- al tax stamps were applied independently of Infancia." As Scott notes, there were two set- al tax stamps were revalued to lc with an "HA-
spread use. Both mint and used stamps have the postage stamps that were needed to prepay tings of this overprint, both of which are equal- BILITADO/$0.01" surcharge. With a world fi-
become fairly scarce in the past 20 years or so. whatever service the sender desired. nancial crisis then in full swing, there proba-
The postal tax stamp listings for Mexico are All but a few of the Mexican postal tax bly wasn't much demand for higher values.
tucked between those for the Official stamps stamps can be purchased for pennies in either In 1931, remainders of an overprinted revo-
and the provisional issues close to the end of unused or used condition. It isn't too difficult lutionary era stamp, Scott 423, were given an
the Mexico section of the Scott catalog. About to find them in the stock of dealers who spe- added "PRO- INFANCIA" overprint in red and
20 major varieties plus a number of subva- cialize in Mexico. became Scott RA13. This was the last postal
rieties are listed. On the other hand, I like covers that demon- tax stamp issued to support the children's wel-
The difference between the semipostals and strate the correct usage of such stamps. These fare fund, and I have yet to find one on cover.
the postal tax stamps is a significant one. are not as easy to come by as one might ex- A special stamp was issued in 1939 to finance
pect. They should be lurking in dealers' boxes a drive to eradicate malaria in Mexico.
of inexpensive 20th-century Mexican covers, As shown on the left in Figure 4, the design
but you must know what you are looking for. Figure 3. The first Mother and Child postal
of the stamp was most striking — a monstrous
The first postal tax stamp, which showed the ax stamp is tied next to a 10c definitive on a
mosquito preying upon a man with outstretch-
Morelos monument, was issued and sold in 1930 cover from Hermosillo to California. ed arms. Once again the use of these stamps
1925 to generate funds to fight a locust plague. ly abundant. This stamp with the overprint was obligatory, and examples on covers from
Among specialists, these postal tax issues are reading down instead of up is considerably the World War II period are plentiful.
called the locust stamps. There are three Scott- scarcer, but beware of forgeries. This stamp exists with three different water-
listed varieties, with the unwatermarked Figure 2 shows two of the Mother and Child marks and can be found imperforate, too. It is
stamp being the scarcest of the trio. postal tax stamp designs issued in 1929. The probably the most common of all of Mexico's
Figure 1 shows this stamp used correctly on lithographed stamps have a number of inter- postal tax stamps.
Figure 1. A 1-centavo postal tax stamp and a a cover sent from San Antonio, a small town in esting variations, none of which are particular- Rounding out the short list of Mexican postal
10c postage stamp of a similar design on a Baja California, to San Francisco, Calif. This is ly scarce. It would be quite a challenge to find tax stamps are a lc bright red Miguel Hidalgo
1925 Mexican cover to San Francisco. one of the very few covers that I have seen them all properly used on cover. stamp issued in 1941 and a is pro-literacy
stamp that appeared in 1946. A used copy of pendence movement in 1810. Figure 5 shows a
the latter is shown on the right in Figure 4. contemporary use of this stamp on cover.
The Hidalgo stamp was sold to support resto- The 1946 pro-literacy postal tax stamp, show-
ing hands removing a blindfold and pointing to
an alphabet chart, was a companion to the set
of regular and airmail stamps issued in 1945 to
publicize the national literacy campaign in
Mexico, Scott 806-11 and C153-57.
:%/820)17.6 The 1947 printing of the pro-literacy stamp
100K4.0.a.. .ABSINIKOM UV"
on "GOBIERNO MEXICANO" and Eagle in
.11221301T,...( U.S.A.). ... . .. circle fiscal-watermarked paper, Scott RA18,
is probably the scarcest variety of any postal
tax stamp. It is tough to find in mint condition.
For the thrill of the hunt in modern Mexican
Figure 5. The lc Hidalgo postal tax stamp on postal history, the next time you are thumbing
this 1941 airmail cover supported restoration through cheap foreign covers at a dealers'
work in the Mexican city of Dolores Hidalgo. bourse, see if you can find some postal tax
ration work in Dolores Hidalgo, the city where stamp usages. They are good items to add to
Father Hidalgo launched the Mexican inde- your collection of Mexico. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 13, 1989

Mexican stamp folders and souvenir pages

For the past year or so, an In most cases, there was As best I can determine, the the University of Puebla. verse of the page in Figure 2 ucation claims."
avid Linn's reader from Mexi- also a full-color enlarged illus- folders continued to be print- All information about the reads as follows: According to Wilkins, 12,000
co City, Guillermo Wilkins, tration of the issue in question ed until about the end of 1976. stamp and the event or sub- "The Autonomous Universi- of these first-day souvenir
has been sending me news of and a box in which to affix a Although I do not have them ject it commemorates ap- ty of Puebla under basis as pages are prepared for each
the stamp scene in Mexico. copy of the real stamp with all, correspondence with pears on one side of a sheet the free accession to the new Mexican commemora-
Wilkins' letters have includ- space for a first-day cancella- other collectors indicates that, in some cases, is water- universitary (sic) education tive issue or stamp set.
tion. If a set of stamps was in- marked "LEDGER FEDER- and its obliged gratuitous na- Though these are available
volved, there were additional AL." ture, gives plentiful answer to from the Philatelic Office of
Mexico fold-out panels to accommo- There is a space for the the secondary and higher ed- the Mexican Postal Service,
By Dale Pulver date them all. stamp where it is tied by a
I do not know exactly when highly ornamented first-day
Num. 7
ed several first-day-of-issue these folders were first intro- cancellation. The illustrated
souvenir panels, prepared by duced. sheet measures 6.6 inches by "CINCUENTA ANIVERSARIO DE LA

the Mexican Postal Service Figure 1 shows the cover of 9 inches. Another standard UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE PUEBLA"

for commemorative issues. the earliest one I have, pro- size, roughly 91/2 inches by 9
Since the existence of these duced in 1965 to announce inches, is used when there is a Al oomph," el . CINCUENTA ANIVER5ARID DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE 1111010

items is probably news to Mexico's first pre-Olympic set of stamps or when the text boy .UNIVERSIDAD AUTON0NIA DE PUEBLA", el Go.rno de IT Repubine, ba de, rm..,
la eons.. de una eetamptIla postal conmernorattva, con ins vemer,es caracternha.,

many Linn's readers, I stamp series, Scott 965-66 and is too much for the smaller
thought they might make a C309-11. The folder contains OPICINA t,LATA.L.104, MSX,Cary A
sheet.
good topic for this column. spaces for all the stamps in vvsnn, ot .c.nog y 0.000 The cancellation on the Fetba de ernmen, 23 de stool de 19/17
os cans" lo de ',It.. t EbseneclOr. A. Gar., A
But first a bit of background the set. page in Figure 2 is struck in kWh.- Ebbw anis., en acuareis
7mtes oblizades. Mulinolor.
on how Mexico attempts to At that time, my main inter- black, but the vast majority of Tipo de ,mpresiOn litiecogrebano mlahm
Taman, 40 X 48 mm.
publicize its stamps. est was focused on the classic the ones I have are canceled formeto, Verhcal.
Figure 1. This folder for a PerlorecOn 14. de prone
When I lived in Mexico dur- issues of Mexico, so I did not commemorative set of 1965 in red. .tions con. 25 estsmn,.les.
Pepe!: Bond maned "rm.°, Idnumsrent..1
ing the 1960s, I first became bother to obtain serviced fold- The ornate cancellations of pool y ensornado P. V.A . 97 arms-/,,,
is one of about 200 or so pre- Imam por. Taller" de imoresMo

aware of small folders that ers containing the stamps.

tempi". y Valor".
all the 1987 and 1988 souvenir 71r0, 1000.000
pared for Mexican commem- ServIcio Maeo y superboe
were printed and distributed These folders were avail- orative issues of 1965-76. pages include the city name Valor lamed 5200 00

free by the Ministry of Ha- able ahead of the issue date of Monterrey, N.L. Those for
there were probably about 1989 have Mexico, D.F., can-
cienda — the Mexican Public and one could take them to
Treasury, of which its postal the main post office, buy the 200 different folders prepared
Ls Unlversided de Puebla. se hoods en el 00 de 1937 por Deur.° del an tonces
cellations, which suggests that 00bernedre del E.1." de Puebla. General Memnon° Hyde Corneal, vendo so pruner
during the 1965-76 period. the servicing location has Mbar el LIG. Mans* L MO."
service is a part. The folders newly issued stamps, and La Pistons de la Untuare■dad comp melltucaln "dice" e le ensenen7a se Ina
were issued to announce new have them canceled with a I have not been able to find been moved to the capital. en 1578, Cuanelo se hinds en Puebla 'le Ca" de le Cornea. de Jesus- Al nocn
hemp° mit. .11 achuldsdes docent" los Cotegioe de Sim lerOmmo y el del Cs
commemorative stamp issues. special first-day datestamp. any further information on The souvenir pages are 'Arno 9a010. Deeds entonees y bel0 diverses aPeltierenes Cole., Caro.° (1790 10201
Peal 00)e910 del Espiritu Sento (1820.1821), Impanel Colegm de 530 lanscw. San
These folders, which mea- Somehow, my name found what happened after that numbered serially at the bot- Jeronimo y EepInto Santo (18211825). 0011110 del Estado 1825 1937), Universoed
do Peel" (19371966) y Unlversulad ...tenor" de Puebla (19561, el edslicoo Caromn
sure about 4 inches by 51/2 its way onto a mailing list date, or even if the project tom. The number at the top he sada. dada hut rose de 400 enos, se" de la MiAlf1111 Cass de Estudios del Estado
de Puebla.
inches, typically showed art- maintained by Hacienda. I was dropped altogether. left is the number of the sou- El Voce" de Reforms Unless...a democrat. de le Unnersided Aulenurna de
Puebill, he iseelso de "le Inetltuethe uns d. bt ines mmorlantes del pale Cf. 11110
work on their covers that re- continued to receive the The first-day souvenir pages venir page for a given year. 0001.10n eatudientol de mks de own rml slumnos, nueve .100,1" orspardsur.
veintscuatro ',e.t.a". nue" moestries, doctorade Y un llosOnsi nonde se
lated to the subject of the blank stamp folders for sever- supplied by Wilkins are quite On the back of the sheet is awed. nat. espeelabdades, Is Unnersnled Autenorna de Puebla, bale 18,,,Inos
fundamental", corn* el hbre seteso s la educe..6n universdarto y ter.. 4,010,110
stamp. al years, even after my return similar in function to the ear- an English translation of all Sue dabs ten. da mem." cravenly s Is demands de enseslanze mean sooenor v
euper1O, simultaneementa reel. une mtg.. "bunted en los tempos de la tnvesr,
de la culturs, cumplendo all 101 Lomoromno
Inside the folders was a to the United States. lier folders, but there are a the information, complete 7100, y en el de IN extentiOn y
lundarnentel con IS aleclOn.
with space for a stamp, but 0004560
brief summary of data about While I am not a big fan of number of obvious differenc-
the stamp issue itself. Details this type of material, my col- es in format. without the serial number.
included the name of the de- lection of folders has provid- Figure 2 shows the earliest The English translations are Figure 2. This souvenir page for a 1987 commemorative in-
signer, color, size, perforation ed me with useful information souvenir page I have, for a rather poorly done, and some- cludes information about the stamp and space to affix a copy
gauge, total number of stamps not found in the catalog list- 1987 commemorative mark- times bewildering. For exam- and apply a first-day cancel. The same information and for-
issued, and so on. ings. ing the 50th anniversary of ple, one sentence on the re- mat are displayed in English on the back of the page.
Tacuba Num 1-20. Piso, 06000 tial appreciation in value. The
Mexico, D.F., Wilkins does not run of 12,000 should be quite
recommend this as a source sufficient to meet any fore-
for foreign collectors. The seeable growth in demand.
service is bad and one can
Probably the most compel-
never be sure of receiving
ling reason to buy these pages
pages of acceptable quality. It
is to get the additional back-
is much better to buy through
ground on the subject matter
a dealer, paying the normal
of the stamp, even though the
markup.
text is poorly written and oc-
I am unaware of any U.S.
casionally contains errors of
dealers who handle these sou-
fact. The data on the printings
venir pages, but I do know
might be of use as well.
that Filatelia Mussot, Tiber
99, 06500 Mexico, D.F., can If any reader has informa-
supply them. If material like tion which could fill the obvi-
this piques your interest you ous gaps in this article, I
might want to check the firm would be delighted to hear of
out. it. You can write to me in
It is doubtful that these care of Linn's, Box 29, Sidney,
items will ever enjoy substan- Ohio 45365. ■
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 11, 1989

Scott Vol. 3; T B seals; new Exporta varieties

As in past years, I have used year we can accept them as These include such items as they are the sort of thing that was cut about 10 percent and has an extensive stock of
this December column to dis- reasonable. Several large three-quarters of an 1856 8r gives sparkle to a world-class some Porte de Mar stamps Mexican TB seals.
cuss several subjects, none of holdings of classic material stamp on cover used to pay exhibition of classic Mexico. were given a modest boost. My thanks to Joe and John
which quite merits a full- came on the block during the the 6r rate, and one-eighth of Scott also introduced selec- All in all, there is not too for putting me straight on this
length article, and to acknowl- 1988-89 season, so presumably the 1861 8r stamp used on tive value adjustments in the much to cause concern to the score. •
balance of the 19th-century is- average collector of Mexico,
The Exporta stamps of Mex-
sues. The 1883 6-centavo blue or any of the dealers for that
Mexico Small Numeral stamp, Scott matter. It seems to be a case
ico continue to roll on, but
there may be a new definitive
By Dale Pulver 148, went up a couple of dol- of fine tuning.
issue in the offing.
lars in both mint and used If you haven't bought a cur-
According to an article in El
edge the helpful feedback I condition. The very rare 1892 rent Scott Vol. 3 for a few
10-peso Hidalgo Medallion years you might want to get Financiero by Guillermo Wil-
receive from readers. kins, one of my regular Mexi-
First on the agenda are the stamp, Scott 231, dropped this one to have a set of
can correspondents, the post-
listings for Mexico in Vol. 3 of quite a bit. Its values are now benchmark values; I do not
al authorities are considering
the 1990 Scott catalog. listed in italics, meaning that foresee large movements in
a new definitive series focus-
Readers may recall that I there were too few sales of the market anytime soon.
ing on tourism in Mexico.
devoted the entire November this item for the stamp to be But as I said last year, I do
This theme has been seen
1988 column to this subject valued accurately. wish Scott would redo the
several times on modern
under the headline, "Post- Some stamps of the modern graphics in the Mexico sec-
Mexican stamp issues, but
classic stamps prosper." The era that saw increases in last tion — some of them are just
bottom line was that not much Figure 1. Used copies of the 1856 1-real and 2r issues typify year's listings have fallen horrible!
happened to the 19th-century the modest changes and lack of an overall trend in the 1990 back again, in some instances •
classic era and that most of Scott catalog Vol. 3 listings for classic Mexico. The lr stamp, to levels below those in the After my article in Linn's
the changes, which were Scott 2 (left), decreased in value about 20 percent while the 1988 Scott catalog. July 10 issue (Page 16) about
largely upward, had to do 2r issue, Scott 3 (right), gained by about the same proportion. Both pro-University sets, for Mexico's TB seals I did hear
with the post-revolutionary Both of these stamps are now valued at $2.50. example, took a pretty good from several readers. Some
period 1914-19 and certain is- beating in unused condition. liked it, others said such items
there was adequate basis for cover for the lr rate. Value changes for used copies could never be considered Figure 2. One of the three
sues of the 1940s.
the value changes. I can't quarrel with these were mixed, with the regular philatelic, and still others felt Exporta issues that recently
The prosperity I noted then
may have been short-lived. Figure 1 shows used copies deletions. It has always been issues losing and the airmail that one should collect what surfaced in a newly record-
Scott's pricing editors went to of the 1-real and 2r first issues questionable whether genuine issues gaining. gives pleasure and not worry ed printing on the thin, semi-
work on quite a few of the of 1856, stamps that seem to examples ever existed in the But the collector must be about what the experts say. transparent, highly fluore-
classic items. typify the nature of the first place. careful here. With the top de- Near the end of the article scent third-issue paper.
While I have not made a changes in Scott catalog. Finally, the prices for other nominations in used condition it was noted that Green's Tu- Wilkins hopes that the de-
meticulous, item-by-item com- The lr stamp on the left, very scarce split frankings, of cataloging more than unused berculosis Seals Catalog of signs, graphic treatment and
parison between the 1989 and Scott 2, declined in value which perhaps three or four copies, make sure that the the World was out of print. workmanship will be superior
1990 editions, here's the gen- about 20 percent between the copies are recorded, have cancels on your stamps have Not so, wrote Joe Wheeler. to that of many recent Mexi-
eral impression I get. 1989 and 1990 editions of the been raised substantially. Ex- the right dates, and were not Wheeler is the president of can stamps.
First, there have been some catalog. The 2r Hidalgo shown amples are the 1856-61 half- just added later to increase the Christmas Seal and Chari- The Exportas have been in
modest increases and de- on the right, Scott 3, gained 20 real rate paid with a bisected their apparent value. ty Stamp Society. use for 14 years now and re-
creases in the catalog values percent over the same period. lr stamp, and three-quarters Mexico's back-of-the-book Copies of the 1983 and 1979 main popular with collectors
for a number of items in the Both stamps now have a of the 1881 4r and 8r stamps items do not appear to have editions are still available who like to specialize. The se-
first five or six issues. Scott catalog value of $2.50. also used to pay proper rates. received much attention, but I from John B. Denune, 234 E. ries can be separated into 11
If the Scott listings are truly Second, I noticed that a few Covers with these usages did note a couple of adjust- Broadway, Granville, Ohio distinct issues, based on paper
reflective of what went on in of the rare so-called "split" would be priced far beyond ments. The black Official air- 43023, for $30 and $15, re- and gum characteristics.
the market during the past listings . have been deleted. the means of most of us, but mail set of 1929, Scott CO3-09, spectively. The CSCSS, also There is also an abundant
array of varieties, including ously unreported stamp vari- per back during 1981-82.
some printing mishaps that eties, printed on the very thin, Keep working on the Expor-
are quite scarce. I have writ- semitransparent, highly flu- tas. The end of this series may
ten several articles on the Ex- orescent paper of the third is- be just around the corner.
porta stamps during the six sue, with shiny gum. Check •
years in this column. your holdings and make sure Finally, best wishes for the
Since my last article in May you obtain these. holiday season to all my read-
of this year, little new has Figure 2 shows the 450p val- ers. I really do appreciate the
come to my attention. Postal ue in this new variety. The letters and feedback I receive
rates have remained steady other denominations are 200p from you. Many times your
so there hasn't been the need and 950p. These were not comments provide the stimu-
for changes in denominations. among the values that were lus for articles you read in
I have received a few previ- originally printed on this pa- this space. ■
 12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 8, 1990

Stamp postcards
offer a colorful sideline have grouped them into four to be a mixture of the Mexi-
Shortly after the turn of the
century, postcards depicting major design types. can definitive issues of 1899
postage stamps of various The cards with Mexican and 1903, with the Mexican
countries became the rage stamps, for example, are Nos. coat of arms displayed in the
with genteel world tourists. 30 and 94 in the series. The lower-left corner.
Among stamp collectors the first of these, No. 30, is shown There is an open area for a

Mexico
By Dale Pulver

postcards are called stamp

cards. They have always had
a small but avid following.
Such cards were produced
by a number of publishers,
but the best known of these
was Ottmar Zieher of Munich,
Bavaria. Zieher began print-
ing and marketing these cards
around 1903 and his so-called 0
first series contained almost Figure 1. This embossed turn-of-the-century stamp card pro-
100 different colorful designs. duced by Ottmar Zieher of Munich, Bavaria, depicts Mexican
The cards are of a standard definitives of 1899-1903 and the Mexican coat of arms.
size, 51/2 inches by 31/2 inches. in Figure 1 in one of its sever- message the center of the
The vast majority bear a se- al varieties. postcard. The outer border on
ries number specific to the This is a type III card. This three sides consists of two
particular country whose is- type shows an array of over- parallel lines filled in with al-
sues are shown. Collectors lapping stamps, which happen ternating bands of color like a
• * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * *

barber's pole. In this instance cut away by close trimming, other countries. In some cases
the three colors are red, but it is there. where the Muller inscription
white and green, which are This inscription identifies exists, the original Zieher in-
the national colors of Mexico. the card as having been print- scription has been blacked
This card is embossed, with ed by Zieher in Bavaria, and out. This may help explain
simulated perforations also gives evidence that the why the inscription on the one
around the stamps and the card design was covered by illustrated is all but cut away.
Mexican eagle in relief. something resembling a copy- The card in Figure 1 was
right. The initials "D.R.G.M.," used, having been mailed
Printing in Spanish on the
for "Deutsches Reichs Ge- from Long Beach, Calif., Aug.
address side tells us that it is a
brauchsmuster," translate 11, 1906. As can be seen, all
postcard of the Republic of
roughly as a "German Imperi- that appears in the message
Mexico (although there is ab-
al Design Protection." area is the town name "San
solutely no connection with
Along the right edge of the Pedro, Calif.," located in Los
the Mexican government) and
Figure 1 card illustrated is the Angeles County, the date and
that only the address is to ap-
inscription: "Publisher Fr. the initials Of the sender.
pear on that side. The printing
Muller, San Francisco (Cal.) Used cards are desirable
is dark blue, btit this can vary.
Made in Bavaria." and most collectors aspire to
Along the left margin on the The precise reason for this have one mailed from the
illustrated side of the is not clear. Several other country whose stamps are de-
postcard, just between the Zieher cards, including those picted. This one is close, but
edge and the border is the in- for Canada, are found with I'm still looking for an exam-
scription: "Carte philatelique the same inscription, so it is ple actually mailed out of
deposee. D.R.G.M. 222744. presumed that Zieher may Mexico for my collection.
Ottmar Zieher (Baviere)." have sold remainders to There is another card in the
This inscription is not visi- Muller or had an arrange- first Zieher series, No. 94,
ble in Figure 1 since it is ment with him to act as sales which is an entirely different
printed in the same pale gray agent for certain cards. design displaying some of the
as the background. Almost Also, the names of other early, classic stamps of Mexi-
half the inscription has been firms are found on cards of co. It is classified as a type IV
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
card, which means if is simi- there are a number of varia-the Zieher cards is illustrated is from a series of 48 given
lar to the type III card with tions to look for. in Figure 2. away as individual premiums
the outer border of stripes I have already noted the in-It is much smaller, measur- with the sale of each Pulliam
and an open message area, scription varieties. The serial
ing about 4.15 inches by 2.75 cigar.
but a small map of the coun- number, as well as the print-
inches. The inscriptions do Stamp cards were produced
try has been added to the de- ing on the address side, cannot give us a clue, but it is by other printers during the
sign in the lower-right corner. be found in different colors.
probably a product of a much first half of this century, but I
This No. 94 type IV card All Zieher cards I own have later era, perhaps the 1930s. am not aware of any others
Again, facsimiles of stamps portraying Mexican stamps.
from the 1899-1903 issues are I would be delighted to hear
shown on the face of the card. from any reader who could
These rather poor renditions add to this story. Depending
surround a view of a mule- on how much response there
drawn mail coach. is, I could add a footnote to a
The Mexican coat of arms is future column.
at the top center of the For those who would like to
postcard, and at the base of find out more about Ottmar
the oval are the words: "The Zieher cards in general, I rec-
Mail in Mexico." ommend an article written by
The stamp illustrations bear the late George T. Turner in
parts of crudely drawn the November 1978 issue of
bridge-type cancellations, The American Philatelist
which were contemporary (Page 1066).
with these issues. At the lower Turner admitted, as we all
Figure 2. Probably produced later than the card in Figure 1, left is the inscription "Series must, that there is much more
this smaller stamp card showing Mexican issues was one in a 5470.2" to learn about these curious
series of 48 given away as part of a cigar promotion. The address side of the card but colorful items. While they
is of a split format — the left are not truly philatelic, they
seems to be scarcer than No. embossing, but I would not be "For Correspondence," the will add some interest to your
30. I have seen only two or surprised if some exist with- right side "For Address Only" collection of Mexico or, for
three during the years I have out it. — with a box supplied for the that matter, to a collection of
been checking dealers' boxes. Another kind of stamp card postage stamp. On the back of any other country for which
If these items appeal to you, that is quite different from the card we also learn that it the cards exist. ■
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ******* *****
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 12, 1990

Cancels perk interest when budget reduced

The outline for this article was pretty well Mexico. In my column of June 10, 1985 (Page press, which had a franchise to carry mail At one time I tended to prefer lightly can-
worked out when I read the guest contribution 60), I wrote about the possibilities of socked- along the west coast of Mexico. celed stamps for my used collection. Lately,
by Henry I. Christ in Wayne L. Youngblood's on-the-nose cancellations. These seem to be It would be a good guess that the letter that however, I have been seeking copies with neat,
Collecting on a Shoestring column, in the Jan. popular with all collectors, and there is even a was franked with this stamp was headed north dated cancellations, even though they may not
15 issue of Linn's (Page 27). Christ is a collec- society for those who specialize in this field. toward San Francisco. The local overprint in- all be perfect bull's-eyes.
tor after my own heart, and his thesis Many Mexican towns and cities had circular dicates that its starting point was Mazatlan. The information in the cancel can also be
The stamp has minor faults, including a
rounded corner, but if it were still on its origi-
Mexico nal cover, it would be priced far beyond what
By Dale Pulver most of us could afford. Yet I was able to pluck
it out of a circuit book for pennies.
that postal history can be found on postage The stamp on the right in Figure 2, dating
stamps off cover could not be more correct. from about 1916, likewise bears only a partial
If you read that piece and think you may be cancellation. However, that cancel informs us
in for another dose of the same arguments in that the letter it prepaid was carried by or pos-
this one — you're right! sibly mailed on the steamship Antonio Lopez.
For the past several years, my retirement I have not yet found out where this vessel
income has allowed me a very much reduced Figure 2. Cancellations on common stamps operated. Perhaps some reader can help me.
stamp budget, so I have been spending more can reveal exotic usages. The one on the left The pair of 5c stamps in Figure 3 bearing a
time looking for interesting cancellations on was used on a Wells, Fargo & Co. Express socked-on-the-nose circular datestamp is desir- Figure 4. This cancel on a high-value stamp
the less expensive stamps. cover. The stamp on the right was canceled able because of the postal information the can- shows that it was used to mail a parcel.
Sure, I'll buy a moderately expensive stamp on the steamship Antonio Lopez. cel provides. This includes the city and state of used to determine whether or not the usage
or cover once in a while, when it enhances one origin, plus the month, day, year and even the was truly contemporary with the issue. This is
or oval datestamps, almost from the beginning
of my exhibits. But I have just as much fun hour the letter entered the mailstream. an important consideration if you want to keep
of the adhesive period, so classic stamps with
finding a curious combination of stamp and well-centered cancellations can be found. canceled-to-order copies out of your collection.
cancel for 251: as I do with a $100 classic. You can sharpen your knowledge of geogra- Other useful information appears in date-
As I have written so many times before in phy in the search for stamps canceled in stamps, particularly details about the type of
this column, there are plenty of opportunities smaller Mexican towns. Figure 1 shows a 10- service that the stamps prepaid.
for this sort of collecting with the stamps of centavo stamp with a full, socked-on-the-nose Although it might not show too clearly in the
oval cancel from Hecelchakan in Campeche. photo, the stamp in Figure 4 bears a socked-on-
Hecelchakan had a population of less than the-nose cancellation inscribed "PAQUETE
5,000 in 1960. It takes a few minutes to find it POSTAL," indicating that it was used to mail a
on a map of Mexico. But the Figure 1 cancel is parcel. Since the stamp is a high 50c denomi-
typical of many to be found on Mexican issues nation from the 1899 issue, this represents a
of the last two or three decades of the 19th perfectly reasonable usage for this value.
century. They show up particularly well on Figure 3. The socked-on-the-nose cancel on The cancels on the two stamps in Figure 5
large orange Numeral stamps of the 1880s. this pair of 5c stamps tells us they were can- also tell the story of their former letters.
Though the stamp on the left in Figure 2 celed at the town of Frontera in the Mexican The 5c Cuautemoc stamp on the left, from
shows only part of a cancellation, it is still state of Tabasco at 11 a.m. on March 31, 1917. the Transportation series of 1895, was pro-
enough to tell us a great deal about the postal This style of cancel, with minor variations, cessed by a postal agent aboard a mail train,
service that it provided. was used throughout Mexico from the late shown in the cancel as "AG(ente). Post(al).
This 5c Juarez stamp of the 1882 series was 1880s up to the present time. Stamps bearing *6*." Such markings were discussed in detail
Figure 1. This 10-centavo Numeral stamp has issued exclusively for use on foreign mail. The such datestamp information are quite com- in my column of June 13, 1988 (Page 12).
a handsome 19th-century oval cancel from cancellation reveals that it was used on a piece mon, although perfect socked-on-the-nose piec- The stamp on the right in Figure 5, from the
the small Mexican town of Hecelchakan. of mail handled by the Wells, Fargo & Co. Ex- es such as this one are not too plentiful. revolutionary period, was used on a letter col-
 home"; "Don't use square envelopes — they're
hard to handle and can be damaged"; "Buy
and use domestic products"; and so on.
There are numerous other collectible as-
pects to cancellations. Stamps used on second-
and third-class mail bear cancels that show
they were used to prepay these services, and
Official stamps have Official cancels.
Then there are those stamps that escaped
cancellation in the country of origin but were
canceled along the way or at their destina-
Figure 5. The cancels on these stamps reveal tions. I have one from Mexico. but I haven't
that the one on the left was processed on a figured out which country canceled it.
mail train and the one on the right was Try to find contemporary Mexican stamps
mailed in a public letter box in Mexico City. with clear, well-struck and readable cancels.
lected from one of the many public letter box- They're tough to come by because of the care-
less way in which mail is processed in Mexico.
es, or "buzones," scattered about the city of
Mexico. Similar cancels are found with "sucur- I suspect that future collectors may have to
sal" (branch post office) inscriptions. pay dearly for specimens of top quality.
Buzon cancels from Mexico City were used As Christ points out, there's some serious
as early as 1868. They consist of a large letter philately and good fun to be had beyond just
"B" and a single-digit number in a 17-millime- filling the blanks in your album with used
ter circle, and they are much sought after. stamps. Such stamps can spark a rewarding
I also like to find stamps bearing slogans or search for more information and, I hope, help
commemorative inscriptions. Mexico has had you derive more enjoyment from your hobby.
quite a few of these over the years. The besi part is that it won't cost you a great
The English translations of many of the deal. For all the stamps I used to illustrate this
Spanish slogans makes interesting reading. article — including three I didn't have room to
These include: "Alcoholism destroys the show — the total I paid was less than $4. ■
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 12, 1990

Lindbergh flew FAM-8 covers to Mexico

Since I began writing these mail stop in Tampico called many philatelic items, such asplex, both applied at "6 AM." bly never saw the inside of an the rules a bit sometimes, and
articles in 1983 I fear that air- for on this route but all first- this cover, were ready to be There is little doubt that the airplane. it looks like this cover gives
mail enthusiasts have not flight mail for that city was serviced. sender wanted a cover with The Brownsville cancel is fair evidence of that fact.
been well served, so this col- carried on a separate air- This cover appears to have the two-stamp set of the 1928 dated March 9 — the day Although these two covers
umn is for them. It was plane. Tampico was impor- been prepared by the addres- U.S. Aeronautics Conference Lindbergh flew from Mexico come from its northern end,
prompted by the acquisition tant because of the booming see, W. Schwede, of Seattle, issue. This resulted in a 2e City to Brownsville. This cov- the FAM-8 route continued
overpayment of the postage, er was not on that flight. south through Mexico, with
although the mailer may have It also displays a March 9 stops at Veracruz, San Geroni-
Mexico felt the extra 2e was required backstamp from Matamoros, mo and Tapachula. It contin-
By Dale Pulver to convey the cover back to Mexico, that is not the usual ued on into Guatemala, El Sal-
the United States. airmail cancel type. vador and Honduras where it
of a couple of airmail covers There is an interesting story It's likely this cover went joined the FAM-5 route, ter-
which, when I finished my re- that several mailbags stowed into a bag for surface mail, minating in Panama.
search, had an interesting sto- in the wing of Lindbergh's took the short trip across the Eventually, the two routes
ry to tell. plane for this first flight were bridge over the Rio Grande, were combined and collec-
PVIer
. overlooked in Mexico City and went to the Matamoros tively designated FAM-5, the
"FAM" stands for Foreign
(Contract) Air Mail. FAM
! FroST and not removed with the rest post office for local delivery. title by which this route was
e.oTehtrArof.A,L, g e,
routes were arranged by the Lar....44S.vILLto IvIEXIC1) CITY of the mail from Brownsville. The cover also could have known until a few years ago.
U.S. Post Office Department They were discovered a few been fully processed at Covers postmarked in other
with private airlines to carry weeks later when the plane Brownsville. It is well known cities along this route are
mail between the United made a stop in Tampico.
Figure 1. A first-flight cover flown March 10, 1929, from To preserve the philatelic
States and foreign destina- Brownsville, Texas, to Mexico City on Foreign Air Mail route value of the many first-flight fi .t.Roe7sLea
tions. No. 8. Charles A. Lindbergh was the pilot. covers included in this "lost EPI5T %wine
The first of these FAM
routes dates from 1926, but oil industry there and the Wash. Once it reached Mexi- mail," the bags were sent to New dertvEv
the initiation of regular air- need for fast, reliable mail co City it no doubt was re- Mexico City and given the
mail service to Mexico began service. turned to him by surface same March 10 arrival back-
stamp that the original mail
in 1929 when the eighth such The original contractor for mail, but it was flown for part had received.
route, FAM-8, was establish- this mail route was Pan of its long journey.
Unless there is a supple-
ed. American Airways Inc., but The rubber-stamp cachet, mentary commercial or post
Figure 1 shows a cover car- the service actually was per- struck in purple or magenta office receiving mark, there INTICANk,W7/AL F
evowrisvii.t.e*,,uce CITY
ried on the first outbound formed by its Mexican subsi- ink, at the left of the address is no way to differentiate cov-
flight of FAM-8. Actually, the diary, Compania Mexicana de is the typical one used for the ers of this delayed mail from
flight originated in Mexico Aviacion. The pilot for the southbound leg of the trip. A those that were actually deliv-
City on March 9, 1929, and Mexico-Brownsville-Mexico similar but somewhat larger ered on March 10. Figure 2. Though prepared for the southbound first flight of
ended in Brownsville, Texas, first round trip of this FAM cachet was used the previous FAM-8, this cover was probably never handled as airmail.
The cover in Figure 2 looks
that same day. route was none other than the day on mail that made the in- much like the first one. It was that all Brownsville and Mata- available and would make an
On the following day, renowned Col. Charles A. augural northbound flight prepared by A.C. Roessler, moros airmail was dispatched interesting study.
March 10, mailbags were Lindbergh. from Mexico City. one of the famous cover ser- by way of the Brownsville air- The field has already been
made up for Mexico and it It is reported that nearly The cover also bears a vicers of that era. He no doubt field. A Mexican clerk could well researched and most of
was in one of these that this 540 pounds of mail was car- March 10 Mexico City airmail intended to send it aboard the have canceled it there. the data needed by a special-
cover traveled on the first re- ried on the two first flights backstamp. There is no clue return leg of the first flight. Although this second cover ist collector can be found in
turn trip from Brownsville to into Mexico. There is no ques- as to why the Brownsville post It received the usual first- was sold as a FAM-8 FFC, it is the American Air Mail Cata-
Mexico City. tion the event received a lot office used two cancellations, flight cachet, but the other obvious that it is not. Roessler logue, published by the Amer-
There was an intermediate of advance publicity and that a machine cancel and a du- postmarks indicate it proba- is known to have stretched ican Air Mail Society. IN
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 9, 1990

More about stamp cards; rate increase

For some reason or other was mailed in 1911 from a scription, which shows up ther trimmed off or is too used in 1912, suggesting that it ject, but I do thank them. And
my column on stamp cards in United States border town. poorly anyway. faint to be readily seen. appeared much later than the I will be glad to hear of any
the Jan.. 8 issue of Linn's My Jan. 8 article made note Walt Erikson of Massachu- Figure 1 shows the Zieher first one. more variations.
(Page 12) provoked more of inscription varieties. Ott- setts reports that he has a No. Mexico stamp card No. 94 These No. 94 Zieher cards
reader response than I have mar Zieher evidently devel- 30 card with the Henry S. that was not illustrated in the are encountered much less Those who have regular
Jan. 8 article. The Mexican frequently than the other, ear- correspondents in Mexico
coat of arms appears at the lier No. 30 design. probably already realize that
Mexico top center with a small out- David Baugher of Houston, there has been a recent in-
By Dale Pulver line map of Mexico added in Texas, sent me the card crease in postal rates in that
the lower-right corner. shown in Figure 2. country. The increase took ef-
received in quite some time. Zieher card specialists re- This example is labeled fect Feb. 1, and you might
More than a dozen collec- fer to this as a type IV card. "Made in the U.S.A." The want to check for any misrat-
tors wrote with information The series number is in the printing quality is inferior to ed covers from the early days
and comments about their upper-right corner. the Zieher No. 30 card, but of this new rate period.
holdings. As can be imagined, The only imprint on the re- the very same 11 stamps are In 1989 airmail letters of
some of this data would have verse is "Made in Germany" portrayed. Weakly embossed not more than 20 grams cost
been most helpful in prepar- in the lower-left corner. In perforations appear around 1,100 pesos to send to the
ing my January article. one variation, this slogan is each of the stamp designs. United States. It now costs
But that is how it often is in marked out and "J.G. Hatton, This card was mailed from 1,500p, a 36-percent increase.
this game. You write the story Mexico" is added, with the Matamoros in 1910 to an ad- Correspondingly large rate
and, after it is published, you heading, "Republica Mex- dress in Houston. hikes have also been imposed
get the information you wish Figure 1. This second and scarcer Mexico stamp card pro- icana /Tarjeta Postal." So there you have some for special postal services
you had had beforehand. duced by Bavarian Ottmar Zieher, No. 94, displays more In this card seven classic more on the story of Mexican such as registry, return re-
With my thanks to those Mexican stamps than did Zieher's first design, No. 30. stamp designs were added to stamp cards. I'm sorry space ceipt and so forth.
kind individuals who shared oped a franchise system Beach inscription printed in the 11 designs of the 1899- doesn't permit mention of all Since Mexico's last whole-
their knowledge and photo- whereby the German-printed the lower-left corner along 1903 issues shown on card No. the good people who took the sale change of postal rates,
copies from their own collec- cards were sold through other the bottom edge. The original 30. The Figure 1 card was time to write me on this sub- which took effect Jan. 1, 1989,
tions, here are some addi- publishers to local markets. Zieher inscription in the left the peso has continued to slip
tional details about the stamp This gave rise to the different margin is completely obli- in value against other strong
cards of Mexico. inscriptions. terated. currencies. While letter rates,
First, the No. 30 card pro- Fr. Muller of San Francisco, I have since found another as expressed in U.S. dollars
duced around the turn of the Calif., enjoyed one of these ar- No. 30 card with the Zieher for example, have only gone
century by Ottmar Zieher of rangements. The card illus- inscription crosshatched out up by about 13 percent, that is
Munich, Bavaria, came with trated in the earlier column and "J.C. Hatton, Mexiko" certainly small consolation to
the series number printed in was inscribed as having been printed just below the em- Mexico's postal patrons.
at least three different colors: handled by that firm. blem in the lower-left corner. Domestic rates, on the other
blue, red and brown. There were other agents as The German spelling suggests hand, have shot up more than
If there is a chronological well. that Hatton may have served 50 percent, a painful bite for
order associated with these Henry S. Beach of Ciudad as agent for Zieher cards in Mexico's business people and
colors I haven't" been able to Juarez, Mexico, sold Zieher the Mexican capital. other postal patrons.
find it. Red and blue numbers cards along the U.S.-Mexican Erikson also reports a card In spite of our own prob-
appear on cards mailed as border. I now have records of with no marginal inscriptions lems with the United States
early as 1906, the earliest several cards with his inscrip- whatsoever. I'm inclined to Postal Service at times, in-
usages that I have seen or had tion. On some his name is believe that the card probably Figure 2. Produced in the United States around 1910, this cluding complaints about ris-
reported to me. The only used printed in the left margin had the original Zieher in- card used a different design but showed precisely the same ing rates, there are clearly
card with a brown number over the original Zieher in- scription, but that it was ei- stamps as Zieher's first Mexico stamp card. others who suffer more. ■
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 14, 1990

Papers vary on Mexican issues of 1856-83

This begins a two-part treat- There was no such thing as but it is always horizontal on paper with the R.P.S. water- was of rather poor quality, so printed on the back. But pa-
ment of one of the fundamen- a standard security paper in the blue-green color varieties. mark (Renta Papel Sellado) that used copies are often per shortages apparently
tals of stamp collecting: the Mexico in the 1850s. In all For the 1856 issue, paper in large script letters across thinned or otherwise dam- forced the use of some reve-
paper on which stamps are probability, stamp paper was can help detect forgeries. the center of the sheet. aged. Sound examples are nue paper watermarked Pa-
printed. secured from several sources. The paper used for most of Only the stamps from the scarce and desirable. pel Sellado, and locally pur-
It amazes me sometimes The first-design Hidalgo is- the forgeries is usually whiter central rows of the sheet show Paper continued to be a chased paper manufactured
■
11110.■ this watermark. These are, problem for the Mexicans by La Croix Freres, water-
naturally, the more desirable throughout the next several marked with the initials L A +
Mexico stamps of the printing, but stamp issues. F. Stamps showing portions of
By Dale Pulver there is no mistaking the The 1868-72 issue of full- these watermarks are scarce
stamps of this issue. Their pa- face Hidalgo Heads was print- to rare, and are listed in sepa-
how many collectors disre- per and colors are distinctive. ed on a wide range of stock, rate sections in the Scott cata-
gard this aspect of philately. The 1864-66 Eagles were from a very thin, almost log.
In the classification of their printed on papers of varying pelurelike paper 0.002 inches Early printings of the 1874-
stamps, they tend to rely characteristics similar to thick, to what is called carton 83 Hidalgos were made by the
mainly on the design or other those used for the 1856 paper, well above 0.005 inch- American Bank Note Co. in
visible factors, such as color, stamps. The paper is hard and es in thickness. New York on a crisp, medium
perforation and watermark. fairly opaque, with moderate The subsequent 1872 Hidal- wove paper. After the plates
But knowing the character- variations in thickness. go Profiles, hastily prepared for this series were trans-
istics of the paper is another Some values can be found because of the postal fraud in- ferred to Mexico, local print-
very useful philatelic ap on a smooth, quadrille paper, cident with the 1868 issue, ings appeared on several
proach. It will not only help in although I have not had luck have some interesting paper types of paper, including
Figure 1. The front and back of Mexico's 1856 2-reale Hidalgo varieties, too. wove, vertically laid, horizon-
stamp identification but also showing the typical pattern of wove paper. in finding any of these.
in avoiding the inadvertent Perhaps the most famous Most of these stamps were tally laid, thin wove and thin
purchase of fake material. I sues of 1856 and 1861 occur and thicker than the authentic paper variety among the Ea- issued on unwatermarked pa- vertically laid papers.
feel it also adds another inter- on a variety of papers. They stamp paper. It may show a gle stamps is the 3-centavo per with a moire pattern These stamps are also
esting dimension to the enjoy- are mostly on a hard, wove laid or ribbed pattern that did value printed on laid paper.
ment of the hobby. paper of medium thickness not exist on the genuine is- Listed in all the catalogs, it is
This quick-and-dirty review and varying opacity. sues. one of the key 19th-century
of the papers of 19th-century The 2-reale stamp in Figure On the 'high values of the Mexican rarities.
Mexican stamps can't cover 1 shows an example of this 1861 issue, which were print- Where the laid paper came
everything -- there is too wove paper printing. ed on wove, colored papers, from and how it came to be
much for that — but I do hope Occasionally these stamps the paper grain of the faked printed is not known, but one
you will find something useful are found on a wire-wove pa- stamps is usually vertical in- sheet of this rare 3c variety
here and perhaps be stimulat- per that shows a definite stead of horizontal, as it was issued. All genuine laid-
ed to do your own research. grain when held to light. This should be. This test can be paper stamps bear the gothic
You can find some standard grain appears as a pattern of used as a quick check by the Mexico name overprint and
paper-making terms defined light, elongated dots that re- non-expert collector, but the 157-65 consignment and
DIZC V UH
in the introductory pages of suit from the woven wire scarce to rare items should year-date numbers.
the Scott catalog. Paper mesh that is used in the pro- still have certificates or be The Maximilian Heads that
thicknesses have these ap- duction of the paper. subjected to expertization be- followed the Eagle stamps
proximate measurements: This grain pattern is always fore they are purchased. were printed on a rather soft
thin, 0.002 inches to 0.003 vertical on lr stamps of 1856, The reprints of the first de- but smooth paper of medium Figure 2. The thinness of the wove paper used to print this
inches; medium, 0.003 inches and horizontal on the I/2 r, 4r sign in 1867 deserve brief thickness, possibly of French unissued 10-centavo Juarez stamp is clearly seen on the
to 0.004 inches; and thick, and 8r denominations. It can mention. They were executed origin. back, where the stronger lines of engraving from the front of
0.004 inches and above. be either way on 2r stamps, on thin, grayish, wire-wove Unfortunately, this paper the stamp almost appear to have been embosse
found on paper watermarked thin-paper variety. Both are pearance of embossing when
Papel Sellado and on paper unwatermarked. the back of the stamp is
watermarked L A + F, al- These two issues offer a fer- viewed.
though the latter is different tile field for paper study. We will resume our look at
from the 1872 issue. Figure 2 shows one of the the papers of Mexico's 19th-
Likewise, the accompany- thin, wove-paper Juarez century stamps next month
ing issue of Juarez stamps for stamps that were never issued with a look at the Medallion
use on foreign mail came in a for postal use. So thin is the Head Hidalgo stamps, the
thick-paper variety from the paper that portions of the en- Large Numerals and Mexico's
earlier printings and a later graved design give thp ap- Transportation issue. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 11, 1990

Stamp papers of Mexico's 1884-98 issues

As Scott notes, the paper trayed on the 4-centavo and lowest denominations and the printing can be found in Such an understandable
This is the second part of
my examination of the papers can be wove or laid, but the 12c denominations. 15c blue, these stamps are all which the stamp escaped the case of mistaken identity will
of 19th-century stamps of use of laid paper was restrict- Although the Mulitas were rather pricey. watermark, and many of be even more deflating when
Mexico that began with my ed, so far as we know, to the in service for but four years, Within a year another these have been assumed to it comes time to sell and the
column in the May 14 issue of 1-centavo stamp of the 1890 the number of different pa- watermarked paper appear- be from the more valuable dealer reveals that what you
Linn's (Page 8). issue. pers used in their production ed. This time the watermark unwatermarked printing. But thought was a valuable stamp
We take up the story with For some time (Linn's, is quite remarkable. consisted of an outline eagle the papers of these two issues is only worth pennies.
The first printings of 1895 above block letters "RM," are completely different and, The real unwatermarked
came out on the same water- Scott Wmk. 154. placed side by side, they are 10c stamp is a scarce bird, as
Mexico marked, wove paper used for Figure 1 shows the design of
the watermark. The illustra-
not difficult to distinguish.
I am certain there are
you will find out when you try
to acquire a genuine example.
By Dale Pulver the previous Numeral issue.
One expert, Karl Schimmer, tion of it in the Scott catalog many collectors who have a Another way to sort can-
believes this stamp paper was has been completely illegible 10c lilac rose that shows no celed copies of these confus-
the first Mexican stamps that watermark in the album ing, no-watermark stamps is
were not regularly overprint- of United States manufacture, for the last several years.
since it is so similar to the pa- Why these two paper space reserved for Scott 284, by date, if they bear a read-
ed with postal district names the unwatermarked variety
per used in contemporary changes came in such quick able datestamp, as many used
and invoice numbers. The that now has a used catalog
U.S. stamps. succession remains a mys- stamps do.
regular overprinting of value of $75. I am equally cer- There can be no truly
stamps with postal district It must be pointed out that tery. The paper for these two
while the matrix of water- monogram watermarks is tain that most of those stamps watermarked stamps before
names and invoice numbers are copies of the 10c lilac rose
1895. There is always the pos-
was abandoned by decree at mark letters was designed so hard and generally somewhat
that one would fall on each thinner than the paper for the of the 1895 printing, Scott 248,
sibility of a misdated town
the end of 1883. that is illustrated in Figure 2.
mark, of course, butthis is un-
stamp in a sheet, this rarely 1895 printings. That may be
The Medallion Hidalgo likely. So here we have a per-
happened in practice. If the why the watermarks are often
Heads and the Numeral fect example of the impor-
paper was not perfectly cen- hard to distinguish, particu-
stamps of -1884-95 offer the tance of knowing your papers.
tered in the press, a whole larly on stamps with intense
would-be specialist an out-
Figure 1. This Eagle and RM row of stamps might show no color, such as the 4c value. It is not an easy task to find
standing opportunity to col- The Eagle and RM-water- all the information on stamp
watermark, Scott Wmk. 154, trace of a watermark, and
lect paper varieties. marked issues provide anoth-
is one of two found on Mexi- this frequently happened. papers that you need, because
During this period, stamp Schimmer says that mis- er of the great rarities of the it is usually missing from the
paper varied greatly, and can stamps of 1896-98.
centering of 4 millimeters to 19th-century Mexico. This is standard catalogs. I have no
much stock was clearly of in- Sept. 9, 1985, Page 8), I have 5mm could cause complete the 5-peso scarlet, Scott 278A, quick solutions. There is no
ferior quality. Some of it was touted this issue as a good one stamps to be printed outside which Scott currently values standard reference where it is
so bad that unrefined bits of for specialization, since many of the area of the watermark. (in italics) at $10,000. all written down.
wood can actually be seen of the basic varieties are These seemingly unwater- In 1898 the final group of But you can measure, study
embedded in the paper. cheap. And there is consider- marked stamps of the first Mulitas made its debut on under magnification and feel
With the printings of 1890 able challenge in finding printing have confused many unwatermarked paper. This your stamps until you develop
collectors see the first use of good, collectible copies, even collectors, who mistakenly be- paper is thicker than the oth- Figure 2. Even knowledge- a familiarity with the paper
security paper that displays though these usually don't lieve that such copies are ers, almost 0.005 inches thick, able collectors can confuse characteristics of the various
the "CORREOSEUM" water- carry a premium price. from the 1898 printings. and smooth to the touch. If this common 1895 10-centavo issues. This can be done with
mark, Scott Wmk. 152. The last 19th-century issues Two more watermarked pa- you have good eyesight or a stamp, Scott 248, for its cheap or even damaged
The letters were repeated in this brief review are the so- pers also found their way into good magnifying glass, you scarce 1898 counterpart, stamps, and I believe it is
in 10 rows, so that — in theory called Transportation stamps the Transportation series. may be able to see a faint Scott 284. Knowing the dis- time well spent.
at least — each stamp in a of 1895-98. Most collectors of In 1896, an issue appeared mesh pattern on these stamps, tinct papers on which these Furthermore, it is part of
sheet of 100 would receive Mexico affectionately refer to on paper watermarked with oriented horizontally. two issues are printed is the being a true philatelist. So
part or all of a letter in the these as the Mulitas, a refer- an interlaced "RM," Scott As noted earlier, copies of key to telling the $75 variety good luck, and let me know
watermark. ence to the pack mule por- Wmk. 153. Except for the five all denominations of the 1895 from the 20c stamp. how you make out. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 9, 1990

Capt. Carranza's ill-fated goodwill flight

Here is another story for which is written "Souvenir of flight to Mexico — a feat Car-flight into New York. shock to Americans and Mexi- Forest in southern New Jer-
Mexican airmail enthusiasts. Carranza Good Will Plane." ranza wished to duplicate as a Bad weather forced Carran- cans alike. His body lay in sey. Each year, the Mexican
My thanks to my friend Jim Traces of a Louisville back- further gesture of friendship za to delay his departure state briefly in New York, and government through its consu-
Adams for the idea and some stamp tie the silvery fabric to between the two countries. twice, but he grew impatient. the United States offered the late in New York City and the
of the research needed to tell the postal card. So in 1928, with support of On the evening of July 12, battleship USS Florida to con- American Legion hold a brief
the tale. This small swatch of air- Mexico's major newspaper, Carranza drove to Roosevelt vey the body back to Mexico. memorial service at the site.
At Ropex in Rochester, plane covering and its expla- Excelsior, he flew from Mexi- Field on Long Island, where Eventually, it was carried by The Mexicans extended fur-
his plane was tethered. Thun- train to the Mexican capital, ther homage to their fallen
derstorms were still rolling where it arrived July 24. eagle on June 19, 1929. A com-
Mexico over the area, but at 8 p.m., Carranza was posthumously memorative issue of six air-
By Dale Pulver between advancing storm promoted to the rank of gen- mail stamps, Scott C5-C10,
R,.• T A
fronts, he took off for Mexico. eral and buried with full mili- was released in his honor.
N.Y., this spring, Jim showed About an hour later, resi- tary honors the following day. Four of the stamps in this
me the Mexican postal card il- dents of the hamlet of Chats- Carranza's popularity was set are shown on the cover in
lustrated in Figures 1 and 2, worth, N.J., heard his plane such that it was soon decided Figure 3, which was prepared
and asked me what 1 could overhead. Suddenly there was to erect a monument in his by A.C. Roessler and presum-
tell him about it. a flash of lightning, a tremen- memory at the spot where he ably carried on a special
The card is unusual in sev- dous peal of thunder and the crashed, some seven miles flight from Mexico to New
eral respects. The markings plane was heard no more. southeast of Tabernacle, N.J. York on the first anniversary
on the front of the card in Fig- The next morning, the pilot With money raised from of Carranza's death.
ure 1 indicate that it was car- was found in the wreckage of Mexican schoolchildren and These Carranza commemo-
ried on the inaugural Contract his airplane still clutching a others, a simple 10-foot con- rative airmails were around
Air Mail (CAM) route 16 flashlight, with a map nearby. crete shaft with appropriate for several years. They were
flight, Aug. 1, 1928, from Figure 1. The address side of a cacheted Mexican postal card It was presumed that he lost inscriptions in both Spanish reissued with "Habilitado"
Cleveland, Ohio, to Louisville, carried on the first flight of United States Contract Air Mail his way and was looking for a and English was built at the (reauthorized) overprints
Ky., with intermediate stops. route 16 from Cleveland to Louisville Aug. 1, 1928. level spot to land when the location of the disaster. three different times between
storm struck. It now lies within the bound- 1930 and 1932, listed in the
It is interesting that the natory note link this card to co City to New York City in a Carranza's death was a aries of the Wharton State Scott catalog as C29-30, C31-36
United States post office one of the sad footnotes of Ryan Model B-1 aircraft simi-
and C40-44.
would permit the use of a early Mexican aviation. lar to the one Lindbergh used.
In 1947, Carranza was again
Mexican postal card for a Emilio Carranza was among The plane was appropriately
flight entirely within the Unit- portrayed on a 10-peso air-
the pioneer aviators of Mexi- christened Mexico-Excelsior. mail stamp, Scott C118.
ed States. But I suspect in co. At age 16, he enrolled in The recently promoted To my eye, the portraits of
their zeal to accommodate the Military School of Avia- Capt. Carranza was warmly Carranza on the early airmail
stamp collectors, postal clerks tion in Mexico City. By the received by the American stamps and the 1947 stamp
must have overlooked numer- time he was 21, Carranza had public in both New York and show him as a rather mature-
ous irregularities like this. graduated as a lieutenant in Washington, D.C. The press looking, older person. Actual-
Figure 2 shows the message the Mexican air force. compared him to Lindbergh, ly, he was barely 23 years of
side of the card, which proves In 1927, with help from his which pleased him greatly. age at-the -time of his death.
to be even more interesting. brother Sebastian, he built an But back to the postal card
Carranza went about pre-
The upper-right corner airplane and flew it non-stop paring for his return to Mexi- in Figure 2.
reads, "Greetings by our First from Mexico City to Ciudad co City on July 10. He hoped it The written message at the
Air Mail Flight Aug. lst/28." Juarez, on the U.S. border, in would be a non-stop flight, bottom reads, "I am again fly-
Below that salutation is 10 hours. since he had been forced to ing although I met Disaster af-
glued a piece of Class-A air- That same year, Charles stop briefly in South Carolina Figure 2. The message side of the postal card in Figure 1, ter making my Good Will
plane fabric, to the left of Lindbergh made a goodwill for mechanical reasons on his showing airplane fabric from Capt. Emilio Carranza's plane. Flight from Mexico City, corn-
Figure 3. This cacheted cover franked with 1929 Carranza
commemorative airmails was flown on a special flight mark-
ing the first anniversary of the pilot's fatal crash.
ing to grief in New Jersey on connection there might have
my return flight." been between the writer and
This cryptic message refers the addressee, R.G. Scott. But
to the cloth from Carranza's it is assumed that the author
plane, which flew for the last of the card was one of the
time on this Mexican postal four pilots that the American
card from Cleveland to Louis- Air Mail Catalog lists for the
ville aboard CAM 16. initial CAM 16 flight: Ross Ar-
We still don't know who nold, J.E. Hart, H.L. Kindred
wrote the message or what or William M. McConnell. ■
o LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST
3 1990

Mexico's Pro-Universidad stamps of 1934

It was almost exactly seven fect in all copies I have seen. for the two top values came to times accompanied by the 5c
years ago, shortly after I be- Both sets were a strictly sightly more than U.S. $8.50 and 10c stamps as well.
gan this monthly column for limited edition. Except for the — quite a bit of money for the By contrast, there is a sub-
Linn's, that I wrote on Mexi- lc, 5c and 10c surface-mail Depression era. variety of the 10p regular is-
co's Pro-Universidad issue of stamps, printing quantities of But Mexican authorities had sue that is printed on
1934 (Linn's, Aug. 8, 1983, the rest of the denominations already taken a step that unwatermarked paper. It is
were 50,000 or less. guaranteed at least partial easily the scarcest of the Pro-
A complete rundown of the success to the venture. Universidad issues, since it is
Mexico numbers issued appears in It had been decreed that be- believed that only one sheet
By Dale Pulver the chart in Figure 2. tween Sept. 1, the day the of 100 originally existed.
The rationale for these low stamps were released, and As one would expect with
Page 22). This modern issue quantities was that collectors Dec. 31, 1934, all domestic let- any sets of stamps available
has always been a 20th-centu- and dealers would snap them ters were to bear a lc Pro- in such limited quantities, cat-
ry favorite of mine from the up in hopes of quick apprecia- Universidad stamp in addition alog prices can be volatile.
standpoint of beauty and tion in value and perhaps a to the regular franking. From the early 1960s, when
workmanship, and it is well fast profit. I am reasonably confident I began specializing in Mexi-
worth another look. Only 1,000 copies of the 10p this rule wasn't rigorously en- co, up to the early 1980s, the
The Pro-Universidad issue surface-mail stamp were is- forced, but collectors fre- catalog value of these stamps
consists of a 10-value set for sued, and but 1,500 of the 20p quently find covers from this rose tremendously. The two
regular surface mail and airmail stamp. Both these period with the extra stamp. high values increased by fac-
eight airmail stamps. high values sold out almost Figure 3 shows a slightly un- tors of six times and 20 times,
The stamps were issued to immediately. It was reported usual usage of the lc, added respectively.
raise money for the Universi- that the 10p surface-mail not to a domestic letter, but to Since then, prices have
ty of Mexico. The principle stamp was sold out at 10 a.m. a commercial airmail cover slipped, reflecting the general
behind these stamps was not on the first day of sale. from Michoacan to Chicago. slump in the stamp market.
too different from that of the At that time the Mexican The printing of the lc stamp For example, the 20p airmail
semipostal stamps European peso was worth hundreds of was so large that it is almost stamp, which peaked at
countries were issuing to sup- times more than it is today, so always present in a general $2,000 unused in 1982, has
port worthy causes. the 1934 cost at the post office Mexican collection, some- fallen to $1,100 in the 1990
The world was in an eco- Figure 1. The designs of Mexico's 40-centavo and 50c Pro-
nomic depression, tax reve- Universidad stamps (left) were adapted from those of two 1934 Pro-Universidad — Number of stamps issued
nues were suffering and a Mexican internal revenue issues of 1930 (right).
stiff deficit had been forecast these motifs are not original The designs for the Pro- Scott No. (value) No. Issued Scott No. (value) No. Issued
for the school. But in spite of with this issue. They were Universidad airmails feature
the hard times, stamp collect- copied from contemporary popular Mexican scenery, 697 (1 centavo) 20,000,000 706 (10p) 1,000
ing remained an extremely Mexican revenue stamps, of- such as mountains. An air- 698 (5c) 1,000,000 C54 (20c) 50,000
popular pastime. Affluent col- ten with only minor changes. plane was worked into each 699 (10c) 2,000,000 C55 (30c) 20,000
lectors seemed ready to buy The 40-centavo and 50c design, though often in a very 700 (20c) 50,000 C56 (50c) 10,000
almost any attractive and stamps on the left in Figure 1 awkward flight position. 701 (30c) 30,000 C57 (75c) 10,000
well-executed stamp set that were clearly derived from the It is worth noting that the 702 (40c) 20,000 C58 (1p) 10,000
came on the market. corresponding revenue issues three peso-denominated is- 703 (50c) 10,000 C59 (5p) 3,000
The subjects of the 10 shown on the right. Adapting sues of the regular-mail set 704 (1 peso) 10,000 C60 (10p) 2,500
stamps in the regular-mail set their designs from revenues and all but one of the airmail 705 (5p) 2,000 C61 (20p) 1,500
are indigenous Mexican crafts unquestionably reduced the stamps are bicolor. The print-
and ceremonial poses. Many time and cost of producing ing registration for the frames Figure 2. Except for the lowest three values of the surface-mail stamps, the printing quanti-
collectors do not realize that these stamps. and vignettes is almost per- ties of Mexico's 1934 Pro-Universidad issue were extremely limited, as this table indicates
Scott listing. The 10p surface- ty you can find. complete sets in that condi-
mail stamp reached its zenith Centering is often a prob- tion. Most were collected
of $1,400 a little later, but set- lem, especially with the 1p unused. Of the surface-mail
tled back to $1,000 in 1990. surface-mail stamp, the de- stamps, only the 10p value ca-
But that rare, unwater- sign for which is about 1 milli- talogs more used than mint.
marked subvariety, Scott meter wider than all the other The reverse is true for all but
708a, just keeps climbing. It stamps in the set. It is hard to one of the airmail stamps.
now lists for $3,250. find copies where the perfora- Check closely to make sure
It has been my experience tions do not cut the frameline that cancellations are contem-
porary with the period of is-
sue. Stamps with heavy hing-
ing or spoiled gum are raw
material for fakers tempted
to add modern cancels.
It is doubtful that the top de-
nominations of either set
MME. JANNETE LE ROY were ever used on anything
other than philatelically con-
4354 N. IRVING AVENUE trived covers. They represent-
ed too much postage for nor-
NORTH CENTER STATION CHICAGO, ILL. mal, everyday mail rates.
I like the Pro-Universidad
stamps. They represent some
Figure 3. This 1939 cover from Michoacan to Chicago bears a of the best designs and en-
lc Pro-Universidad stamp to comply with a postal decree. graving work to come out of
Mexico during the 1930s.
that Pro-Universidad sets usu- on one side or the other.
ally sell at auction for some Beware also of multiple They may seem a bit expen-
discount below the catalog hinging. Many Pro-Universi- sive for the average collector,
value. But fresh, well-cen- dad sets moved between al- but there is little doubt that
tered mint or very lightly bums several times before the the Pro-Universidad stamps
hinged copies often still com- era of hingeless mounts, with were one of the most popular
mand a respectable 75 per- each new owner applying a Mexican issues with serious
cent to 80 percent of their cat- fresh hinge. Regumming does collectors around the world.
alog values. not yet seem to be a big prob- I believe these stamps rep-
If you do not yet own these lem with this issue, though it resent a sound philatelic prop-
sets and are keen on having can occur. erty. With prices down, now
them, it is wise to be patient Collectors of used stamps could be a good time to Con-
and search for the best quali- will find it extremely hard to sider acquiring them. III
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 10, 1990

Mexico marks Penny Black anniversaries

On May 6 this year, several honor of the event, as well. sets were printed with much executed design. The subject
countries of the world took Thanks to my faithful corre- ( more favorable results. The matter is appealing, especial-
note of the 150th anniversary spondent in Mexico City, Guil- sets are cataloged as Scott ly for those specializing in the
of the world's first adhesive lermo Wilkins, I received a 754-58 and C103-07. stamps-on-stamps theme.
postage stamp, the Penny copy just a few days after it Each set, one for surface The top denominations of
Black, issued by Great Britain made its appearance at the mail and one for airmail, con- these 1940 sets rose substan-
post office windows. tained five denominations, tially in catalog value over
Figure 1 shows the stamp. It ranging from 5 centavos to 5 the last half century, though
Mexico is hard to say whether this pesos. These 1940 commemo- prices are somewhat de-
By Dale Pulver black and white illustration ratives are in a vertical for- pressed at the moment.
looks better or worse from vtsi IVEN mat measuring 24 millimeters Figure 3 is a table showing
in 1840 to prepay the delivery the real thing. by 40mm — exactly half the the printing quantities of Mex-
of ordinary letters. I must agree with Wilkins, 2 0{{;E
size of Mexico's 1990 Penny ico's 1940 Penny Black
To celebrate this memora- who writes a sometimes saucy Black stamp. stamps. With printings of but
ble event the British orga- weekly stamp column in El Figure 2 shows one of the 25,000 and 10,000, respective-
Financiero (roughly the Mexi- (ORE05 surface mail and one of the ly, it is easy to see part of the
nized Stamp World London
90, a grand philatelic exhibi- can equivalent of our Wall airmail stamps from the Mex- reason why the ip and 5p de-
Street Journal) that this len ican issue of 1940. nominations gained value.
tion attended by stamp en- IMOD KIN N tatilMUIS V Maas
thusiasts and noted philate- stamp is deficient in several The central design of the By contrast, the 10c surface
lists from throughout the aspects of its design. Figure 2. Surface (left) and airmail stamps (right) issued by 1940 issue is a facsimile of the mail stamp had an extraordi-
world. While the Penny Black Mexico in 1940 to commemorate the centennial of the post- Penny Black on a white back- narily large printing for a
Mexico issued a stamp in jumps out at you from theage stamp. Except for the denominations and service in- ground, with crisp lettering in Mexican commemorative. As
scription, the designs are the same for all 10 stamps. the surrounding inscriptions a point of comparison, the
and numerals. printing order for the recent
stamp, the designer unfor- between the lower-left corner The 10c surface mail stamp Penny Black commemorative
tunately chose a rather poor and "Mexico" in numerals so was printed in dark violet. was 1 million copies, just one-
copy of that stamp for his small that you need a magni- The rest of the stamps were fifth the size of the order of
model. The illustrated stamp fying glass to read it. produced in attractive combi- 10c stamps printed in 1940.
has virtually no margins. The This is the second time that nations of two colors. Since 10c was Mexico's or-
intricate machine-turned en- Mexico has issued stamps de- These stamps gained early dinary letter rate in 1940, the
graving that forms the side picting the Penny Black. In popularity with collectors for 10c commemorative saw ex-
panels and background for 1940, at the 100th anniversary a number of reasons. They tensive use.
Victoria's portrait has been of the world's first stamp, two are examples of clean, well- Stamp collecting was near a
reduced to a big, black blur.
The name "Mexico" is
clearly seen on the Figure 1 1940 Penny Black Centennial — Number of stamps issued
stamp, but the commemora-
tive inscription, printed above Scott No. (value) No. Issued Scott No. (value) No. Issued
it in gold against a mauve
background, is difficult to 754 (5 centavo) 500,000 C103 (5c) 100,000
read because the two colors 755 (10c) 5,000,000 0104 (10c) 100.000
lack contrast. 756 (20c) 500,000 C105 (20c) 500,000
In addition, it almost could 757 (1 peso) 25,000 C106 (ip) 25,000
Figure 1. This stamp was issued by Mexico May 6, 1990, to be suggested that the denomi- 758 (5p) 10,000 C107 (5p) 10,000
commemorate the 150th anniversary of Great Britain's Pen- nation was added as an after-
ny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamp. thought. It is tucked on its side Figure 3. A table shows the quantities issued of Mexico's 1940 Penny Black commemoratives.
peak in popularity 50 years The 10c is seen once in a
ago, and I suspect the Mexi- while, but the balance of the
can postal service of 1940 had stamps are very scarce on
little trouble selling huge cover. (I have a couple of cov-
quantities of these Penny ers with complete sets, but
Black stamps to dealers. these are purely philatelic.)
The denominations were Dealers used the 1940
such that the stamps could be stamps on envelopes contain-
conveniently grouped into so- ing orders and the like, but I
called short sets containing suspect that business houses
the three low-value stamps rarely got any of them to use
for sale to beginners and on their mail. (Most of the
young collectors at low cost. better stock was being sold to,
For the more serious collec- or held for, stamp dealers!)
tors, complete sets were of- In future years, the 1990
fered with a face value some- Penny Black commemorative
where around $3 U.S. may also be tough to find,
Although the printing of the other than on domestic letters
key 5p surface and airmail and philatelic mail going
stamps was limited to 10,000 abroad. Its 700p denomina:
copies, this seems to have tion pays the single-letter rate
been an ample supply for the inside Mexico, but is an awk-
philatelic marketplace. ward denomination to use in
General worldwide auction making up the higher interna-
sales almost always have one tional airmail rates.
or more sets of these com- Mid-21st-century Mexican
memoratives listed. And it postal history buffs could face
isn't too difficult to find an a challenge finding envelopes
original gum, never-hinged with non-philatelic usages of
set, which I would highly rec- what is now a new issue.
ommend in view of the pre- Would it be a good idea to
vailing collecting tastes. hunt up some and put them
Finding Mexico's 1940 Pen- away so your great-great-
ny Black issues used on per- grandchildren might have
sonal or commercial corre- something to apply against
spondence will prove consid- their college tuition bill? Only
erably more difficult. time will tell. ■
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 8, 1990

PMG Hinojosa was a philatelic rogue

Unless you happen to be a sition he held continuously Hinojosa was also behind stamped paper when they Figure 2 shows three of the nominations that were partic-
keen student of the civil war until 1928. the order of samples from were driven from the city. overprints to good effect as ularly sought after.
stamps of Mexico, the name It was even before he at- George Linn of the perforated For a brief time in late they appear on the 1910 5-cen- Hinojosa often told a dealer
Cosme Hinojosa will probably tained this latter post that he 5-centavo Transitorio stamp. 1914, Carranza and his follow- tavo orange Hidalgo stamp. he was selling his entire hold-
mean nothing. But he, per- discovered the potential of Figure 1 shows the stamp, ers were forced from the cap- From left to right, the ing of certain remainders to
haps more than any other in- selling postage stamps to col- Scott 369. Its full tale was told ital by the agrarian reformer, stamps show the 1914 dollar- him (at large multiples of
in my column in Linn's Oct. Emiliano Zapata. Hinojosa sign overprint of the constitu- face value, of course). Then
13, 1986 issue (Page 18). he would move on to the next
Mexico A printer before he was a
transferred his operations to
Veracruz.
tionalist government (Scott
427), the 1915 Carranza mono- dealer, with the same story.
By Dale Pulver philatelic publisher, Linn When the short-lived alli- gram overprint (Scott 488) Hinojosa made a similar
shipped some 75,000 copies of ance between Zapata and and the 1916 "Barril," or bar- selling trip in 1916, but in the
dividual or factor, was re- the stamp, expecting payment Pancho Villa collapsed, dur- rel surcharge, (Scott 579). meantime had formed an alli-
sponsible for the bewildering since they were eventually ing which time the so-called There is no question that ance with Javier J. Favela,
array of Mexican stamp vari- put to use. But not only did Hi- Villa overprints appeared, the many overprint varieties proprietor of Bolsa Filatelica
eties issued between 1913 and nojosa's department refuse to constitutionalists returned to were produced for the ex- de Mexico (the Mexican
1917. pay, it later disavowed those Mexico City. press purpose of boosting Stamp Exchange). This, in ef-
As a native of the state of stamps that had seen postal Hinojosa brought with him a sales to collectors and deal- fect, became Hinojosa's larg-
Sonora, Hinojosa became in- service as counterfeits! fresh supply of 1910 stamps, ers. Hinojosa saw to it that est retail outlet.
volved politically in the early The reason for these local which had just been received some of them were intention- This maneuver did not sit
stirrings of the revolutionary and provisional stamps is eas-
movement in northern Mexi- ily explained.
Figure 1. When he was direc-
co. He was elected to the state When the constitutionalists
tor general of posts in Sono-
legislature in 1910. seized control of the federal
ra, Cosme Hinojosa procured
In 1913 he was named di- offices in Sonora, nearly all
and used (but never paid) for
rector general of the posts by the federal postmasters fled
75,000 copies of this stamp,
Venustiano Carranza, who the region, mostly to the safe-
Scott 369. The aggrieved
had formed a revolutionary ty of border towns in the Unit-
creditor was none other than
cabinet in Hermosillo in oppo- ed States, taking their stamps
George W. Linn, who later
sition to the federal govern- with them. What few stamps
founded Linn's Stamp New&
ment in Mexico City. They remained were woefully inad-
called themselves the consti- lectors, who were always on equate for postal needs.
tutionalists. the lookout for new varieties. Carranza's army marched
For Hinojosa, it was the be- Hinojosa was also keenly south and took control of the
ginning of a long tenure as aware of the possibilities of capital and Hinojosa took the
personal gain in providing Figure 2. A few of the 1913-17 Mexican overprints that owe their existence to Cosme Hinojosa.
one of the top postal officials top job in the central post of-
of Mexico. In the tumultuous those varieties. fice. There he issued several from the English printer. ally printed in very limited well with Hinojosa's U.S. cus-
years that followed, he devel- As director general of posts decrees authorizing use of With this ample supply of raw quantities so they might com- tomers. Most honest collec-
oped the uncanny knack for in Sonora, he authorized near- various monogram overprints material at hand, the frantic mand higher prices. tors and dealers had nothing
picking the right side to be on ly all of the local issues of that to validate stocks of stamps overprinting resumed. He even traveled to the but disdain for his actions.
among the various warring era. These included the White found in the vaults, mostly the Facsimiles of the overprints United States in 1915 to sell In the space of just a few
factions. Seal and Green Seal provi- 1910 Centenary issue. used during this period can be Mexican stamps. He brought short years, Hinojosa had
When Carranza finally es- sionals (Scott 321-46), the This overprinting assured seen in the Mexico listings in remainder stocks of many of besmirched the philatelic rep-
tablished himself as chief of temporary use of revenue that postal revenues would ac- the Scott catalog for the years the war issues including the utation of what had been con-
the central government in stamps for postage (Scott 347- crue to the government then 1914 to 1916. Nearly all of the Sonora locals, and the small sidered a relatively reliable
Mexico City, Hinojosa became 53) and the various transitory in control, since the federals overprints can be ascribed to printings of the overprinted stamp-issuing nation.
the postmaster general, a po- issues (Scott 354-61). had carried off quantities of Hinojosa's authority. 1899-1903 issues, plus high de- It is perhaps unfortunate
that Scott chose to list so the stamps the "Hinojosa spe-
many of Hinojosa's contrived cial printings." He warns col-
issues in the normal number- lectors to be very, very wary
ing sequence. While all the of the many counterfeit over-
stamps listed could have been prints that exist, particularly
used for postage, most of the in the short printings.
scarce varieties were never Hinojosa himself wrote a
offered for sale to the public, short book in English on the
and few were ever used. 1913.17 revolutionary stamps.
Nick Follansbee, one of our It makes absolutely no men-
contemporary experts in the tion of the scarce varieties for
revolutionary era, has written which he was responsible, but
extensively about these does contain excellent trans-
stamps in Mexicana, journal lations of the various decrees
of the Mexico Elmhurst Phila- dealing with the issues, which
telic Society International. makes the book quite interest-
Follansbee prefers to call ing and useful. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 12, 1990

Auction catalogs add to philatelic library

In past articles I have re- so that people got to see the these exhibits in the flesh, some of the most spectacular to Madrid, by way of Havana. reign of Maximilian. One cov-
peatedly emphasized the im- material. scanning the catalogs is like Mexican overseas covers in This cover is estimated at the er, sent from Paris to Vera-
portance of philatelic litera- Paliafito and Backal exhib- another opportunity to walk existence. It is no wonder that equivalent of $16,000 U.S. cruz and franked with a 5-
ture to the enjoyment of our ited extensively, so their ma- the exhibit aisles in the com- within seven years it won Backal also had two double- franc Napoleon, is believed to
hobby. I own a rather exten- terial enjoyed public expo- fort and unhurried atmos- three large gold medals at in- ring U.S. postmarks of the be the only one of its kind.
sive library of the classic and sure. But the importance of phere of our own homes. ternational shows and finally Mexican-American War of There is a splendid array of
was seen in the championship 1848 used in Tampico on sol- covers to overseas destina-
class at Stamp World London diers' letters bound for Texas tions with the Juarez issue of
Mexico 90 this past May. via New Orleans. Only one 1879-83. One of these covers
By Dale Pulver I first saw the exhibit at other example of one of these was used as the subject of the
Ameripex in 1986. I was so marks is recorded, and the Mexican postage stamp illus-
definitive works on Mexican impressed that I spent more other is presumed to be the trated in Figure 2, Scott C605.
philately, and am eager and than an hour looking at it. In only example extant. This stamp was issued to
prepared to acquire any new fact, it became clear that There are numerous other commemorate Mepsipex, the
ones that come along. Backal had been successful in
But there is another impor- sales where I was among a
tant source of information, host of underbidders! EXIC() Et. t SI
Another remarkable thing
the stamp auction catalog.
about his exhibit is the diver-
SCX'aiTY I NI ER NA ri()
This was brought home sity of material present. This
most forcefully to me when a augurs well for its successful
friend gave me a copy of the sale, for it will appeal to a
Soler & Llach catalog in wide spectrum of collectors.
which that Barcelona, Spain, There are covers with
auction firm announced the
stamps from all the classic
Nov. 7 sale of Isaac Backal's
Mexican stamp issues up into
marvelous collection of Mexi- the 1880s. Most of the covers
can maritime mail. represent scarce to rare
It is a lavishly produced 80- usages. A couple of items are
page book, with color photo- considered to be unique, and
graphs of all the covers being no other similar usages ever
offered. It is similar to other have been reported.
recent catalogs produced for Figure 1. One of the gem covers in the Isaac Backal collec-
I have struggled to obtain
the sale of important proper- tion of Mexican maritime mail, which will be sold by the
two covers for my collection
ties in this country, such as auction firm of Soler & Llach in Barcelona, Spain.
with the crowned circle paid
the David Jarrett collection of this type of auction catalog, as For others who entild not at- postmarks of the British Con- Figure 2. Another rarity from Backal's collection was fea-
United States postal markings I see it, is the preservation of tend shows where these col- sular post offices in Tampico tured on Scott C605, this Mexican airmail stamp honoring the
or Bob Paliafito's collection of a written and photographic lections were on display, the and Veracruz used during the Mepsipex stamp show in Mexico City in 1979.
U.S. 1861-68 30c issues, to pick record of a cohesive accumu- catalogs are a chance to see a middle of the 19th century. gems. One is a Balloon Monte third international exhibition
two at random. lation of important philatelic world-class exhibit photo- Backal showed about two doz- cover to Veracruz from Paris, of the Mexico Elmhurst Phila-
These are important books pieces that may never be to- graphically. But I digress. en in his display. sent by hot-air balloon during telic Society International, in
for the specialist. To the best gether again. Backal's maritime mail is Figure 1 shows an outstand- the Prussian siege of 1870-71. Mexico City.
of my knowledge, Jarrett nev- Auctions like this usually re- truly one of the great Mexican ing example, the crowned Ve- Also present are letters from The cover depicted on the
er exhibited his covers in sult in the wide dispersal of exhibits of our time. Painstak- racruz handstamp tying a 4- the British, Spanish and stamp is an 1880 registered
competition, although he of- material. Also, for those of us ingly assembled over proba- real Juarez stamp to an 1858 French intervention of 1862, letter from Puebla to Rome,
ten gave slide-illustrated talks lucky enough to have seen bly 20 years or so, it contains cover sent from Guadalajara the precursor to the short franked with two of the 10-
. .
centavo Juarez stamps that saw at Ameripex were miss-
were used only on foreign ing, but only a few. I don't
mail. The letter went on an know if this represents a final
English packet by way of refinement of the exhibit on
Southampton. Backal's part or not. Perhaps
If you collect Mexican cov- some items were held back or
ers and have always wanted sold privately before the bulk
to own the original artwork of the exhibit was consigned
used in a stamp design, the for auction.
Backal sale is your chance to Few collectors can afford
kill both birds with one stone. the kind of material offered
There are numerous mari- at this sale. For many of us,
time covers with mixed frank- our entire collections may not
ing, most of which have out- equal the estimated selling
standing eye appeal. price of one of the scarcer
Backal maritime covers.
Finally, I should mention a
Still, if you are a true collec-
group of covers with Porte de
tor you can appreciate and
Mar stamps. These Mexican
enjoy the beauty and develop-
adhesives denoted fees paid
ment of a world-class exhibit
to ship captains to carry mail
like this one.
abroad, deliberately bypass-
The auction catalog is a
ing the foreign postal agen-
must if you are a maritime
cies that had traditionally
postal history devotee. For
handled this kind of mail.
the general collector, it's a
Most of us are lucky if we chance to see many wonder-
have one or two genuine used ful things and increase your
examples of Porte de Mar knowledge at the same time.
stamps off cover in our al- The lot descriptions are in
bums. Here we can see what Spanish but they're not hard
may be the largest group of to decipher.
such stamps on cover in pri- Soler & Llach is asking $10
vate hands. to defray postage. The Nov. 7
In perusing the catalog, catalog may be ordered from
which contains about 160 lots, the firm at Bori I Fontesta 7,
I did note that a few items I 08021 Barcelona, Spain. ■
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 10, 1990

MEPSI at Chicagopex; future Exporters

In my Dec. 9, 1985, column comprehensive displays of It proved to me once again
tury Mexico, but there were vermeil award for its owner. award from the Chicago Phil-
(page 34) I wrote that Mexfil some great showings of 20th- Two fine collections of Mex- atelic Society for his efforts. the issue I have seen. the value and joy of belonging
85, a Mexico-only exhibition century material, too. And the ico's sometimes-maligned Extensive research was also Whitsel's exhibit won a to a specialist society in one's
held in Mexico City in June of results of the competition 1868 issue were shown, win- demonstrated in Nick Follans- vermeil and two other special collecting field. Not all of us
that year, might never be du- gave a clear measure of the ning top awards plus special bee's exhibit of "Sonora White awards — not bad for a mod- are social animals, but to
plicated for the depth of the quality present, too, as eight recognition by MEPSI and a and Green Seal Issues," a col- ern issue that has been out of those of us who are, these get-
gold and six vermeil awards local club. lection of 20th-century local the post office drawer for togethers are truly rewarding.
were won by the Mexican Exhibits of "Hidalgos, 1874- civil war stamps. This fact barely 15 years. •
Mexico group. 1883" and "Hidalgo Medal- was not lost on the judges, The Mexican postal service San Antonio stamp dealer
By Dale Pulver Alfonso Tena's "Mexico lions, 1884-85" also won well- who gave Nick the American had a booth at Chicagopex Bill Shelton gave a most inter-
Classic Issues, 1856-67" was and issued, in very limited esting lecture on the Mexican
material shown. Having just one of the highlights of the quantities, two booklets with Exporta issues at Chicagopex.
returned from the annual show. Since it is already an in- commemorative stamps as Slides that he took on a recent
.0AGOPEX '90
meeting of the Mexico ternational large gold exhibit, soc[E.rr gestures of support for the visit to the Mexican govern-
Elmhurst Philatelic Society it was shown non-competitive- show's emphasis on Mexican ment printing office made it
International held at Chicago- ly, but it was a joy to see. philately. easy to understand some of
.1,■ 4 P:14,t The booklet, inscribed in
pex 90, I may have to retract Bob Paliafito won the grand the reasons we have seen so
that prediction. award with his exquisite English and with a special many minor varieties, espe-
%,..1;ay 4111 matiaa
The Chicagopex organizers, showing of "The Imperial Ea- MEPSI logo, sold out minutes cially color shades, on mod-
and particularly local MEPSI gles of Mexico." It has just . tat Maaitao
after Chicagopex opened. Be- ern stamps printed there.
representative Jim Mazepa, about everything from that is- oar:: ,Pit,ic fore the weekend was over, it Ink mixing appears to be
took special pains to lure sue, including some amazing was being offered by one less than a perfect science,
Mexican exhibits to the show covers to foreign destinations. dealer for $25 against the and paper shortages also con-
for the open competition. The Maximilian Monarchy original $2.10 the Mexican tribute to the unusual number
What an exciting show it was represented with two dis- post office charged. of Exporta varieties we have
turned out to be. plays: a study of the difficult The other booklet didn't last tracked for the past 15 years.
There were 18 Mexican ex- and scarce 1/2-real denomina- long either, but was still avail- Previously, I reported per-
Souvenir cards were prepared by Mexico's Postal Service to sistent rumors that a change
hibits on display. While this tion, and a very nice exhibit able on the second day of the
honor. Chicagopex 90 for hosting the annual meetings of the of Mexico's definitive issues
showing wasn't as large as the of the Maximilian Heads of show.
Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic Society International and the was in the offing. Shelton says
41-exhibit array at Mexfil, 1866-67. Both exhibits won The Mexicans also pro-
vermeil medals. China Stamp Society, but did not reach Chicago in time for his conversations with Mexi-
Chicagopex clearly boasted duced a special souvenir card
the exhibition. Only 25 cards, overprinted "MUESTRA" (sam- can officials in the post office
some of the finest. Mexican There were three single for Chicagopex, but the cards
ple) like this one, were available to a lucky few at the show. and the printing office con-
philatelic material to be postal district studies that failed to arrive in time for dis-
found in the world today. demonstrate what can be deserved gold awards. Al- Philatelic Society research tribution at the show. vince him that this cannot and
Viewing them all was a great done in an exhibit of some- though not strictly considered award in addition to Chicago- A total of 25 copies with a will not occur for some time.
treat for the Mexico collec- what narrow scope. These classic issues, these areas of- pex and MEPSI gold awards. "MUESTRA" (sample) over- While it is true the Mexican
tors. tracked the development of fer great potential for de- Another 20th-century Mexi- print were given to the MEP- postal service has a number
Although three exhibits con- the postal system from Span- tailed study. can exhibit did well, too, and I SI committee. Some of these of design ideas worked out,
tained prephilatelic covers ish colonial times well into Jay Bard, owner of the Hi- was glad to see some action in were sold for the benefit of these have not been approved
and one showed postal sta- the stamp period. dalgo Medallion collection, the area. the society, including the sam- by the top men in the depart-
tionery, the emphasis was def- Owners of the Chihuahua has spent a lifetime in a meti- "The Regular Issue of Mexi- ple shown here. ment, nor have they been dis-
initely on stamps and covers and Monterrey district collec- culous study of this issue, in- co, 1950-1976," shown by Cal About 50 MEPSI members cussed with the management
bearing them. tions won gold awards. A Vic- cluding a great deal of origi- Whitsel, could use some work signed in during the weekend, of the printing bureau.
By design, it seems, the ex- toria district collection, which nal research on plate variet- to improve its visual appear- including several from Mexi- With the probability of con-
hibits featured all of the ma- was being shown for the first ies. I found this to be fascinat- ance, in my opinion. But it is co, at least two from England siderable bureaucratic wran-
jor classic issues of 19th-cen- time, won a very respectable ing. Bard received a special definitely one of the most and one from Spain. gling, actually putting new
Mexican definitives into print ing that Shelton currently has
could take two to three years. them in stock, but he admits
Until then, there are more that many of these are in very
Exporta varieties on the way. short supply.
Shelton, who has been qui- If you are a dyed-in-the-
etly stocking Exporta stamps wool Exporta stamp enthusi-
for years, has just published a ast, you should write for one
40-page specialized price list of these lists. They are avail-
for this series. able for $2.50 from Bill Shel-
He subdivides the stamps ton Philatelics, Drawer 39838,
according to the various is- San Antonio, TX 78218-6838.
sues most of us have come to
recognize, cross-indexed with Finally, I take this opportu-
the basic Scott catalog num- nity to wish all my readers
bers. For the casual Exporta best wishes for the upcoming
collector, this sophisticated holidays.
list may prove to be too much My thanks for reading this
of a good thing. column. I do appreciate the
There is much useful text time many of you take to send
interspersed with the listings your questions and views in
and the number of minor va- letters and I hope 1991 proves
rieties runs into the hundreds. to be a good collecting year
Nearly all are priced, mean- for you. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 14, 1991

Mexico's intriguing 1864-66 Eagle issue

Mexico's classic Eagle issue vo value came later.) Bright, shipment sent to the various number of collectible variet- erence is currently available. City for use only on drop let-
of 1864-66 is a longtime favor- attractive colors were used district offices. ies of the stamps. Abraham Odfjell summa- ters and circulars.
ite of mine. I wrote about for all but the lowest values, Many large district offices Figure 1 shows some typical rized post office shipment The 3c stamp used has the
these stamps in my Jan. 8, which came in various shades had jurisdiction over smaller, overprint varieties on 2r Ea- data in tabular form with highest catalog value of all
1984, column (page 50), but I of gray and brown. nearby post offices and sup- gle stamps. The stamp on notes in The Stamps of the the Eagles. Few were used,
suspect there are enough new It is worth noting that while plied them with their stamps. piece with the oval Orizava Postal Districts of Mexico, a and the class of mail requir-
Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic ing them would have been
Society International publica- quickly discarded. Unused ex-
Mexico tion.
The 1982 fifth edition of the
amples of the 3c are expen-
sive, but appear regularly in
By Dale Pulver
specialized Mexican catalog auctions.
by Celis-Cano will also be Since it is next to impossible
Linn's readers to warrant a
very useful if you are willing to accumulate anything ap-
reprise on this interesting se-
to work with its Spanish text. proaching a complete collec-
ries.
I believe all three of these tion of Eagle varieties, a satis-
The Eagle stamps capture
references are available from fying alternative could be to
the attention of collectors be-
Bill Shelton, the San Antonio, concentrate on one or several
cause of the enormous num-
Texas, dealer who specializes larger districts. Stamps from
ber of varieties that exist.
in Mexico. these offices are more plenti-
There is also enough rare and
Large districts generally ful and even the inherently
outstanding material so that a Figure 1. Three of five different Eagle overprint types: a district-only overprint from the first received shipments of com- scarcer 1/2r, 4r and 8r values
first-rate exhibit can be period (left); a second-period large-numeral consignment number overprint tied to piece monly used stamps in the may not be too hard to find.
formed. This was demonstrat- with an Orizava datestamp (center); and a fifth-period 1866 Mexico City overprint (right). thousands, and these are not However, getting a repre-
ed by Bob Paliafito's "Imperi-
So, in many instances, an ad- cancel shows the large con- scarce, and are relatively in- sentative sampling from sub-
al Eagles of Mexico," which there are clear, crisply print-
ditional suboffice number was signment numbers typical of expensive. Even some of the offices (if the district chosen
took the grand award at the ed specimens, a great many
added to the stamps as a fur- the second period. The Mexi- suboffices handled a great had them) can provide con-
Nov. 9-11 Chicagopex show of the stamps will be found
ther control measure. Occa- co district stamp on the right deal of mail, and their stamps siderable challenge.
amid very stiff competition. poorly printed, either from
sionally a suboffice name was with the 1866 dates is typical can be readily acquired. I tackled the district of Ori-
The issue was the product underinked, worn plates, or
of the short and tragic French displaying blurred patches of also used, but this was the ex- of fifth-period Eagles. Other locations, especially zava, searching for a used
intervention into Mexico, a extraneous color between im- ception rather than the rule. With such a vast and com- the tiny towns and haciendas, stamp from each consignment
bold attempt to establish what pressions. The very first Eagle stamps, plex array of overprint possi- received and used very few it received. This district had
amounted to a French colony What makes the Eagles es- issued during May and June bilities, how does one go stamps. Examples of these no suboffices, handled a fair
in the Western. Hemisphere. pecially fascinating are the 1864, generally received only about organizing a collection are frequently scarce to rare. amount of mail, and there
In the Mexican Coat of Arms overprints of district names the district name overprint, or exhibit? Fortunately, most A general type collection, were few instances of small
design on the stamps, the ea- and consignment numbers, such as the Aguascalientes- of the post office records consisting of the five denomi- shipments of fewer than 500
gle perched on a cactus with a not to mention a vast array of overprinted 2r Eagle on the from that era have survived, nations from the five periods stamps.
snake in its beak wears. a unusual and quaint cancella- left in Figure 1. The consign- and philatelic scholars have of usage, will not be too diffi- There are only about 35
crown — a reference to the tions. ment and date-numbering sys- abstracted and published the cult to assemble with the ex- consignment number variet-
recently established monarch The district names were tem took effect July 7. necessary basic information. ception of the type II 1/2r Ea- ies from this district including
of the Austrian Archduke handstamped at the point of In addition to the name-only The late Samuel Chapman's gle, Scott 19a. a couple of number errors,
Maximilian. sale. The Eagles were also the period, there were four other definitive work, The Postage This stamp is rare and sel- yet it took me almost 10 years
The stamps were engraved first Mexican stamps to bear a discreet use periods that can Stamps of Mexico, 1856-1868, dom offered for sale. In fact, to find them all. But what a
and, like their predecessors, consignment or invoice num- be differentiated by the type contains a wealth of data on it may be harder to find than feeling of accomplishment I
were initially printed in five ber with a year date. These font or year date of the over- the Eagle shipments to dis- a 3c Eagle, Scott 18, which had when the set was com-
denominations ranging from numbers were applied at the print. These overprint types trict and subdistrict post offic- was issued during the fourth plete.
1/2 real to 8 reales. (A 3-centa- general post office on each are responsible for the huge es. A reprint of this rare ref- and fifth periods in Mexico Another pleasant challenge
has been a search for first- genuine, a truly rare item.
day cancellations on stamps Figure 2 shows the stamp.
consigned to Mexico City. I immediately sent it to my
This is possible only when the friend John Bash, the re-
delivery occurs the same day nowned Mexican Eagles ex-
that the stamps are listed as pert, and he quickly respond-
consigned. In 20-odd years of ed that in his opinion it was
looking, I have discovered perfectly genuine. In fact, he
two such items. wrote, it was a stamp he did
not have in his own collection
— nor had he seen an exam-
ple from this shipment in 30
years of collecting Eagles.
This was surprising because
at that time he owned proba-
bly the most complete collec-
tion of Eagles in the world.
He was anxious to have it
and offered to trade me three
times full catalog from his du-
plicate Eagles, which he had
priced quite reasonably.
Since I felt it really be-
Figure 2. Won at a modest longed in his collection rather
price in a small auction, this than mine I agreed to the
handsome 8-real Eagle later deal. I cherry-picked some
proved to be from a consign- lovely items from his stock
ment of only 86 stamps. books and was thus able to
Equipped with the forego- add a couple of dozen good
ing cited references, it is still stamps to my meager hold-
possible to make worthwhile ings.
and interesting discoveries. John passed away in 1988
The acquisition of what is per- and his Eagles were sold at
haps the rarest stamp in my auction shortly thereafter.
small holding of Eagles was a The 8r Eagle that I had
pure case of serendipity. traded him years before was
About 15 years ago I was lotted as a single item, and for
the successful bidder in a sentimental reasons I entered
small mail sale on an 8r Eagle a rather generous bid. For
described simply as Scott 25a some reason, this rare stamp
in fine condition. When the was overlooked by the heavy
stamp arrived, I checked the hitters at that sale and it
Mexico City consignment came back to me well below
number, "165-1864." It corre- my top bid.
sponded to a shipment of a I guess it proves the point
partial sheet of but 86 stamps. that rare does not always
Taking into account a prob- mean expensive, at least if
able 3- to 5-percent survival you are armed with both
rate for such stamns. it was. if knowledge and patience. •
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 11, 1991

Early machine cancellations of Mexico

Collectors of Mexico usually develop a the initials "R.M." (for Republica Mexicana). Figure 2 shows a tracing of one of these in 1905, and ceased making postal equipment
fondness for 20th-century cancellations, Figure 1 shows an interesting 1903 2- weather-forecasting postmarks, which pre- for the U.S. and Mexican markets. Replace-
which are found in so many quaint and un- centavo postal card bearing two of these flag dicted "Cloudy tomorrow." ment dies therefore became unavailable.
usual forms. cancels. The one on the face simply records The use of these so-called weather cancel- Although use of the Barr-Fyke machines
At the turn of the century, machine-applied the origin of the card (Puebla) and the date lations was confined to Mexico City. As far as persisted past 1905 they were eventually re-
cancellations came upon the postal scene in and time it was mailed. The Mexico City flag we know, they were always used as receiving placed by canceling machines manufactured
marks on inbound mail, so they usually turn
up on the backs of envelopes and cards.
Mexico According to records of the Mexican
By Dale Pulver weather service, 40 different killer slugs were
created with wording to cover all kinds of
Mexico and these can be very interesting, weather situations.
too. Furthermore, some of them are just as 001%.9.10 Sixteen dies, predicting what the afternoon
Ammo tB Puebla tie o, weather in Mexico City would be, were used
elusive as their earlier counterparts. Figure 3. Photographically cropped from a
FOC. to mark mail processed before noon. Another
The first canceling machine to be used in small cover, this postmark shows the con-
Ocupados con I l l s i. .e nuestros li- 24 dies had wording to forecast the weather tinuous pattern of multiple double-ring
Mexico was manufactured by the Barr-Fyke bros, enoontramos en su apreciable ouentavn for the following day. (It's unfortunate that datestamps and wavy lines that is typical of
Machine Co. of Kansas City, Mo. Put into aaldo desoubierto 9 nuestro fever de
we cannot determine how accurate these pre- Krag machine cancels used in Mexico.
service in Mexico City in August 1900, it S. E. U. 0. el que le suplicamoa se sirva re-
mitiroos, por Set vencido, stempre que este dictions turned out to be.)
came equipped with two dies, one to mark conform° con aug apuntes. by the Krag Machine Co. of Oslo, Norway.
Anticipaniole laa gracias somos de lid. Mexican weather flags have always been
outgoing mail, the other to apply a receiving The distinctive feature of the Krag cancels
affmos. amigos y S.S. popular with collectors, particularly those
mark. ielatient‘egy (gag. is that they run continuously across the card
who specialize in machine cancels. Good,
I do not have examples of these two post- or cover, and consist of a modified double-
8 clear specimens can command fairly high
marks, but they are easily described. The ring datestamp followed by four (usually)
Figure 1. This 1903 postal card received an prices. But, for some reason or other, 20 of
regular cancel consisted of single-ring date- wavy lines.
"R.M." machine flag cancel when it was the wording types listed in the records re-
stamp about 22 millimeters in diameter, fol- Figure 3 shows a example of this cancel
mailed at Puebla (top) and a Mexico City main unreported.
lowed by 16 vertical bars which formed the photographically cropped from a small cover.
"R.M." flag receiving mark on the back For those of you who might want to delve
killer. Similar marks were in contemporary
(bottom), while en route to San Luis Potosi. into this field in detail, a good reference arti- Cancels from the Krag machine are rarely
use in the United States.
cle by Alicia Gutierrez appears in the April seen after 1915, although a few machines
The receiving mark had the same circular cancel on the reverse is the receiving type, 1988 issue of Mexicana. continued to be used into the early 1920s. The
datestamp, but the first half of the killer con- used here as a transit mark since the card's The weather cancels stopped rather reason most often given for their disappear-
tained the word "RECIBIDA" (received), ultimate destination was San Luis Potosi. abruptly at the end of 1904, after having been ance is that World War I made spare parts
with two horizontal bars above and below it, The flag design proved to be very popular. used for about 20 months. This has puzzled and maintenance virtually unobtainable.
the final half of the killer consisting of six Within two years, about 10 such machines stamp collectors, but it may have something At least one Krag slogan cancel is re-
vertical bars. were in service, mostly in Mexico City and at to do with the fact that Barr-Fyke lost its corded, touting a large fair in Guadalajara.
The receiving mark is the more common of post offices in other large cities. support from the U.S. Post Office Department The next generation of canceling machines
the two Barr-Fyke Mexico City machine post- This type of flag cancel comes in at least
marks, although both are quite scarce. These two sizes. The flags on the Figure 1 card used in Mexico were those of the Pitney-
two dies appear to have been used for just measure 15mm in length. On another exam- Bowes Co. of Stamford, Conn., and the Inter-
over six months before they were replaced. ple I have the flag is only 45mm long. Flag national Postal Supply Co. of New York, N.Y.
Part of the reason for this brief tenure was cancellations with the "R.M." inscription are These began to be used in the early '20s.
damage suffered when careless mail clerks fairly common. With the arrival of more modern devices,
ran letters or thin parcels containing hard Perhaps the most intriguing of the Barr- collectors begin to see more examples of slo-
objects through the machines, damaging the Fyke-prepared dies are those that appeared Figure 2. One of 40 special flag cancels gan and message cancellations.
printing surfaces. in April 1903, with an open space in the first designed to mark weather predictions on This is another fascinating field for collec-
The replacement dies were of an entirely two-thirds of the flag that holds a brief Mexico City's inbound and local mail. This tors of Mexican machine cancels. I plan to
different style that printed a flag killer with weather forecast. postmark calls for clouds tomorrow. take up the story in a future article.■
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 11, 1991

Detecting the early forgeries of Mexico

In 1984, a year and one- 1856 and 1861 issues of Mex- tions, which were decidedly ceived all but the most ing signs of plate wear, ap- tern of elongated dots when
half after I began writing this ico. Many of these also bore common, so there would knowledgeable specialists. pear normal. held to the light.
column for Linn's, I devoted name overprints and cancel- have been little demand for Some even suggested that the Therefore, we have to look On genuine V2 r, 4r and 8r
two articles to forgeries of lations closely resembling any stamps printed from forgers had help from expert elsewhere for clues to their stamps, the orientation of
the classic stamps of Mexico. those of genuine stamps. them. But plates to produce philatelists! illegitimate origin. this grain pattern is horizon-
Within the last few months But there were differences, 4r and 8r stamps would have The modern-day Mexico In the case of the 1856 tal. If you have one of these
specialist has the advantage stamps, the paper of the forg- denominations where the
of enormous reference re- eries is too thick, too white grain runs vertically, as it
Mexico sources to help him steer and too smooth compared to does on the stamp on the left
By Dale Pulver clear of these annoying forg- that of a genuine stamp. The in Figure 2, you can immedi-
eries. forged 4r and 8r stamps in ately dismiss it as a forgery.
Throughout the first half of Figure 1 are good examples. Although they possessed
I have encountered several
this century frequent articles The colors are off as well, stocks of the original paper,
examples of these fabrica-
appeared in the philatelic and they are less vivid. The the forgers made a mistake
tions in dealers' stocks and
media on the work of the 4r reds are dull and the 8r in its orientation when they
circuit books. That is why I
turn-of-the-century manipula- lilacs are decidedly darker created their fakes. However,
feel it is appropriate to re-
tors. and have a muddy appear- some forgeries are known
view this area now, alerting
Today we also have com- ance compared to authentic with horizontal grain, such as
new readers and reacquaint-
ing old ones on the dangers petent expertization groups examples. the one on the right in Fig-
to pass judgment on question- With the 1861 stamps we ure 2. For these, other tests
that may be lurking for the
unwary buyer. able items.
Figure 1. The paper and color of these forged 1856 stamps For the general collector
It's a broad and compli-
do not match those found on genuine copies. The 4-real of Mexico, here is a quick
cated field, so I'll concen-
stamp (left) also is overprinted for use in "OMETEPEC," a rundown of the simple, tell-
trate on first-design forgeries
non-existent postal district, and the period after "ACA- tale signs you may recognize
that appeared. around the
PULCO" on the 8r (right) shows it to be a total fabrication. when looking at a forged
turn of the century.
too, which did not go unno- been quite useful to a dishon- stamp of this era.
Some unscrupulous dealers
always have endeavored to ticed by astute collectors. est dealer since these denom- As noted, the 4r and 8r de-
fulfill the demand for rare Probably the most damag- inations were scarce and nominations of the 1856 and
stamps — even if it meant ing evidence that something sought by collectors. 1861 issues were forged ex-
manufacturing them them- was afoot was a letter re- Forgeries soon appeared in tensively. The 1/2 r stamp of
selves. Because of the low ceived by the prestigious quantity in the stamp market 1861 is also found forged, but
printing quantities and lim- English stamp firm of Stan- at that time. not as frequently as the oth-
ited use of the high values of ley Gibbons from a certain The flood of fakes was ers. The lr and 2r denomina-
Mexico's first and second is- Eduardo Cottilla of St. Louis, due, in large part, to the lack tions of 1861 are believed not
sues, these 4-real and 8r Mo. He offered to sell Gib- of knowledge` by collectors as to have been reprinted, and Figure 2. Two forgeries of the 1861 8r stamp. The paper
stamps were frequently the bons three original plates to how the first Mexican is- those of 1856 are so scarce grain of the fake on the left has a vertical orientation; on
focus of their efforts. prepared for the Mexican sues were printed, how and they are rarely encountered. authentic stamps it is horizontal. The grain of the paper on
The first deceptive forger- first design. where they were used, the the 8r forgery on the right is horizontal, but both the
You must remember that
ies of these were recognized Gibbons rejected the offer, significance of the name stamp's district name overprint and its cancel are forged.
the forgeries we are discuss-
as early as 1893. but presumably those plates, overprints, and so on. ing were printed from origi- have an additional feature to must be applied.
In the Philatelic Journal of plus others as well, found a This was compounded by nal plates believed to have help sort the good from the Figure 3 shows an enlarge-
America for that year, sev- home elsewhere. the fact that the forgers been stolen from the Mex- bad. The colored wove paper ment of small portions of the
eral references can be found The proffered plates were knew just enough about these ican postal museum — the on which these stamps were paper from the two stamps in
concerning "reprints" of the for the lr and 2r denomina- details so their products de- impressions, although show- printed displays a grain pat- Figure 2, lit from behind to
show the grain of the paper. that the ink used for the 1867 reissue of the first de-
Its appearance is not unlike forged overprints and cancel- sign on watermarked paper.
that of a piece of household lations often has a grayish These will be dealt with in a
paper toweling. cast to it, distinct from the future article.
Again, the grain of the jet-black inks of the mid-19th For those of you who wish
paper on the left is vertical, century. to delve deeper, I recom-
which is incorrect for this You should carefully ex- mend a translation of the
issue. The paper on the-right amine all 4r and 8r stamps chapter on forgeries in
shows the correct horizontal from the 1856, 1861 and 1867 Smeth and Fayolle's Pre-
orientation. issues, but you should be es- mieres Emissions du Me-
On both the 1856 and 1861 pecially wary of those from xique, 1856-1874. This was
issues, the best method to de- the smaller district offices. serialized in Mexicana, the
tect many forgeries is a care- These have always been Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic
ful examination of the dis- scarce and some were the Society International quarter-
trict name overprint and the object of the forgers' atten- ly, during 1954 and 1955.
cancellation. tion.
While the forgers appeared The Smeth and Fayolle
The forgery on the right in
to have access to some of the Figure 2 has the correct work, published in 1935, con-
original cancelers, the dis- paper grain for the 1861 solidated all the important
knowledge written up to that
trict name handstamps had issue, but shows both a
to be created from scratch forged cancel and a forged time. Since then new infor-
and exhibit discernible dif- district name overprint. The mation has appeared from
ferences from the originals. right-leaning "A" in the time to time in the pages of
Many of these are fairly easy "LAGOS" overprint is a tell- Mexicana.
to detect with moderate mag- tale sign. In summary, it is probably
nification. In all, forgeries are known fair to say that most of the
The 4r stamp on the left in with names and cancellations spurious material created by
Figure 1 is overprinted from 30-odd districts, many the St. Louis group and their
"OMETEPEC." No postal dis- of which were large offices. contemporaries has been
trict of that name ever ex- So a common district name identified for what it is by
isted, thereby confirming is no guarantee of authentici- honest dealers and collectors
what the paper and color of ty, either. and removed from the mar-
this stamp already showed - A case in point is the ket. But, as I recently found
that it is a forgery. "ACAPULCO" overprint on out, some of it is still at
Another characteristic is the right-hand forgery in Fig- large, and newcomers need
ure 2. Though hard to see, to be aware of its presence.
the overprint on the 8r forg- When in doubt, insist on
ery is followed by a period. competent certification or
The authentic district name the time to obtain an expert
overprint was not. opinion before plunking
Dangerous forgeries and down hard-earned dollars for
manipulations exist of the a seemingly rare stamp. ■
Figure 3. Back-lit enlarge-
ments from the stamps in
Figure 2 show the vertical
paper grain found only on
forgeries (left) and the hori-
zontal grain found on all
genuine stamps and some of
the forgeries as well (right).
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 8, 1991

Slogan cancels are fun and affordable

If your stamp budget is Guadalajara next Decem- tween the wavy lines of the post offices was usually pro- these slogan cancels emanat- long envelopes," so this prob-
limited, as mine is, you have ber." It's interesting that the killer portion of the cancel, cessed by hand, and hand ed from Mexico City. lem was not something new.
to get creative when your promotion was being made in as seen in Figure 1. cancelers do not lend them- The Mexican post office Another inspired message
collection reaches the point Puebla for an event several The other form has the selves to the complexities of also used slogan cancels to from the post office be-
where everything you need hundred kilometers away. wording in several rows, with a slogan or other message. try to help solve some of its seeched writers to use the
costs too much. Figure 1 shows a cover or without separating lines, I have not yet found too own problems. correct delivery zone num-
Since my retirement a few with an interesting early slo- as demonstrated by the many different slogans from One of my favorites goes ber when addressing letters
the 1930s, but a few I have like this: "Do not use square to the Federal District. This
seen deal with what must envelopes. They are hard to was during the 1950s when
Mexico have been a serious social manipulate and can be dam- the zone system was being
By Dale Pulver problem in Mexico at that aged (by handling)." established in Mexico.
time, alcoholism. This message was used for Tourism received attention
years ago I have been paying Certain meter markings of
a lot more attention to the the era carry the message Tarjeta Postal
20th-century stamps and post- "Alcoholism destroys the 1,0•2,4, Are;

al history of Mexico, a field I home." Another Mexico City

almost completely ignored machine cancellation used in
before that time. the late 1930s and early '40s
Lately I have been search- touts the virtues of temper-
ing for Mexican slogan can- ance.
Figure 3 shows a postcard
cellations. By their very na-
with this three-line cancel,
ture these are a product of Figure 1. The Mexico City slogan cancel on this 1923 cover
the modern era when ma- translates as urging citizens to "Cooperate in the well-being which translates as "Temper-
ance: for the good of country
chine cancelers came into of your country, assisting in the construction of roads."
general use. And, for the gan cancel used in Mexico cropped cancellation shown and the human race."
most part, covers with slogan City during February 1923. A 1939 slogan cancel
in Figure 2. alerted the Mexican popula-
cancels are not expensive. The three-line slogan trans- The crime-fighting slogan
I am far from being an ex- lates as "Cooperate in the in this Mexico City continu- tion to the upcoming 1940 Figure 3. Sponsored by an anti-alcoholism organization, the
pert on Mexican slogan can- well-being of your country, ous machine cancel of 1930 census. three-line slogan cancel on this postcard translates as
cels. However, as near as I assisting in the construction admonishes the public, During the 1940s Mexico's "Temperance: for the good of country and the human race."
can determine, slogan can- of roads." Such slogans were "Don't expose your money by secretary of labor and the so-
cels first appeared there in used to stimulate public sup- carrying it with you; use post- cial security offices of the several years during the late in the form of slogan cancels,
the early 1920s. federal government publi- 1940s and '50s, and was, I too. During the years imme-
port for an issue of national al money orders." cized their missions with slo- suspect, aimed at users diately before the 1968
In my Feb. 11 column on importance. You will rarely find slogan gan cancellations. Again, whose mail would be subject Olympic Games in Mexico
Mexico's early machine can- A 1927 slogan cancel also cancels from any but the to machine processing. The City, tourists and natives
cels (page 8), I mentioned a applied by the post office in largest cities of Mexico, even NO EXPONGASU DINER() squarish envelopes popular were asked to use and collect
slogan used in Puebla on a Mexico City translates as today. Only these centers of LLEVANDOLO CONSIGO; in Europe were sold widely the special Olympic stamps
22"7113t 7.
Krag canceling machine to "National products compete commerce and industry gen- in Mexico at that time. Mexico had issued. I have
UTILICE LOS GIROS
advertise a fair in Guad- well with those that are im- erate the volumes of mail to POSTALES CIRCULARES. Interestingly, I have such a seen this boxed slogan cancel
alajara in October 1923. ported." Another nudge in justify the expense of cancel- cover from 1927 with the on letters mailed as late as
The full wording was "VIS- favor of the mother country! ing machines and the special Figure 2. This machine can- post-office-applied supple- 1971, almost three years
ITE USTED GRAN/FERIA These early slogan cancels dies they need. cel warns postal patrons, mentary marking, "REMITA after the games ended.
GUADALAJARA, JAL./DIC- generally come in one of two Labor was, and is, cheap "Don't expose your money SUS CARTAS IN SOBRES This is a sampling of slo-
IEMBRE PROXIMO," or, in forms. In the first of these, enough so that the mail from by carrying it with you; use OBLONGOS." This translates gan cancellations I have
English, "Visit the big fair in the message is printed be- small Mexican towns and postal money orders." as "Send your letters in ob- been able to find while rif-
fling through boxes of inex- different messages used to
pensive covers. As noted ear- publicize national interests or
lier, most of the slogans orig- concerns.
inated in Mexico City, and I If you have some favorites
am rather surprised at the and would care to send me
limited variety I have been clear photocopies in care of
able to discover. Linn's, perhaps I can share
It would be interesting to them with readers in a fu-
hear from readers of this col- ture article.
umn of their experiences in Slogan cancels are a field
this area. It seems to me of Mexican philately that
there should be many more provides fun and challenge at
Mexican slogan cancels with a modest cost. ■
18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 13, 1991

What makes this little stamp so scarce?

Every so often, when scan- eagle in a circle and a two- and the United States. smaller post offices of Mex- copy that shows the major the scarce variety I've de-
ning the Scott catalog listings line "S.H.C.P./MEXICO" in- In 1946, however, it was ico's interior searching for portion of a circular date- scribed.
for Mexico, one encounters scription in between. Scott discovered that shortages of stock and; were able to re- stamp. I believe this cancel Covers likely to bear this
what should be a common designates it as watermark 15c stamps existed in the cover a few, Wit this water- was applied at some town in elusive stamp will, in all
stamp that instead has a very No. 272. smaller post offices of Me- mark variety has always the Mexican state of Micho- probability, be dated 1946,
high catalog value. Such is The initials in the water- xico's interior. been much, much scarcer acan/ but the town name is and most likely will have
To meet the shortage, com- than the other stamps in the missing. The date is "13 FEB come from a smaller Mexi-
pletely without warning or series. 46," although the year is a can town or village.
Mexico prior announcement, the 15c When I began collecting bit indistinct. Off cover, the Figure 2 wa-
By Dale Pulver Independence Monument Mexico as a specialty in the Since then I have seen termark is easy to see and
stamp of 1934 was reprinted mid-1960s, this stamp cata- used copies of this stamp, but identify. Detecting it may be
on S.H.C.P.-watermarked loged about $20 unused and none with a dated postmark. somewhat harder if the
the case for Scott 795A, the
15-centavo greenish blue paper and immediately sent $2.50 used. By contrast, unused copies of stamp is on cover, but with
out. I had no difficulty picking Scott 795A are offered regu- good back lighting, it should
stamp of the 1934 series as
reissued in 1946. It has been suggested that up three or four unused cop- larly at auction but have 51/2 be recognizable.
perhaps millions of such ies at about 50 percent to 60 times the catalog value of Good hunting!
Figure 1 shows the stamp.
stamps were distributed percent of catalog value. canceled stamps. •
To understand its scarcity, it
throughout the country, but However, I wanted a used Used or unused, the There was gratifying re
helps to know the back-
this estimate may be very copy with a dated cancel — stamp's scarcity has moved sponse to my April 8 column
ground of Mexico's issue of
much on the high side. In preferably from early 1946 the catalog values up rather on Mexican slogan cancels
1934-50.
This well-executed series any event, the variety es- — and that was another mat smartly in the 20-odd years (page 8). •
Figure 1. Would you recog- ter. since I acquired my copy. Two readers wrote to me
of stamps, which features caped notice by collectors
nize this plain-looking 15- I finally found a canceled directly to report on substan-
views and monuments of for many months. In the 1988 and 1984 Scott
centavo stamp as valuable? tial holdings of slogans. One
Mexico, had been in use for No 15c stamps with the catalogs, the stamp was listed
12 years by the time the 15c mark stand for Mexico's new watermark had been at $240 unused and $35 used. of these does not even collect
stamp in question appeared "Secretaria de Hacienda y given to the philatelic agency The 1990 price for unused Mexico, other than such
on the scene. Credito Publico" — the at Mexico City's main post of- stamps dropped back to $190, items as might fit into his
There had been numerous Secretary of the Treasury fice, which is where most but the used value stayed the worldwide interest in ma-
printings of the stamps in the and the Public Debt. dealers and many collectors same. There were no price chine cancels.
series, including the 1937 re- Figure 2 shows the water- secured their new issues. changes for Scott 795A in the I am seriously considering
design wherein the five low mark as highlighted on a Meanwhile, a new 15c 1991 edition. the project of preparing a
values were redrawn and margin block of stamps. Most stamp portraying a postman, If this stamp is missing checklist of early slogans and
printed by photogravure in a of the high values of the 1934 Scott 825, had been released from your album, now might would welcome further input
smaller 17.5 millimeter by issue were reprinted on to meet the heavy require- be a good time to try to get from readers. The cutoff
21mm format (Scott 729-33). paper with this watermark in ment for that denomination. one. I suspect that an unused, date is undecided, but I will
The balance of the set, 1945. These reprints are cata- By the time the existence hinged copy might be had for probably include everything I
from the 15c stamp on up, loged as Scott 795-800. of the S.H.C.P.-watermarked in the neighborhood of $125, can find up to 1960.
remained in the larger 20mm But the 15c and 5-peso de- 15c variety was publicized, but you will likely pay near If you have good clear
by 26mm format, as original- nominations were not among nearly all of these stamps, is- full catalog for a mint, never- strikes of complete slogans
ly printed. these. Presumably, the large sued through normal chan- hinged example. and wouldn't mind sharing
In 1944, Mexico's govern- post offices in Mexico re- nels, already had been pur- Also, if you have access to them with me in the form of
ment printing office began ported ample stocks of the chased, used on mail and Figure 2. This watermark is large numbers of post-World photocopies, I would be
using a new type of security 15c stamp. It was then being probably relegated to the what distinguishes the elu- War II covers from Mexico, happy to hear from you.
paper for stamps. It was wa- used to cover a new rate trash bin by most of those sive 1946 stamp in Figure 1 you might want to check Send them to me in care of
termarked diagonally with that, for example, included who received them! from its extremely common those bearing the Scott A113 Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH
repeating impressions of an surface mail between Mexico Dealers scrambled to the cousin first issued in 1934. design to see if it could be 45365. III
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 10, 1991

Introduction to Mexican postage meters

In recent months this col- tember 1929, although a No- keys connected to number chine meters can be found would be a collection show-
and British Pitney-Bowes,
umn has discussed the slogan vember usage is the earliest dials. This permitted rapid with a government slogan, German Postalia and Franco- ing Mexican meter marks of
cancellation made possible I yet have been able to find. and easy changes for differ- usually added to the left of type, Swiss Hasler and the 1970s and '80s.
by the advent of canceling Figure 1 shows a typical ent postage rates. the town mark. The one that French Satas meter ma- For those who would like
machines in Mexico around impression of the town mark Another interesting charac- appears in Figure 1 touts air- chines. These can easily be to read more about Mexican
the turn of the century. An- and frank from these so- teristic of covers bearing mail service as a means for differentiated by the shape meters, I recommend a se-
called Midget model Univer- speeding mail delivery (and and form of the markings ries of articles written by
sal franking machines. commercial prosperity). and by the various inscrip- meter expert Werner Simon
Mexico Most meters are in red ink A second generation of tions they carry. in Mexicana between July
By Dale Pulver and it will be useful to re- Universal meter machines Slogans, both government 1970 and July 1971.
view the anatomy of such showed up in Mexico about
other example of mechaniza2 markings. In the bottom 1932 and printed the design
panel of the frank on the shown in Figure 3.
tion that crept onto the postal
right are two codes: "LIC. The frank on the right is of VISIMTEEXItclo 07
scene not long thereafter was STED
No. 58" and "MAQa. No. an entirely different form
the postage meter, used by EL PUEBLO DE NTA

commercial firms handling 2538." These refer to the post with a single-circle town° HOSPITALIDAD

large volumes of mail. office authorizations under mark. The wide setting be- LEGENDARIA °
os
which each meter was oper- tween the town mark and W 17;
We are all familiar with ated, and are unique to the Figure 2. Handstamps of frank easily accommodates a 4
4,
the advantages postage machine that applied this im- this type were used on me- government slogan that trans-
meters hold for businesses: print. tered mail going through lates as "Visit Mexico: a land
no need to stock large num- These codes are always Mexico City's main post of- of legendary hospitality."
bers of postage stamps with present somewhere in each fice during the early 1930s. "LIC. No." has been
the possible consequences of meter mark, and are the changed to "PERM. No." The
theft; the ability to rapidly means by which specialists early meter impressions is private slogan inscription be-
account for postal costs since differentiate the various the presence of a supplemen- neath the frank is that of the
Figure 3. This 1933 airmail letter shows the second type of
postal meters automatically manufacturers and types. tary postmark inscribed Universal meter machine impression. The slogan between
"MAQUINAS FRANQUEA- Bank of London and Mexico, the datestamp and the frank promotes Mexican hospitality.
tally the amount spent; and The Midget machines were the franking machine owner.
the sheer speed with which equipped to print different DORAS" (franking ma- and private, are abundantly You might also want to
thousands of envelopes can values by changing the value chines), which was struck at This high-value 75c frank
paid airmail postage to Ger- displayed in conjunction with consult The Meter Postage
be franked and made ready slug in the frank, and 1-, 5-, the main post office. meter marks. Certain special Stamp Catalogue, the bible
for mailing. Figure 2 shows one such many, and a different "MA-
10-, 20-, and 25-centavo de- handstamp from Mexico City. QUINAS FRANQUEADOR- wordings and pictorial de- of meters by S.D. Barfoot
The first postal metering nominations are known. AS" handstamp is also seen, signs are especially sought by and Werner Simon, which I
It is presumed that this mark topicalists. believe was published in
machines used in Mexico In later models of the Uni- was added to validate the struck sideways overlapping
were supplied by Universal versal machines, as well as
meter frank so that sorting the frank. In such a large and diverse 1953. It is worldwide in scope
Postal Frankers Ltd., of Lon- in those from other manufac- Although I have shown i9
field, it is obviously next to but a good section on
clerks would not reject me-
don, England. It is believed turers, the values could be
tered letters as unpaid. only two typical early de- impossible to approach com- Mexican meters up through
their use began about Sep- changed by the operation of signs in this article, the field pleteness. But a somewhat
This postmark might also
have been a measure to indi- of Mexican meter impres- more limited "type" collec- Finally, although early
EN A VION SOS CLRESPOilOEIiCIAS VUELAN tion of the various machine meters can be hard to locate,
cate when letters entered the sions is vast and offers al-
CONSECUENTEMENTE most unlimited possibilities impressions is a very reason- this specialty will be easy on
official mailstream, since
SUS NE6OCIOS PROSPERAN.
there could be no guarantee for specialization. able goal, as is assembling a your pocketbook. The field is
that the date on the meter In addition to the British group of different denom- legitimate modern postal his-
Figure 1. The first meter machine used in Mexico, Univer- was the date that the letter Universal machines, Mexican inations from early ma- tory and can be very reward-
sal Postal Frankers' Midget model, applied this Dec. 10, was mailed. business firms and govern- chines. ing if you enjoy the hunt for
1929, meter paying the airmail rate to the United States. A few of the Midget ma- ment offices also used U.S. Another interesting pursuit elusive material. IIII
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 8, 1991

Lots to like about San Antonio's Texpex

This column departs some- issue and Karl Schimmer's Impression de Estampillas y hand to answer questions and A bone of contention with spent eating a delicious array
what from my usual practice "Mexico: Entering the 20th Valores) mounted a most in- gave attendees a rather at- buyers was that the stamps of typical picnic fare, talking
of writing about some stamp Century." Both of these gar- teresting display of material tractive souvenir folder con- included in the folders had a stamps and even dancing to
or postal history aspect of nered gold medals at their from its archives, consisting taining full-color illustrations face value far below the sell- the music of a Texas country
Mexico. I have just returned maiden showings. of full sheets or panes of var- of three Pro-Universidad ing price of $4. I should also combo. And, as if the gods
from Texpex 91 and thought Another interesting display ious engraved postage stamps stamps and reproductions of note that the two booklets I were smiling upon this gath-
14 19th-century handstamps bought each contained five ering, as darkness settled we
used in Texas when it was copies of the 1987 Mexican were treated to the spectacu-
Mexico TEXPEX-91
still part of Mexico. stamp commemorating the lar display of a new crescent
By Dale Pulver SAN ANTONIO PHILATELIC SOCIETY
The Mexican post office, Meeting of Two Worlds, Scott moon and the rare conjunc-
SEPOME (Servicio Postal 1519. These stamps had a tion of Mars, Venus and Jupi-
Mexicano) also sent repre- small red overprint com- ter in a clear western sky.
it would be good to tell La Soc,edad Filatehca de San Antonio
memorating Texpex 91. Mexico collectors who at-
organiza este ano una exhibiciOn FliattilCa en sentatives who sold current
Linn's readers what an excit- donde participa comb sociedad nuesped la.
In the social arena there tended Texpex to acquire
Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic Society international postage stamps and souvenirs
ing affair it was for those of (MEPS11. were plenty of opportunities material were amply served.
prepared for the show.
us who attended. It seemed to renew old friendships and Fully one-third of the 30
Con tat motive el Senicio Postal Mexican° For $2 you could buy the
to me there was something emtte esta tageta especial conmemorando esta
talk stamps. dealers in the bourse had
° •exhibiciOn souvenir card pictured in
for everyone. Unquestionably, for me, Mexican material for sale
San Antonio. Texas Figure 1. It bears a gold im-
The Mexico Elmhurst Phil- .• Junto 14-16.199i. print of a pre-Columbian the most memorable event and some seemed to be fairly
atelic Society International glyph and of one of the early occurred Friday evening. San well stocked.
sipu/1,,1'li.,/ 1 111/g I\■ ,
picked this show, held in San postal handstamps used at Antonio dealer Bill Shelton There were two called
Antonio, Texas, as the site Bexar, the Spanish name for and his wife Betty invited all floor auctions, one of which
for its 1991 annual meeting. what is now San Antonio. MEPSI members and wives consisted entirely of Mexico.
As a consequence, extra ef- Figure 1. Mexico's postal service issued this souvenir card
Also available were very to a Texas barbecue at their My observation was that
fort was made to secure at- for Texpex, which took place June 14-16 in San Antonio. unusual booklets — if that's home on the north edge of while prices were spotty, the
tractions for those members was Augusto Eichelmann's printed during the 1930s and the right word for them — of the city. The photo in Figure better material, as always,
who would attend the June exhibit of stampless covers 1940s. Mexican stamps. 2 shows about 40 of the more was in good demand and sold
14-16 show. taken from a single archive Texpex showgoers were These were curious items: than 60 people I counted at well.
Among the more than 400 he acquired from an old ha- able to view a full set of the strips of current stamps torn this wonderful party. I know that many of my
frames that comprised the cienda at Rio Verde, in the Pro-Universidad issue of 1934 from sheets and mounted in The entire evening was Linn's readers elect not to at-
exhibition, 100 were devoted district of San Luis Potosi. in complete panes up small cardboard folders dec-
exclusively to the stamps and Such finds are truly excep- through the 10p surface mail orated with reproductions of
postal history of Mexico. We tional these days. and 20p airmail stamps. This two Mexican-Texas letters
were able to view some old was rather like looking at with Bexar handstamps. Both
friends again, such as the sin- For the collector of the full sheets of the U.S. Zepps,
of the early covers used as
gle-district studies of Victo- modern era, Carl LeMar although the Mexican stamps models were displayed at the
ria, Monterrey and Chihua- John showed 10 frames of are vastly more elusive. Only show by the Texas man who
hua seen last fall at Chi- first-day covers containing 1,000 copies of the 10p and owns them.
cagopex, as well as a display many hand painted cachets. 1,500 copies of the 20p stamp The back of each folder
of the 1914 United States in- The latter may be one-of-a- were sold to the public in all. was inscribed "1492-1992/500
tervention in Veracruz. kind covers since he has All the sheets on display had ANOS DEL/ DESCUBRI-
been unable to find dupli- been devalued with a large
All of these exhibits were MIENTO/DE AMERICA"
cates, or anyone who even "MUESTRA" (Specimen)
bigger and better. But there (500 years of the discovery
knows of such items. perfin, which touched every of America), suggesting that Figure 2. Some of the 60 or so Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic
were also some brand new
exhibits, too: Jim Mazepa's The Mexican printing bu- stamp. SEPOMEX may have future Society International members who enjoyed a Friday-night
lovely display of the 1856 reau, TIEV (Los Talleres de TIEV personnel were, on plans for these covers. Texas barbeque at the home of stamp dealer Bill Shelton.
tend shows such as Texpex, that these collectors love to
or to join the organized side share: their knowledge, their
of philately for one reason or time, their concern, their en-
another. That's fine; one thusiasm, and sometimes,
should practice the hobby as even their duplicates.
he or she sees fit.
But I do want to make the If you don't already be-
point that an affair such as long, why not consider mem-
the MEPSI meeting at San bership in MEPSI? Write to
Antonio and the showing of John Kordich, 1014 37th St.,
so many Mexican stamps and San Pedro, CA 90731. He'll
covers provides a rare op- be happy to send you all the
portunity for the serious col- information.
lector to learn and associate Perhaps I'll see you in
with people pursuing a com- Guadalajara, the tentative
mon interest. site for MEPSI's meeting in
With few exceptions I find 1992. •
40 LINN S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 12, 1991

Questions and answers on Mexican FDCs

In the review of Texpex last month I made to the whims of the postal services of Mexico York stamp show as well. All inscriptions are
note of a Mexican first-day cover exhibit. or the United States. in English, though the spelling suggests that
While I have never seriously collected FDCs, Note, moreover, that the cover carries no the cachet may be of British origin. EX POS ICIO NEI
Fl LATE LICALII
I found this 10-frame showing intriguing in printed notice that it is an FDC. That fact According to John's investigation, cacheted ERNOCIO A
several respects and took the opportunity to must be determined from the datestamp. envelopes with Spanish inscriptions — either
This seems to be the case for most Mexi- "Primer Dia" (First Day) or "Primer Dia de
can issues up to about 1950. There was no Emision" (First Day of Issue) — probably
Mexico parallel in Mexico to the FDC craze that came into general use around 1950. I find no
By Dale Pulver swept the United States in the 1930s and '40s. evidence in my reference files to dispute this.
Another of my FDCs has the 2-centavo The earliest cover in his exhibit with a
"Primer Dia" inscription is dated May 21, EXPOSICION FILATELICA
visit with its owner, Carl LeMar John.
1950, and his first "Primer Dia de Emision"
I thought this collecting field would make a cachet dates from December 1956. John is INTERNACIONAL
good topic for this column, and Carl promised quick to point out that these may not be
some further information, which I have since actual first usages.
received. The subject is much too broad to Before the 1950s, first-day covers were pre-
cover in a single article, but I can at least pared and taken to the post office for pro-
make a good start at presenting an overview. cessing, either on a hand-back basis or to be
Besides, Carl's exhibit raised questions that dispatched through the normal mailstream.
perhaps some reader can answer. In the 1960s, however, post office cancelers
Figure 1 shows the earliest first-day cover (usually rubber handstamps) carried specific
in my own small holding. Bearing a copy of Figure 2. This airmail FDC with a steel- wording designating them as devices for first-
the 1-peso Estadistica airmail stamp (Scott engraved cachet commemorates U.S. Presi- day-of-issue use.
C53), the cover was canceled in Tampico Oct.dent John F. Kennedy's 1962 visit to Mexico. I have a pair of covers franked with the
1, 1933. stamp from Mexico's 1945 national literacy 1960 joint U.S.-Mexico issues commemorating
The cover is obviously grossly overpaid and
campaign set (Scott 806). Though it is like- the sesquicentennial of Mexico's national in-
is no doubt philatelic even though it appears
wise on a plain envelope, it bears the corner dependence.
to have been parried through the mails to its
card of a known Mexican stamp dealer and The Mexican FDC, franked with the 30c
San Antonio destination. Such an item would surface-mail stamp (Scott 910), is canceled Figure 4. This early handpainted Sienra ca-
has been stamped "FIRST DAY COVER" in chet approximates the design of the issued
surely be handled on a hand-back basis purple ink. with a large "Mexico D.F." datestamp and a
today; the stamp is much too scarce to trust wavy, four-bar killer. Beneath it are the stamp on this vertically formatted FDC for
To mark the centennial of the first U.S. Mexico's 1956 Exmex commemorative. Are
postage stamps in 1947, an international words "Primer Dia de Emision." The enve-
lopes, incidentally, are House of Farnam Sienra's covers the only handpainted Mexi-
stamp show was staged in New York City. can cachets that have ever been produced?
Mexico issued five stamps to commemorate products with beautiful, steel-engraved ca-
til'i4
Allitilit that event and also to honor late President chets. prepared locally with a steel engraving of the
1.,,,T. Roosevelt (Scott 826-27, C167-69). For President Kennedy's goodwill visit to U.S. presidential seal and the words: "Visita
iOntiPP Mexico in 1962, not only was a special stamp Presidencial/29 Junio de 1962/Primer Dia de
TAIt Cacheted FDCs exist with this set, which
overpays any rate current at that time. My issued, but cacheted airmail envelopes were Emision."
%T.; Ttt L.:,:rd'i..—. Figure 2 shows an example with a Mexico
SAN 411102110 PECXAS cover franked with this set (which, inciden-
tally, was sent by registered airmail with a City main post office cancellation.
peelable label) shows backstamps of transit — DIA DE EMISION A year later, the American Philatelic Soci-
• through Brownsville, Texas, and a receiving ety held its 77th annual convention in Mexico
Figure 1. Only the Oct. 1 Tampico circular mark of Pleasantville, N.Y. It took three days City. Another special stamp was issued (Scott
datestamp marks this as a first-day cover for delivery from Mexico. Figure 3. A typical 1968 first-day machine 927), and a rubber-stamp canceler was pro-
of the 1-peso high denomination from a The lithographed cachet design focuses pri- cancellation, with "Dia de Emision" shown vided with "Primer Dia de Emision" between
three-stamp Mexican airmail issue of 1933. marily on FDR, but does mention the New in the datestamp as well as the killer bars. the killer bars.
 Also during the '60s the words "Dia de formatted Sienra cacheted cover for the 1956
Emision" were inserted in the 22-millimeter 30c stamp-on-stamp issue (Scott 897). The
circular datestamps then being used, and stamp was issued for Exmex, an international
often in the killer bars as well, for use on stamp exhibition in Mexico City, and com-
FDCs. An example is shown in Figure 3. memorates a century of Mexican postage
As a further variation, killers of this era stamps.
often carried slogans appropriate to the Although they are not common, hand-
theme of the stamp issue. painted cachets have long been a part of the
U.S. FDC scene. But these Sienra creations
When Mexico issued the 1965 Olympic are the only ones of their kinds that any of us
stamp sets, thousands of cacheted covers have ever seen from Mexico.
were serviced at Mexico City's main post of-
fice using a handstamp with a particularly In many years of searching, John has
verbose message in the killer portion of the found no duplicates of the Sienra cachets.
cancel. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Are they unique? Perhaps one of our readers
these were carelessly struck. It is hard to find can help solve this mystery.
a legible example. Perhaps we can continue the Mexican FDC
One of the interesting parts of Carl John's story in a future column. Meanwhile, input
FDC exhibit is a series of handpainted ca- and comments about thist.special collecting
chets. They are all signed "Sienra," and niche are needed, and would be much ap-
cover a time span from 1956 to 1973. preciated. Write to me in care of Linn's, Box
Figure 4 shows an unaddressed, vertically 29, Sidney, OH 45365. •
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 9, 1991

Mexico's postmarks were first in America

On June 19, Soler and proceeded to establish post at correo mayor offices. dressed to Mexico City re- ioned in the form of intricate
Official nature, and Official
Llach of Barcelona, Spain, offices in Mexico, Veracruz, Markings from Guadalajara, ceived a large red "2," denot- designs, always popular with
handstamps are seen in addi-
auctioned perhaps the finest and a few other major Mexi- Celaya and Queretaro, traced ing two reales due. collectors. tion to the town marks.
group of Spanish colonial can towns that existed then. from the 1971 edition of Pre- When the government as- As the 18th century ended,
Figure 3 shows two of
covers from Mexico the mar- Carrying mails under the filatelia Espanol by Jorge sumed control of the mail, the number of postal entities
these elaborate Official
ket has seen in many, many viceroys was a private (and Guinovart and Manuel Tizon, postal affairs were organized was increasing and so was
markings, the one on the left
geographically according to the volume of mail. Conse-
dating from roughly 1801, the

Mexico ied,5) %owl) regions of local administra-

tion, or intendencias, as they
quently, postal markings
one on the right from about
from 1800-20 — the last two
1820. These rather ornate
By Dale Pulver were called in Spanish. Thus decades of Spanish colonial
markings make for attractive
we have the intendencias of rule — are scarce but not
covers to display.
((' I Guadalajara, Oaxaca, Puebla nearly as difficult to locate
Sometime after 1800 a sys-
years. I'm only sorry the cat-
(de los Angeles), Mexico as items prior to 1800. Still,
tem of registration was intro-
alog arrived too late for me
(City), and so forth. examples from the smaller
duced. This required that the
to alert readers in advance.
Each intendencia had at towns that used handstamps
front of the letter (or wrap-
I am not certain whose col- Figure 1. Correo mayor handstamps of 1736-66 were used in least one post office, and can be tough to find. per) be cut from the cover,
lection was sold, but I sus- Mexico before the Spanish Crown took control of the mails. there were generally several Rate markings were a hit-
signed by the addressee and
pect it may have been that of Shown from left to right are markings for Guadalajara, Ce- others in the important towns or-miss proposition. On most
returned to the sender as
the noted Spanish collector laya, Queretaro and Vera Cruz. The latter, 255 years old, is of the region. They ulti- covers bearing them, they
proof of delivery. Post office
Fernando Camino Zamalloa. the first recorded postmark to have been used in America. mately evolved into the so- are handwritten, though sev-
monograms usually were ap-
While the scope of this offer- usually lucrative) endeavor also are shown in Figure 1. called postal districts of 19th- eral larger offices had hand-
plied at the corners and
ing included all former Span- — in fact, a monopoly. Strikes of these quaint and century Mexico. stamps for common rates,
edges of such cutouts.
ish entities in the Western This system of successive attractive devices from the Like those of the correo such as "2," "3" and "4."Registered fronts have al-
Hemisphere, the section on correos mayores persisted final years of the correo mayor era, many govern- Considerable mail in Mexi-
ways been scarce, and are
the viceroyalty of New Spain until 1765 when Spanish King mayor era have always been ment handstamps were fash- co from this period was of an
much desired by Mexican
— encompassing all of what Carlos III put the mails eagerly sought by collectors, postal history collectors.
is now Mexico — was espe- under control of the Spanish and are rightfully considered As I have noted in previous
cially complete and remark- crown, which brought an end the aristocrats of Mexican articles about the early post-
able. to its private character. The stampless markings. al history of Mexico, dozens
I recall vividly Camino's last correo mayor was Don As you might expect, they of handstamps from the late
magnificent showing of these Antonio Mendez Prieto. are both rare and ekpensive. colonial era survived to be
postmarks in the champion- But before the mails went The Soler sale contained 19 used long after Mexico
ship class five years ago at governmental, the use of such items, several of which gained its independence as a
Ameripex. Most of his covers postmarks was initiated. The were claimed to be the only republic. In fact, some de-
bore clear strikes of these first one of these known examples thus far recorded vices whose usage can be
very rare postal markings, dates from 1736, an intaglio — truly a formidable array. traced prior to 1820 saw ser-
and were a joy to see. device inscribed "COREO/ One of the prettier items is vice for decades thereafter.
From the historical per- MAYOR/DE VERA/CRUZ." reproduced from the auction Correo mayor markings,
spective, the formal handling Figure 1 shows the design catalog in Figure 2, a 1766 however, disappeared almost
of the mails in America dates of this postmark on the far cover from Durango to Mexi- immediately after the crown
back to the 16th century. right. Experts believe it to be co City. The Durango post- took over the mails in 1765.
In 1580, the fourth viceroy the first postal marking used mark is struck in violet. In 1979 Mexico com-
of New Spain (Mexico) ap- in the Americas. Rate markings are virtu- memorated the 400th an-
pointed Martin de Olivares as In the years between 1736 ally unknown during the niversary of its postal system
correo mayor (chief of and 1765, numerous other correo mayor period, al- Figure 2. A 1766 letter from Durango to Mexico City with by issuing three stamps and a
mails). In time, de Olivares postmarks were being used though a few covers ad- the only recorded correo mayor postmark from that town. sheetlet, Scott 1192 and C618-
20. The stamps portray the It would be nice if I could
main characters who figured sincerely encourage you to
in the royal decree of 1579 be on the watch for letters
with markings from the mid-
1700s, but it is fair to caution
that only a handful of such
covers exist. Most are in mu-
seum collections, and few re-
side in private hands.
I hope that the new owners
Figure 3. Two similar de- of the elegant correo mayor
vices used during 1801-20 handstamps just sold in Bar-
for Official franking of celona will exhibit them so
Mexico's government mail. we can view these ancient
postal artifacts again from
establishing the correo
time to time.
mayor: Philip II, king of
Spain; Martin Enriquez, If you are really interested
fourth viceroy of New Spain; in the colonial Spanish post-
and Martin de Olivares, first marks, you may want to se-
correo mayor. cure an edition of Prefilatelia
The sheetlet reproduces a Espanola, by Guinovart and
17th-century map of the New Tizon from your favorite
World as the backdrop for a philatelic book dealer. It will
simulated stamp showing a be expensive, but is very well
contemporary Spanish gal- done and is the definitive
leon. work on this subject. ■
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 14, 1991

Ham radio gives rise to interesting cards

This summer I had the exchange, I am told, is neces- means wolf, and the card
meaningful communications "COL (onia) GUS (tavo) /MAD- create what might be called
good fortune to acquire sev- sary for the operators to even when two ham opera- ERO, D.F.," a suburb of Mex- a modern combination cover. face depicts a wolf howling
eral dozen ham radio cards achieve and maintain levels tors don't speak the same ico City. On the reverse, Sir- I am certain that this extra his call letters, XE2W, with
that originated in Mexico. I of competency necessary for language. For example, the inger took pains to print the franking was not required, as Monterrey's famous land-
had seen one or two of these license renewal and so forth. number "73," used when call letters and frequency of there are several other ex- mark, Saddleback Mountain,
previously, but this group Also, much like us stamp signing off a communication, radio station "XEB/Mexico amples where the 24r reply in the moonlit background.
City, D.F./1030 Kcs." card postage was perfectly The card also bears a neat
By international agree- adequate. slogan cancel and demon-
Mexico 1,31.(',J
1
v POSTAL ment, the letters "XE" were There aren't too many strates a 2c third-class post-
By Dale Pulver salt, Volret`ea.,,:94 reserved for stations broad- cards from the World War II age rate that was permitted
UNITED STATES a,AMERICA_ casting from Mexico. years, suggesting that Sir- for ham operators ex-
(Etats-Unis trAmerlque) Figure 2 shows an interest- inger may have been work- changing confirmation cards.
gave me the opportunity to 0^1,11.t• $10,
ing usage of an international ing too many extra hours to With respect to this special
learn more of the whys and
postal reply card for the con- spend much time with his third-class rate, one Mexican
wherefores of these fascinat-
firming message. Again, on hobby. ham had a small handstamp
ing items. , made citing the paragraph of
The cards I have came the back of this card, Sir- Most of the postwar cards
14.1 LihQin inger printed the large call from Mexico were pre- this regulation that he ap-
from the estate of a gentle-
letters for station XEBF, a printed by local ham opera- plied to cards he mailed to
man who plied his hobby of ra„
commercial broadcaster in tors, with a somewhat stand- ensure they would not be re-
shortwave radio operation
the city of Jalapa in the state ardized text and spaces to in- turned for added postage by
from about 1937 up to the
040009 3,
14AO.46WOF. of Veracruz. sert the data they wished to some unknowing mail clerk.
early 1970s.
The radio station's com- exchange with the hams they Another curious item in
Shortwave radio buffs de- NNOVOMMOSE
igure 2. A commercial radio station in Jalapa, Veracruz, mercial handstamp was used contacted. the group is a 1939 card Sir-
veloped the custom of ex-
added a 2-centavo stamp to this U.S. international postal to sign off, and a two-ring Figure 3 shows a striking inger sent to Merida, Yuca-
changing postcards to con-
reply card when it returned it to the United States in 1941. carrier's handstamp in pur- example of the front and tan, for confirmation of a
firm their radio contacts and
ple, "CARTERO No./7," was back of one of these cards. radio message. A boxed blue
to advise each other of the collectors, they have a hobby means best wishes.
also applied on the back of The Mexican ham opera- two-line handstamp, with the
characteristics of their equip- jargon with symbols, acro- I suspect philatelic purists Spanish equivalent of
ment and the quality of re- nyms and abbreviations all will claim there can't be the card. tor, Enrique Lobo of Monter-
For some unknown reason, rey, uses his surname to ad- "X.E.F.C./The Voice of the
ception. Some of this friendly their own. This permits much about ham cards to
the sender added a contem- vantage in the design of the Yucatan from Merida," was
qualify them as pieces of applied to the back of the
porary 2-centavo stamp t6 card face. Lobo in Spanish
postal history. But I find
them attractive and interest-
ing, and I thought you might
like to hear about them, too.
JILLiGt
The card illustrated in Fig-
PC:STALES
ure 1 is typical of the early
Jack $irinEer, cards in the group. I believe
1451 Lincoln Ave., it was prepared by a Mr. Sir-
inger, the local ham opera- boy
,=•Y e7-2 e4j,
tak.ewood, Ohio. f
tor, and sent to the station he no- 77, 04,;
U. A. contacted in Mexico to be E u*
Ar„:M.,N LkkFi \IIiit lJ
countersigned and returned XE 2W

as proof of the radio contact Figure 3. The picture (left) and message sides (right) of a card from Enrique Lobo, ham
Figure 1. A postcard from a Mexico City ham radio station he made Dec. 17, 1938. operator of station XE2W in Monterrey. Because this and other ham radio confirmation
in 1938 confirming reception by a shortwave buff in Ohio. The card is canceled in cards were largely preprinted, they were eligible to be sent at a special 2c third-class rate.
card, which was duly signed. erators, especially in the late
Then this same radio com- 1930s and early 1940s, when
pany handstamp was used to this equipment was scarce
cancel the stamp. and expensive. But I am told
There is no post office can- it has always been a popular
cellation. I can imagine the pastime for people in rela-
frustration of some future tively remote areas. One
postal historian trying to fig- ham operator with whom I
ure out this pseudo-postmark spoke thought there may be
should the stamp ever be- as many as 50,000 ham op-
come separated from the erators in Mexico today.
card. So here's something else to
My batch contains cards look for when you're riffling
from the length and breadth through those dealers' boxes
of Mexico, with a surprising at the next bourse. There
number from small cities should be some that date
and towns. back to the late 1920s if you
I had not imagined there are seeking an example from
would have been so many the earliest era of shortwave
Mexican shortwave radio op- radio in Mexico. •
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 11, 1991

Notes on early mail useful to collectors

A circuit book that came But, as I always do, I care- by the recipient. was received and the date Nov. 28 and answered Dec. 1. All five letters in the group
my way recently contained a fully opened each one to Docketing refers to the the letter was answered. Docketing also provides were mailed between Oct. 3
group of covers mailed from scan the contents for any un- brief notations added to the Much as we do today, busi- useful information to the in- and Dec. 20, 1865. They were
Mexico City to the mining usual information that might letter by the recipient. It usu- ness houses kept their com- quiring philatelist, too, which spread out evenly over the
town of Durango during the be present. All the letters ally includes the name of the mercial correspondence on brings me to the main theme period and, except for one,
file. These brief notations of this column. were sent by the same busi-
made on the back flap of the I decided it might be inter- ness firm in Mexico City. I
Mexico folded letter sheets made it esting to examine the docket- tabulated all the docketed in-
By Dale Pulver easy to locate a given letter ing for information on how formation for easy reference
for reference at a later date. fast the mail moved in those and went to work.
final months of 1865. Figure 2 shows an example days, determine the normal My modern road atlas puts
of docketing from one of days of dispatch and deliv- the distance between Mexico
All the covers were from these covers. The clerical ery, and so forth. City and Durango by the
the same correspondence, shorthand involved in such
and there really wasn't any- notations can initially intimi-
thing special about them date some collectors, but it is
from the standpoint of ap- usually easy enough to deci-
pearance. All bore a com- pher with a little patience.
mon 2-real Eagle stamp of In Figure 2, the top line
that era, which paid the sin- tells us when and where the
gle-weight rate for the dis- letter was written, "Mexico
tance traveled. Figure 1. Though of a relatively common type and franking, [City] 11 de Noviembre de
this letter, written Dec. 18 and mailed from Mexico City 1865," and the second line
Figure 1 shows one of the
Dec. 20, 1865, took the fast route to Durango, traveling in names the correspondent,
covers. Hundreds of such just nine days a route that usually took twice that time.
covers are floating around in one "Isidoro de la Torre."
dealer or collector hands, dealt with various business writer, the origin and date of The concluding two lines, Figure 2. Docketing notes from a cover like that shown in
and few of them would be matters between the writer writing (which also is the "R 28," followed by Figure 1. Added to an internal fold of the letter on receipt,
the sort of items one would and the addressee, and all date of mailing in most "C to Dbre.," indicate dates and other details recorded for business purposes can
use to enhance an exhibit. had been dutifully docketed cases), the date the letter that the letter was received convey valuable information to the postal historian as well.
most direct route at a little I'm fairly certain the mail
Sundays, Tuesdays and Saturdays only. That make
over 900 kilometers, or about routing for these particularThursdays only. it pretty certain that Du
565 miles. A late 19th-century letters followed the central In other words, while mail rango, which had a popula
reference states the distance Mexican plateau between the went north from the capital tion of 26,000 in 1888, prob
to be almost 1,400km, but two major mountain ranges every day of the week, con- ably had mail service bu
this seems unreasonably high and passed through the cities
nections with mail coaches to twice a week.
in spite of all the crooked of Queretaro, San Luis Po- Durango were available only I also checked the dates ii
roads that existed then. tosi, Zacatecas and thence to
on those three days. the Mexico City handstami
I also summed up the dis- Durango. There is nothing in these canceler with a list of vari
tances listed between all the Even today, there are regulations to indicate when ous Eagle stamp consign
major towns along what I be- mail arrived in and departed
some difficult passages along ments to see if there migh
lieve was the postal route. the roads connecting these from Durango, but again the be a first-day usage, bu
This came pretty close to the towns. I can well imagine docketing provides a clue. there wasn't.
900km cited earlier, so I that 125 years ago weather Three of the five letters There were, however, twl
used it for my calculations. conditions could have made were logged in by the recipi- letters bearing stamps can
These five letters took any- ents on Tuesday. Of the other
a big difference in the trans- celed only two days afte
where from less than two, to fer times along the route. two, one arrived on Friday, that consignment was put of
slightly more than three the other on Saturday. (The sale — second-day usages!
weeks, to make the trip. Some other interesting In summary, there is a lo
Saturday letter probably was
Three letters required ei- facts also arose from the delayed en route or was late of useful evidence to be hat
ther 17 or 18 days. Of the docketing data. When I in being picked up.) vested from a Simple three
remaining two, the one checked the dates on my uni-
With respect to the days or four-line docketing note
shown in Figure 1 took an versal calendar, I found that
letters were answered, three tion on early business letter
incredibly short nine days, two of the letters were writ-
were Fridays, one a Thurs- from Mexico.
and the other took 23 days. ten on Sunday. day and one a Monday. My Not all covers have these
Converting this data to This seemed odd, but was guess is that the mail coach notations. And, unfortunately
speed, we find the mail soon explained when I found arrived in and left Durango in too many cases the inne
moved between 40km and in my files photocopies of on Tuesdays and Fridays. page' of a folder lettershee
100km per day, or 25 to 62 contemporary postal regula- Referring back to the post- that bears this informatioi
miles per day — not bad for tions showing that mail al regulations, I found that has been discarded. But the
an era when horses and bound for Durango was re- mails from Durango were docketing on those letter
coaches were the major ceived at the Mexico City scheduled to arrive in Mexi- that remain intact can be ;
means of rapid transit. post office until 9 p.m. on co City on Thursdays and lot of fun to figure out. ■
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 13, 1992

Early postcards show 1899 stamp designs

During the past year a couple of fortuitous views brings me to the fortuitous finds I men- that I bought it anyway.
finds piqued my interest in Mexico's defini- tioned earlier. Only later did I examine the picture more
tive issue of 1899. Last spring I was browsing through a deal- carefully and realize that it was a photo of
I have found that, for some reason, these er's small stock of Mexican covers when I the famous waterfall near Guadalajara called
stamps seem to have escaped the attention of came across a postcard mailed from Oaxaca, Salto de Juanacatlan.
practically everyone insofar as philatelic re- Mexico, to Belgium. The pictorial side of the postcard is shown
at the bottom of Figure 1. The Juanacatlan
waterfall was the subject of the 50c stamp in
Mexico the 1899 issue, which is shown above the
By Dale Pulver card.
A careful comparison of the stamp with the
picture on the postcard convinced me that
search is concerned. In my considerable file
the photo from which the postcard was pro-
of clippings I can find no reference whatso-
duced was probably used as the model for
ever to this issue, and virtually nothing exists
the engraved vignette of the postage stamps.
in the so-called standard philatelic literature.
Most collectors of Mexico probably don't Some of my collector friends argue there
even know that these stamps and the Inde- must have been hundreds of photos of this
pendence commemorative issue that followed .(1 7iNTA xvrstli landmark — how could I be sure it was the
in 1910 were produced by Bradbury, Wilkin- one?
son & Co., of London, England. This is not Obviously, I cannot prove this to be the
mentioned in Scott; you must consult some of case. But I believe that the perspective, the
the foreign catalogs to determine this fact. breaks in the falling water and the plume of
The 1899 issue consists of 10 denomina- mist are too much the same to be mere coin-
tions, from 1 centavo to 5 pesos (Scott 294- cidence.
303). Unfortunately, the card lacks markings or
inscriptions to identify who the publisher was. Figure 2. The burros and peasants in the
The seven low values, up through the 20c right foreground on this postcard showing
stamp, were printed in a 22-millimeter by But, as an added bonus, the postal markings,
the routing, the writer and the message an inactive volcano near Mexico City (bot-
27mm vertical format showing the Mexican tom) establish the photograph as the design
Coat of Arms. The 50c, 1p and 5p high values proved to be so interesting that I can use it
again as the basis for a future article. basis for Mexico's 1899 1-peso stamp (top).
display pictorial scenes in a 35mm by 26mm
horizontal format. A few months after I acquired the waterfall following: "111. La a i y Bert. Apartado 922
These stamps represent outstanding ex- card I found another picture postcard, shown Mexico."
Figure 1. This 50-centavo stamp from Mexi-
amples of the engraver's art and are a joy to at the bottom of Figure 2. This time the post- It appears that this card is one of a series
co's 1899 issue (top) depicts a view of the
examine under moderate magnification. The card scene is the one depicted on the 1p. published by La a i y Bert., a firm unknown
Salto de Juanacatlan waterfall near
printing is first-rate, the perforations are Guadalajara as it is also shown on a turn- There are three peasants and two burros in to me. Printed in Spanish and French on the
clean and uniform and the stamp impressions of-the-century picture postcard (bottom). the right foreground of the postcard photo, reverse is "Post Card" (at the top) and "Uni-
are usually very well centered. and they have been faithfully engraved in versal Postal Union" (one language along
Yet, until recently, this was an issue largely It bore as a transit marking a strike of a exactly the same positions for the stamp de- each side). There also is the admonishment
ignored by specialists. Barr-Fyke "Recibida" machine cancel, which sign. There can be no doubt that the photo that only the address may appear on that
In themselves, the designs of the stamps was used in Mexico City around the turn of used for this card was the model for the side.
are not remarkable. It appears that a single the century, as detailed in my Feb. 11, 1990, stamp. I am not sure what the UPU reference
master die was made for the eagle holding a column (page 8). The Figure 2 card bears a number of in- signifies; perhaps some reader can help me.
serpent in its beak, which serves as the cen- This caused me to take a second look. The scriptions. On the face of the card is a de- Both of the postcards described here were
tral design for the seven smaller stamps, cancellation ran over the edge of the card scription of the scene, "Mexico. El Popcate- used during the early years of the 1899 stamp
each of which has a different frame. somewhat but, since I then did not own an petl." (one of the two dormant volcanoes issue. The waterfall card is dated November
The subject matter of the three scenic example, the price was attractive enough so overlooking Mexico City). Beneath that is the 1900 and the Popocatepetl card is post-
marked November 1903. And, yes, both cards examples of why stamp collecting can be so
were franked with appropriate stamps from much fun.
the 1899 Coat of Arms issue.
I almost rejected the postcard with the
You can be sure I am searching for a con- Barr-Fyke cancel because the postmark was
temporary postcard depicting the National
not complete.
Cathedral, the subject of the 5p stamp of this
issue, to complete the set. The view of the If I had, there could have been no story
cathedral on the stamp seems to be some- about the design model, or tracking the jour-
what stylized, so perhaps I will not find a ney of the waterfall card, which has given
postcard with a perfect match, but I'll keep me as much satisfaction as acquiring an ex-
looking. ample of one of Mexico's earliest machine
Serendipitous finds like these are perfect cancellations. •
10 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 10, 1992

Paper puzzles on 1867 emergency issue

Four years ago in this col- Then there was a new The receipt in Figure 1 is millimeters by 370mm, the termark touched either on paper watermarked stamps
umn (May 9, 1988, page 34) I printing of all but the 8-real for the Contribucion Federal, watermark appears four the top half or the bottom were used on mail. Genuine
wrote about the gothic "Mex- denomination of the first de- a federal surcharge of 25 times. So a sheet of stamps half of the stamps. unused copies of all but the
ico"-overprinted stamps of sign on the thin watermarked percent on fees and taxes printed from such paper We surmised that when 2r value are quite scarce,
the first design that were paper. The quantities of the charged by the states. In this should have had at least this paper was positioned in and Scott acknowledges this
used in 1867-68 after the fall four stamps reported as hav- case the state was Oaxaca, three watermarks. the press, the watermarks fact with its catalog values.
The dimensions of the wa- were naturally aligned along Multiples are rare as well,
termark itself are about the horizontal gutters be- and examples on cover are
Mexico 115mm by 35mm. A tracing tween the rows of stamps. seldom encountered.
By Dale Pulver of it appears as Figure 2. The only stamp I have Unless you have rather
From the inspection of sev- seen that lies squarely on a deep pockets, it would be
of the Maximilian Empire. eral receipts, I have deter- letter in the watermark is a hard to reconstruct the wa-
This week, I want to ex- mined that the watermarks margin copy of a 1/2 r stamp termark on any but the 2r
pand on one of the groups of are about 60mm from the in my own collection. I sus- stamp, used copies of which
those stamps, the thin-paper natural edge of the paper pect this can occur with the can usually be picked up for
and spaced about 60mm 1/2r stamp, and possibly the about two-thirds of their $7
printing with the "R.P.S." wa-
termark. These stamps are Figure 1. This tax receipt for Mexico's Contribucion Fed- apart vertically. With this ar-
cataloged as Scott 42-45. eral of 1862-63 is printed on the same security paper as was rangement, and taking into
To review briefly the situa- used for the emergency stamp Issue of 1867, Scott 42-45. account the plate layout of
tion in Mexico at that time, ing been issued were 15,000 the official seal of which is the 1856-61 stamps, you
the French-supported monar- of the 1/2r, 26,200 of the 1r, handstamped in the box on should find watermarks on
chy had crumbled in the 81,320 of the 2r, and 13,470 the right side of the receipt. less than half the stamps in a
spring of 1867. Maximilian of the 4r denomination. In my 1988 article, I stated representative sample.
was captured and executed. It was certainly not a large that this "R.P.S." watermark About a year ago, West
There were stamps available issue by anyone's measure. appeared once in the center Coast collector Gene Tinsley
with the Maximilian profile The watermarked paper of a sheet of stamps, which and I exchanged notes on Figure 2. This "R.P.S." watermark was impressed into the
portrait (Scott 26-34), but it upon which these stamps accounted for the fact that these watermarked stamps: thin security paper that was used by the Mexican govern-
was unthinkable that these were printed almost cer- not all thin-paper examples what portions of water- ment for fiscal documents and postage stamps in the 1860s.
be used on the mail of the tainly came front stock used have a watermark, or even marks appeared on stamps, 4r, too, because of differ- catalog value or less. You'll
newly liberated republic. for revenue receipts, such as part of one. how they were oriented, and ences in the plate layout for still have to search through a
Postal officials rooted the one shown in Figure 1. This is wrong — or, at so on. Gene was interested in the various denominations. lot of stamps, because more
around in the vaults of the The paper is a grayish least, part of it is. acquiring enough 2r stamps The lr and 2r stamps were than half will not show any
printing office and found a blue, very thin and shows the It is true that not all to reproduce the watermark printed from the so-called trace of a watermark.
small supply of stamps left characteristic mesh pattern stamps show evidence of the completely, and was well on closely packed plates of 200 Naturally, I would be de-
over from the 1861 issue. of wove paper. It bears the watermark. But the revenue the way to his objective when and 190 subjects, respec- lighted to hear from anyone
Many of these were of sub- watermark "R.P.S." in large paper was made so that the we last corresponded. tively, while the 1/2 r stamp with a holding of these
standard quality but never- script letters. "R.P.S." watermark repeats We discovered that water- was printed from an original stamps, to learn how their
theless they were pressed These initials stand for from top to bottom. mark orientation was ran- 60-subject plate with very watermarks appear.
into service. "Renta Pape! Sellado," which When receipts such as the dom. Viewing the stamp nor- wide horizontal gutters. If you will send me a
Most were used in Mexico has no really good English one in Figure 1 were printed mally, we found that the wa- Interestingly, I have yet to stamped, addressed No. 10
City, validated with the translation other than in multiple impressions, a termark could be upright or see a 4r stamp from this envelope, I will send you a
"Mexico" name overprinted "Stamped Revenue Paper." complete watermark ap- inverted, or reversed in those group with a decent amount full-size reproduction of the
in a gothic font, using the, Such paper was used for all peared on each one. two positions. of the watermark showing. At watermark illustration in Fig-
same devices that had over- manner of fiscal receipts and I have a vertical strip of ' We also found that, on present, I have no theories ure 2, so you can check your
printed Eagle and Maximil- documents, and even for four receipts. In this sheet, nearly all of the 2r stamps on why they seem so scarce. own stamps for its location
ian stamps of the monarchy. stamps on occasion. which measures roughly 230 we encountered, the wa- The majority of these thin- and orientation. ■
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 9, 1992

Intriguing civil war era mixed frankings

From time to time, we en- These stamps came from a These locals were pro- opted for the latter. seen many similar letters stamps could be said to have
counter covers from the shipment of samples that a duced by various factions There was, of course, no where the Transitorio stamps had limited postal validity.
Mexican civil war era that youthful George W. Linn, seeking to unseat the Federal problem if letters bore were not recognized. Figure 3 shows a cover
bear stamps of two different founder of Linn's, sent to the group then in control of the stamps of Mexico's 1899, Mexican mailers of that that displays yet another way
issues, and even covers ad- rebel Constitutionalist gov- government, and in response 1900 or 1910 issues. These period tried to cope with to solve the problem.
dressed to the United States ernment in his 'quest for a to stamp shortages that de- were still perfectly valid for these problems in several dif-
printing contract to do their This letter from Chihuahua
ferent ways. Some reverted
postage stamps, as I detailed to the British ambassador in
to a method of forwarding,
Mexico in my column of Oct. 13, sending their. U.S.-bound let-
Washington bears two 5c
stamps: one of Mexico's 1910
By Dale Pulver 1986, page 18. ters to friends or agents liv-
Independence issues (314)
On the Figure 1 cover, the ing on the border who would
and a 1914 5c Denver Eagle
with U.S. stamps in addition explanation of why the enve- carry them to a U.S. post of-
(389).
to those of Mexico. lope also bears a 24 U.S. fice, affix U.S. stamps and
-711,4 There is a temptation to
These certainly can be in- postage due stamp is fairly send them on their way.
teresting additions to one's simple and straightforward. .e.41<r -' Others were able to secure say that this cover represents
collection, but sometimes the When the letter crossed the a small supply of U.S. post- a double-letter rate, requir-
• age stamps to use in combi- ing 10c postage. But I am
explanation of why these border into the U.S. mail sys-
mixed frankings came into tem, the Transitorio stamp C3.-r Zjee CF.& • nation with their local convinced that the writer
being is elusive. was judged not to be valid 9639 stamps, relying on the locals was simply covering all of
The cover shown in Figure for international mail, so the to get their letters to the bor- the bases, ensuring that a let-
1 is a case in point. item it franked was treated Figure 2. Though many such usages were assessed postage der and the U.S. stamp to ter of some importance to
It is a mourning letter as an unpaid letter. due, this 20c Transitorio was accepted and passed serenely carry them beyond. This him would reach its destina-
from Magdalena, in Sonora This handling is typical for through the U.S. mails on its trip to Karlsruhe, Germany. practice produced mixed tion.
state, to Los Angeles, franked many of the so-called local frankings, even if one of the Since the Constitutionalists
veloped when regular stamps postage — if anyone had a
with a 5-centavo Transitorio issues, particularly those of could not be obtained from
supply of them.
stamp (Scott 369). northwestern Mexico.
Mexico City. Naturally, there were ex-
Mexican locals, such as So- ceptions to this practice of
nora's White Seals and Green non-recognition. Occasion-
Seals (321-46), the Transito- ally, letters franked only
rios (354-61), the Denver Ea- with Mexican local issues
gles (386-93) and many of went through the interna-
the later civil war overprints, tional mails unhindered.
had not gone through the val- Figure 2 shows an example
idation procedures pre- of this in the form of a 1914
scribed by the Universal registered letter to Germany
Postal Union. with a 20c Transitorio, pay-
There were no specific di- ing 10c for the foreign rate
rectives from the U.S. Post and the 10c registry fee.
Office Department in Wash- A backstamp (not shown
etrium4"
ington, D.C., regarding these here) attests to the fact that eti
issues, so U.S. postmasters this letter crossed into the /NV AMOK"
Figure 1. Because the 5-centavo Transitorio was a local along the border were more United States at Nogales, Figure 3. The combination of a 1910 Federal stamp (Scott
issue produced for Mexican, rebels, it was not recognized as or less on their own in decid- Ariz., and cleared the New 314, left) and a Denver Eagle local used by rebels in Chi-
legitimate franking on this 1914 mourning cover to Los ing whether to accept or re- York foreign mail office on huahua (Scott 389, right) assured normal handling of this
Angeles, and the addressee was assessed 2e postage due. ject such franking. Many its way abroad. But I have 1914 letter sent to the British embassy in Washington, D.C.
were in control of the state stamps available at the Mexi-
of Chihuahua, they were cer- can post office were not con-
tain to recognize their own sidered to be locals.
stamp (the Denver Eagle) as There are many combi-
valid for domestic carriage nations of the usages de-
as far as the U.S. border, scribed here to be found,
even if they didn't like the which should make the
Federal stamp. At the bor- search most interesting. Bet-
der, U.S. postal officials ter still, such items are not
would honor the 1910 5c so scarce that they are be-
stamp, which had been rec- yond the reach of a collector
ognized by the UPU. of modest means.
Unfortunately, I could not This situation with Mexi-
readily locate a cover with co's locals probably spanned
Mexican and U.S. stamps a period of about three
used across the border to years, from 1913 to 1916, so
show with this article. there should be plenty of ma-
I do have one such cover, terial floating around for the
mailed from Vera Cruz about informed and persistent
the same time that the U.S. buyer.
Marines were in command of I would be happy to hear
the post office there. How- about any unusual examples
ever, in that instance, I be- that you may possess. Write
lieve that one stamp would to me in care of Linn's, Box
have sufficed, because 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 13, 1992

Mexican postage due stamps and usages

Tucked in the back of the duced in England by Brad- The inscription "TIMBRE" Curiously, when cancella- Vol. 3 of its 1992 catalog. marks are too faint to read)
Scott catalog listings for Mex- bury, Wilkinson & Co., the (stamp) appears at the top, tion dates were mentioned, Some time ago, while but the 2c Federal stamp
ico, between the insured let- same firm that printed the flanked by ornate corner or- most were from 1914, or the browsing through a promi- from the 1910 issue would
ter issues and the Porte de regular issues of that era. naments, with "COMPLE- early days of the civil upris- nent cover dealer's stock, I normally have paid the rate
Mar stamps, are five postage Except for the denomina- MENTARIO" (complemen- ing in Mexico. found and borrowed the un- for a local drop letter. The
tary) in an arc below it. After valuing all five usual cover illustrated in Fig- 2c stamp is perforated with
"CORREOS MEXICO" is stamps, used and unused, at ure 2, which shows usage of the initials of the addressee,
Mexico printed in a wide V pattern $2 apiece for some 15 years, Mexico's postage due stamps making the cover, in effect, a
By Dale Pulver beneath the oval that con- the Scott catalog decreased on a domestic letter. prepaid business reply enve-
tains the numeral of value. values across the board to The city of origin of this lope. I suspect it was used in
Standard watermarked $1.25 in 1991, and to $1 in cover is unknown (the post- Mexico City.
due stamps, Scott J1-J5.
These are the only postage paper was used (Scott Wmk. The "No franqueado"
due adhesives ever issued by 155). The stamps were perfo- handstamp suggests that the
Mexico and, although it ap- rated in gauge 15. Federal stamp was rejected
pears that huge numbers by the local postal authori-
Figure 1 shows a lightly
were printed, they saw only ties, as would have been
canceled copy of the 10-
limited use for their intended quite probable if the Consti-
centavo high value of the
purpose. tutionalists were in control of
five-stamp postage due set,
These stamps have been the post office when this let-
Scott J5.
largely ignored in the stand- Figure 1. A lightly canceled ter passed through.
Used examples of these A 4c postage due charge
ard philatelic literature. I copy of Mexico's 10-centavo
stamps are not terribly was assessed. This is con-
could find very little about postage due stamp, Scott J5.
scarce, but specimens on firmed by the "T" hand-
them in the references and tion, the design features of cover are quite elusive. I
file clippings I have at hand. stamp and the addition of a
all five stamps are identical. leafed through a number of pair of 2c postage dues. I am
Appearing as they did in They were printed from en- recent auction sale catalogs Figure 2. The perfined 2c stamp on this business envelope convinced that the usage is
1908, in between the 1903 graved plates, with an abun- dealing with mostly Mexican was not accepted as valid, possibly because Mexico's post legitimate and an interesting
regular issue and the Inde- dance of fine lathe work, a material and I spotted only a office had changed hands during the chaotic civil wars of example of postage due use.
pendence issue of 1910, it is characteristic of stamps of handful of postage dues on the early 20th century. A 4c postage due charge was as- General collectors of Mex-
almost certain they were pro- that period. cover. sessed, paid with a pair of Mexico's 2c postage due stamps. ico probably encounter post-
 APRIL 13, 1992 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 33
There are plenty of these stamps in 1916 are actually explains the rationale behind 1917. This ended the need postal history, be on the look-
overprinted varieties avail- surcharges, wherein the face the "GMP/$2.50" surcharges for the civil war overprints. out for Mexican postage due
able to collectors in unused values of the stamps were al- lists as Scott 603-07. covers. An example of one of
With the return of peace, the surcharged stamps used
condition, but if you wish to tered to provide for needed Figure 4 shows the two dif-
most of Mexico's manipu-
collect them used, beware of stamp denominations. ferent types of 1916 sur- as regular postage in late
lated postal paper was de-
favor cancellations. Covers The reason for this is that charges. On the left is a 2c 1916 would make a fine addi-
clared obsolete, postage had tion to anyone's collection.
bearing these stamps should during the latter half of 1916, postage due stamp with a 10c
to be paid in hard money
be scrutinized carefully, too, there was such severe mon- violet Barril surcharge (Scott I would be glad to hear of
and new stamps were soon
to see that cancellations etary deflation in Mexico 594), and next to it is a can- any unusual covers in this
on the scene (Scott 608-17). field that the readers of
agree with the historical that postal rates rose sharply celed lc postage due with the
facts of their usage. to unheard-of levels. "GMP/$2.50" surcharge If you enjoy 20th-century Linn's might possess. ■
Collectors should also be For a brief period during (Scott 603).
aware that the 1914-15 mono- November 1916, the postage Rates soared even higher
gram and "GOBIERNO/$/ for a single first-class letter as the year ended, but the
Figure 3. A 4c postage due was $2.50, which probably peso was restabilized in early
CONSTITUCIONALISTA"
with the Carranza overprint.
overprints had mainly to do
age due stamps for the first with validating stamp inven-
time as they attempt to fill tory for whatever rebel force
the spaces in their albums was in control of the post of-
that are provided for the fice at the time.
civil war issues. Figure 3 shows one such
Beginning in 1914, there overprint, the Carranza
are at least six instances monogram overprint on a 4c
when these same postage due postage due, Scott 497.
stamps — obviously in ample The large Hermosillo
supply — were subjected to "GCM" monogram, the Con-
various overprints and sur- stitutionalist "$" overprint,
charges to substitute for reg- and the Villa and the Car-
ular postage stamps. The ranza monograms are all as-
Scott catalog lists these so- sociated with the various Figure 4. Among the many surcharged Mexican stamps
called emergency issues as rebel movements. created in 1916 was this 10c violet Barril surcharge on a 2c
Nos. 381-85, 435-38, 466-70, The last two groups of postage due (left, Scott 594) and this canceled copy of the
495-99, 593-602 and 603-07. overprints used on these "GMP/$2.50" surcharge on the lc value (right, Scott 603).
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 18, 1992

The 19th-century postal cards of Mexico

In the nine years I have been writing this there were at least 29 varieties. They were
Fortunately, the postal stationery of Mexico For a would-be specialist there are literally
column, I fear that Mexican postal stationery is fairly well documented in two reference widely used for foreign mail, which was, in dozens of collectible varieties, taking into ac-
has not received its fair share of attention. works: Section 12 (covering nations from theory at least, their sole intended purpose. count the inscription format, size and shape
The postal stationery of Mexico has never Macao to Muscat) of the World Postal Statio- In 1882 Mexico issued its first denominated of the Mexican coat of arms, printing variet-
been a very popular collecting area. This is postal cards, produced using stamp designs ies and paper colors.
unfortunate, because there are vast op- adapted from the postage stamp dies of the There is even a celebrated postal card
error in the Hidalgo Medallion issue, wherein
Mexico etic a 2-peso die was mistakenly used instead of
By Dale Pulver
_000 POSTAL Af the 2c die in one card position.
To compensate for this mistake, issued
ARJETA POSTAI, cards were trimmed so that only the left half
portunities for serious specialization without a of Hidalgo's head remains, the word "PESOS"
tremendous outlay. Experience shows that having been completely cut off. The resulting
postal stationery usually does not command card is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 1. Unfranked formula cards were
nearly the price levels that stamps on cover
first issued by the post office in 1879, when
do for material of comparable scarcity.
Mexico joined the Universal Postal Union.
My interest in Mexican postal stationery
was piqued a few years ago when I encoun- nery Catalog by Higgins and Gage; and the 6111311111c $i M ESCIIIIIISL LA PIIDXIM ! CIO eg E'OS-1
tered a group of reasonably priced 19th- Catalog of Mexico Postal Stationery pub-
century postal cards addressed to some rath- lished by the Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic So- TAR PAST
Figure 2. When a 2-peso Hidalgo Medallion
er interesting foreign destinations. I bought ciety International.
die (instead of the intended 2-centavo die) ...... -1z 2^ eFzi til aLI i" .1 CO-
several, and have been adding to the pile The latter work, if you can still find it, can c--.7- ..,f-.9.,
I ,-,
was inadvertently used to print this Mexi-
ever since in hopes that one day there will be be purchased in sections, so you won't have ' Cdel amaf,.., e;A
t 11 ,
can postal card, authorities salvaged the re-
enough to put together an interesting exhibit. to spend money for what you don't need or
sult by trimming the right edge of the card O'.( 4A
So far, my collection is limited to postal want. Either or both of these references are
and the stamped design, including "PESO." -1 --'—
cards used prior to Mexico's Civil War era of a must if you plan a serious excursion into
1910-14. The cards that I have acquired are this area. Juarez issues of 1879-83. By that time, the Figure 1 Inscribed for use within Mexico,
the basis of this short review. The first cards officially printed in Mexico new standard UPU size for postal cards was this 1896 3c Transportation postal card trav-
Even restricting the focus to postal cards, I for short communications were formula (also 140mm by 90mm. eled from Cuernavaca to Alexandria, Egypt.
find that the scope of the available material called formular) cards issued in 1879, the The first of these postal cards had two
is remarkably large and complex. year Mexico became a member of the Uni- impressions of the 1-centavo stamp die, mak-
Most regular stamp catalogs do not list any versal Postal Union. These cards measure ing a 2c denomination. Many of these first-
postal stationery, so a serious collector must 140 millimeters by 70mm, as specified by issue postal cards received the customary
find other information sources. UPU rules. They have inscriptions in both control number overprints of the districts in
Spanish and French, and a rectangular box which they were sold.
for affixing a postage stamp. Subsequent issues — and there were a
Figure 1 shows an illustration of an unused great many of them — generally had designs
formula card. According to Higgins and Gage, identical to those of contemporary postage
stamps, at least up through 1900. So, in addi-
tion to the Juarez heads, there are Small
Numeral, Hidalgo Medallion, Large Numeral
and Transportation issue (or Mulitas) postal
cards as well.
 Since I am more interested in usage than the postal card in Figure 4.
card production, my small holding consists The card, addressed to Anvers, Belgium,
almost entirely of items that have gone bears 1897 transit marks of both Laredo,
through the mails. Texas (on the message side), and New York
The 1896 Transportation issue postal card City, confirming that this was one of the
in Figure 3, for example, though inscribed for standard routings for that era.
"SERVICIO INTERIOR" (domestic use), nev-
ertheless found its way from Cuernavaca to v ()STA
Alexandria, Egypt — not one of your every- 1:4'?
day destinations. At the time that it was
,ARJETA POSTAL.CARTE POSTALE,
mailed, the 3c domestic postal card rate in
Mexico was the same as the 3c foreign postal
card rate prescribed by the UPU.
I have a similar 2c Transportation issue
card, with side inscriptions that translate as
"Universal Postal Union/ For the United
States and Canada."
Like the card in Figure 3, it, too, was used
•
in defiance of its inscribed purpose. The
Figure 4. Transit markings on this card
mailer in Tampico simply added a lc Trans-
from Mexico City confirm that it 'passed
portation stamp and sent the card on its way
through Texas and New York City in 1897
to Renfrew, Scotland, with a handwritten
en route to an address in Anvers, Belgium.
"Via Laredo & N. York" note for its routing.
These intended service inscriptions, added So if you're looking for something new in
to assist users (and, perhaps, post office Mexican philately, you might want to con-
clerks) in the proper direction of mail, seem sider postal stationery.
largely to have been ignored, if my sampling For the flyspeck enthusiast, there is plenty
of used cards is any indication. of opportunity here. And there seems to be
Manuscript routing instructions, however, quite a bit of unused postal stationery floating
were frequently added by the mailer to cards around in the stamp market, which should be
and letters. That is the explanation for the ideal since there are no postmarks or stamps
"Via New York" note toward the top-left of to obscure the view! III
1 0 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 15, 1992

Lots of potential in 1899-1903 definitives

There is more to be said frames. Typical examples of is depicted on the 50c value. the 50c stamp. The 1899 able in both the colors of years of selling Mexican
about the Mexican definitive these stamps are the mono- A view of Popocatepetl is the printings are a reddish lilac issue and many other shades. stamps. I was told this book-
issue of 1899. I surveyed the chrome 2c and 5c values central design of the 1p while the 1903 stamps are There are die proofs with the let sold for $1,000 against an
50-centavo and 1-peso values shown in Figure 1. stamp and the National Ca- decidedly more red or car- name of the printing firm in- estimate of $1,250 to $1,500
of the series in an earlier The four lowest values thedral is shown on the 5p mine in color. Genuine 50c scribed beneath, and others — still a rather nice realiza-
column this year in Linn's were printed in a single high value. The latter is il- stamps from the 1903 print- with "SPECIMEN" perfins tion for a turn-of-the-century
ing are definitely more elu- mounted on card stock. item from Mexico.
sive than their 1899 counter- These items are so scarce There are other rarities to
Mexico parts, a fact rightly reflected that on those infrequent oc- be found as well.
By Dale Pulver in their respective values. casions when they appear at Dr. Karl Schimmer, a re-
Incidentally, both series auction they attract spirited nowned specialist in Mexican
are printed on a fairly hard, bidding. Some sell for hun- philately, recently formed a
(Jan. 13, page 8).
wove paper, diagonally wa- dreds of dollars. rather nice exhibit of the
By way of review, produc-
termarked in repeating par- The Scott catalog lists 1899-1903 issues. He titled it
tion of this final stamp issue
allel lines with the words booklet panes for the 1903 "Mexico: Entering the 20th
of 19th-century Mexico (as
"SERVICIO POSTAL DE LOS lc, 2c and 5c printings. The Century."
well as that of the Indepen-
ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICA- catalog values for these In his search for unusual
dence issue that followed)
NOS." This watermark is usu- items, shown in unused con- and scarce material, Schim-
was consigned to Bradbury,
ally visible by holding the dition only, increased rather mer found a wrapper frag-
Wilkinson & Co., the well-
stamps to a light or placing sharply about 10 years ago, ment paying a 21c package
known firm of engravers and
them face down on a cLark but have since remained con-
printers in London, England. Figure 1. Single colors were used to print the low values in background.
The reason for farming out stant at $50 each.
Mexico's 1899-1903 definitive issue, including the 2-centa- Curiously, this issue has Prepared by hand from
such an important govern- vo green (left) and 5c orange denominations (right) of 1903. not attracted the attention of
ment responsibility is not sheet stock, these booklet
many exhibitors, even though panes are actually much
readily apparent. It could be color, but the 10c, 15c and lustrated in Figure 3.
there are plenty of interest- scarcer than the catalog
that the regime of President 20c were bicolored stamps. In 1903, new printings of
ing avenues to pursue and would seem to indicate. A
Porfirio Diaz, which at that This meant that they were certain values were made there is a fair amount of
time was at the peak of its more expensive to produce, and a new denomination was rather rare material to collector would be very for-
power, decided, to curry since two passes through the added to the set. tunate indeed to obtain a
search for. pane at even two or three Figure 3. This 5-peso high
favor with some of its British presses were required. The colors of the lc, 2c
Numerous proofs are avail- times today's catalog value.
business friends who were in- Figure 2 shows the design and 5c stamps were changed value of the series depicts
vesting heavily in Mexico. of the 20c rose and dark blue to conform to UPU require- About seven years ago, Bill the National Cathedral in
It is also known, however, bicolor, Scott 300. It is fairly ments when Mexico modified Shelton, the noted San Anto- Mexico City's main plaza.
that the designs of the pre- certain that a single master its postal rates. The new de- nio dealer who specializes in
ceding 1895-98 Mulita defini- die was employed for the nomination, a 4c stamp, was Mexico, offered a previously rate to a foreign destination
tives had not been popular in Eagle in all the bicolored printed in red (or carmine, unrecorded, unexploded with a 20c stamp and a bisect
some quarters. That issue stamps, as this design feature as Scott describes it), when booklet of stamps from the of a 2c stamp!
had been the exclusive re- is identical for all denomina- such a value became neces- 1899 printing. It contained a He is convinced that the
sponsibility of the local gov- tions below 50c. sary for certain domestic and pane of six lc stamps and bisect usage is legitimate. If
ernment printing office. The three top 50c, 1p and foreign rates. three panes of the 5c de- so, this would certainly rate
The first seven stamps in 5p values of the issue were The frame of the 10c nomination, for a total face as an outstandingly rare
the 1899 definitives, up large stamps of horizontal stamp, a value mostly used to value of 96c. usage in light of the fact that
through the 20c value, dis- format portraying popular pay registration fees, was Shelton described the post offices nearly always
play the Mexican Eagle Coat scenes in Mexico. changed from violet to blue. booklet as a major Mexican had a large stock of lc
of Arms as the central design The Salto de Juanacatlan, There was also a subtle Figure 2. The 20c rose and rarity and the only one stamps on hand.
surrounded by different a waterfall near Guadalajara, color change in the frame of dark blue bicolor, Scott 300. known to him in his many Around the turn of the cen-
turf, various departments of tively affordable, though a
the Mexican government complete showing of all 26 in
used regular issues with unused condition catalogs
"OFICIAL" overprints. more than $1,500.
It is interesting to note that But for those who would
Official stamps of the 1899- build a competitive exhibit of
1903 issue appear with the this issue, Official stamps
"OFICIAL" overprint in two must be well represented on
similar but slightly different cover, too — a far more dif-

Figure 4. Subtle variations in the typeface used to apply the

"OFICIAL" overprints marks these Official stamps as hav-
ing been produced in 1900 (049, left) and 1910 (065, right).
type fonts. One consists of ficult proposition.
plain block letters of constant
Schimmer tells me that
thickness, the other of letters
covers bearing these Official
that vary in thickness and
stamps are very difficult to
have very small serifs.
find, and those with high val-
Both of these overprints ues are next to impossible to
are reproduced reasonably locate. Generally, these
well in the Scott catalog's would have been used on
back-of-the-book listings of wrappers for packets or bun-
Mexico's Official stamps. dles of court documents, and
Low value stamps with the such items are invariably dis-
two overprint types are carded by the recipients.
shown in Figure 4.
All in all, the underap-
In all, 26 major varieties of
preciated Mexican definitives
Official stamps exist for the
of 1899-1903 can provide the
issue. They are cataloged aswould-be specialist hours of
Scott 049-74. enjoyment at a fairly reason-
For collectors who want a able cost, even though com-
comprehensive collection, pleteness may strain the
used Official stamps are pocketbook and require a lot
somewhat elusive bur la- of patience. ■
42 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 20, 1992

Host of gems in sale of rare provisionals

In a 1987 column, I re- peror Collection of Mexican factions vied for control of Christie's sale was remark- produced by making impres- two known covers franked
viewed the classic provi- Provisionals." It consisted of the Mexican government. able in that examples of all sions of appropriate hand- with the 50c provisional (3).
sional stamp issues of Mexico 58 lots of provisionals issued the provisionals listed in
There was also substantial in- stamps on plain paper, add- Used in combination with a
that appeared after the col- during the period 1856-76. Scott for that period were
tervention by foreign powers, ing desired denominations 10c Hidalgo definitive (107),
lapse of the Maximilian Em- Unfortunately, the sale cat- most notably the French. present. (The auction cat- and perhaps a validating ru- it sold for $40,700.
pire in 1867 (Linn's, Feb. 9, alog arrived too late for men- This political instability
alog, incidentally, was not or- bric, and then snipping them The 1866 Chiapas provi-
ganized chronologically, but apart to be pasted on letters sionals were represented by
according to the order of like regular stamps. 24 lots. These popular items
Mexico Scott listings.) Figure 1 shows a 25- are rather elaborate typeset
By Dale Pulver All prices include the 10- centavo Campeche provi- designs printed on thin paper
percent buyer's premium. sional (2) on an 1876 folded of pastel shades in 1/2-real,
Much, if not all, of the letter to Merida. 1r, 2r, 4r and 8r values.
page 26). That column was The oval on the right,
followed by a survey of the group that was offered was Figure 2 shows a canceled
originally from a collection struck in gray blue, was a lr black on light green paper
provisionals spawned by the contemporary post office with a Chiapas district over-
civil wars of this century formed over many years by
the late Eric Koenig, a canceler. The oval on the print on the right.
(March 9, 1987, page 80). left, struck in blue, was a
wealthy Mexican business- Undamaged Chiapas provi-
Except for the very few in- revenue office handstamp.
man. It contained some of sionals are exceedingly rare
stances I noted, these 19th- Two covers in this group
the finest known examples of in used condition. Because it
century gems, which are list- did exceptionally well.
provisional usages. was customary to affix the
ed at the end of the Scott A letter to Bordeaux with a
section for Mexico, are of The sale began with seven stamps over the closure of a
covers of the so-called Revo- vertical pair of the 25c provi-
such rarity that they seldom folded letter, they almost in-
appear on the market. When lutionary Juarez issue of 1864 variably were torn when the
they do, they command pric- Figure 1. The 25-centavo Campeche provisional stamp on (Scott 14-17). letter was opened.
es far beyond the reach of this 1876 folded letter to Merida was made by applying oval While these stamps may be Noteworthy covers in-
the average collector. post office and revenue office handstamps to white paper. considered provisional in the cluded the only recorded
broadest sense of the term, pair of the 1/2r provisional
Little did I realize that a tion in my column. But a re- had a profound impact on they have always been in-
scant five years later we view of this rare offering is, I postal affairs. Postmasters in cluded in the catalog se- (used, incidentally, in combi-
would be treated to an exten- believe, worthwhile for fans areas disrupted by these quence of regular issues. nation with a 2r), as well as
sive offering of these items of Mexican philately. events, and in full compli- the unique 5r franking, and a
They will be the subject of a Figure 2. This used 1866 1- cover with an exceptionally
— an array of such breadth From the historical per- ance with postal decrees, re- real provisional of Chiapas rare bisect of the 8r.
future column.
that it is doubtful that collec- spective, these provisional sorted to improvised adhe- includes the vertical district
tors of this generation will stamps were a product of the sives or other means of Next came 13 lots of the Rounding out the post-
1876 provisionals of Cam- overprint, seen on the right.
ever again see this many in a severe political unrest that franking local mail when reg- Maximilian era small-town
single auction. prevailed in Mexico at that ular stamps were unavail- peche, all but five of which sional, brought $47,300 provisionals were four lots of
On June 12, Christie's Rob- time. For some 20 years able. These improvisations were on complete covers. against a $30,000 estimate. the Cuautla adhesives on
son Lowe of New York held after the first postage stamps became known as the Mexi- These stamps, like many of The other cover, a local cover, including multiples,
an auction titled "The Em- appeared, various ideological can provisionals. the other provisionals, were usage to Merida, is one of and two lots of the Cuerna-
vaca provisionals. off-cover example of the Tla- There were a great many
The 1867-68 provisional is- cotalpan 1/2r provisional did unsold lots, reflecting either
sues of Guadalajara were not reach the reserve price, an over-ambitious setting of
sold as a complete collection. and the stamp was not sold. reserves, or a lack of interest
This lot contained about 340 However, the exquisite on the part of those collec-
stamps and 56 covers and cover shown in Figure 3, tors who had sufficient
cover fronts, covering the en- bearing an almost identical means to acquire such rare
tire range of values, paper copy of the 1/2 r stamp, sold and unusual items.
types and colors. for $110,000. However, Christie's is to be
roundly commended for pro-
ducing an outstanding catalog
that can be considered an
important reference source
for these issues.
Besides sending it to reg-
ular clients, Christie's offered
free catalogs to members of
the Mexico Elmhurst Phila-
telic Society International
who replied to an early an-
nouncement of the sale.
I do not know how many
took advantage of this gener-
ous offer. I did, and I now
Figure 3. This rare cover bearing the 1856 1/2r black Tla- have a nice addition to my
cotalpan provisional sold for $110,000 — a new record price philatelic library.
for Mexican philately — in Christie's June 12 auction of the The catalog contains a
Emperor collection of Mexican provisionals in New York. map, a short historical sketch
Estimated at $50,000, the In my memory, this figure of events surrounding these
lot was hammered down for has to be the highest amount issues, detailed descriptions
$44,000, or more than $100 ever paid for a single phila- of the items, including their
per item — not too shabby telic item of Mexico. It would provenance, and some won-
for a group of stamps most of certainly rank this piece derful full-color photos of
which individually catalog among the world's top aristo- many of the items.
well below that figure! crats of philately. There are still copies of
The spectacular sale con- Christie's considered this the June 12 Emperor auction
cluded with two examples of sale as a pioneering effort in catalog available for $15, in-
the legendary Tlacotalpan a seldom-offered and under- cluding postage and a list of
provisional of 1856. appreciated philatelic area. the prices realized, from
According to Christie's, However, it may have been Christie's, 502 Park Ave.,
bidding on the only recorded too much of a good thing. New York, NY 10022. ■
1 0 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 24, 1992

Controversial stamps from private firms

Many collectors have no- The stamps were beauti- antecedents. First, they are done by comparison with its
ticed rouletted stamps pro- fully executed: engraved, jumbo size (48 millimeters 1p predecessor of half a cen- V-C1N.TEH A R10E1
I. OE lit FUNFIACION
duced by private printers ap- carefully detailed and print- by 40mm) and rouletted. tury ago (top). OE GOROALAJARA MEXICO
pearing with increasing fre- ed in two colors. If you have Their appearance contrasts In the 1992 issue, Guadala-
quency on mail from Mexico. them in your album, take a starkly with that of the ear- jara's municipal government
Perhaps we can best ease moment and examine them lier commemoratives, which palace on the stamp second
from the right in Figure 1 is
depicted sideways, literally
Mexico standing on end, in order to
By Dale Pulver show the entire facade. Be-
cause the other four designs
Figure 1. A se-tenant, rouletted, horizontal strip of five 1992 in the strip are conventional CORR QS $ 1,300
into this sensitive area by re- privately printed Mexican stamps issued to mark the 450th in orientation, this one stamp MEXICO • ALMS f

viewing the subject matter of anniversary of the founding of the city of Guadalajara. looks unusually awkward.
a set of stamps that made its Figure 3. A 1942 10-centavo bicolor (left) and a multicolored
appearance earlier this year. under magnification. You measured 25mm by 40mm Finally, a 1992 stamp dis- 1992 1,300p stamp (right). The old and new styles contrast
But first, we need to go back will see what I mean. and were cleanly perforated. plays a dark, shadowy rendi-
markedly in their rendering of the Guadalajara Cathedral.
and review a bit of philatelic The designs included a 2- The 1992 stamps are print- tion of the Guadalajara Ca-
centavo stamp showing the ed in color photogravure on thedral, silhouetted against a opinion, this ominous and (TIEV), the government
history.
Independence monument a very white, chalk-surfaced night sky with light stream- rather muddy-looking adhe- printing office responsible
During the 1930s and '40s, sive contrasts markedly with for stamps and other govern-
dedicated to the memory of paper. Under ultraviolet ing from its portals.
while Mexico was struggling the handsome 10c stamp of ment obligations, has had dif-
to improve its image after Father Hidalgo, a 5c stamp light, the stamps fluoresce Figure 3 shows the 1992
depicting the main entrance brightly front and back. stamp on the right. In my 1942, shown on the left. ficulty maintaining timely
the devastating years of civil The balance of the 1992 set production schedules for
to the municipal government Viewed under oblique light,
war, stamp enthusiasts were includes a stamp with an al- Mexico's postal service.
palace and, on the 10c, a low- the semiglossy gum exhibits
treated to some interesting IVsCENit1+14thO'bE/.1:4% legory of the founding of the
altitude view of central shallow, irregular ridges run- FUWIDACIN OE' Years of inflation have
and innovative designs from CA./"Ona..):iJsAFtn city in 1542. It contains three taxed TIEV's printing capac-
Guadalajara and the city's ning in the long direction of portitEe
our neighbor to the south. human figures that I take to ity. Its repeated requests for
cathedral, one of the most the stamp. ,AEREO
MEXICO
Social issues, patriot he- beautiful in all of Mexico. The designs chosen for the be a settler, a military of- newer and faster machinery
-
roes and anniversaries were The 20c airmail stamp de- 1992 issue are reproductions r -71K xamix,;r4: era. ficer brandishing a sword to replace old, overworked
popular subjects during those picts the church at Zapopan, in miniature of artworks that and a priest bearing a cross. presses have been rejected.
years. Long a favorite of the 40c airmail shows Our tie in with the city of The fifth 1992 stamp repro- As a consequence, con-
mine is the Pro Universidad Lady of Guadalupe Church, Guadalajara, presumably duces a piece of modern art tracts were negotiated with
series of 1934, issued to raise and the 1-peso airmail il- from the work of past and purported to be a symbol of Amate Mexico for production
funds for a cash-strapped Na- lustrates Guadalajara's coat present Mexican artists. the anniversary. What I see of commemorative stamps.
tional University. of arms. Interestingly, however, is a squiggly line and four From about June 1, 1991,
Mexico was proud of its In 1992, 50 years later, three of the five motifs on clusters of paint daubs, sym- until the end of that year,
cultural and national heri- Mexico again issued stamps the new commemoratives re- bolism I don't quite under- Amate was responsible for 11
tage, and used the postage in honor of Guadalajara, for peat design material used on stand or appreciate. issues involving 40 different
stamp to advertise this fact the 450th anniversary of its the bicolored 1942 set - These stamps, produced by stamp designs, including
to the world. In 1942, for ex- founding. This time there are though not, to my taste, with the private printing firm some issues with multisubject
ample, the 400th anniversary five stamps in a se-tenant the same satisfactory results. Figure 2. A 1-peso airmail Amate Mexico, get us back to sheetlets.
of Guadalajara, Mexico's strip — three 1,300p and two Figure 2 contrasts the Coat stamp from the 1942 Guada- the original premise of this Since Amate has no perfo-
largest city, was commemor- 1,900p denominations — as of Arms stamps of the two lajara issue shows the city's column. rating machinery, all of these
ated with three surface mail illustrated in Figure 1. sets. The highly embellished coat of arms (top), as does According to reports from stamps have been rouletted
and three airmail stamps These stamps are quite dif- 1992 1,300p Coat of Arms this year's rouletted 1,300p Mexico, Talleres de Impres- in gauge 61/2 .
(Scott 771-73, C120-22). ferent from their 50-year-old stamp (bottom) looks over- commemorative (bottom). sion de Estampillas y Valores To many observers, these
Amate-printed commemor- The . Transitorio issue of and 1923 (634-41) were first
ative stamps give the appear- 1914 (354-61) — again a con- sold rouletted 14 or 141/2 .
ance of nothing more than tract printing, by Maverick- Still, I agree with critics to
colored labels. Their designs Clarke of San Antonio — was the extent that modern post-
have been roundly criticized. rouletted 9'/2 by 14. Many age stamps just don't look
Furthermore, there are other local provisional issues right unless they are perfo-
many complaints that prean- were rouletted as well, and rated. One thing is certain;
nounced issue dates have even the regular issues of we will see many more Mexi-
been missed in several in- 1915 (500-05), 1916 (608-17), can stamps from Amate! ■
stances. Yet timely stamp
production was the ostensible
reason for moving the pro-
duction of commemoratives
from TIEV to Amate in the
first place.
At the moment, my infor-
mation on the deals with
Amate is admittedly sketchy.
I hope to have much more
for a future article.
Meanwhile, it is worth not-
ing that rouletted stamps are
not new in Mexico's phila-
telic history.
8 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 21, 1992

Pluses, minuses for Mexico in Scott Vol. 3

Last week, I picked up Vol. and one that unfortunately stamps are bigger, and there benchmark stamps that I al- ings (46-57) enjoy the biggest Several key stamps of re-
3 of tM new 1993 edition of remains as true as ever. are more of them. ways check whenever I ac- gains. The 100-centavo brown cent vintage did not fare well
the Scott Standard Postage Several of Scott's water- And now to the reason that quire a new catalog. printed on brownish paper in this year's listings. Both
Stamp Catalogue. mark illustrations; especially most people buy a new cata- Looking at the classic (51) jumped from $800 to the 1934 5p and 10p Pro-
Like many collectors, I for the Eagle and RM water- log: prices. stamps up to 1867, there are $1,200 unused, and from $265 Universidad surface mail
don't buy one every year, be- mark, Scott Wmk. 154, have At the Mexico-Elmhurst scattered increases (and a to $400 used. It is probably stamps in unused condition
been reused so many times time these scarce varieties fell sharply. The 10p (706) is
that they are virtually incom- got some of the price recog- now $800 unused, a loss of
Mexico prehensible. nition that they deserve. $200 from its previous listing,
By Dale Pulver Most of the depictions of Figure 1 shows used, perfo- though the unwatermarked
the earlier stamps of Mexico rated thin-figure 12c and 25c variety (706a) remains un-
have suffered a similar fate. Hidalgos (53-54). 'changed at $350.
cause usually there are not They have lost so much de- Even these stamps, which
enough price changes to war- The same is true for the
tail, and are so dark, that a are relatively common in Pro-Universidad airmails
rant the expense. But this beginning collector could used condition, saw signifi- (C54-61), which catalog less
time the revisions for Mexico have difficulty matching up cant increases in catalog now than they have in many,
are fairly far-reaching, so if real stamps with the correct value. They rose from $3 and many years.
you haven't bought one for a catalog illustrations. And he $2.25 in the 1992 Scott cata- I have touted these stamps
while it might be a good time would certainly not be able log to $6 and $4, respectively, in this column for their beau-
to take the plunge. to distinguish even the poor- in the new 1993 edition. ty and scarcity, so if you
Now for the good news and est of counterfeits if one Catalog values for the haven't completed your sets,
the bad news. were encountered. Figure 1. Catalog values for Mexico's 1868 Hidalgo issues handstamped "anotado" now might be a good time to
I like the smooth, supple Mexico is not the only are extensively revised in Vol. 3 of the 1993 Scott catalog, overprints (71-80) are like- do some serious shopping. I
paper, and the fact that my country for which new art is including significant increases. Values for these used, per- wise boosted by a hefty feel that eventually values.
softcover edition lies open sorely needed in the catalog. forated thin-figure 12-centavo and 25c stamps (Scott 53-54) amount. I'm particularly fond for these stamps will resume
nice and flat on my desk. I Scott really ought to embark rose from $3 and $2.25 last year to $6 and $4, respectively. of these varieties because of an upward trend. Remember,
can read the two inside col- on a program to redo most if their role in a postal fraud there were only 1,000 10p
umns (next to the spine) not, all artwork for stamps Philatelic Society Interna- couple of decreases, too), situation, but they are tricky, surface-mail stamps printed,
without much difficulty. and watermarks introduced tional board meeting last mostly among the high val- too, in that hundreds of coun-
A new topical listing up winter in Guadalajara, San ues and scarcer subvarieties. and 1,500 of the 20p airmail.
prior to 1940. There are a terfeit overprints, in many
front on the subjects of birds few illustrations of stamps Antonio stamp dealer Bill Many of the first design Continuing in the same
different types, exist to snare
and trains will please the- since then that could be use- Shelton reported . that Scott Gothic "Mexico" overprints vein, the Amelia Earhart
the unwary buyer.
matic collectors. fully upgraded, too. had accepted suggestions for (Scott 35-45) see increases, There are a few increases overprint (C74) lost $250 to
Referring specifically to It's probably my advancing about 2,000 value changes in some of them quite healthy. among the 1895-98 Mulitas drop to $3,000 in unused con-
the Mexico listings in Vol. 3, age, but the print gets tough- this edition. It is worth adding that (242-91). However, the rarest dition, but held its ground at
I like the idea of putting all er year by year for these I certainly did not spend a there have been few value of them all, the Eagle and $4,000 used.
the watermark illustrations tired eyes to bring into focus lot of time counting to con- changes for most of these RM-watermarked 5-peso Here again, the official
in one spot at the beginning clearly. I know it's the same firm or deny this figure but, early issues of Mexico for scarlet Mail Train (278A) overprinting was strictly lim-
of the listings. They can be size it was 20 years ago, but unquestionably, there are several years. holds steady at $10,000. ited to 300 stamps, with per-
quickly found without the it still seems too small. many changes. From my cur- The various stamps of the Some of the scarcer civil haps 35 to 40 of these used
need to riffle through many Another observation - sory examination, most of 1868 Hidalgo design probably war issues go up. Examples on special flight covers car-
pages searching for them neither a criticism nor a those changes in value ap- underwent the most exten- are the two top values of the ried to Newark, N.J., by Ear-
mixed in with the text a compliment — is that in the pear to be upward. sive price adjustments of any "Victoria de Torreon" over- hart on the return leg of her
commendable move! past 25 years the number of On the other hand, there group in this period, and prints (367-68), which enjoy goodwill flight. Virtually all
My criticisms begin with pages devoted to Mexico has are some significant reduc- most prices went up. sizable jumps to $1,750 and of these used stamps would
one that I've had for years, more than doubled. Current tions in value for some of the The thin-figure early print- $2,000, respectively. be still affixed to these ex-
 pensive souvenirs, with very to the fact that serious collec-
few loose, used stamps avail- tors who neglected these
able to fill album spaces. stamps, for which Scott
In a fast pass through the album pages have long been
modern commemorative is- provided, are waking up to
sues, both regular and air- their possibilities and exert-
mail, I found no price ing strong buying pressure on
changes, which is not alto- a very limited supply.
gether unexpected. Figure 2 shows the ip
Figure 2. The 1993 Scott cat-
Mount Popocatepetl from the
It has been the custom in alog features some sizable
1899 definitives with the di-
recent years for Mexico to value increases for Mexican agonal "OFICIAL" overprint
issue about a million or so of Official stamps, including added in 1900 (057). This
its commemoratives, more this "OFICIAL"-overprinted used stamp went from $7 last
than enough to fulfill present 1-peso definitive from 1900.
year to $10 in the 1993 Vol.
and future collector demand. price movement, particularly 3, a 42-percent increase.
And, obviously, dealer inven- for Mexico's Official stamps, Mexico's Official stamps
tories are ample. which have been rising rath- are another good area to
In the back-of-the-book cat- er smartly. work on if your album is
egory, there was also a lot of I suspect this may be due only sparsely filled in this
category. I believe that back-
of-the-book Mexican material
will continue to appreciate in
the next few years. ■
24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 19, 1992

Old Mexican mining town still going strong

Nestled in the mountains trict names are scarce or postcard from the 1940s border between the states of straightline postmarks were Oro del Estado de Mexico,"
to the west and northwest of rare, off or on cover. showing a panoramic view of Mexico and Michoacan at an used in this small but impor- which roughly translates as
Mexico City are several an- Sultepec, for example, was the town. The discovery of elevation of nearly 9,000 feet. tant town. "The Gold Mine in the State
cient mining towns: Angan- a principal office for less this card gave me the inspi- The town was named for a Figure 2 is a cover from of Mexico." (This should not
gueo, Ixtlahuaca, Sultepec, than two years. Stamps from ration to explore its phila- mine located in a cluster of my stampless collection be confused with another
Temascaltepec, Tlalpujahua there are truly rare, corn- telic past. rich gold and silver deposits docketed 1855 and bearing town called "Mineral del
near the town of Tlalpujahua, an El Oro straightline. Struck Oro," which was in the Mexi-
about 6 miles west. in red, it is typeset in two can state of Durango.)
Mexico Tlalpujahua was one of the lines, and reads "M. DEL The name was usually
By Dale Pulver oldest and most productive ORO DEL/E. DE MEXICO." shortened to "El Oro de Mex-
mining regions in Mexico. Its This stands for "Mineral del ico," later modified to "El
and El Oro de Mexico (the La Borda mine, for instance,
latter now known as El Oro is reported to have yielded
de Hidalgo). more than $36 million in gold
These names, some of and silver during an eight-
them veritable tongue twist- year period in the mid-18th
ers, will probably he familiar century, an astonishing vol-
to serious collectors of the ume of precious metal con-
classic issues of Mexico. sidering the rather primitive
Ixtlahuaca, Sultepec. Te- mining methods of that time.
mascaltepec and Tlalpujahua El Oro de Mexico was des-
are all known as small, inde- ignated as a sub-office of the
Figure 1. A 50-year-old picture postcard gives a panoramic postal district of Tlalpujahua,
pendent postal districts that
view of El Oro de Mexico, a mining town in the mountains. and would have received
received direct shipments of
Mexico's first postage stamps manding high prices when- El Oro de Mexico is a min- postage stamps from that of-
in 1856. However, the num- ever they appear on the mar- ing town located about 56 fice after 1856.
ber of stamps sent to these ket. miles northwest of Toluca. However, the postal histo- Figure 2. A stampless cover of the mid-1850s with the first
offices was in most instances But this column is about El which, in turn, is about 37 rian first encounters El Oro style of postmark to be used in the mining town. The red
so small that correctly can- Oro de Mexico. miles due west of Mexico de Mexico in the 1840s and "M. DEL ORO DEL/E. DE MEXICO" handstamp translates
celed examples with the dis- Figure 1 shows a picture City. It is virtually on the '50s, when the first of several approximately as "The Gold Mine in the State of Mexico."
 OCTOBER 19, 1992 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 25
Oro de Hidalgo" in honor of great degree on a fickle de- more than 3,500. The card was sent by an ing glass, people can be seen postmarks are so keenly
Father Miguel Hidalgo de mand and volatility of world The Figure 1 postcard pic- American to his girlfriend in in the streets of the town. I sought by specialists.
Costilla, the hero of Mexican precious metal prices. tures extensive mining works Ohio. Unfortunately, the card wonder just how much gold I would be glad to hear
independence who appears Several of the mining on a hillside above a rather escaped cancellation, but the or silver was being produced from any readers who might
on so many Mexican postage towns listed here, such as crowded jumble of buildings stamps and franking amount at that time. own cards or covers with El
stamps. Sultepec and Ixtlahuaca, ac in the foreground. The fix its probable date as just Here's another example of Oro postmarks. Write to me
There were other versions church, with its three-tiered following World War II. how a casual find from a in care of Linn's, Box 29, Sid-
of two-line handstamps from bell tower, is seen at the It is obvious that at the dealer's 24 box can lead to ney, OH 45365.
El Oro. "FRANCO EN EL/ FRANCO EN EL right. More spacious homes time the card was printed, a fascinating bit of Mexican Introduction to the Stamps of Mex-
ORO DE MEXICO" is oc- ORO DE MEXICO (of the mine supervisors, quite a bit was happening in postal history. ico by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
casionally found on stamps Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
probably) appear on the hill- El Oro: the buildings are in Perhaps one day I'll do able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
and covers of the first issue, FRANCO EN top above it. good repair; smoke is stream- columns on some of the hardcover for $30. The third book in
and "FRANCO EN/MIN- MINERAL DEL ORO On the postcard, all seems ing from the factory stacks; other mining towns I've men-
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
ERAL DEL ORO," was first able from selected dealers or from
peaceful and quiet. and, with a strong magnify- tioned, whose stamps and Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. •
used on stamps and covers in Figure 3. Other early hand-
1868. These two handstamps stamped postmarks used on
from the classic era are de- stamps of Mexico's classic
picted in Figure 3. period in El Oro de Mexico.
By 1867, all of the small
district mining town post of- tually lost population be-
fices I've mentioned had tween the mid-1800s when
been relegated to sub-offices their mines were active, and
of Toluca, capital of the state 1960, the most recent census
of Mexico. year for which I have popu-
If you search for cancella- lation figures.
tions of Mineral del Oro after El Oro, on the other hand,
1867 or 1868, you will have to appears to have survived (if
focus on material from the not prospered) as a mining
Toluca district, and examples town more or less continually
won't be easy to locate. over that time span.
Mining is an up and down In the mid-1880s, El Oro
business, dependent not only was home to about 800 peo-
on the extent and concentra- ple. By the 1960 census, its
tion of ore veins but also to a population had grown to
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 16, 1992

New Exporters and a text to go with them

When I reworked some of (AMEXFIL), titled Mexico alphabetical listing, arranged ultraviolet light response and show printings of 20,000 The new 6,000p and '7,200p
the articles selected for my Exporta — Emision Perma- according to the design label gum type. sheets or less. These are apt denominations, equal to
just-published Introduction to nente 1975-1992. in Spanish that appears on The final and perhaps the to become scarce, too, as about $2 and $2.30 U.S., re-
the Stamps of Mexico, the Sure enough, it lists a all stamps and identifies the most interesting entry of all dealers' stocks are depleted spectively, surpass the previ-
folks at Linn's thought it dozen or so varieties not in- Mexican export featured in is the number of 50-subject and collectors begin looking ous high value of the Exporta
would be a good idea to in- cluded in my list. All appear each stamp design. sheets that were printed, ac- to fill holes in their Exporta series, a 5,000p stamp.
cording to records kept by holdings. It is interesting that the
la $ 1.00 CONDUCTORES ELECTRICOS (caja 37.5 mm.) 1978 the Talleres de Impression In all, the AMEXFIL refer- curved background lines on
Mexico Colores azul y naranja
Perforaci6n 14 de Estampillas y Valores ence recognizes 14 issues, the 3,900p stamp arc to the
By Dale Pulver Papel norteamericano, satinado (TIEV), the government four more than my checklist. upper left, which is the op-
Peso 85 grms. x m2
Sin marca de agua printing office. But its issue Nos. 11, 12 and posite of most previous bure-
dude, as an appendix, an up- Fosforescencia anverso Until now, collectors were 14 are each represented by a lage patterns. And it would
Coma brillante blanca y/o crema, sintetica seem that these difficult-to-
dated version of a checklist I 100,000 planillas unaware that such data were single stamp, and most of
developed some years ago available and could only issue No. 13 is included in copy patterns, which were
for the Exporta definitive Figure 1. The format of data listings in AMEXFIL's new guess the extent of the stamp my list as a subset of the once used on stamps with
stamps of Mexico. Spanish-language booklet about Exporta stamps of Mexico. printings based on the ob- 10th Exporta issue. face values as low as 100p,
At the time, my most up-to- served frequency of use for There is really very little now have been eliminated
date version was dated to have been issued within Abulon (abalone) is first, common rates. to distinguish between the from all but the very highest
March 1988, so there was the past three or four followed by Algodon (cotton), On a quick scan of the reg- two, only a slight difference denominations.
quite a bit of work to do. months. Bicicletas (bicycles), Cafe ular and airmail Exporta in the fluorescent properties Although no author is list-
Many new varieties in the 17- Before I describe these (coffee), and so forth. stamps, I found that the when observed under ultra- ed in the title of the AMEX-
year-old series had to be in- new stamps, I should tell you Figure 1 shows a typical Figure 2. Recent Ex-
cluded in the list. something about the AMEX- entry from the text.
porta stamps include
To make the list as current FIL publication, which will
The numbers to the left of 6,000-peso and 7,200p
as possible, I contacted sev- be a very useful addition to
the data block (above the values, the highest
eral friends who specialize in the reference files of Ex-
stamp illustration) refer first of the entire series.
Exporta stamps for the latest porta specialists.
information they had on the Well printed in Spanish to the so-called issue, which
series. and profusely illustrated, its generally follows the chrono-
Even as I revised my list- 45 large-format 81/2- by 11- logical order in which the
ings I had some qualms that inch pages list every major stamps were produced and
by the time the book was Exporta variety from the in- put on sale in post offices,
published new varieties ception of the series in 1975 and to the paper and gum
would surface to render the up to approximately August characteristics by which the
of this year. groups are generally known smallest printing was for the violet light. The printing, FIL booklet — ostensibly it
list incomplete. And such has
turned out to be the case. This represents 235 surface and identified. 1978 10-peso Tequila stamp paper and gum are virtually was an AMEXFIL group
Within weeks after the and airmail stamps (not "No. la," for example, of the first issue. identical, which is why some project — Wilkins comments
book went to the printers, my counting color varieties), one means the first issue. The Only 6,000 50-stamp sheets, of us group the two together. that Carlos Fernando Teran
ever-faithful correspondent special delivery stamp and second number is obviously or 300,000 stamps in all, are As to the new Exporta was the driving force behind
in Mexico, Guillermo 24 postal insurance stamps. the stamp denomination. recorded for that run. This stamps, these are mostly de- this reference work.
Wilkins, sent me a handful of The arrangement may The list of data includes 10p stamp has not been par- nominated in thousands of Despite minor shortfalls in
new Exporta varieties. prove to be a little awkward stamp design width, year(s) ticularly difficult to find, al- pesos, presumably issued to known data he might have
Then, just last week, he for some collectors, who tend of issue, color(s), perforation though some price lists I match multiples of the postal chosen to include, Teran is to
mailed me a booklet pub- to mount their collections by gauge, paper description (in- have do price it higher than rates now in effect. be commended for the re-
lished by the Associacion issues and denominations. 'chiding weight per square any other stamp in the set. Figure 2 shows seven of sults of his efforts. I do not
Mexicana de Filatelia, A.C. Still, it is a straightforward meter), watermark (if any), Several other varieties the recent Exporta stamps. know the booklet's cost or
•availability at this time, but I
will attempt to have this
information for my Decem-
ber column.
If, in the meantime, there
are readers who can't wait, I
suggest you write directly to
AMEXFIL, Apartado 1313,
06000 Mexico, D.F., Mexico.
Meanwhile, I will work on
my out-of-date checklist and
see if I can get an addendum
;ready in case buyers of In-
troduction to the Stamps of
Mexico want an update. I'll
have more details soon.

Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-

co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
hardcover for $30. The third book in
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
able from selected dealers or from
Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
32 LINN S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 21, 1992

Mexican socked-on-the-nose cancellations

Those of you who have fol- obliteration, but not I. Give from an early printing of the an impossible objective. last two decades of the 19th originally belonged entered
lowed this column regularly me a good clear SOTN can- 60-subject plate, even though Later on, during 1864-67, century, and the frequency the mailstream at Espiritu
for some time no doubt have cellation and I'm ecstatic. this might be obvious to the the stamps of the monarchy with which SOTN stamps are Santo, in the state of San Luis
sensed my fondness for sin- One of the rewards of practiced eye. (Stamps from incorporate a complication encountered increases. Such Potosi, shortly after Wells,
gle stamps or multiples bear- searching out stamps with the large, 200-subject plate that offers even more inter- cancels are commonly seen Fargo opened its express of-
ing clear and reasonably cen- SOTN cancels is the postal were not printed until later.) esting collection possibilities. on the Numeral issues and fice there.
Secondly, this stamp was With the Eagle issue, postal
used during the period of the authorities began overprint-
Mexico first postal tariff (which ing consignment numbers
By Dale Pulver ended Dec. 19, 1856), when and year dates on postage
it paid the rate for a 1/2- stamps dispatched to the var-
tered cancellations. ounce letter up to 30 leagues ious district offices.
In fact, about seven years (about 90 miles), or a letter Meticulous records were
ago I wrote an article on of less than 1/2-ounce beyond kept of the dates and quanti-
socked-on-the-nose (SOTN) that distance. ties of stamps in these ship-
cancels. It brought a surpris- Only a few district post of- ments, and these data are
ing and gratifying amount of fices were supplied with can- available to the serious col-
favorable response. I trust celing devices with change- lector. Because of this, we
my longtime readers will for- able dates during the early know precisely when certain
give me if I reprise that period of Mexican stamps. consignments were available
topic. at the mail windows in the
The post offices that had Figure 4. The SOTN cancels on these Mexican civil war-era
Many collectors will settle Mexico City post office.
Figure 2. A knowledgeable them were located in larger stamps not only look attractive, but identify them as having
for nothing less than a "face cities or towns. Guadalajara, Incredible as it may seem,
collector will recognize the been postmarked within their intended period of use.
free" or as-faint-as-possible Guanajuato, Morelia, San it is possible to find examples
April 9, 1865, cancel on this canceled on the first day that stamps from Mexico's Trans- I often rely on dated can-
Eagle as, that of the first Luis Potosi, Tampico and Ve-
these stamps were put on portation series, or Mulitas. cellations to confirm postal
day of issue of stamps with racruz are prime examples.
Thus, a small collection of sale. For specialists, these items usage during the time that
this consignment number.
SOTN cancels: On the first Figure 2 shows one of sev- can be extremely useful in postage stamps were current.
history information that in- issue of Mexico would not be eral such examples in my helping to establish dates Figure 4 shows two stamps
variably accompanies them. collection, a 2r orange Eagle when certain watermarks ap- from Mexico's civil war era
Such cancellations can re- from consignment No. 60 of peared, or in pinpointing (Scott 521, 579). With the
veal important facts about 1865. We know that stamps of when certain paper varieties dated 1916 cancellations they
the stamps on which they are this consignment were placed first came into use. bear, these stamps demon-
found, so my preference is on sale first in Mexico City And don't overlook postal strate they were properly
for complete circular or oval April 9 — the same date that stationery as another poten- used during the time they
datestamps whenever they clearly appears in the tial source of SOTN cancels. were supposed to be in use.
are available. Luckily, Mexi- "FRANCO MEXICO" circular Figure 3 shows a cut . As specialists know all too
co has used many of these datestamp. square taken from a Mexican well, numerous civil war
devices over the years. It's always fun to go Wells, Fargo & Co. 10-centavo overprinted stamps, espe-
Figure 1 shows a 1-real through circuit books and stamped envelope. cially the odd denominations,
Figure 1. The clearly struck stamp from the 1856 issue poke around dealers' stocks Although the left side is exist only unused, or with
cancellation on this 1856 1- canceled at Mexico City Dec. Figure 3. This cut square in anticipation of locating trimmed so that part of the favor cancellations.
real stamp enhances its ap- 10, 1856. From this data we with most of a Mexican more such examples. company handstamp is unfor- As the Mexican postal sys-
pearance, and conveys in- can infer a couple of fairly Wells, Fargo cancel shows Cancelers with changeable tunately missing, the large tem evolved, so did the com-
formation about its printing significant facts. that SOTN cancels are not date slugs became much portion that remains tells us plexity of dated cancelers.
and its probable use as well. First, the stamp must be limited to adhesive stamps. more prevalent during the that the envelope to which it We frequently find them with
 through several hundred
stamps before I find a pre-
sentable SOTN cancel, like
the 1981 handstamp on the 4-
peso Exporta airmail stamp
shown in Figure 6.
Another interesting twist to
the collection of SOTN Figure 6. It is tough to find
stamps is to look for dates modern stamps with legible
that have a special personal Mexican cancels like this
significance, such as birth- one on this Exporta stamp.
days and anniversaries.
practically no premium over
I have yet to find one with what one would expect to
the exact date of my birth, pay for lightly canceled or
but I do own a nice 1865 "face free" used copies.,
Eagle with the correct month If you want a new chal-
Figure 5. Well-struck postmarks can also identify special and day. I have also found lenge in collecting stamps of
postal services. The "AMBULANTE" in the cancel on the stamps with important holi- Mexico, look for stamps with
left identifies the stamp as having been canceled in a day dates, such as Christmas SOTN cancels!
railway post office. "BUZONES," in the cancel on the right, and New Year's Day.
means this stamp franked a letter picked up at a post box. The best part of all of this Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
service-related inscriptions smeary inks and careless is that over the past dozen Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
such as those illustrated in handling has increased the years or so I have been able able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
Figure 5. difficulty in finding clear to accumulate several hun- hardcover for $30. The third book in
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
"SERVICIO AMBULAN- SOTN markings. dred stampS with beautifully able from selected dealers or from
TE," visible in the outer ring I often have to pick centered cancellations for Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, 011 45365. •
of the cancel on the 1929
postal tax stamp on the left,
marks it as having been can-
celed in a railway post of-
fice.
In the stamp on the right,
"BUZONES MEXICO D.F." in
the outer ring of the hand-
stamp indicates that the let-
ter this stamp franked came
from a pick up at a Mexico
City post box.
Fortunately, much of Mexi-
co's mail was and still is can-
celed by hand, so the op-
portunity to find SOTN can-
cels persists.
It seems as if 19th-century
postal clerks took pride in
striking stamps squarely with
their cancelers. However, in
recent years, the combina-
tion of glazed stamp paper,
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 18, 1993

MEPSI has lots to offer Mexico collee.!ors

Later this month, Jan. 22-24, the Mexico cana, a quarterly journal containing news ed to the Southwest where it remains today. Adolfo Lopez-Mateos, they were able, through
Elmhurst Philatelic Society International will and research articles about Mexican philat- Current members number about 750, repre- some influential local members, to get special
convene at Aripex in Tucson, Ariz., for its ely. This magazine, which has been published senting collectors in 45 states and some 18 postage stamps issued in honor of the event.
annual meeting. regularly ever since then, has been the con- foreign countries. As you would expect, the Figure 2 shows Scott 909 and C249, the top
Known by its initials as MEPSI, this inter- duit through which numerous important dis- largest foreign contingent resides in Mexico.denominations of Mexico's tfien-current regu-
national specialist society will be familiar to coveries and theories have been com- Over the past 25 years or so, the society lar and airmail stamps redesigned to include
has published numerous handbooks and phil- a salutatory inscription. Only 5,000 of each of
atelic references on Mexican stamps. these stamps were printed and they have
Mexico MEPSI is currently in the process of coor-long been known in philatelic circles as "the
By Dale Pulver dinating a massive and comprehensive hand- Elmhurst issues."
book, to be published in sections, covering In 1979, the society again traveled to Mexi-
regular readers of this column as an associa-
ThScrirsiTuZZATELIC SUMP MIERNAT10191 the whole gamut of Mexican philately. Em- co City and another stamp was printed to
tion of collectors devoted to the philately of phasis is on gathering, correcting and updat-commemorate the event (C605). It depicts a
Mexico. I mention it quite frequently in my ing all available information on a given sub-rare cover owned by a MEPSI member.
articles because it has played a key role in ject into one basic source. This year's meeting is bound to be fun. The
my development as a collector, and I have Another useful service to members has exhibition will be well sprinkled with Mexi-
consistently touted it as a means for gaining been MEPSI's expertization service. This can stamps and covers, and auctioneer Nick
greater enjoyment from the hobby. came into being in 1971 and has evolved Follansbee is running a sale dedicated to
It all began back in the late 1930s when a steadily into one of the most widely recog- Mexican material. Two important collections
group of stamp collectors in Elmhurst, Ill., nized and authoritative agencies on Mexican formed by members of the society will be
near Chicago, started a stamp club called the stamps and covers in the world today. featured in the auction.
Elmhurst Philatelic Society. MEPSI members have long known how to Virtually all of the original EPS members
After a few years, it was decided they have a good time, along with transacting nec-have passed on to their ultimate reward, but
might create more interest among members essary society business, at their yearly get-they organized well. The present society is a
if they could adopt some philatelic theme or togethers. Some annual meetings have been monument of their labors.
central idea to work on cooperatively. It oc- extraordinarily noteworthy. I had the pleasure of knowing and cor-
curred to them that focusing on stamps of In 1960, on the occasion of the 25th an- responding with many of the early members.
one country might be a workable approach, niversary of the society's founding, the mem-In 1968 I met Byron Stevens, considered the
and a committee was formed to study the bers met in Mexico City. Not only did they father of the EPS, at Efimex, an international
catalogs and suggest possibilities. secure a private audience with then-presidentshow held in Mexico City just after the Olym-
Figure 1. The cover from a recent issue of pics.
I understand there were several false starts Mexicana, quarterly journal of the Mexico
before Mexico was picked, but the selection Elmhurst Philatelic Society International.
was made for several good reasons.
IHOmENA,1E Ai_ COI_ECCION1STA DELI
TIMORIF OE MEXICO — 1960 If you are serious about collecting Mexico,
and are not already a member of MEPSI, I
First, Mexico seemed to offer something municated to the membership and the world urge you to join. Doing so will enhance your
for both well-to-do and less-affluent collec- of philately at large. enjoyment, not to mention knowledge, of your
tors. Figure 1 shows the cover from the final 20nPP€SOS chosen specialty.
Then there was the vast number of minor issue of 1992. My membership goes back over 25 years. I
collectible varieties, overprints and sur- Mexicana is recognized as one of the lead- AERECP honestly don't know how I could have kept
charges, which would appeal to advanced col- ing philatelic journals in the world and has IT/Fp" going without the association with the won-
lectors and philatelic scholars. won many top awards in literature competi- derful people I have come to know in MEPSI.
Further, while there were rarities, most tion. I have always felt, too, that this publica- Dues are $17 per year, including a sub-
Figure 2. These two high-value Mexican scription to Mexicana. Write to John Kordich,
were found to be considerably less expensive tion was the glue that has held the group
stamps were issued in 1960 with a special 1014 37th St., San Pedro, CA 90731 for details.
than U.S. or European stamps of comparable together so well for so many years.
inscription honoring stamp collectors in red
scarcity. Moreover, the vast majority of Scott- Because of its rapid growth well beyond
at the top of each stamp on the occasion of Introduction to the Stamps of Mexico by Dale Pulver, a
listed stamps of Mexico were within the the environs of Elmhurst, the group changed
means of average collectors. a MEPSI convention in Mexico City in 1960. compilation of Linn's Mexico columns, is available in soft-
its name in 1970 to Mexico Elmhurst Phila-
The inscription from the 10-peso stamp has cover for $14.95 or hardcover for $30. The third book in the
Finally, it appeared that Mexico had been telic Society International, in keeping with its Linn's Handbook series, it is available from selected stamp
been enlarged for clarity above the stamps. dealers or from Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. III
neglected by all but a few serious collectors. membership mix and activities. The Elmhurst
The idea caught on immediately and inter- name was retained in recognition of the soci-
est in this concept surged. In fact, it was not ety's roots; it also helped make a pronounce-
long before collectors of Mexico outside of able acronym.
the Elmhurst area heard about the club and By that time many of the original members
began joining. Some of the foremost experts who had run the organization so well for so
in Mexican philately were among those early many years were retiring and leaving the
members. Chicago area. In fact, MEPSI's center of grav-
In 1952, the club began publishing Mexi- ity, as far as membership is concerned, shift-
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 15, 1993

Veracruz 1914 mail was colorful, chaotic

Inspiration for this column much as firing a shot. Before U.S.-made cancel- some interesting covers.
came from a reader's' re- And so, between May 3 ing devices were available, According to a report writ-
quest for inforMation on a and Nov. 22, 1914, U.S. per- post office personnel merely ten by the U.S. consul at Ve-
postmark presumably used sonnel managed the Mexican continued to use the Mexican racruz, mail directed to the
aboard one of the U.S. Navy post office in Veracruz. cancelers they found there. A interior of Mexico was sup-
ships that stood off Mexican For readers wanting more May 3 Veracruz duplex hand- posed to have Mexican
stamp cancels the imprinted stamps, and mail to the Unit-
design on a 24 U.S. envelope ed States and abroad was
Mexico in Figure 1. supposed to bear U.S. stamps
By Dale Pulver Around May 10, the first purchased at the post office.
covers were postmarked with Evidence from covers that I
U.S. cancelers. There were have seen indicates that this
shores during the civil upris-
ings early in this century. several types, including a was the way the system
The story of these ship flag cancel, a rectangular worked at first.
postmarks will have to wait box cancel and circular date- However, one of my refer-
for a future column. Instead, stamp killer duplexes. ences says that mail agent
and as an important pro- Some of these cancels in- Robinson at one time insisted
logue, let us examine how Figure 1. Although U.S. clude the initials "U.S.M.AG., that U.S. stamps be used on
the United States first be- stamps and stationery were which stand for United States all mail, including letters to
came involved with Mexican introduced in Veracruz just Mail Agency. A mute target domestic destinations. Al- Figure 3. Because Mexico did not recognize U.S. stamps as
postal affairs in 1914. 12 days after U.S. Marines cancel also was used, invari- though this order was later valid on domestic mail, this cover was assessed as unpaid,
It is not an easy situation captured the city in 1914, ably on registered mail. rescinded, one of its conse-and a 10-centavo postage due stamp added (top-left corner).
to explain in a few words. Mexican cancels including Figure 2 shows an assort- quences was that the Mex- added above the address dressed to them, many writ-
In spite of its stated intent this duplex handstamp re- ment of four of these U.S. ican postal authorities out-records that this letter was ers in Veracruz bought and
to remain neutral in the Mex- mained in use in early May. markings used in Veracruz, side of Veracruz refused to penalized "10 CS.," or two used both Mexican and U.S.
ican situation, the United details, an interesting sum- adapted from Harry M. Kon- recognize the U.S. stamps times the normal 5-centavo stamps on domestic letters.
States became alarmed when mary of this operation was wiser's revised 1946 edition and assessed postage due domegtic letter rate. Again, this practice re-
Victoriano Huerta (called written about two years ago of Norona's General Catalog charges to recipients. On the Figure 3 cover, the sulted in some very interest-
"The Usurper") seized con- by my good friend and fellow of United States Postmarks. Figure 3 shows one such postage due is paid by the ing covers with mixed frank-
trol in 1913. Linn's columnist, Richard B. Postal regulations imposed cover, sent from Veracruz to10c Mexican postage due ing. Luckily, these are not so
Huerta became cozy with Graham (Linn's, April 8, by the Americans appear not a bank in Mexico City. The stamp in the top-left corner. scarce as to be beyond the
the Germans because the 1991, page 36). I credit Gra- to have been well understood manuscript notation in the It was canceled by the mail reach of collectors with lim-
United States refused to sup- ham with some of the infor- by everyone. This resulted in boxed handstamp that was carrier with two strikes of a ited stamp budgets.
ply him with arms. As a re- mation repeated here, but boxed "Cartero 92" hand- The U.S.-operated post of-
sult, the United States sided my emphasis will be on Mex- stamp. fice was a full-service estab-
with the Constitutionalists, ican covers and the collect- One rarely sees Mexican lishment and examples of
who were attempting to re- ing possibilities they offer. postage due stamps used on both domestic and foreign
move Huerta from power. H.M. Robinson of the Rail- cover. In fact, the majority of registered mail exist. Insured
On April 21, 1914, U.S. Ma- way Mail Service in New Or- Mexican postage due stamp and certified mail also were
rines landed at Veracruz, leans was appointed the first usages I am aware of are handled there, but legitimate
seized the customs house, professional U.S. mail agent from the civil war era, even examples of these services
and within a day or so were at Veracruz. He arrived though the stamps had been are a bit more difficult to
in complete control of the there May 3 with a supply of issued officially in 1908. find and acquire.
city and its functions, includ- U.S. stamps. These were im- To save their correspon- The fact that the United
ing the post office. Huerta's mediately applied to all mail dents the annoyance of hav- States was operating a post
forces retired without so originating at that office. Figure 2. Some of the U.S. cancels used in Veracruz in 1914. ing to pay for letters ad- office on foreign soil in 1914
certainly did not escape the armed forces who were sta- has formed a very respect- your collection, whether of
attention of American philat- tioned there to be serviced at able collection and exhibit of Mexico or the United States.
elists. There are many cov- the Veracruz post office. 1914 U.S. occupation of Ve- After all, the United States
ers from Veracruz with ex- The period of operation racruz. His study has won was in charge of Veracruz
amples of contemporary ended Nov. 22, 1914, when some high awards in national for seven months. During
commemorative and earlier U.S. personnel evacuated the competition. that time, tens of thousands
issues that obviously were port and its administrative Banchik kindly supplied of letters passed through the
not part of the stamp stock office, taking, as far as we me with a photocopy of his city's post office during that
taken ashore by Robinson. know, all of its remaining exhibit. That has been the period. Happy hunting.
Some of the earliest covers postal paraphernalia. source of some of the details Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
mentioned in this article, in- co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
from Veracruz bear the hall- Before concluding this Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
marks of philatelic inspira- brief coverage of the Ve- cluding the cover in Figure 3. able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
tion. It is even reported that racruz affair, I want to give It's not too late to look for hardcover for $30. The third book in
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
stamp dealers sent stamps some credit to Mark examples of this brief event able from selected dealers or from
and covers to friends in the Banchik, another friend, who in postal history to round out Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 15, 1993

Key authority on late 19thweentury cancels

Mexican cancellations have cellations with a lot less fi- was in full swing. smaller, older towns did not Larger cities created branch
always held a great fascina- nancial outlay. There is also The number of post of-receive new handstamps post offices ("sucursales")
tion for me. I have dedicated an excellent chance of find- promptly, and continued
fices, too, was growing daily. and placed post boxes ("bu-
several of my Linn' s columns ing something new and as yet using their stampless era
In fact, there were more than zones") in busy neighbor-
to that subject. unrecorded. postmarks as cancelers.
twice as many post offices of hoods for the convenience of
This fascination unques- This era, from the 1880s to all types in 1900 than thereIt's always exciting to find postal customers. Mail depos-
a stamp or cover canceled in ited in these facilities often
DE a small town in the 1890s or bore postmarks noting that Figure 3. Markings used on
Mexico CERTIFICADO EN SAYULA even the early 1900s, bearing fact, including those shown mail deposited at Mexico
By Dale Pulver one of the familiar hand- in Figure 3. City branch post offices
SALE EN DE DE 18
stamps of Mexico's classic Schimmer's bilingual book (left) and street mailboxes.
era. handily guides one through
tionably underlies a decision Figure 1. These handstamps from the town of Sayula in Other postal changes gave the intricate postal workings coach or rail. These maps are
I made many years ago to the state of Jalisco are typical of the standardized post- rise to interesting postmarks, of the era. While most of its even useful to students of the
specialize in this country. It marks introduced by Mexico's General Post Office begin- too. A great deal of mail of 472 pages are devoted to the classic era, because they lo-
also motivated me to form ning in the late 1870s. The "FRANCO/EN/SAYULA" oval this period was handled by cate small towns often miss-
reproduction of postal mark-
two exhibits that focus di- is the marking most frequently used to cancel stamps. contractors — privately ing on many larger maps.
ings, the stamp issues on
rectly on postmarks and can- As Schimrner stated in his
cellations. the end of the century, was a were in 1874, at the begin- introduction, a catalog like
The beginning of Chapter time of great change in the ning of the period covered by this one can never be said to
6 of my recent book, Intro- Mexican postal system, with the Schimmer book. be complete. Schimmer urged
duction to the Stamps of plenty of puzzles to work out There also was a concerted readers to report new find-
Mexico, is really an overview and explain. attempt by Mexico's general ings, which he would publish
of collecting possibilities of And, as for the earlier peri- post office to standardize the from time to time in the
cancellations from the so- ods of Mexico's postal his- shape and form of cancelers. MEPSI journal, Mexicana.
called classic period. tory, we are blessed with ex- Figure 1 shows the direc- Apparently, collectors have
One can approach the field cellent reference material. tion in which this standard- Figure 2. Postmarks used by private-contract mail carriers had a field day searching out
by acquiring stampless covers In 1977 the Mexico- ization was moving, in the in Mexico, including a Wells, Fargo marking from San new entries to add to the
bearing early postmarks, or Elmhurst Philatelic Society form of three handstamped Luis Potosi and one from the steamship City of Alexandria. 4,000-odd that were in the
go after stamps and covers International published a markings from the town of original book. Since January
after 1856, when the first ad- large work titled The Post- Sayula. Sayula is located owned railroads, steamships, which they are found and 1978, more than 100 pages of
hesive postage stamps ap- marks of Mexico, 1874-1900. south of Guadalajara in the express companies, and so their relative scarcity, there is additions, corrections and
peared. Assembled and written by state of Jalisco. forth. a wealth of information on modifications have appeared.
This latter route, however, Karl Schimmer, it is truly a Each post office was to Such mail is often graced post office operation, rates
puts a serious dent in the remarkable compendium of have at least one device for with distinctive markings, and mail routes. I'm confident there are still
pocketbook. This is espe- postal informatiOn for the canceling stamps, and pos- such as the magenta ovals of Postmarks are grouped ge- more to be found, each one a
cially true when all of the final two and one-half de- sibly one or two others — a Wells, Fargo y Cia., which ographically by states (the fresh opportunity to experi-
common marks have been cades of the 19th century. postmark for Official cor- had dozens of offices along headings read "estado"), as ence the thrill of finding
obtained and the search nar- Among the things that respondence, and a postmark Mexico's west coast, or the opposed to the postal district something previously unre-
rows to those of the smaller were going on in Mexico at for registry items. These de- handstamps used by the arrangement used in earlier corded in the philately of
postal suboffices. that time that make postmark vices were to be made for steamships ("vapores") that postal history studies. Mexico!
But the latter two decades hunting so exciting was that and distributed from the plied the coastal waters of There is also a series of Schimmer's remarkable
of the 19th century, after the the country was undergoing Mexico City General Post Mexico and carried mail. Ex- state maps taken from origi- book is still available from
end of the so-called classic rapid growth. Railroads were Office. amples of both types of nal sources that show mail MEPSI for $50, a wonderful
period, offers an equal op- being built, mines were being But some changes occur markings are shown in Figure routes, and how the mail was investment for anyone intent
portunity to explore for can- opened and industrialization slowly in Mexico. Many 2. carried by foot, horseback, on exploring the postal his-
tory of late 19tlkentury
Mexico. Ancl there is a 20
percent discount for MEPSI
members — surely an incen-
tive for those readers who
have not previously heeded
my recommendation to join
this group.
Book buyers should write
Carl LeMar John, 5063 E.
North Regency Circle, Tuc-
son, AZ 85711-3000 for de,
tails. For information on
MEPSI membership, contact
John Kordich, 1014 37th St.,
San Pedro, CA 90731.

Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-

co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
hardcover for $30. The third book in
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
able from selected dealers or from
Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365.•
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 19, 1993

Enjoy the engraving detail on your stamps

How long has it been since stamp of 1915, Scott 512, il- from perspectives that are no been deprived of these won- Also in 1934, Mexico is-
you've looked at your lustrated in Figure 1. If you longer possible because of derful designs, considering sued a new series of surface
stamps? I mean really looked have a cleanly printed copy tree growth and new con- how few collect revenues. mail definitives (also air-
at them, with an 8x loupe, or you will be amazed at the struction. The detail obtainedThey, too, are worth examin- mails) that were engraved
even something stronger? amount of detail visible under by the engravers, even to the ing under strong magnifica- and well executed, too. Sev-
Most of us grab a glass 8x magnification. Boundaries point of including the corn- tion. eral new subjects were intro-
I wonder how many people duced with this set, including
have noticed the two faces at the famous Angelita (Inde-
Mexico the top of the pillars on ei- pendence Monument) shown
By Dale Pulver ther side of the potter de- in Figure 2. Everyone who
picted on the 40c Pro-U visits Mexico City sees this
stamp? The one on the left monument on his first drive
when we're trying to check
seems to be eyeing his coun down the magnificent Paseo
for a hairline plate crack or a
terpart on the right, and vice de la Reforma.
double transfer, but I'm not
versa. Only the 5-peso and The 4c value in the same Figure 3. When viewed
sure too many of us gaze at
10p values have inscriptions set, featuring the Arch of the through a magnifier, spe-
the fine detail of an ordinary
describing the subject of the Revolution, also reveals re- cific details on the Arch of
engraved stamp under moder-
stamps, and they are identi- markable engraving detail the Revolution stamp be-
ate magnification just to see
cal: "la ofrenda" (the offer- under magnification. Shown come much more apparent.
what's there. Perhaps all
ing). Scott chooses to label in Figure 3, this edifice, stamps at lower cost. The
those years our stamps have
only the 5p such, calling the which dates from the last 1934 definitives, for example,
reposed in their albums
10p figure a "Worshiper." years of the Porfirian era were reissued in smaller for-
there'•s something we've
Perhaps that's not too bad, (prior to 1910) was the first mat (Scott 729-33), and not
missed seeing.
but it suggests the original construction in what was surprisingly, some of the de-
I write this as the blizzard
Figure 1. A remarkably detailed engraved map of Mexico cataloger may not have originally to have been a new tail of their engraved forerun-
of '93 swirls about the house,
checked the stamps closely government headquarters cen- ners was lost.
and I needed an excuse to is the featured design of Mexico Scott 512.
with his glass. ter. But the civil wars began Still, Mexico continued to
take a trip to sunny Mexico, of all Mexican states appear plete names of the subjects in
where it's usually very pleas- with their names, albeit often the designs, is truly astonish- and those grandiose plans produce engraved postage
ant this time of year. So I in abbreviated form. The ing. were abandoned. stamps, both regular and
started by checking some of major rail lines and steamship I have already written a If you look at this stamp commemorative, and many
the engraved regular issue routes are clearly shown. In couple of times about the carefully you can almost read were brilliantly executed.
stamps of the 1920s, 1930s fact, one could almost use it 1934 Pro-Universidad set, the inscription on the face of For some time I have won-
and 1940s that portray many for a tour map through the which is one of my favorites. the structure above the arch. dered who these craftsmen
of the sights tourists spend a country. It is an exquisite series of Furthermore, in the two cir- actually were, but have never
fortune nowadays to visit. When this stamp was reis- stamps portraying Indian cles below the "4" are the found references to them or
The Mexican government sued in 1923 in violet (Scott crafts. These designs, long- letters "A" and "D." I mention of them in any of
printing office that was re- 647), some of its companions time readers will recall, were don't know for sure, but the philatelic literature I have
sponsible for producing in the set were famous stat- adopted from revenue stamps these may have been the ini- studied. Some day I hope to
stamps and other revenue ues and other attractions fre- of the early 1930s, and obvi- tials of the engraver. Neither track them down; they de-
paper employed some very quently visited by tourists. ously saved the folks at the of these details would be vis- serve credit for their fine
good engravers in those days, The Chapultepec Castle and printing office a great deal of ible to the unaided eye. work.
and their work deserves close the Pyramid of the Sun at money. Figure 2. The Independence By the late 1930s photo- So, if you have a good
inspection, if not adiniration. Teotihuacan are beautifully But that's OK; had they Monument pictured on gravure and lithography had imagination and an 8- or 10-
Take, for example, the 40- reproduced on two other not done so, much of the Scott 713 is one admired by been adopted as a regular power magnifier, you can
centavo slate-colored map stamps in the set, perhaps philatelic world could have visitors to Mexico City. means for producing postage (Continued on next page)
Mexican engraving
(From previous page) allegorical subject matter be-
easily make quite a tour of came fashionable. Most of
Mexico, its heroes and its them are labeled, too, so you
monuments by simply look- will know what you are
ing closely at its postage viewing.
stamps. Bon voyage!
You might want to include
some of the 20th-century rev-
enue stamps in your itinerary, Introduction to the Stamps of Mexico
by Dale Pulver, a compilation of Linn's
too. There are some very at- Mexico columns, is now available in soft-
tractive scenes and vistas por- cover edition for $14.95 or hardcover for
trayed on the Renta Interior $30. The third book in the Linn's Hand-
book series, it is available from selected
stamps of the 1920s and dealers or from Linn's, Box 29, Sidney,
early 1930s before modern OH 45365. ■
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 17, 1993

Research materials are varied and useful

A recent letter from a read- pices of the New York Col- the late Norwegian collector, ized stamp catalogs — those studying and exhibiting this umn. These two books are
er suggested that I dedicate lectors Club as Handbook Abraham Odfjell, entitled The by Phillips (1917) and Agu- issue recently. definitely still available and I
an article to summarizing No. 4 in a limited edition of Stamps of the Postal Districts irre (1957) come to mind - Postal history students with would judge that a copy of
what literature, besides stamp 150 copies, and for years it of Mexico. Based on Chap- and articles in the philatelic a keen interest in Mexican the Yag-Bash book could be
catalogs, is available to help was tough to come by. man data, it was published by media, particularly Mexicana, postmarks of the 19th century located without too much dif-
As collecting Mexico be for further detailed informa- will find that the field is well ficulty.
came more popular, such lit- tion. served from start to finish. There really is no simple
Mexico erature disappeared from the The Postage Stamps
of Mexico
For the later issues of the For markings of the prestamp list of books that deal with
By Dale Pulver market into the tight clutches 19th century, the choice of era we have the Yag-Bash all the aspects of Mexican
1856-1868
of a small group of Mexican literature is more limited. work: The Pre-Stamp Postal philately. The search for in-
specialists, only to trade Samuel Chapman R.R. Billings dealt with the Markings of Mexico (MEPSI formation is similar to look-
the would-be serious collector hands at high auction prices. Hidalgo heads printed by the 1965, updated 1971). It is ing for elusive stamps; it
of Mexico. Fortunately, a 1976 reprint by American Bank Note Co. presently undergoing further takes time and persistence.
Longtime fans of this col- Quarterman Publications (Scott 105-22) in a small vol- updating and a revised edi- Good literature on Mexico
umn know that I frequently makes it available again, at ume he apparently published tion is due in the next couple does exist, and hopefully this
refer to the standard refer- reasonable cost from phila- himself in 1960. The com- of years. summary can put collectors
ences available to help us telic book dealers. plete title is Mexico Postal Postmarks found on Mexi- on the trail of reference
enjoy the study of Mexican Another rare, but useful, Issue of 1874-1883. It might can stamps of the 1900s are works that will aid them in
stamps and covers. Just two book for the classic issues is be hard to locate, but the well covered in two books: their chosen specialties.
months ago I finally got one written and published by American Philatelic Society The Cancellations of Mexico,
around to praising a wonder- two eminent French col- and other philatelic libraries 1856-1874, by Joseph Schatz-
ful book by my good friend lectors, Paul de Smeth and should have it. kes (1964), revised, updated Introduction to the Stamps of Mexico
by Dale Pulver, a compilation of Linn's
Karl Schimmer, Postmarks of Marquis de Fayolle: Les Pre- I know of no definitive and republished by William Mexico columns, is now available in soft-
Mexico 1874-1900 (Linn's, mieres Emissions du Mexique works on the medallion and Shelton in 1983, and the cover edition for $14.95 or hardcover for
March 15, page 32). (1856 a 1974). Published in numeral issues of 1884-87. Schimmer book, The Post- $30. The third book in the Linn's Hand-
Samuel Chapman's study book series, it is available from selected
The reader's suggestion is 1935, it built further on the These stamps represent an marks of Mexico, 1874-1900, dealers or from Linn'l, Box 29, Sidney,
The Postage Stamps of Mex-
a good one, but the scope of knowledge base established opportunity for some budding noted at the onset of this col- OH 45365.•
ico 1856-1868 contains sub-
what's available is much too by Chapman and his friends. philatelic research author.
stantial data compiled from
large for a single article. I'll The book contains a wealth The Transportation issue
official post office records.
begin by running down some of information but suffers (Scott 242-91), or Mulitas, as
of the better resources for two shortcomings: It is dif- the Mexico Elmhurst Phila- seasoned Mexico collectors
19th-century stamps and post- ficult to locate, and is written telic Society International in call them, have been well
al history, and perhaps we in the French language. There convenient loose-leaf form covered in Karl Schimmer's
can deal with the 20th cen- is a recent Spanish transla- that allows easy use as a monograph published as a
tury in a future column. tion, but this may not over- checklist. supplement to MEPSI's jour-
By now, most people know come the reluctance of En- The aforementioned refer- nal, Mexicana, in 1972, with
that in Mexican philately my glish-speaking collectors to ences embrace the majority additions from time to time
first love is the classic use a source in other than of Mexican stamp issues in the pages of that publica-
stamps of the first design. their own native tongue. bearing overprints of district tion.
Probably the best book in In a way, I have found names and consignment num- Finally, there is no single
English for facts and figures both the Chapman work and bers. They also contain some book on the 1899-1903 issue,
about these stamps is The the de Smeth and de Fayolle background on the printing which lately has been receiv-
Postage Stamps of Mexico, cumbersome. I have relied in- processes and post office ing collector attention, al-
1856-1868, by Samuel Chap- stead, for facts and figures on operation. though we might see some-
man. It originally was pub- stamp production and distri- Serious researchers will thing soon from the prolific
lished in 1927 under the aus- bution, on a compilation by want to consult early special- Schimmer who has been
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 21, 1993

Mexico special delivery worth

If you want to embark on in red and the vignette in and paper differences. Fortu- nomination and color
the study of an underappreci- black, and printed on unwa- nately, the stamps are also changes. In 1940, when the
ated, yet interesting facet of termarked paper. This same more plentiful, and therefore special delivery rate returned
Mexican philately, I've got design was reprinted in 1923 much cheaper to the special- to 20c, old stocks of E2, the
the perfect suggestion for on watermarked paper (Scott ist. Two plate formats were second motorcycle stamp,
were overprinted "1940" in
violet, and saw extensive use
Mexico until the archer stamp could
By Dale Pulver be issued with the proper de-
nomination.
Motorcycles came back in
you: special delivery stamps 1950, followed by other de-
and usages. signs suggestive of rapid de-
True, these are back-of-the- livery service, such as the
book items eschewed by "hands and dove" motif and
many collectors, but that's a jet plane encircling the
precisely the point. As far as globe.
I can tell, they have been all *-"
but neglected by serious phi-
„ow lw.x.:ALALT4ro - The final special delivery
310,1116111E.111* SE,411U X ZI11,1". AXE 111EnnIt stamp Mexico issued, E27,
latelists. While searching for rfc<NA-Wslq:
background in my rather showed a pocket watch, but
large collection of Mexico- apparently came too late for
related reference material, I Figure 1. The first-design Mexico special delivery stamp proper usage since special de-
found virtually nothing writ- had three issues: 1919, 1923 and 1940 (overprinted). livery service, as originally
ten about them in the stand- constituted, ceased in the
ard sources. The subject mat- type 156) and is much more used, 25 and 50 subjects, mid-1970s. I have never seen
ter appears ripe for original common than the earlier with the latter being the rarer a correct usage on cover of
research. emission. of the two. this final 2-peso special de-
I want to thank two collec- According to Follansbee, The motorcycle stamps livery stamp, so Scott is
tor friends, G.H. Davis and who has been studying these persisted until 1934 when the probably justified pricing it
Nick Follansbee, for sharing stamps for more than a de- special delivery rate was low- in italics.
much of the basic informa- cade, there are two distinct ered to 10 centavos, requiring As noted earlier, usages of
tion that appears in this ar- papers for El: a thin, wove a new stamp (E3). It por- special delivery stamps on
ticle; they are already becom- type showing the characteris-
ing experts in the area. tic mesh pattern when viewed
A complete collection of against a strong light, and a
Mexican special delivery much thicker paper in which
stamps -- there are 27 major the mesh pattern is barely
varieties — will probably visible.
cost you less than $100 in Happily, at least for seri-
very fine, unused condition, ous specialists, this first de-
and much, much less than sign is available in the form
that if used. Only an unused of trial color proofs, both
Scott El, the first issue, and perforated and imperforate, in
a 1951 redrawn variety, Scott numerous combinations.
E12, will set you back dollars Generally, the perforated
in the double digits. proofs have frames in dark
More challenging will be red (distinct from the issued
the acquisition of unused stamp), brown, blue, green
multiples (blocks, etc.) of the and orange, with vignettes Figure 2. This postal card (Higgins and Gage type 121)
first issue and proper usages printed in black. The imper- was mailed Nov. 7, 1921, and processed at 6 p.m. It is
on cover. The latter may not forate trials, on thicker paper likely that delivery occurred later that same evening.
be expensive, just hard to and overprinted "MUES- trayed a Toltec runner, fa- cover can be frustratingly
find. TRA" (sample), exist in an mous in folklore for rapid de- elusive for the first issue, but
Special delivery service even broader array of colors, livery of royal messages in they do appear once in a
was initiated in Mexico May with perhaps as many as 20 the pre-Spanish conquest era. while. Figure 2 shows an in-
1, 1919. The first special de- combinations. Then came the photogra- teresting item from G.H.
livery stamp, illustrated in Follansbee notes that the vure "archer" stamps, E4- Davis' collection. It's a 2c
Figure 1, featured a postman philatelic aspects of E2 are E6, the first of which ap- postal card addressed to a
driving a motorcycle with a even more complex, with peared that same year. destination only a mile or
sidecar. It is an engraved bi- several variations of the wa- This design was used right two from the sender. The
colored stamp with the frame termark, minor color shades, up to 1950, with some de- sender was willing to pay the
 iprse
Bodolfe rtj.
'ye. LI- 50.

Ii1.7?
, :‘,1.1•
FntLeits414.

EXPRES
Kula lootli a

Figure 3. This airmail special delivery letter with return

receipt request was mailed in Tijuana Dec. 26, 1959. It is
backstamped Fallbrook on the following day. Total post-
age on this piece was 2 pesos 95 centavos ($0.236 U.S.).
rather stiff 20c "immediate" manded (indicated by the AR
delivery fee to assure its ar- in the circle directly above
rival the same evening it was the address).
mailed. Franking consisted of the
During the 1940s, 1950s 35c special delivery "hands
and 1960s, the special de- and dove" stamp, three air-
livery service appears to have mails (two different), and two
been used frequently. Busi- different surface-mail stamps.
ness covers demonstrating its There is also a 10c tuberculo-
use are plentiful; the extra sis stamp, but this does not
cost to speed delivery was figure into the postage re-
certainly reasonable. quirement. All in all, it
Very often there were makes a very attractive mod-
other postal services involved ern postal history item.
with special delivery letters,
and these can combine to So here you have another
produce a rather interesting opportunity in Mexican phi-
and colorful cover, to say lately for the moderately en-
nothing of the fun one can dowed collector. One can
have analyzing the rate find fascinating covers like
breakdown. the one in Figure 3 for a cou-
ple of dollars or less by
The cover shown in Figure
checking the foreign cover
3 is a case in point. It was
mailed from Tijuana, in Baja boxes almost every bourse
dealer has on his table. I
California, Mexico, to Fall-
know. I've found dozens of
brook, Calif. Although only
65 miles separated the two interesting items in this man-
towns, the Mexican sender ner. Good hunting!
specified airmail, which poses
the interesting question of Introduction to the Stamps of Mexico
by Dale Pulver, a compilation of Linn's
whether the letter was actu- Mexico columns, is now available in soft-
ally transported in this man- cover edition for $14.95 or hardcover for
ner. $30. The third book in the Linn's Han-
book series, it is available from selected
It was also sent registered, dealers or from Linn's, Box 29, Sidney,
and a return receipt was de- OH 45365. •
12 UNN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 19, 1993

One-frame exhibits highlight Mexico topics

In April of this year, the black of 1874-78, shown in exhibit, showing color proofs, label them as provisionals, amples of the earliest-known
Collectors Club of Kansas Figure 1, a common stamp in overprint varieties, a page of these stamps were originally cancels and elusive postmarks
City and the American As- those times. His 16 pages ex- rare consignments and a conceived as a general issue from offices from which only
sociation of Philatelic Exhibi- amined the stamp in great broad assortment of covers for the 1924 rebellion in one or two examples are re-
tors co-sponsored Ameri- depth, showing a plate proof, bearing the stamp. southern Mexico. corded.
stamp Expo 93, the first of trial color overprints, a large One of the cover highlights But the man behind the Two pages were devoted to
putsch, Adolfo De La Huerta, the famous diligencias oval
was quickly defeated by loyal from Toluca shown in Figure .
Mexico federal forces, and precious 2, in which a stagecoach and
team forms the design. His
By Dale Pulver few of the stamps were ever Figure 2. This cut shows
used. Those that were, invari- the fancy diligencias (stage- material spanned the time
ably on local letters within coach) cancellation used in frame of 1853-78.
what is hoped will be a large Yucatan and part of Toluca from circa 1856-60. This form of treatment is
annual show devoted exclu- Campeche with March and not always successful — that
sively to one-frame (16-page) April dates of that year, are mail of mid-19th century is, picking gems out of a
exhibits. keenly sought by specialists. Mexico. Stagecoach (dili- larger body of material -
Among the 159 entries at gencia) offices sold stamps but in this case it worked and
this event were five devoted Follansbee, noted for his and also had special self- was well rewarded. The ex-
to the stamps and postal his- love of the unusual back-of- designating cancelers. hibit won a platinum medal
tory of Mexico. When the the-book material, has as- For Ameristamp Expo, and one of the four reserve
awards were posted, all live sembled a truly impressive Rubio selected material from grand awards (postal history).
had achieved medals in the study of these scarce items. this large exhibit and taste- My own exhibit, which
top two categories, either Figure 1. Single-frame exhibits shown at Ameristamp He displayed some of the fully arranged it in an inter- also took a platinum award,
platinum (highest level) or Expo 93 were developed based on the 10-centavo black largest known blocks, did one esting one-frame summary of is titled "Making the 2-reales
gold (next highest level). (left) and the 100c stamps of the 1874-83 Hidalgo issue. page on plate flaws, another this facet of Mexican postal Rate, 1856-68." My ap-
on perforation varieties, and history. He included ex- proach was to show, using
I have always found the sample of the district name was a rare example of a included a total of nine cov-
one-frame format appealing and invoice number over- quadrisect of the 100c used ers in the exhibit. This is par-
and have mounted several prints, blocks, watermarked to pay a local rate. He also ticularly impressive consider-
such exhibits, one of which papers, errors, and many rare displayed several registered ing that experts believe only
was entered at Kansas City. usages on cover. In the latter fronts always popular with 50 to 60 such items have sur-
Three other experienced col- group were covers to foreign the classic-era collector. Both vived.
lectors of Mexico joined the destinations, many with due exhibits received gold med- Follansbee's concept of the
competition. The themes, or notations (Mexico was not als. one-frame exhibit is, I feel,
subject matter, of these dis- yet in the Universal Postal Another gold medal win- an ideal one. He has chosen a
plays are illustrative of the Union), and a spectacular bi- ner, Nick Follansbee, took a subject of narrow scope,
many possibilities in Mexican sect. slightly different approach which offers insufficient ma-
philately suitable for this The other exhibit focused and showed the postal history terial for a multiframe ex-
treatment. on the 100c denomination, of what the Scott catalog lists hibit, and lends itself to a
In two separate exhibits, also in Figure 1, the top as the Yucatan Revolutionary fairly thorough treatment in
Ralph Herdenberg selected value in the set. This stamp issue (the last stamps listed the limited space available.
two stamps from his larger paid the basic registry fee, al- in Scott's Mexico section). One of my favorite dis-
coverage of the 1874-83 though it was liberally used His exhibit title, "The plays on the exhibition circuit
Hidalgo issue (Scott 105-45) in the franking of heavy let- Stamps of the De La Huerta is Armando Rubio's "Dili- Figure 3. Small-town post offices frequently cut their
for detailed study. The first ters. Again, Herdenberg used Revolt," alerts us to the fact gencias Generales," a study little-used 8-reales stamps into quarters to pay the com-
dealt with the 10-centavo the classic approach in his that while some philatelists of the so-called stagecoach mon, everyday 2r rate. It was a legal improvisation.
covers, the many ways a now allocate a section for
common postal rate was paid one-frame exhibits.
with stamps of the first de- In my view, collectors of
sign. Mexico have numerous op-
This involves not only the portunities to compete in this
obvious use of 2r stamps, but field. Quite apart from the
also strips and pairs of lower exhibits reviewed here, there
values, and fractions, or are dozens of other philatelic
"splits," of the 4r and 8r niches ideally suited for this
stamps as is illustrated in format: Gothic "Mexico"
Figure 3. Whenever possible, overprints on watermarked
I chose unusual usages to add stamp (1867), " Anotado"
interest. overprints (1868 issue), for-
My display, like the dili- eign mail issue (1879-84),
gencias exhibit, was formed civil war locals (many pos-
with material from some of sibilities), the inflation year
my other exhibits, so I am (1916), aviation week (1929),
able to get "double duty" insured letter stamps and us-
out of these pieces. And, I ages, and postage due stamps
feel that the title amply alerts and usages, to name but a
the judges that the scope of few.
the exhibit can be restrictive Might it be time for you to
rather than comprehensive. think about an exhibit along
The popularity of one- these lines?
frame exhibiting seems to be
on the rise. Not only are introduction to the Stamps of Mexico
by Dale Pulver, a compilation of Linn's
there attempts to recognize Mexico columns, is now available in soft-
this on a national scale like cover edition for $14.95, or hardcover for
Ameristamp Expo, but also $30. The third book in the Linn's Hand-
book series, it is available from selected
several of the World Series dealers, or from Linn's, Box 29, Sidney,
of Philately qualified shows OH 45365. ■
46 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 16, 1993

Essays and proofs of 19th century Mexico

General collectors often essays or other preliminary by the American Bank Note essays, but there is some 1979 and has not been seen
don't pay much attention to designs are known. Co. of New York, has a feeling that these items may since.
essays, proofs and other trial All denominations are number of proofs. This issue have been made after the fact The stamp in Figure 3,
printings of the stamps they found printed in black on really never saw postal use, for display at the 1893 Chi- from my collection, is a plate
collect, but it is an area of thin, white wove paper, in- except for a few still disputed cago Columbian Exposition. proof of the 25c denomina-
utmost interest and impor- cluding a strip of five of the covers purportedly canceled One of the most sought tion. The proof is lightly
in Monterrey. after die proof items of the printed in pale blue; the
Die proofs with blank Eagle issue has two mis- stamp as issued is orange
Mexico name and value tables are aligned strikes of the 3- brown.
By Dale Pulver known, but are very rare. En- centavo on thick white wove Proofs and rare essays are
graved die proofs on India paper. Only two copies of known for both the issues of
paper mounted on cards (35 this - rarity have been re- 1868 and 1872. It should be
tance to specialists. millimeters by 47mm) are corded, and if sold, would no noted that the 1868 proofs
This class of material is known in colors as issued doubt fetch a price in the are found engraved and print-
usually quite scarce and rare- and other shades.
ly found in the average deal- thousands of dollars. ed on thick papers, both
Figure 1 shows the 2r pale Figure 2. Apparently Em- A great flurry of activity in white and colored, whereas
er's stock. Seasoned exhibi- blue, mounted on a card on peror Maximilian was not
tors, on the other hand, know essays and other proposed de- the actual stamps were pro-
which is printed the number pleased with the rendition signs occurred before the
that it is a vital part of a "230," possibly too faint to on this essay, and it was
good showing and, if avail- Maximilian profile heads
show in the illustration. I eventually discarded•. were accepted (Scott 26-34).
able, it is necessary for top have several others on the
awards in the study of a spe- perial Eagle, actually a slight Many suggested designs, for
thin India paper, perhaps modification of the Mexican which essays exist, show
cific stamp issue. soaked off their original card
Figure 1. This engraved die coat of arms. An eagle hold- three-quarters or full-face
This column will explore mounts.
proof from the so-called ing a serpent in its mouth, views of the young emperor.
some of the specialized mate-
Juarez issue of 1864 is As one might expect, the perched on a cactus, wears a
rial that exists for classic One of the best known is
printed on India paper and engraving is first rate, and a crown. The second design
19th-century Mexican issues, an engraved essay attributed
mounted on a card. joy to inspect under magnifi- was a profile portrait of Max-
including stamp designs or to the Belgian artist Delpi-
suggestions for designs that 1/2-real. These items are all cation. The stamps them- imilian. erre. Illustrated in Figure 2,
were never adopted. Unfortu- rare and expensive, and the selves, originally shipped in There are plate proofs of this essay exists in many col-
nately, so little material is strip may be unique. huge quantities to the Juarez the eagles in the colors of ors, but these portraits appar-
available that cost of acquisi- A 1912 issue of Mekeel's revolutionary government, issue on thin, wove, qua- ently were not to Max-
eventually found their way drilled paper. They are fairly Figure 3. The plate proof
tion can be an obstacle for reported colored die proofs of imilian's liking and were dis-
into the philatelic market and scarce and may fetch $50 or shown here is printed in
many collectors. Still, it is all five values, but the where- carded.
are very common indeed. So more (each) when they ap- light blue, while the issued
possible to obtain a few rep- abouts of any of these pieces Essays and numerous
much so, in fact, that numer- pear at auction. stamp is orange brown.
resentative examples at prices is unknown. A 2r plate I proofs of the profile stamps
within reach for most serious proof is occasionally seen in ous attempts were made to There are two other eagle exist as well. One such item duced by lithography.
hobbyists. red (I have an example in my enhance their appeal to col- items that crop up occasion- contained six engraved es- The hastily prepared 1872
Mexico's first stamp de- exhibit). There is also a strip lectors with bogus overprints, ally: a 1r stamp in ultrama- says, each of a different issue is often cited as Mexi-
sign, which includes the is- of six of this same stamp in revaluations and forged can- rine and a 2r stamp in or- color, printed side by side as co's worst stamp of the 19th
sues of 1856, 1861, and the olive-green on soft paper cellations. ange. a strip on stiff white paper. It century from the standpoint
expedient usages of remain- adorning a frequently exhib- During the Maximilian They differ from the actual included two values (3c and of both design and produc-
ders from those issues in ited collection of the first monarchy, 1864-67, there stamps in that the upper cor- 100c) that were later dropped tion.
1867-68, had only a few issue. were two major stamp de- ners contain rosettes instead from the series. This priceless We frequently encounter
proofs that survived for later The so-called Juarez issue signs. The first was that of of square ornaments. Most gem was in the Beal collec- examples that, under magnifi-
generations of philatelists. No of 1864 (Scott 14-17), printed what philatelists call the Im- philatelists classify these as tion when it was stolen in cation, appear to be more
 clearly printed than the origi- into this area, I suggest
nals and could be taken for Proofs, Essays, Sample, Spec-
some sort of proof. However, imen & Test Stamps of Mexi-
in most cases these turn out co, a priced catalog written
to be the so-called Spiro by Fred Ingham. 'It is a very
forgeries, which are indeed good guide to what was
much better executed than the known about the subject in
real stamps. 1979, the year of the last edi-
. This takes us through the tion.
early classic issues. More es- It was published by the
says and proofs worthy of at- Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic
tention exist for the balance Society International
of the 'century, but they will (MEPSI), and still should be
need to be addressed in a fu-' available for about $10. Con-
ture column. tact Carl LeMar John, 5063
For those readers who N. Regency Circle, Tucson,
might want to delve further AZ 85711.•
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 20, 1993

New reference for Eagles is comprehensive

The collecting possibilities labor of love for Corbett, will stamp shipments from the Samuel Chapman, Eduardo Another distraction was the some people off, but it is not
of Mexico's Eagle stamps be warmly welcomed by that main post office to the outly- Aguirre and John Bash. use of double spacing an outrageous figure for such
(Scott 18-25) have been tout- small, but loyal band of afi- ing district offices and subof- These men have all passed to throughout the book for para- a comprehensive treatise. Fur-
ed several times in this col- cionados. fices. their just rewards but left im- graph and header breaks. This ther, only 300 copies are
umn since its inception 10 Although I have not yet A typical postal district portant documentation upon results in a lot of wasted being printed, so that ulti-
years ago. These classic seen the published edition listing (there are more than which Corbett has built. space. Since it was obvious mately there may be a good
(due at the end of August, Stamp valuation is often a the book was computer gen- chance for value appreciation.
after I write this column), the preoccupation of collectors, erated, a suitable macro could The author has promised no
Mexico book itself is organized and and Corbett deals with this have been used to reduce reprints or second editions.
By Dale Pulver written to be user friendly. aspect rather neatly through- paragraph spacing and render In my view, this book is a
An excellent seven-page out his book. He assigns 15 the text more pleasing to the must for all serious students
stamps have much to com- table of contents with suf- price ranges, designated by eye. of the monarchy issues, and a
ficient entry detail quickly di- letters from A to P, which he Also, tiny print is used for good value for specialists of
mend them for specialization:
a host of collectible varieties, rects the user to the object of uses to indicate the ap- captions, footnotes and the the classic era because of its
a reasonable floating supply his interest. At the opposite proximate amount one would like, possibly causing dif- general content. Corbett has
in the stamp marketplace, and end of the volume are two expect to pay for average ficulty for older collectors assembled a formidable
fine indices, one with cita- copies of the many varieties. with weakening eyesight. record and is to be compli-
a good assortment of phila-
tions according to an alpha- For example, A is $1-$3, B Despite these minor criti- mented for his long and pa-
telic literature available to
guide the beginning or inter- betical listing of the postal is $3-$5, and so on. A P- cisms, this book will be a tient labors on this complex
mediate collector. agencies, the other a general rated stamp should, according useful and important addition and difficult subject.
We are soon to have a new index by subject matter. to Corbett, fetch more than to the philatelic literature of The book is available from
reference work that will be- The early chapters and sec- $10,000, but I could not find Mexico. The price of $85 Mexico Philatelic Library As-
come, without any doubt, the tions concentrate on the A new and highly recom- one such example in any of plus $4.50 shipping and han- sociation, Box 577, Stanton,
bible for collectors of these book's format and basic in- mended reference work for his tables. dling will no doubt scare CA 90680. ■
interesting stamps. I recently formation such as the politi- collectors of Mexico's first These literal codes appear
received a prepublication cal situation in Mexico at the issue of the empire provides in a value strip wherever
copy of Imperial Eagles of time, the mail system and complete information for stamps are listed, and provide
Maximilian's Mexico by Leo how it operated, rates, and the eagle issues of 1864-66. a handy guide for the reader.
V, Corbett, longtime collector definitions. 300 pages of them) will in- The book, therefore, is a
and student of this issue. After that there is a thor- clude a short historical note, price catalog as well as an
It is truly an encyclopedic ough discussion of the actual usually with some reference encyclopedic listing of what
treatment of the subject, and stamps: designs, denomina- to mail service, a table listing exists in the Eagle series.
its 400-plus pages are packed tions, printing, invoice (con- invoice numbers, dates, quan- Another useful feature is a
with more information than signment) and district name tities of stamps shipped, valu- seven-page summary of avail-
has ever before been as- overprinting, subconsign- ation estimates, and notes on able references and recom-
sembled in one source. In ments, colors, plates, and all postal matters related to that mended reading material (in
fact, some collectors may the other minutiae of keen in- office. As a bonus, illustra- four languages).
contend that it is a case of terest to the specialist. Still, tions of relevant stamps and In a work so large and
overkill for a stamp issue that this material is presented in a covers accompany many of complex it is not surprising
saw postal service for only manner that will appeal to the listings. to find some flaws. In the
slightly more than two years. the novice and advanced col- Historical postal records photocopied sample edition
The Eagle stamps are a lector alike. have made this meticulous sent to me, I encountered
special case for collectors of The major portion of the analysis possible, work that numerous typos and other
classic Mexico, however, and book is devoted to tabular- earlier occupied a number of miscues that I trust will be
this fine work, an eight-year ized records of the individual noted philatelists including corrected in the final editing.
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 18, 1993

Markings tell story of dead letter odyssey

Some years ago I did an U.S. stamp was not recog-
article on Mexican "dead let- nized.
ters" of the revolutionary era. Also, the "888" struck
Because of its inherent inter- over the last few letters of
est, it was selected for inclu- "Mexico" probably refers to
sion in my book, Introduction a log entry number at the
•dead letter office used to
keep track of such letters.
Mexico This lost letter no doubt
By Dale Pulver
announced the death of a
friend or relative of the ad-
to the Stamps of Mexico. dressee, and we can only
Thanks to input from a loyal wonder how long it was be-
Linn's reader, I would like to fore that fact became known
do a reprise on that subject. to her.
The mourning cover il- During those terrible years
lustrated here front and back of civil war in Mexico, many
belongs to David Savadge. A such letters were sent that
while back he sent me a pho- never reached their destina-
tocopy for analysis and com- For reasons unknown, this mourning cover mailed from Veracruz never reached its intended addressee, and eventually tions.
ments. It is quickly identified it was sent to the dead letter office. Despite the fact that the letter is nearly 80 years old, it is possible to trace its
as a dead letter from 1914 Savadge did not tell me
journey by studying the markings on the back of the cover (shown at right), and several clues visible on the front. where he acquired this most
that was neither delivered to
the addressee nor successfully intriguing item, but it could
was originally mailed June 13 the dead letter office (Depto. After a period of time, However, a large number
returned to the originator. easily have been from a deal-
(1914) from Veracruz to a de Rezagos), where it was of- probably about 60 days, eventually reached the phila-
er of U.S. covers who was
I have several similar cov- lady, Dona Mercedes Forrel, ficially opened in search of when no one there claimed telic market, perhaps, as they
perhaps unsure of exactly
ers from this time frame. do General Delivery (Lista the name of the sender. the letter, it received yet an- say, "through the back door
what he had.
There was a lot of dislocation de Correos), Mexico (City). It was determined that Jose other handstamp, struck over at the P.O."
because of the civil war, and The U.S. stamp, although Amaviva of Veracruz was the the black borders of the clo- In any event, this probable It makes for a very unusual
such letters had to be com- adequate for postage abroad, originator of the letter, so his sure. breach of regulations has pro- addition to Savadge's collec-
mon. shouldn't have been used on name and address were writ- The inscription "cumplido vided philatelists with some tion of mourning covers. It
This example is somewhat mail directed to the interior. ten in red ink between the con la ley," or some such very interesting and collect- also confirms the fact that
unusual in that it bears a solo It was not recognized by the lines of the original address. wording, indicated that all ible examples of modern each and every postmark has
U.S. 50 stamp applied during government in control at the The letter was resealed with a lawful provisions for undeliv- postal history. a meaning and a reason for
the U.S. occupation and su- Mexican capital, so a 10- special stamplike adhesive erable letters had been com- The cover in question being on a letter. And it be-
pervision of the Mexican post centavo due marking was ap- across the opened edge, and plied with, and the letter was bears some other interesting hooves the serious collector
office at Veracruz at that plied to the face of the letter. the letter was returned to Ve- ready for disposal. markings that I did not de- to search for an explanation
time. This is the first such Although the letter was racruz. This was a standard The official seal was bro- scribe in the above analysis. behind such markings. My
cover I have seen with only a probably listed both at the procedure for unclaimed mail. ken, the contents were re- The two-line handstamp (in thanks to Savadge for sharing
U.S. stamp, but there is no post office and in local news- Backstamps tell us the let- moved and presumably de- purple) immediately to the his cover with us.
reason to believe there aren't papers, Forrel missed seeing ter arrived there Sept. 13, and stroyed. I have not yet found right of the 50 U.S. stamp Perhaps you can find
more floating around just like the notice, had left town or was listed as a returned letter. the official regulation on this says (in Spanish) that the let- something just as interesting
it. for some other reason failed The Sept. 22 U.S.M.A.G. point, but I believe the enve- ter was received at the dead in your next tour through the
The analysis of the cover to call for it. So, on or about backstamp gives evidence of lopes were supposed to be letter office without proper bourse tables at your local
is fairly straightforward. It Sept. 10 the letter was sent to this. destroyed, too. postage; in other words, the show. Good hunting! II
28 LINN S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 15, 1993

Two varieties of Mexico's first airmail stamp

The fact that there are two aerophilatelists and general variety status to the new It is the same paper as was "The vignettes of Nos. Cla ys. $26.50 (unused). This dif-
listings for the first airmail collectors seem to have ac- stamp. used for Scott 632, the 10- and C2a fluoresce a bright ference has grown even more
stamp issued by Mexico quired for themselves what- The Scott catalog empha- centavo blue and brown rose red under UV light." pronounced with time so that
probably doesn't arouse much ever first-issue airmail stamps sizes color differences, but stamp commemorating the There have been some in- the 1994 catalog pegs C 1 a at
concern from most general they needed. First-flight cov- these may be difficult for the "Abrazo de Acatempan," de- teresting price dynamics over $90 against a $60 figure for
collectors. To the airmail spe- ers exist, even though part of average collector to distin- sign A77. the years. In 1931, for ex- C1.
the journey was made by ample, shortly after Cl was If you own a first issue,
other means. Stamp dealers, reprinted as Cla, Scott priced you may want to check to
Mexico however, appear not to have the original 1922 stamp, then see if it is a Cl or Cla. De-
By Dale Pulver laid aside any extensive listed as Scott 901, at $12 pending on your collecting
stocks. (unused) with the reprinted objectives, securing examples
Incidentally, it is not variety (901a) at $4. These of both varieties may be
cialist, however, it is of some known exactly how many
importance. There is also an represented enormous price something worth considering.
C 1 s were actually issued; appreciations for stamps that The later printing is certainly
interesting story about how most catalogers report 20,000
these two varieties came to a few years earlier had been not so abundant as to be
being printed. How many easily obtained for just a few viewed as common.
exist. were sold is debatable. multiples of their face values. Now could be a good time
Scott C 1, illustrated in Fig- In the late 1920s, when According to the Cells to hunt for whichever one
ure 1, was issued in 1922 for airmail flights resumed in Cano Catalogo Especializado you need; stamp prices are
a genuine postal need. Fol- earnest, airmail specialists for Mexican stamps, only beginning to firm and I think
lowing on the heels of nu- and dealers who had neglect- 3,000 of the thin paper vari- Mexican airmails, many of
merous experimental flights, ed Mexico Cl in the begin- ety were printed and issued. which haven't been moving
Mexico was about to initiate ning began flooding Mexican Mexico's first airmail stamps show an eagle in full flight What has happened price- in the right direction lately,
airmail service, and wanted a dealers and the general post over the valley of Mexico City. The 1929 reprinting of the wise to the two stamps over may be ready for a resur-
distinctive, high denomina- office with orders that could original 1922 issue is the scarcest variety of the stamp. the years since the early gence.
tion stamp to signal the re- not be filled from available 1930s seems to underscore There are still some bar-
quirement for special han- stock. guish. The originals are de- Cla, printed seven years their relative scarcity. gains to be found, and a
dling. With much fanfare, an To satisfy this demand, the scribed as blue and red later, was on a thinner paper In the 1965 Scott catalog, stamp from a printing of only
inaugural airmail flight from post office opted to reissue brown, with the reprints de- of the type used for the Car- Cla had switched places with 3,000 could, for some of you,
Mexico City, bound for Tepic the first airmail stamp using fined as dark blue and claret. ranza commemorative air- Cl as the most valuable, $30 be one of them."'
on the west coast of Mexico, the original plates that had Viewed under oblique inci- mails, C5-10, etc.
by way of Guadalajara, was been kept on file in the post- dent light, the dark blue has a Another useful test, if one
set for April 8, 1923. al museum. Meanwhile, a sheen to it, whereas the first- has both varieties, is to lay
Because of bad weather stamp of identical design, C2, issue blue exhibits a dull, them face down on a dark
and mechanical problems printed on watermarked chalky appearance. If the surface. On the original, the
with the aircraft, the flight paper, had made its appear- stamps are unused (as most face design shows through
was never completed as ance. are), Cl gum is yellowish faintly, but on the later issue
scheduled. This failure caused In spite of diligent efforts and quite thick; the Cla gum it can be seen quite clearly
postal officials to rethink the to duplicate the earlier print- is white and thin. from the back. This is a sub-
whole idea of airmail, with ing, the result was not alto- Perhaps the best way to jective test, and one can be
the result that no further of- gether satisfactory and there tell the two apart, and the deceived if both varieties or
ficial flights were made until were noticeable differences in only way if the stamps have their counterparts aren't
many years later. the two emissions. The dif- been used, is to compare available.
In the meantime, the air- ferences were substantial paper. The Cl stamp is print- The 1994 Scott Standard
mail stamps were pulled from enough that the philatelic ed on a somewhat thick, Postage Stamp Catalogue
general sale. A few local world quickly assigned sub- closely grained wove paper. also offers this comment:
18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 20, 1993

Exporta series ends•, special delivery usage

A s I have done several received a slick promotional printed on the same domestic livery service, (Linn's, June E Xto-45.
times in the past, this year-. booklet, sponsored by the paper used for the final Ex- 21, page 28), L made an ill-
end article will address sev- Mexican postal service and porta printing and I have not advised speculation that Scott
eral subjects that by them- other government agencies. heard of any varieties yet. E27, the final Mexican spe-
selves may not merit a full- The new series is denomi- Curiously, although I re- cial delivery stamp issued in 20C
length feature. It also gives nated in new pesos, which ceive letters from Mexico 1976, probably came too late GILIFORNIA AIRCRAY2 INC-TIM2- 3 I"
fairly often, I have yet to see to have seen proper usage. zacumaa ASOCIADAS.
945 TERIOR BCOMARD, LOS ,a.raao
one of these new definitives G.H. Davis, who is cred-
Mexico used on my •mail. According ited in the article for provid-
CALIFORNIA 90015, U05.A

By Dale.Pulver to reliable sources, some of ing me with much of the in-

the Tourism stamps have formation reported, came
been available since June or back with not one, but two
me a chance to recognize a even earlier. The listing of 1978 examples showing at-
few loyal readers who have the Tourisin set in the De- tempted use of this stamp to
written to comment or ex- cember issue of Scott Stamp expedite delivery. One ex- Figure 2. This special delivery cover included two 80-
pand upon past offerings. Monthly does' not specify a ample is shown in Figure 2. centavo stamps for the correct air rate to the United
• States, and a 2-peso special delivery stamp. The 20c tu-
date of issue. Both letters were addressed
In my column of exactly to the United States. berculosis stamp was incidental, and paid no postal fees.
•
four years ago (Linn's, Dec. One wonders if the U.S.
11, 1989, page 8), I sug Hopefully I will find time code directory that I recom- serve him well.
Postal Service recognized
gested, as the result of intel- this winter to update my in- mended to him. I mention this because col-
their function and provided
ligence received from' a Mex-. formal Exporta checklist, the This softcover book, about lectors attempting to locate
appropriate service. There is
ican correspondent, that the latest version of which ap the size of a small-town towns or villages based on
no way to ascertain this. All
long and popular Exporta se- peared in my book, Introduc- phone directory, is equivalent modern postmarks may, due
we know is special delivery
ries of definitive stamps tion to the Stamps of Mexico. to a U.S. ZIP code directory, to heavy duplication of cer-
stamps were purchased and
would soon end, to be re- Figure 1. The 1.90-,peso That list was current up to
affixed to properly franked and lists virtually every post tain popular Mexican names,
placed by a set touting tour- value of the new Tourism about July 1992, and many office and its corresponding
letters by Mexican cor- get thoroughly confused.
ism in Mexico. definitives is one of two in new varieties have appeared code number in the entire
respondents. Do any other Such a listing, coupled
The following year I had the 12-stamp set designed since it was last revised, Now Linn's readers have ex- country. with the numeric codes that
to admit that I might have in a vertical format. that the Exporta series has
amples? It also contains other in- usually appear in contempo-.
been premature in my predic- are each worth 1000 of the ended, I can attempt to work
tion, but still the rumors per- old pesos, and which came up a final listing of all major
• formation relative to the rary postmarks, can solve a
mails that the modern postal lot of these problems. I'll be
sisted. into use at the first of the varieties. Like the United States and
historian will find useful, interested in hearing what
Events in the Mexican year. Denominations range Incidentally, certain stamps other large populous coun-
in some of the earlier print- provided he possesses a mod- luck other readers might have
postal service are sometimes from 0.90 pesos (about 260 tries, Mexico has a numerical
ings are becoming quite est familiarity with the Span- in acquiring and using this
slow to develop, and I can U.S.) to 6p (U.S. $1.93). postal code system to facili-
ish language. resource.
report now that the Exporta The 12 new stamps have a scarce and dealers have had tate the movement of mail. A
•
series has finally ended, and face value totaling 33.20p, trouble maintaining them in California reader, Ken Flagg, Flagg had considerable dif-
stamps with a tourism motif which works out to about stock. You know what hap- was keen on obtaining a di- ficulty securing his copy. Finally, since this is my
(as shown in Figure 1) have U.S. $10.65. One Mexican pens next: higher prices. If rectory of Mexican post of- Several letters to the pub- last opportunity to address
replaced them. new issue dealer is asking you've procrastinated in fill fices, both large and small, to lisher (Directorios Profesion- you before the holiday, I ex-
Denise Hatton scooped me about $18 for the set, al- ing some of those empty guide hitt in a postmark ales, Rio Panuco No. 38, Col. tend best wishes of the sea-
on this announcement in her though you might save a dol- spaces in your collection you project he was' undertaking. Cuautemoc, 06500 Mexico son, and hope all of you re-
D.F.) went unanswered. We ceive some great philatelic
World of New Issues column, lar or two if you shop may want to get busy. Thanks to contacts in Mex-
• ico, I was able to obtain a eventually located a used gift to ca off another year of
(Linn's, Aug. 30, page 12), around.
The stamps appear to be In my article on special de- copy of a Mexican postal 1990 edition that should stamp co cting! ■
even though I had previously
AL At A' A • . • •
22 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 17, 1994

Historical finds add to collecting mystique

Few of us are lucky a bargain price can be re- issues were lacking them. he lost his life in the fight- name. There was also an was amazed at the sums he
enough to be involved in an wards for our insight, but can It was about that time that ing, and no one else knew overprinted sheet of the 4r received from collectors for
original find of philatelic ma- you imagine the thrill of an old Mexican who had about the stamps. value, from which a few what he assumed had only
terial, and fev;/er still of any- being party to the discovery lived in Ciudad Victoria in Finally, when the man stamps had been clipped. modest value.
thing that is truly significant. of a truly important philatelic the 1850s came forward with reached old age and was in The total lot had a face In the intervening years,
True, every once in a while property? a remarkable story. As revo- need of money, he wrote to value of more than 500 most of the original sheets
This month's column will lutionists were about to over- the postal authorities in Mex- pesos, a huge sum, especially were subdivided into small
recap a few such discoveries run the city, the postmaster ico City to determine- if it in those days. blocks and single stamps.
Mexico that have had a profound im- of that city had entrusted to would be a crime to sell the It is reported that the fa- Unused VICTORIA over-
By Dale Pulver pact on Mexican philately. him for safekeeping a large stamps he had so carefully mous British collector Sam- printed 8r stamps similar to
The first story deals with inventory of stamps. In those guarded. Granted permission uel Chapman and the Mexi- the example in Figure 1 still
we may stumble across an overprinted stamps of the days of civil upheaval, postal to do so, he proceeded to can stamp dealer Eduardo crop up in auctions from time
item in a circuit book or first issue. Prior to the 1920s, employees were often forced look for buyers in the phila- Aguirre each purchased a to time. While scarce, they
dealer's stock that is unusual the 4-reales and 8r high de- to flee their posts under such telic market. complete pane at the time. It are not as rare as many other
or even rare which has not nominations of the 1856 circumstances. The inventory he had pre- is not known who acquired first-issue stamps, yet the
been recognized as such by issue from the postal district When things quieted down, served consisted of four com- the balance of the stamps, but mystique of their discovery,
the seller. of Ciudad Victoria were vir- the man entrusted with the plete panes (60 stamps each) it is certain that all reached which is generally known to
Perceiving such an item for tually unknown. Even the stamps expected them to be of the 8r stamp with name the philatelic market. specialists, keeps prices high.
what it is because of our largest and most extensive reclaimed, but the postmaster overprint, plus a partial sheet, The man who had saved One complete sheet still
knowledge, and acquisition at collections of Mexican first never came. It is presumed and four sheets without the the stamps all those years exists — or did as recently as
 JANUARY 17, 1994 LINN'S STAMP NEWS

six years ago. The late Jim happened less than 25 years cialists. whom the letters were ad
Beal in his collection had the ago. One group was obtained by dressed.
former Chapman pane, which A Mexican stamp and coin Mexican collector Alfredo All of us dream of locating
I believe fetched more than dealer was searching for old Basurto, who proceeded to a find or untouched archivi
$7,000 when it was sold by coins in a small town near make a careful inventory of some day but, of course, the
Harmers of New York in Jan- Mexico City when he stum- the pieces in his portion. He likelihood of this happening
uary 1988. There are prob- bled upon a small archive subsequently wrote a short is remote, and the chances di
ably a few other blocks float- consisting of some 475-odd article on the find for Mexi- minish as time goes on
ing around, too. covers, most of which were cana, summarizing the chro- However, the possibility al
In 19th-century Mexico, from the Apam postal dis- nology and other significant ways exists, and this is bu
most merchants and busi- trict. This district originally aspects of the covers. one aspect of our hobby tha
nesses kept correspondence straddled the junction of the makes it so exciting.
Most of these covers were •
on file for possible inspection states of Mexico, Tlaxcala
and Hidalgo. in the one-of-a-kind category Introduction to the Stamps
by tax collectors. This fortu- since no other significant ar- Mexico by Dale Pulver, a compilatic
nate practice preserved a lot Figure 2. The town cancel of Mineral del Oro, a small Again, the find was impor- of Linn's Mexico columns, is no,
chives from this district had
of stamps and covers that mining town 150 miles north of Durango, adorns a tant because even though been reported. available in softcover edition fc
might otherwise have been stampless cover from the Delius Brothers archives. stamps from the Apam were $14.95, or hardcover for $30. The thit
relatively common, covers Incidentally, this is known book in the Linn's Handbook series,
discarded. is available from selected dealers,
However, early collectors and aggressively sought out Mexican classic material. were not. The lot was broken as the "Vertiz" archive, from Linn's Stamp News, Box 2!
coveted stamps more than en- intact archives. The fact that Another important archive into sections for sale to spe- named for the businessman to Sidney, OH 45365. •
velopes with stamps on them, the same names are repeat- was that of the German con-
and dozens of business ar- edly encountered on early sulate in Guanajuato, which
chives were destroyed when Mexican covers signals that was in charge of the firm
that portion of the letter bear- many such archives did sur- Meyenberg & Co.
ing the stamp was torn or cut vive. This hoard consisted of
off. In 1949 a large archive of about 8,000 letters dated be-
Chapman realized the im- the commercial firm Delius tween 1868 and 1873. Luck-
portance of complete letters Hermanos (Delius Brothers) ily, the finder realized the
for postal history information, of Durango, Mexico, was postal history- importance of
sold at auction in New York. these letters, which were ar-
There were 4,500 covers in ranged in perfect chronologi-
this archive, many from small cal order (bless those Ger-
towns in the Durango postal mans), and useful information
district and nearby states was gleaned from the se-
from which few examples quence.
had previously been reported. For example, since there
There were also inbound cov- were - letters from Mexico
ers from ,Europe, where mem- City postmarked virtually
bers of the Delius family re- every day of the period, t e
sided or traveled for business dates bracketing the use of
reasons. the "Anotado" overprinted
T e Delius archive was stamps of 1868 were con-
par icularly strong in firmed from this file. The 40-
Figure 1. Unused 8-reales stampless material, and pro- day span during which
stamps with VICTORIA vided some very fine ex- "Anotado" stamps were sold
overprints, similar to the amples of small-town cancels, and used began about March
one pictured here, spring like that shown in Figure 2. 12 and ended about April 25,
from a find with an amaz- Delius covers can be found in 1868.
ing story be it. nearly every major exhibit of The last find I'll descri
 28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 21, 1994

Postal cards helped collectors trade stamps

To stretch a somewhat cramped stamp bud- this case we find from the message, written in known as Batavia, capital of what was then mercial) usages, since there is obviously a
get in recent years, I have become rather in- Spanish, that the card is from one stamp col- the Dutch East Indies. It is located on the collecting motive involved.
trigued with Mexican postal stationery, par- lector to another. island of Java, and currently has a population However, I am quite content to view them
ticularly postal cards. The sender, having first heard from Ralph of about 7 million. However in 1912, the as legitimate postal usages, and I would not
Items in this collecting field arc still avail- Wheeler (the addressee), is interested in closest year to the date on the card for which hesitate to include them in an exhibit. After
able at moderate prices. As a result, whenever stamps of Asia. Africa, and Oceania, and is I have data, Batavia's population was only all, examples of personal correspondence are
115,000.
The short message on the card is worth
Mexico reproducing in full:
M e N.
t'rw., rtp. Nos,..,
By Dale Pulver "Monterrey, N.L. Mexico — Dear Sir:
Send me rare stamps of your country and
„•••,•-•,.....:•-•-• •
receive same quantity and quality in Mexico.
I am browsing through the dealers' boxes at Centenaire 1910. I also exchange postal cards
stamp bourses I am alert for Mexican postal A , and envelopes. Yours truly, Ernesto Garcia
cards, especially those addressed to somewhat
exotic, out-of-the-ordinary destinations.
orainfm, Ira S i Leal."
"Centenaire 1910" refers, of course, to
This month I will share a couple of recent Mexico's so-called Independence issue (Scott
finds with you, to suggest yet another way for 310-20).
those with limited funds to still have some -t&
Figure 1. A Mexican 2-centavo postal card One can only speculate whether an ex- Figure 2. In another attempt to arrange
fun with their hobby. change of stamps ever occurred between these
From a philatelic standpoint, the 2-centavo mailed 102 years ago from a collector in long-distance stamp trading, a man in
Veracruz who was seeking to trade stamps two collectors, living nearly 10,000 miles Monterrey mailed this 4c Mexican postal
postal card illustrated in Figure 1 is not ter- apart. One can only wonder how they became
ribly unusual, nor does the fact that it is with a collector living in the United States. card in 1926 to a correspondent in Batavia,
acquainted in the first place. then the capital of the Dutch East Indies.
addressed to the United States make it a prize willing in exchange to provide stamps of
But in the early years of philately, stamps
exhibition piece. But it does have several Mexico, some of which he claims are quite often found in top displays and may, in some
seem to have been traded much more than
things going for it. scarce. He signs off with an elaborate rubber instances, be the only way in which covers
they are today. Classified ads in the philatelic
For specialists, the card is Higgins & Gage handstamp of his name, Rafael Cortina, in representing certain types of postal service are
journals carried names and addresses of many
catalog No. 42, from Mexico's 1891 series of purple — an example of international stamp to be found.
collectors seeking correspondents with whom
postal stationery. It's in excellent condition trading going on in 1892. So let's see what you have, or can find
to swap stamps.
considering that it is more than a century old, The second postal card, illustrated in Figure
It is also quite remarkable that this postal hidden in those shoe boxes. I would be very
and it bears an interesting double-dial New 2, has pretty much the same flavor to it as the pleased to hear from any readers who may
first. Two stamp collectors (or perhaps deal- card survived at all. Jakarta had, and still has,
York "PAID ALL" transit mark. possess examples of Mexican postal cards
ers) are involved. a hot, humid climate that is unquestionably
I am not entirely clear on the Mexican rates sent to exotic destinations, whether or not
to the United States at that time, but 2 centa- The 4c card, from the postal stationery se- hostile to philatelic material. Nevertheless,
I'm certainly glad that it did endure and I stamp collectors were involved.
vos seems to have satisfied the U.S. postal ries of 1910 (Higgins & Gage No. 122) was
mailed May 27, 1926, to a collector in "Bata- count it among the unusual destinations repre-
officials. Introduction to the Stamps of Mexico by Dale Pulver, a
The postmark of the sending office is sented in my collection of Mexican covers.
via ... Oceanie." compilation of Linn's Mexico columns, is now available in
struck twice: once, faintly, over the embossed Where on earth is Batavia, one might ask? These are but two of the early Mexican softcover edition for $14.95 or hardcover for $30. The third
stamp; and again, alongside to the left, where- A specialist in Dutch colonial stamps would postal cards in my holdings written and sent book in the Linn's Handbook series, it is available from
by collectors with the objective of developing selected dealers or Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. •
in we see that the card entered the Mexican know, but here is an instance where the unini-
mailstream at Veracruz July 11, 1892. Seven tiated must do some geographic sleuthing. trading partners. Others I own went to Alex-
days later it cleared the New York post office Other than a few listings of U.S. towns, a andria, Egypt; Christchurch, New Zealand;
on its way to Lowell, Mass. foreign Batavia is not found in the current San Salvador; the United Kingdom; and to
One interesting consequence of collecting gazetteers. other countries in Europe.
used postal cards and postcards is that you get But at the time this postal card was mailed, Philatelic purists might have a hard time
the opportunity to read other peoples' mail. In the modern city of Jakarta, Indonesia, was accepting these as non-philatelic (i.e., corn-
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 21, 1994

A century of time-dated Mexican postmarks

Regular readers know of first postal processing). Such Figure 1 shows the earliest seen (at least up to 1892 or mail was gathered and sorted Sometime during the 1920s
my fascination with and af- cancels have been the norm example of this type in my so), the date is expressed in to make up a bag for an early there appears to have been
fection for stamps that have in Mexico for more than 100 collection. It is dated Feb. 27,
the order of month, day, year morning train. At that time, another change in the time
been properly used, particu- years. 1889, 1 p.m., and was used and time. trains carried nearly all main- notation method. "AM" and
larly those bearing clear can- No one is certain exactly to cancel a stamp in a Mexi- After the advent of Mexi- line mail in Mexico. "PM" were eliminated in
cellations, which in them- when Mexico first began co City branch post office, co's Transportation issue in Occasionally one finds favor of so-called military
Sucursal E. The stamp is the 1895, the prevalent form cancels dated to the nearest time, in which 14:00 means 2
4-centavo value from the changes. The day is given half hour or quarter hour, or p.m., 21:00 means 9 p.m.,
Mexico Large Numeral issue of 1887 first, then the month, year even 10 minutes, but not very and so forth.
By Dale Pulver (Scott 186). and time, following the Euro- often. Such hair-splitting Figure 4 shows a lc Mo-
Such handstamped mark- pean -system of dating. probably correlated with a relos Monument definitive
ings often are referred to as I suspect the first devices regularly scheduled mail (687A) with a Leon postmark
selves tell interesting stories. "bridge type" cancels be- were American made, and pickup or transfer. of September 1935. The date
For several years I have cause of the arched segments Figure 3 shows two such
may have been used on a "19-30" displayed on the
been plucking so-called with vertical lines above and trial basis until local stand-
"socked-on-the-nose" speci- below the center panel, which ards were established. In any
mens from dealers' stock look like miniature bridges. event, the day, month, year
books and stamp circuits that This type of cancel eventu- and hour time system persists
come my way. These stamps, ally became a standard device to this day in Mexico.
which have dutifully per- for all Mexican post offices, Many interesting facts
fotmed their postal chores, but it took many, many years emerge from collecting and
have a lot to offer the curious Figure 1. This Mexico City
Sucursal (Branch) E post- before it was in common use studying time-dated cancels.
postal historian. throughout the country.
mark dated "[MB 27 [18] First of all, the vast major-
First, dated cancellations It is interesting to note that
89. 1 PM" is an early ex- ity of times recorded fall be-
can confirm a stamp's use in
ample of a timed circular tween 6 a.m. and midnight. Figure 3. Some early 20th-
the correct time period for
datestamp from Mexico. This is not too surprising, as century Mexican cancels
which it was intended. This
it is the time span in which show the date to the near-
may help the serious collector using datestamps including
the time, though some have most mail would be collected est 10 or 15 minutes. These two Mexican stamps have been
avoid canceled-to-order re-
been noted from as early as and processed. oriented to make the time markings easier to read: "1120"
mainders that may have been
expressly produced to sepa- 1886. In my collection, I also in the 1916 Merida, Yucatan, postmark on the left; "315"
rate unwary collectors from In his definitive work on note that even-numbered in the 1913 Nogales, Sonora, handstamp on the right.
their money. late 19th-century cancels, The hours appear far more fre-
finely timed cancellations. cancel (7:30 p.m.) shows this
Cancellations also can tell Postmarks of Mexico: 1874- quently than odd hours on
The Mexican stamps on 24-hour timekeeping system.
us a great deal about how a 1900, Karl Schimmer shows these postmarks.
which they appear have been
postal system operates, espe- several circular datestamps Figure 2 shows a stamp More recently, cancel-
oriented to make the date-
cially those cancels that con- that provided space for a time with a ,very unusual 4 a.m. lations are found wherein a
stamps easier to read.
tain service-specific inscrip- slug in the center panel. time cancel. span of time is apparently in-
These were the third or Figure 2. Datestamps from This stamp, one of the so- The 5c Corbata on the left dicated: "20-21," for ex-
tions.
But something else that fourth generation of hand- Mexico showing times be- called Denver issues (named (521) shows a Merida, Yuca- ample. I
believe this means
stamps designed with an eye tween midnight and 6 a.m., for the city where they were tan, handstamp that is dated
has always intrigued me are that the mail upon which the
to standardization. like this 1914 Monterrey printed), was used at Monter- "200CT1916 1120AM."
time-dated cancellations that cancel containing this nota-
reveal more or less precisely According to Schimmer, handstamp ending with "4- rey during the civil war pe- On the right is a Sonora tion appeared was processed
when a letter actually entered the first recorded timed circu- AM," are hard to find. riod. It is dated Aug. 25, Green Seal issue of the civil between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
the mailstream (or, more cor- lar datestamp shows a date of in virtually all of the early 1914, and I suspect the early war era canceled in Nogales I'd be glad to hear a clarifi-
rectly, when it received its December 1888. time-dated cancelers I have hour represented the time "23JUL1913 315PM." cation of this if some reader
 MARCH 21, 1994 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 31
and end up spending only
nickels and dimes.
As an adjunct, there are
plenty of service-specific
datestamps, some of which
are quite elusive, to make the
chase interesting.
Examples include: "Servi-
cio Urbano" (City Service);
"Serv. Interl." (International
Service); "Cert. Interl." (In-
ternational Registration);
"Recibo de Imps." (Receipt
of Printed Matter); and "Pa-
Figure 4. The "19-30" on quete Postal" (Parcel Post),
the right in this Leon date- to name a few.
stamp from September 1935 Look for cancels showing
records Mexico's transition times between midnight and
to the 24-hour military-style 6 a.m. The one in Figure 2 is
clock for timekeeping. the only one I have encoun-
tered, so they must be scarce.
knows better. For starters you might try
Regrettably, the era of pre- collecting one for each hour
cise time dating seems to be of the day.
slipping away, at least on I am on an American Phil-
current covers I see from atelic Society Mexico circuit
Mexico. Many cancellations and frequently find stamps
omit this extra information, with clear, SON cancellations
and most of the older devices to go into my collection. And
that contain it are so badly I almost never pay a pre-
worn and poorly struck as to mium for them. I hope you
be virtually unreadable. (Here enjoy equally good hunting!
in the United States, just try
to find a current postmark Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
with anything other than Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
"PM" stamped in it.) able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
Time-dated postmarks are hardcover for $30. The third book in
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
yet another collecting niche able from selected dealers or from
where you can have some fun Linn's, Box 29. Sidney, OH 45365. ■
36 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 25, 1994

Quetzal stamps portray endangered species

When I began collecting as a youngster, I calling attention to endangered native fauna. adapted from a painting by Robert Bateman,
recall vividly a Guatemalan stamp that caught The quetzal was featured on one of the the noted Canadian nature artist and conserva-
my attention because of its bright colors and stamps, and a red-horned peacock on the tionist. This fact emerged from research stim- UI\ IDOS PARA LA
clear detail. It pictured the quetzal bird, and other. ulated by an inquiry from John Peebles, a CONSERVACION
was probably Scott 274, then a current issue. Figure 2, which shows the quetzal stamp, is Linn's reader in Canada.
Only later did I find out that the quetzal (a as far as I know the first time that this bird Peebles edits The Canadian Connection, the 1993
journal of the Canadiana Study Unit of the
American Topical Association. He sought my
Mexico help in finding out if the "R. Bateman" cred- AMERICA-FAUNA EN
%Irks DE EXTINCION
By Dale Pulver it printed on the stamp was the Robert Bate-
man of Canadian fame. I contacted Guillermo MEXICO
Wilkins, my ever-reliable colleague in Mexico
shortened form of Quetzaltototl, the ancient N$ 2.(X)
City, and determined that he was.
Nahuatl name of this marvelous bird), held It BATEMAN AMATE
special significance for that country. Wilkins not only sent me a sheet of the
Like the American bald eagle, it had be- stamps, but also a booklet that told me more Figure 2. A 1993 2-new peso Mexican com-
about the Bateman painting. memorative portrays the quetzal as one of
come the symbol of the nation of Guatemala
and had been the subject of stamp designs Bateman painted and donated the quetzal the endangered species of Central America.
more than a dozen times since adhesives were work to a Mexican conservation group that
Figure 1. Two of the numerous stamps re- be very popular with certain topicalists and
first introduced there. The quetzal is also the aims, in cooperation with other entities, to
leased by Guatemala depicting that coun- thematic collectors.
name of a coin, as well as a basic monetary preserve and maintain tropical forest areas to
try's national symbol, the colorful quetzal. save animal and plant species on the brink of If you are interested in more information
unit. on El Triufo, or where to write for details on
Figure 1 shows two of the many Guatema- has ever been the subject of a Mexican stamp, extinction.
the Bateman print, write to me in care of
lan stamps portraying the quetzal. even though Mexico's neighbor to the south, Bateman also permitted production of a
Linn's with a stamped, addressed envelope.
The quetzal (Pharomacrus mocino) is one Guatemala, had used the bird repeatedly on its limited edition of 500 art prints that will be
It's not often one has an opportunity to
of the most beautiful tropical birds known. It stamps over the years. sold to raise funds in further support of this
acquire a print of original artwork used for
has brilliant plumage, a red belly and bronze- The Figure 2 stamp measures 49 mil- effort.
postage stamp design, support a worthy cause,
green tail feathers. On male birds, this mag- limeters by 40mm, and is denominated at 2 The focus of the immediate project is a
and own a beautiful painting by one of the
nificent tail may measure up to 31/2 feet in new pesos, equivalent to about 65g. cloud forest park named El Triufo in the Si-
world's foremost wildlife artists, all at the
length. The female's tail is short. The four-color offset stamp was printed in erra Madre mountains of the Mexican state of
same time.
A member of the trogon family, the bird is sheets of 25 and perforated in gauge 10 by Chiapas. This area has been in the news lately
about the size of a turtle dove. Before the Amate Mexico, a private contractor that is as one of the poorest states in the republic, Introduction to the Stamps of Mexico by Dale Pulver, a
where natives live and survive in the forests compilation of Linn's Mexico columns, is available in soft-
Spanish conquest, only chiefs and nobles of now producing most of Mexico's com-
cover for $14.95 or hardcover for $30. The third book in the
high rank were permitted to wear its feathers. memorative issues. much as their ancestors did in pre-Columbian Linn's Handbook series, it is available from selected dealers
But the quetzal is not native to Guatemala According to an official Mexican postal times. or from Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365.1
alone. It also is found in tropical forests of service announcement, the stamp was pro- Three conservation groups are involved in
several Central American republics and Mexi- duced in a quantity of 300,000 copies. This this work: the Mexican Institute of Natural
co. number may seem small to United States col- History; the Sierra Madre Group; and United
Even though the hunting of this beautiful lectors, accustomed to the tens of millions in for Conservation.
bird is officially prohibited, in recent years its which our U.S. Postal Service orders com- The 1993 quetzal stamp is only one of
numbers have dwindled due to logging and memorative stamps, but 300,000 has been a many Mexico has issued in recent years on
the destruction of its natural habitat. As a standard printing quantity for most Mexican the subject of conservation.
result, the quetzal now appears on the endan- commemoratives for quite some time. And Mexico is not alone in calling atten-
gered species lists, and efforts are under way It is interesting that the stamp design, tion to endangered species; the United Na-
to prevent its potential extinction. which shows a quetzal perched high on a tions has just issued a dozen stamps for the
Last October, Mexico released two stamps shady limb in a typical cloud forest, was same purpose. Undoubtedly these items will
s7g
Canceled to or er ;

9 qd
19th-eentury Mexico
Consider this column a Henry L. Calman, possessed by some stamp collectors to CO." It is illustrated in Fig-
caution to collectors who an enormous stock of the be uncollectible. ure 1 and shown canceling a
search for presumably used 1884 Hidalgo Medallion issue Collectors wanted used block of four of a 10c large
stamps to fill their album remainders. stamps for their albums. This numeral issue.
spaces for issues of Mexico Calman was said to have fact did not seem to hinder Ecatzingo was a tiny town
between 1874 and - 1895. 300,000 sets of the 1-centavo the purveyors of the unused southeast of Mexico City on
through 6c values, and be- the Morelos state line, and
tween 10,000 and 25,000 of there was no possible way
Mexico the other centavo stamps, in- this place could have ac-
By Dale Pulver cluding the 1-peso and 2p de- counted for the amount of
nominations. (The postal ad- mail consistent with the num-
ministration withheld the 5p ber of stamps on which the
Many stamps from this time and 10p stamps.)
frame bear cancellations that cancel appears. So what we
appear genuine enough but Did you ever wonder why have is a bogus cancel.
never did postal service. the 1p and 2p Hidalgo Me- Figure 1. This bogus cancel There existed at one time
Here's the story. dallion stamps, Scott 161 and of Ecatzinv is frequently complete sheets of stamps
162, were so plentiful and so found on Medallion and where the Ecatzingo oval was
In mid-1895, when the
cheap? Unused copies are Large Numeral issues, such carefully stuck on the center
Transportation issue appeared
found in nearly every circuit as the block of four below. of each block of four in the
(known to many as the "Mu-
book I see covering that era. sheet.
litas"), previous issues of
Mexican stamps were demon- I suspect most of these Whether the Mexican post
etized. Postal patrons, includ- could be traced back to the office did this prior to selling
ing commercial mailers, who Calman stock, or the 1895 the stamps or simply pro-
had inventories of the older sale of remainders. Senf also vided the canceler to the
issues were given three stated that Mexican specula- buyer is not known. Because
months to exchange them for tors had purchased ample of the tedious work involved
the new stamps. After that, stocks of the Large Numeral in accomplishing this task,
the obsolete stamps would be issues of 1886-95. the latter is suspected.
worthless. There was even the sug- There were several other
With huge inventories of gestion that the Mekeel firm similar cancels used to de-
stamps (some going back to of St. Louis was a large value stamps. A few of these
the 1874 issue) that were of buyer of the obsolete stamps. are shown in Figure 2. The
no value to the post office, Since Mekeel later advertised ovals from Ziracuaretiro (Mi-
someone apparently got the in the Philatelic Journal of choacan), Venadito (Coahui-
brilliant idea of recouping at America that he could supply Mexican hoard; they simply la), and Barranca del Oro
least some money by selling dealers with these stamps in obtained Mexican handstamps (Tamaulipas) are occasionally
the surplus stocks to stamp quantity, it seems clear there and began canceling to order. found on the large numeral
dealers. This obviously hap- was some truth to the sug- The Mexican cancel most stamps.
pened. gestion. frequently encountered on the But the Ecatzingo seems to
In 1912, the famous Ger- And now to the subject of Hidalgo Medallions and the show up everywhere, often
man stamp dealer, Louis cancellations. At the time this Large Numerals is a 40- on stamps with full gum. I
Senf, writing in his stamp flood of Mexican issues millimeter by 25mm single- would venture that hardly a
journal about remainder reached the philatelic market, line oval inscribed "OFNA Mexican collection exists that
stamps of the world, claimed mint stamps were not at all DE CORREOS /EN doesn't contain at least one
that a New York dealer, popular and were considered ECATZINGO / E. DE MEXI- or two Ecatzingo ovals.
 Earlier I noted the abun-
dance and cheapness of the
1p and 2p unused Hidalgo
Medallion stamps. Up until
1990, the Scott prices for
used copies of these two
stamps were pegged at a low
level, too, but most used cop-
ies found in the market are of
the canceled-to-order variety,
created long after the stamps
were withdrawn from service.
There are genuine used
copies, to be sure, but the
collector must be careful to
select ones that give ample
evidence of contemporary
use. Current Scott prices, t,DE CORA t.
bi
higher now and shown in EN "-(70
italics, are much more reflec-
tive of the difficulty in ac- BARRANGA DEL ORO
quiring these two stamps.
Hopefully, this short trea- 1AMAULIM
tise on common bogus can-
cels of the Hidalgo Medallion Figure 2. Other bogus can-
and Large Numeral issues cels used to devalue stocks
will be of some value to the of remainders. Of these
serious collector of 19th- three, only Ziracuaretiro is
century Mexico. listed in modern gazeteers.
Next month, I plan to con- 1879 Juarez issues, from
tinue the theme with informa- which large remainder stocks
tion on bogus cancels appear- also flowed to the philatelic
ing on the 1874 Hidalgo and market. II
22 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 27, 1994

More bogus cancels of 19th-century Mexico

In last month's column celed with pen strokes never larger than, a remainder can- would steer clear of stamps I feel that there are prob-
(May 23, page 40) I dis- performed postal service. cel (one used to cancel re- with those nondescript post- ably many more purportedly
cussed some of the bogus Figure 1 shows typical ex- mainder stamps), which is marks, except for reference used Juarez stamps in collec-
cancels to be found on the amples of an 1878 Hidalgo listed in Schatzkes' Post- purposes, and acquire only tions and in the floating mar-
Mexican stamps of the 19th and an 1879 Juarez demon- marks of Mexico, 1856-1874 used stamps bearing enough ket supply than there should
century. I concentrated on the etized with pen cancels. as Apam cancel No. 39. of a cancellation to permit be. Post office remainders
verification of known use in make perfect raw material for
a district during the proper mischief by unscrupulous
Mexico time frame. stamp dealers. One has to be
By Dale Pulver The 1879 Juarez issue was very cautious when collecting
reserved for mail bound to these stamps.
foreign destinations. That This is as good a place as
so-called Medallion and meant that genuinely used any to call your attention to
Large Numeral issues of copies would have been on the note in the Scott catalog
1884-95. letters headed for the United at the end of the listings for
We know there also were States, Great Britain, Europe the Juarez foreign mail Figure 3. A circular oblit-
abundant remainders of the and so forth. Covers bearing stamps (Scott 145): "Used eration of 13 parallel lines
1874 Hidalgo issue and the the Juarez stamps are there- values for the 50c, 85c, and cancels this 1879 5c Juarez.
1879 Juarez foreign mail fore much sought after by 100c of type A 15 [Juarez] are
issue. These remainders also maritime mail specialists and for privately canceled copies. can have a lot of fun with
pervade the stamp market, these issues.
command high prices. Postally used examples sell
but there are a few twists that These stamps were the last
Part of the reason these for several times as much."
make the bogus cancellations Figure 1. This 1878 10-centavo Hidalgo (left) and 1879 lc covers are so dear is that, to sustain Mexico's complex
Call them what you will,
on some of them a bit more Juarez have been demonetized with pen cancellations. and cumbersome system of
when they were current, col- the vast majority of these
difficult to identify. invoice numbering and dis-
Many of the remainders of
A somewhat more subtle Figure 3 shows an example lectors preferred stamps to stamps in the market today trict name overprints. In addi-
bogus cancel often found on of this marking used on a 5- covers. They no doubt re- that are offered as "used" tion, their use coincided with
these two issues that were re-
the Juarez issue is illustrated centavo Juarez from the dis- moved the vast majority of are not what they seem to be. Mexico's entrance into the
turned from district offices these stamps from the enve- Still, the alert collector
on the stamps in Figure 2. trict of Acapulco. Universal Postal Union,
were devalued by adding lopes that bore them. willing to do his homework
ruled pen lines vertically and These stamps are canceled This same handstamp is which permitted corres-
horizontally through each row by a rectangle comprising 17 found struck on stamps from pondents to prepay, with ad-
and column of stamps, or di- fine, wavy lines. The rect- various districts. In many in- hesives, letters to member
agonal lines from opposite angle measures about 24 mil- stances it cannot be matched countries throughout the
corners. Alternatively, one limeters by 20mm. One rare- with known cancellations world.
often sees an "X" penned on ly finds the entire cancel on a from those districts. For that A representative collection
individual stamps. stamp, and it seems to be reason I feel that it is one of covers overseas would be
Some remainders will bear more prevalent on the higher device, and perhaps one of quite a challenge, but the
the consignfnent numbers and denominations, which would several, used to devalue re- stamps themselves should be
abbreviated year date, as well normally be scarcer in genu- maindered stamps. considerably easier to find.
as district names (about half ine postally used condition. There are other mute can- Good hunting!
the time), depending on Another cancel used on the cels consisting of circles of Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
whether the stamps had been Juarez stamps that I judge to dots (actually tiny squares or Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
shipped and prepared for sale be questionable in certain in- rhomboids) that are suspect, able in softcover edition for 514.95 or
at the district offices. But you stances is a circular mark too. hardcover for $30. The third book in
can rest assured that, with If I decided to collect the Figure 2. A pattern of 17 fine wavy lines arranged in a the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
made up of 13 parallel lines.
able from selected dealers or from
rare .exceptions, stamps can- It is similar to, but somewhat Juarez issue seriously, I rectangular form cancels these two Juarez definitives. Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365.•
36 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 25, 1994

Rompex was the place for Mexico collectors

The Mexico-Elmhurst Phil- first-time exhibitor showing a time project of these stamps, Other exhibits at Rompex strips of stamps were pre- It turns out that, although
atelic Society International, comprehensive postal history and some years ago produced demonstrated that modern pared and sold as show sou- the booklet covers are the
the specialist group for col- study of the Yucatan walked a wonderful videotape track- 20th-century material can be venirs. same, there were several dif-
lectors of Mexico, held its off with a gold medal. ing their history. The tape exhibited, too. The Rompex booklet cover ferent stamp strips inserted
annual meeting at Rompex 94 Karl Schimmer exhibited was played at the show and a A five-frame display of in Figure 2 shows a partial into the booklets.
this year and I attended. The the seldom-shown issue of copy resides in the American first-flight covers was most view of Guadalajara from an Apart from the Guadalajara
interesting but only earned a 18th-century lithograph upon strip, the only other variety
ROMPEX silver-bronze award, probably which is superimposed in then available contained five
Mexico Welcomes MEPSI
Mexleo-Etrohutet
because nearly all of the cov- gold a Guadalajara postmark stamps from the Mexican
By Dale Pulver Philatelic Society
initIT.Itnroll ers were philatelic. Mounting from the 1850s. The regular Idols of the Cinema issue of
such an exhibit with true booklet for which this cover 1993. In this case it was the
commercial covers would be was designed contained the stamp portraying Mario
memories are still vivid and nigh on impossible. se-tenant strip of five differ- Moreno, the very popular
deserve to be reported to A colorful exhibit of Mexi- ent stamps issued in 1992 comic actor of the 1930s and
those who enjoy Mexican can first-day covers of the commemorating the 450th an- 1940s who is best known to
philately. modern era contained some niversary of Guadalajara's millions of Latin Americans
In my book, Rompex is fairly scarce items and was founding (Linn's, Aug. 24, as "Cantinflas."
one of the top national-level popular with casual viewers. 1992, page 10). When I inquired of the
1914-1994
shows in the United States. &)th Anniversary It received a bronze from the Because of the early sell- postal service ladies why the
Its committee does a good The "Denver Eagles" judges. out of the Chicago booklets, I other booklet varieties had
job and went to considerable 11111•11111■ The Mexican Postal Ser- went to the Mexico Postal sold out so quickly, one of
lengths to make MEPSI Figure 1. An enlargement of a Denver Eagle stamp, print-
members feel at home. This ed in Denver and used in Mexico 80 years ago, is the
was appreciated. cachet on this Rompex 94 show cover. The 290 stamp is
Some 15 exhibits of Mexi- canceled by a special show postmark reproducing the de-
can material were mounted sign of a turn-of-the-century duplex handstamp used in
for viewing, four of which mobile post offices of Mexico's Southern Pacific Railroad.
were not in competition.
1872-74 in such depth and Philatelic Society slide pro-
Alfonso Tena's marvelous
detail that it captured the re- gram library.
10-frame display of 1856-67 serve grand award. Schim-
A Denver stamp served as
issues was among the non- mer's other exhibit, "Mexico
the cachet for the Rompex
competitive exhibits, brim- Entering the Twentieth Cen-
show cover in Figure 1. The
ming with rarities and always tury," focused on the issues SIR l'100 POSTAL ME.% /CA -;
U.S. 290 Eagle self-adhesive
a treat for the serious collec- of 1899 and 1903. It was a
stamp on the cover also is
tor of Mexican classics. gold winner, too. canceled by a special Figure 2. The cover for booklets prepared for and sold by the Mexican Postal Service at
James Mazepa put up a Perhaps the happiest ex- Rompex 94 postmark. It re- Rompex. This basic design was prepared for use with 1992 Guadalajara commemora-
five-frame exhibit of the 2- hibitor of all was Ron Mitch- produces the design of a mo- tives, but other stamps were found in the hand-assembled booklets at the Denver show.
real stamp of 1856 (Scott 3). ell, one of our local hosts bile post office duplex hand- vice (also known as Se- Service table as soon as the them explained that they had
It was a fine example of how who acted as coordinator for stamp used on the Southern pomex) sent two representa- show opened Friday morning. been advertised in their phil-
an experienced exhibitor can MEPSI activities. His exhibit Pacific Railroad of Mexico as tives to Rompex with goodies Once again, I was too late. atelic releases, and a Mexican
work around a single stamp, of the so-called Denver issue early as 1902. for collectors of contempo- A new-issue dealer from the dealer had bought all that
and a great display. of 1914 took a gold medal, At Rompex, Mitchell also rary material. As the service Denver bourse had already weren't reserved for the Den-
Competitive exhibits show- plus several special awards. introduced a new video he re- had done for the MEPSI con- purchased a large stock of the ver show. Finally, the Denver
cased material spanning 200 Mitchell, a television cently produced on Mexican vention at Chicagopex 90, booklets for his regular sub- dealer purchased all of the
years of postal activity. A newsman, has made a life- prestamp postal markings. special booklets containing scribers. several booklet varieties that
 JULY 25, 1994 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 37
question to answer. chet seems to show a 19th- All in all, Rompex 94 was knowledge and enduring
The Sepomex table also century horse-drawn postal a great weekend for many of friendships. Write to John
had stocks of recent com- vehicle. us who espouse Mexican phi- Kordich for an application
memoratives and the new de- I have no inkling how lately. It was wonderful see- and more information at 1014
finitives. Special envelopes much business the Mexican ing so many old friends 37th St., San Pedro, CA
honoring Rompex were also Postal Service table did, but again, and making a few new 90731.
available and a fancy show the early dealer purchase of ones.
cancel was there, too. Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
all those booklets probably co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
As Figure 3 shows, I used made the trip worthwhile. If you do not belong to
7 Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
20 DEMAYO DE 1994 one of the Cantinflas stamps And it's good to see the MEPSI and are into or about able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
D enver, Col. from the booklet I bought to Mexican Postal Service tak- to get into Mexican stamps, hardcover for $30. The third book in
make a souvenir cover from the Unri's Handbook series, it is avail-
ing an interest in collector you are missing an op- able from selected dealers or from
the show. The envelope ca- events. portunity for rewarding Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. •

Figure 3. The author used a Mexican Movie Idol stamp

from one of the Rompex booklets on this special cacheted
Rompex 94 cover canceled by the Mexican Postal Service.
she originally had. ing at least five other Mexi-
I have no idea how many can movie stars: Maria Felix;
of each booklet variety were Pedro Armendariz; Jorge Ne-
made — the strips were- obvi- grete; Dolores del Rio; and
ously all inserted in the cov- Pedro Infante.
ers by hand — but taking It's worth noting that these
into account the number that five Movie Idol stamps were
the Denver dealer bought, expected to be immensely
and going by past indications, popular, and 5 million of
I would guess somewhere in each were printed. That is
the range of 200 to 250 of more than 15 times the usual
each. printing order of 300,000 for
I have since received book- most Mexican commemora-
lets from my Mexican new- tive stamps.
issue supplier and can advise Will the booklets become
that stamps were used depict- valuable? That is a tough
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 22, 1994

One-cent stamp franked month-long odyssey

Normally, I would not merically coded the post- The last line in the ad-
choose a United States cover marks on the reverse of the dress, "Mexico," obviously
as the subject for this col- cover, detailing them in the was a mistake.
umn, but the convoluted tale table that is Figure 3. There is, incidentally, in
behind this one is so unusual Let's trace the cover's Wyandot County, west of
wanderings. Cleveland, a small Ohio town
The cover originated in by that name, which had a
Mexico Brooklyn, Ohio, which at the post office at that time. So
By Dale Pulver time this was mailed was a we might conclude that a sec-
small town five miles south retary, working from a list of
of Cleveland. It is an il- customers was momentarily
that it deserves to be told. lustrated advertising envelope distracted and wrote another
Kent Johnson, a member bearing an overall design of Ohio client's hometown in
of my local stamp club, some sort of machinery that I error.
found the cover shown here have not yet identified. It Whatever the reason, it is
at a small bourse and asked might be a belt-driven mixer doubtful the mystery behind
me to help him decipher its or blender tank. this address can be resolved.
cluster of Mexican postmarks. The cover is franked with
To begin with, it is not a The cover entered the U.S.
an 1894 10 blue Franklin
particularly handsome piece. mailstream at Cleveland
stamp, Scott 247, which paid
The stamp is torn and the en- March 3, 1896, and appears
a contemporary circular rate. to have gone straight through
velope is ragged around the The address is written in a Figure 2. Nearly a dozen United States and Mexican datestamps from the back of the
edges, for reasons that can be to Mexico City, arriving envelope enable the collector to reconstruct the wayward journey of the Figure 1 cover.
fine Spencerian hand to one
attributed mainly to its ardu- March 9, as recorded by
"Edward Carney, Chillicothe, ceived in Chihuahua March coincident datestamp added other redirection was at-
ous journey. postmark 1 in Figure 2. Mail
Mexico." Herein lies the rea- 14. Another Chihuahua date- later. tempted. "Guaymas" was
Both the front and back of clerks there were no doubt
son for its extended, some- stamp appears on the back Again, there was no Ed- penciled over "Mexico" be-
the cover are illustrated in puzzled by this strange ad-
what belabored journey, and (2), but it is obscured by a ward Carney in town, so an- side a crossed-out "Chi-
Figures 1 and 2, respectively. dress. There are not now nor
why I found it so interesting were there ever any Chil-
To aid the reader, I have nu- and unusual. licothes in Mexico. Postmarks on a wayward 1896 cover
4. 11111111.11.11.111.1.1111111.
1.
111
tTurn• :of TEN Perhaps the sender meant Postmarks Post Office Date and Comments
C- E RD ORD.
81100..7., 0,410 "Chihuahua." This, appar- --- Cleveland, Ohio March 3 — cancels lc stamp on front of cover
ently, was the reasoning of 0 Mexico City March 9 — letter is redirected to Chihuahua
the clerk who scratched out --- Chihuahua March 14 — oval receiving mark on front of cover
"Mexico" and added "Chi- 0 (indistinct) March 14 — probably Chihuahua circular datestamp
huahua" in pencil below the 0 (indistinct) March 16 — probably a Sonora circular datestamp
illustration on the front of the 0 (indistinct) March 17 — probably a Sonora circular datestamp
envelope. Off it went back 0 Paso del Norte March 21
north, likely by the same rail- 0 El Paso, Texas March 22
way route that brought it to 0 Paso del Norte March 29 — pointing finger redirection marking
town in the first place. 0 Brooklyn, N.Y. April 5 — "MISSENT," "Ohio" endorsements
A purple oval on the face 0 Cleveland, Ohio April 7 — two 6 a.m. transit markings
to the left of the Cleveland 0 Chillicothe, Ohio April 7 — 2:30 p.m. receiving mark
Figure 1. Battered and bent, the front of this Ohio adver- dispatch cancel in Figure 1
tising envelope reflects the many miles it traveled in 1896. tells us the cover was re- Figure 3. This chart plots the postal markings in Figures 1 and 2 in chronological order.
 AUGUST 22, 1994 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 15
huahua" in Figure 1. state of Sonora, as customary On its second visit to Paso manuscript endorsements with the Mexicans. traordinary lengths that two
This presents an even big- abbreviations for that state del Norte (and this is a bit of "Missent to City Mexico" I find it quite curious that separate postal systems went
ger mystery to me. Guaymas appear at the base of the two speculation on my part) the and "Ohio" on the front of throughout its travels, no one to in trying to deliver a mis-
is situated on the west coast datestamps (3, 4). Mexican mail clerk, having the cover are in the same seems to have questioned the addressed piece of 19th-
of Mexico in the state of So- The letter is now some 13 grown tired of handling this purple ink and may have 10 franking. It is obviously century junk mail.
nora, some 250 miles south or 14 days into its odyssey. postal orphan, added the been written at the same of- correct for a U.S. circular Could such service be ex-
of the U.S. border. I cannot Not finding Carney or Chil- pointing finger and pen en- fice. "U.S.A.," in a different rate. But I was not aware that pected today? Hardly. A
imagine why it was sent licothe in Sonora, the letter dorsement at the left margin hand, was added elsewhere. the Mexicans would handle penny simply won't buy what
there, unless someone in the was then sent north to Paso of the front of the cover, re- From Brooklyn, N.Y., the such correspondence for that it used to — nor would the
post office knew there was a del Norte (now Ciudad questing "Mejor direccion" letter returned to Ohio pass- amount, nor can I find any corresponding 1994 circular
gringo named Carney in that Juarez), which lies opposite (a "better address"), and di- ing through Cleveland (post- evidence to support such a rate, I fear.
location. El Paso, Texas, on the Rio recting it back to the sender mark 9, struck twice) at 6 contention. Perhaps some Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
in Brooklyn, Ohio. reader can help me on this co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
Further, I cannot guess Grande River. a.m. April 7, and was placed Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
what route it took, since the But you might have known on a train via Columbus to score. able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
It was first postmarked
Sierra Madre mountains had Chillicothe, arriving the same Finally, the most amazing hardcover for $30. The third book in
there March 21 (5). Then it that this jinxed cover was in the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
to be crossed and there was day at 2:30 p.m. (10). aspect of this much-traveled
crossed the river to El Paso for one more misadventure, able from selected dealers or from
no direct east-west connec- cover is that it shows the ex-
and was hit there with a re- and it was. Instead of head- And so it ended its journey Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
tion between the two cities.
ceiving mark the following ing home to Ohio, it went more than a month after it
Possibly it retreated to Du-
day (6). For some unknown instead to Brooklyn, N.Y. (8). was first mailed. I estimate
rango and then went west.
reason the letter seems to Along the way, at one of that it traveled in excess of
In any event, there is rea- have languished in the El the many post offices that 7,000 miles.
sonable evidence from two Paso post office for a full handled it, additional hand- Of the 35 days en route,
indistinct postmarks that the week before being returned to written instructions were ap- 19 were spent in the U.S.
letter did indeed go to the Paso del Norte March 29 (7). plied from time to time. The system, and the balance, 16,
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 26, 1994

Mexican TB seals add zest to any collection

One of my earlier columns same windows where the eases of the respiratory sys- ceeds as a sales commission. Lucha Contra Tuberculosis,
that has long been the world-
(Linn's, July 10, 1989, page public retrieves mail and tem. He brought me up to wide symbol for this charity. This -may explain reports Alvaro Obregon No. 74-108
16) presented an overview of buys postage stamps. date on the current situation Spanish and scientific of tourists having been pres- Col. Roma, 06700 Mexico,
Mexican tuberculosis seals The TB seals often are af- with TB seals in Mexicb. (Latin) tree names are printed sured to buy the seals when D.F., Mexico.
and their close association fixed to the fronts of enve- First of all, the TB seals on each adhesive, as well as they attempted to purchase In my 1989 article I noted
with the Mexican post office lopes along with regular for 1994-95 are out. Here is aa number that is cross- postage stamps to mail post-. that there are several scarcer
referenced to a three-page cards and letters home. Mexican TB seals. The 1945
key that comes with the pur- Another ploy is for the seal, for example, is priced at
Mexico chase of a full sheet of seals. postal clerk to claim there are $5, and I've seen it offered
By Dale Pulver This key give's other pertinent no coins available to make elsewhere for more. The 1950
information about the trees. change — so why not take seal (an overprinted version
The seals are denominated the change due in TB seals? of the 1948 issue) now com-
during the first dozen years mands a price of $10.
20 centavos, or slightly more How many collectors of
or so of their existence. But the priciest of all is a
than 60 U.S. That gives a full Mexican TB seals there are I
This column was among souvenir sheet issued in 1975
sheet of 50 a face value of can't say, but the response I
those published by Linn's in showing the National Cathe-
10 pesos, about $3 U.S. got from my first article indi-
Introduction to the Stamps of dral against a background of
Mexico. Since a detailed For the first time in 38 cates there are plenty.
years, the 1994-95 seals were the Aztec calendar stone.
summary of these labels is Surprisingly, Grossman This sheetlet, which measures
available there, I will spare again printed by TIEV, at no
told me that there is still in- about 4 inches by 6 inches,
you a lengthy rehash. cost to the committee. The ventory at the committee's
printing and perforating of can be yours for $65.
Mexican TB seals first ap- headquarters of almost all the Perhaps none of these
peared in 1943 and have been this year's seals are first-rate, seals back to 1943. Seals
clearly superior to the output items belong in the philatelic
issued and sold, in one form from then until 1955 are usu- purist's stamp collection, but
or another, ever since. of former contractors. ally sold singly, most for $2 I have always found them
Until 1956, the stamplike This top-left corner block shows 10 of the 50 different Unfortunately, TIEV only U.S., although a few sheets quite interesting.
labels were made by Talleres trees depicted on 1994-95 Mexican TB seals. The fourth produced 5 million of the 12 are available for $100. Used on personal or com-
de Impression de Estampillas seal in the top row is a giant Sequoia, the middle seal million seals requested. From 1956 ' to date, full mercial letters, these seals
y Valores (TIEV), the same from the bottom row is an oak, and the seal on the far Grossman does not know sheets of 50 are available at provide colorful insights on
government agency that print- right in the bottom row is a silver maple — all three spe- how the balance of the order prices from $2 to $10, de- the lifestyles and culture of
ed the postage stamps. cies native to the United States and familiar to Americans. will be filled. pending on the year. our neighbor to the south,
Starting in 1956, private Tragically, the incidence of The current sheet of 50 and add a bit of zest to the
firms were contracted to print stamps. In the mind of the block of 10 from a sheet of TB is increasing in Mexico,
Mexican public, the postal them that Grossman gave me. particularly among people in- tree seals is being sold for covers they adorn.
the seals. That year also $4. You might want to watch
marked the beginning of an service is closely connected The subject matter this fected with AIDS. Gross-
with these seals, even though year is trees- and 50 different man's committee is under for these seals on mail from Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
era in which different designs Mexico between now and the co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
(usually 50) appeared on the they have no franking power. world species are featured in considerable pressure to raise Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
end of the year. able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
seals in a sheet. At the recent Stampshow a rather attractive silhouette more money by selling more
If you want a price list in hardcover for $30. The third book in
The design motifs featured in Pittsburgh, I had the good formai. As regenerators of seals. In 1993, 10 million the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
a broad range of Mexican fortune to meet Alejandro oxygen in the atmosphere, were printed, and the major- English of material available, able from selected dealers or from
historical and cultural topics Grossman, an avid stamp col- trees are a perfect subject for ity of these were sold. write to Comite Nacional de Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. •
that no doubt enhanced sales. lector from Mexico. an agency concerned with Grossman also revealed an-
Except for a few years in Grossman also is manager respiratory disorders. other interesting aspect of the
the early 1980s, most sales of of promotions for the Mexi- The seals are printed in sales - of these seals. As an
the TB seals were made by can National Committee in black on silver, with the incentive to sell, postal clerks
postal clerks through the the Fight against TB and dis- prominent red Lorraine cross keep 20 percent of the pro-
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 24, 1994

This 1916 first-day cover has a story to tell

My bourse browsing at the of the general. The cover also was regis- stamps, and the two striking
American Philatelic Society's There is little doubt that tered, perhaps signaling that blue embossed certification
Stampshow in Pittsburgh this Carranza himself ordered the it had valuable contents. A seals that cover the seams in
summer yielded an interesting stamps to be prepared, and large purple oval handstamp the envelope.
cover. To really appreciate it, that the order was carried out dated June 1, 1916, which These backstamps indicate
we need to set the stage with by another figure who should just barely catches the stamp the cover traveled directly
from Mexico City to the Chi-
cago registry room, where it
Mexico COARESRONCENCIA PARTICULAR was received June 7, and
By Dale Pulver DIRECTOR GENERAL DE CORNED° , thence to Columbus, arriving
there the next day. That's
pretty fast service, consider-
the full historical backdrop. ing that equal or greater time
The year was 1916 and
would be required for a simi-
Victoriano Huerta ("The
lar letter today!
Usurper") had been driven
from power. Venustiano Car- The registration further
ranza had neutralized Pancho suggests that Hinojosa (or
Villa, consolidating his grip one of his lackeys) may have
on the Mexican government. enclosed samples of the new
stamps for Linn, whom we Figure 2. Embossed blue seals cover the seams on the
Carranza called himself
know was keenly interested back of the Figure 1 cover, while backstamps trace its trip
"the First Chief of the Con-
in Mexican philately at the from Mexico City to Columbus, Ohio, by way of Chicago.
stitutionalist forces," but his
tenure, too, did not last. time, particularly the so- to know what George Linn's
the shading lines are diago-
Many of his erstwhile sup- called war issues. reaction was to this letter
nal. The stamps also exist
porters eventually turned on These adhesives inspired imperforate. from Hinojosa. It had been a
him. By 1920, he was gone, Figure 1. A registered 1916 Mexican first-day cover with by Mexico's civil war already The number issued was re- scant two years since the
assassinated by some of his both 10-centavo stamps portraying Venustiano Carranza. had been the subject of seri- ported to be 150,000 of the very same man had stiffed
own men, with Alvaro Obre- ous study by Linn, and the blue stamp and 10,000 of the Linn for payment on 75,000
be familiar to Mexico spe- on the left, tells us it was an
gon taking his place in the subject of a survey book brown variety. But copies copies of the Transitory
cialists, Cosme Hinojosa. Official registration, or gov-
president's chair. Linn was then writing to be also are known to exist in stamp (Scott 369), which
However, on April 14, Hinojosa served as post- ernment mail piece. issued the following year in various other colors: gray Linn had designed and print-
1916, Carranza enjoyed his master general under Car- Even more interesting is 1917. Linn had already pub- blue; green; carmine; and ed for the Constitutionalist
moment of glory as he rode ranza. But, unlike his mentor, who this cover is from and to lished a book on the White black. These odd-colored movement.
triumphantly into Mexico he managed to survive a whom it is addressed. Seal and Green Seal stamps stamps are usually labeled es- The stamps had been re-
City at the head of his band much longer and varied po- The return address at the of Sonora. says or proofs. ceived, Hinojosa admitted in
of Constitutionalists. litical career as a revolution- top-left translates as "Private In his 1917 book, The War It is not surprising that a letter to Linn, and we know
This event was commem- ary bureaucrat. Correspondence of the Direc- Stamps of Mexico Linn dis- such special varieties quickly for certain that many of them
orated by two 10-centavo Figure 1 shows the face of tor General of Posts (Post- cussed the varieties of the reached the philatelic market. saw legitimate use in the
stamps portraying a bust of the envelope, bearing each of master General)," a post then Carranza commemoratives on By that time PMG Hinojosa northern states of Mexico that
Carranza (Scott 574-75). Ex- the two Carranza stamps. The occupied by Cosme Hinojosa. this cover. Evidently, there knew all about stamp collec- were under Constitutionalist
cept for their color — one is handstamped duplex cancel is It is addressed to "G.(eorge) were two dies made, one in tors and how to please them, control. But Hinojosa later
blue, the other brown — the dated (somewhat indistinctly) W.(ard) Linn & Company, which the shading in the oval at the same time extracting disavowed the stamps, calling
two stamps are identical, Mexico City, June 1, 1916 - Columbus, Ohio," the surrounding the portrait con- suitable compensation for his them counterfeits!
showing a finely engraved the day the stamps were first founder of this newspaper. sists of horizontal lines, and efforts. It was a pleasant surprise
and rather flattering likeness put on sale. Figure 2 shows the back- the other (as issued) where I would be very interested for me to find this piece. It
proved once again that there Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
are hundreds of covers out Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
there with their own special able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
stories to tell about this fasci- hardcover for $30. The third book in
nating hobby of ours. All one the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
able from selected dealers or from
has to do is find them! Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 28, 1994

Stamps on Mexican National Lottery tickets

The National Lottery has thought it might be worth- one appearing for the Dec. 8 The second lottery ticket
been an integral part of Mex- while to suggest Mexican drawing. for that week in January 1989 vievimo Mertes 28 de Marzo de 1989 Scrit Vigaima
ican life for well over 200 stamps as a possible adorn- I won't go into the intrica- shows the 40-centavo value 16 Mayor § ti It? tar 16
years. It was established as a ment for the tickets. cies of the Mexican lottery. of the first stamp series pub-
government monopoly in In 1988, club president Suffice it to say that nor- licizing the 19th Summer ERIA NACIONAL 18561981 V, 440,
1770, while the Spaniards Laura Gordillo proposed this mally there were two draw- Olympics, which were later PARA LA ASISTENC1A PUBIJCA . EStANIFULA
MUM. 1,101,C
held in Mexico City during
1968.
Mexico Figure 2 shows a used
By Dale Pulver copy of that 1965 stamp de Fetes
(966), illustrating a prehis- 4.00 MEPCP
toric clay figure of an athlete.
were still the masters of the These stamps paid the ordi- Vator T,n Filatc1
country. nary domestic surface rate, C1114.972
With a small investment, and were very familiar to me,
even the poor could buy the as I bought sheets of them at
dream of untold riches with our nearby branch post office Figure 3. This ticket for Mexico's March 28, 1989, lottery
the right number. Of course, to use on local mail. This shows a 1981 stamp that, in turn, illustrates the first
as we all know, the odds of was also one of the earliest Mexican postage stamp (left), which was issued in 1856.
winning are enormously Mexican stamps to be por- stamp that marked the 125th concept, first promoted by a
against the player. •• 1132(1!:::: • ..,1;1'1•40",1 4:i',. 3,t
trayed on lottery tickets. anniversary of the use of local stamp club, did not in-
The lottery is everywhere. While no classic issues postage stamps in Mexico deed have a positive effect
When our family lived in Figure 1. The first of 60 Mexican National Lottery tickets were chosen for use on the (1242). for philately.
Mexico City during the to depict stamps in 1989 depicts a 1971 stamp honoring tickets, Figure 3 shows a That stamp, in turn, shows It certainly brought stamps
1960s, lottery ticket vendors the 200th anniversary of the Mexican National Lottery. ticket for the March 28 lot- a Mexican first issue from to the attention of millions of
could be found at nearly tery reproducing the 1981 the district of Chiapas, can- lottery players, and may even
every major intersection of idea to the higher-ups at the ings each week: on Tuesdays celed in Tuxtla. (If you aren't have drawn some players into
the metropolis, more often lottery. To her surprise, the and Saturdays, with 20 tick- able to discern this clearly the hobby.
than not splitting their time suggestion was warmly ac- ets (fractions) bearing the from the Figure 3 illustration, As a footnote to this
between hawking tickets and cepted. same number, each of which please take my word for it.) theme, one of the prize piec-
selling newspapers and peri- Gordillo showed them sold for 1,000 or 1,500 pesos By September, as a conse- es in my 1856-61 exhibit of
odicals. about 200 Mexican stamps (then worth about 45¢ or 70¢ quence of currency devalua- Mexico is a registered front
But what, you may ask, spanning the period from the U.S.). tion, ticket prices have risen originally part of a wrapper
has this to do with stamps? classic era to modern times. It is probably no accident to 1,500 pesos for the Tues- used to mail lottery ticket
It turns out that the Mex- Since the lottery owns and that the first postage stamp day drawings and 2,500 stubs from Puebla to Mexico
ican National Lottery, which operates its own modern, lottery ticket, illustrated in pesos for Saturdays. By then, City in 1862.
occupies its own building and multicolor presses, it opted to Figure 1, reproduces the all stamps selected for il- The cover's 4-real franking
employs hundreds of workers reproduce mostly modern Mexican stamp of 1971 that lustration were of the large puzzled me at first, since 8r
in the Mexican capital, is stamp designs to show off its commemorates the bicenten- commemorative types, which was the basic registry rate. I
also home to a small but ded- sophisticated printing capabil- nial of the national lottery measure roughly 48 mil- thought possibly that stamps
icated and active employee's ity. (Scott 1031). The reproduc- Figure 2. The second Mex- limeters by 40mm. were missing, or had been re-
stamp club. The first ticket illustrating tion on the ticket is a little ican National Lottery ticket I must admit that the tick- moved.
Since modern Mexican lot- a postage stamp was • issued bit larger than the original in 1989 showed this 1985 ets are attractive graphic art, Then I read the fine print
tery tickets usually bear at- for the lottery drawing of stamp, but the colors and 40-centavo stamp, one of even though their connection in the postal tariff for the pe-
tractive artwork designed to Jan. 10, 1989. There were 60 printing match the original the earliest Mexican stamps to philately is tenuous. Still, riod and discovered that the
appeal to buyers, the club stamp designs in all, the last reasonably well. illustrated on the tickets. it would be surprising if this lottery enjoyed a special rate
that was one-fourth the nor- story and the tickets used in
mal postage that others paid. Figures 1 and 3.
It seems that, in addition to
the monopoly the National
Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
Lottery enjoyed, it also got a co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
break on the cost of its mail! Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
My thanks again to Alejan- able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
hardcover for $30. The third book in
dro Grossman, president of the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
Amexfil, for supplying much able from selected dealers or from
of the background for this Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 26, 1994

Scott album, new stamp printer for Mexico

I like to devote the Decem- for stamps issued from 1856 100 years. mail - I receive from Mexico,
ber column to philatelic odds to 1978 and consists of 151 This move by Scott should has been strictly limited.
and ends that do not merit a pages. Part II contains 74 be warmly received by those Most parcels I receive
full-length column but should pages for stamps from 1979 collectors wishing to as- from friends south of the bor-
be of interest to regular read- to 1992. semble a showing of Scott- der requiring heavy franking
ers of this space. It also gives Although Scott issued an- listed varieties, and I believe still bear stamps of the Ex-
porta series. And speaking of
Exportas, I still have not
Mexico found time to update my in-
By Dale Pulver formal checklist that appears
in Introduction to the Stamps
me the chance to recognize of Mexico. I hope to get to it
and thank folks who took this winter.
time to write to me in re- Interest in the Exportas re-
sponse to subjects covered mains keen, and the scarcer
here. varieties keep climbing in
Figure 2. Mexico's newest stamp printer, Grupo Grafico
price among the dealers who
First, and perhaps of great- Romo, produced this 1.30-peso stamp for the 350th an- offer them.
est importance to collectors niversary of the city of Salvatierra. "ROMO" (enlarged Back to the Tourism
of Mexico is the announce- in right inset) identifies it as a product of the new printer. stamps for a moment. If you "60 Aniversario de la
ment by Scott Publishing Co. nual supplements after dis- it will stimulate further inter- collect contemporary postal Inauguracion del Palacio de
that, after a hiatus of 18 continuing the original Spe- est in this fascinating coun- history, you may want to
years, the Specialty series cialty album about 1976, try.
Bellas Aries"
seek out covers bearing them
album pages for Mexico are newcomers to the field were I personally began my own now. I believe first-year us- 11414.P.0 WAIIANCA/11131ti.4
being reprinted. often hard pressed to find an collection with Scott Spe- ages will become difficult to ohnishron.
Toros Unthaws: WM, GRIT. 17.1.r NMI.
They will appear in two adequate album to house cialty albums and kept two find as time goes on. Two p. Wuhan 0,12r3
1aa3,: 16s 21.x
volumes. Part I has spaces Mexican stamps of the first going simultaneously, one for • Thavh..).: 1$1/2..r. nem
Ohm am 50 Emmen...
used and another for unused The article on the Quetzal hems i.XCatt
1.4444,1 Mt 104
tekt

stamps. stamp (Linn's, May 25, page tunnhonsh GanaCwx Alm.

300,000
At the moment I do not 36) drew a surprising re- VALaa V..: Nf 1.30

know the price, but have sponse from readers seeking

written for further particulars further information on the
and plan to review this and Bateman art print that served
other albums available for as a model for the stamp, and ...=41241111111111111111■■
Mexican stamps in a future Folio: 2182
the El Triufo rain forest, ob-
article. ject of the conservation effort
• for which the stamp was is- Figure 3. A first-day souvenir card produced by the Mexi-
A year ago I noted the end sued. can Postal Service for a Sept. 29 commemorative honoring
of the Exporta series and the I was able to steer several the 60th anniversary of Mexico City's Palace of Fine Arts.
advent of a new definitive se- readers to the source of the Another article that elicited 22, page 14). It is shown
ries promoting tourism. artwork. At least one, Bob several letters was the story here again in Figure 1.
Figure 1. A collector in New York found that a co-worker Even though these new de- Cohen, of New Jersey, re- about the 1-centavo il- I was gratified that most
was the nephew of the machinemaker who had mailed this finitives theoretically have ported that he bought the lustrated advertising envelope respondents concurred with
1896 cover featured in an earlier column, and recognized been available for well over a litho print and was absolutely that journeyed to Mexico and my explanation. But perhaps
the device illustrated on the envelope as a rendering tank. year, their use, at least on delighted with it. back in 1896 (Linn's, Aug. the most interesting letter of
 DECEMBER 26, 1994 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 21
all was from David Smith, a tank of a type Ord manufac- that produced previous issues "Romo" will be found on Service also has resumed the pear on the back of the cards
collector from East Aurora, tured and sold at the turn of of Mexican TB seals. each issue printed by this practice of preparing souvenir in Spanish only. That's prob-
N.Y., who was able to iden- the century for extracting This second run was rou- house. cards for each new com- ably just as well, as the En-
tify the machine pictured on useful fats and oils from all letted (the printer does not Figure 2 shows a 1.30-peso memorative with first-day glish versions on earlier cards
the cover (though it's hard to manner of garbage. have a suitable perforator) stamp produced by Grupo cancels for collectors. were poorly translated.
see clearly). He also provided Incidentally, Uncle Char- and the gum appears to be Grafico Romo depicting the Figure 3 shows one of Other readers have sug-
information on the original lie's daughter still lives in more glossy than that of the cathedral in the Spanish colo- these cards for a 1.30p com- gested intriguing topics I plan
sender, "C.E. Ord, Brooklyn, Cleveland. T.I.E.V. issue. nial town of Salvatierra, in memorative stamp marking to deal with during 1995.
Ohio." • If these TB seals are your the state of Guanajuato, now the 60th anniversary of Mexi-
It seems one of Smith's In my September column cup of tea, you will want to celebrating 'the 350th an- co's Palacio de Bellas Artes. Meanwhile, hearty thanks
co-workers is named George on the 1994 tuberculosis be sure to get both types. niversary of its founding. An to the many readers who
The stamp is tied by a red
Ord, originally from Cleve- seals, I noted that the official • inset, to the right of the wrote encouraging letters and
first-day handstamp showing
land, of which Brooklyn, Mexican government printing Servicio Postal Mexicano, stamp, enlarges the inscrip- best wishes to all for the hol-
the building and date of
Ohio, is now a suburb. office, T.I.E.V., produced the (the Mexican Postal Service, tion "ROMO" in the stamp's iday season. I hope the New
issue, Sept. 29, 1994.
When asked if there was a initial order of 5 million often abbreviated as "Se- bottom-right corner. Year provides some great
Text below the stamp and
pomex"), has contracted with The Romo-produced collecting 'opportunities for
possible relationship, George seals, but the remaining re- cancel gives complete details
quirement had not yet been a new printer for its com- stamps that I have received each of you!
replied, "Oh yes, that was about the issue. At the bot-
my Uncle Charlie. He lived arranged. memorative issues. You may thus far, including this one, tom-right corner of the card
appear to be very well done, Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
in Brooklyn when I was a Information just received have already noted this if you is its serial number, 2182. co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
boy." He went on to say that from my contact in Mexico have a standing order with a and they are better perforated About 2,500 such cards are Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
the elder Ord was a machine- indicates that the second part new-issue dealer and receive than those formerly produced printed for each stamp. able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
maker. of the order — a printing of shipments automatically. by Amate. The cards measure about hardcover for $30. The third book in
• the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
The item illustrated on the 3 million — had to be placed The new printer is Grupo 140 millimeters by 215mm. able from selected dealers or from
envelope was a rendering with the private contractor Grafico Romo and the. word Finally, the Mexican Postal Stories about each stamp ap- Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 30, 1995

Eppens left lasting mark on Mexican stamps

As stamp collectors ad- urban development were used lustrated in the 2-centavo the Inter-American Confer- huahua are but a few ex-
vance in the pursuit of their as stamp designs — a first, at stamp from the set that is ence on problems of war and amples.
hobby, many develop a spe- least for Mexico. shown in Figure 1. peace (792-95, C143-47), and Emulating many of his
cial interest in stamp designs In 1940 Eppens was re- Another famous Eppens also those marking the na- contemporary muralists, he
and the artists who created sponsible for the stamp motif design, and one of my favor- tional literacy campaign of sought to convey strong so-
them. For those who exhibit, known to Mexican collectors ites, is found on the 2c stamp the same year (806-11, C153- cial messages in his paint-
of 1942 in another six-stamp 57). ings. But he did not divorce
set. This one commemorates The latter set carries the himself completely from the
Mexico the Second Inter-American strongly worded slogan: Cf14PRN tOICIO/Olt. PRO RIFRBEIIIRCM
CORIZEOS r) rEk1T
field of stamp design. During
By Dale Pulver Agricultural Conference (777- "Quitemos la Venda!" (Re- MEXICO ,o the 1960s he served on a
79, C126-28). move the blindfold!). The 2c commission that suggested,
Figure 2 shows the stamp. value is shown in Figure 3. reviewed and approved
particularly in the realm of "13 DE1940 Its symbolic focus is a reclin- Most Eppens designs are Figure 3. In this 1945 2c themes to be used as subjects
thematic material, a few well-
chosen words about the art- v., 2 CENT ing female figure (Mother
Earth) clutching a sheaf of
signed, his autograph usually
stamp promoting a national
literacy campaign, Eppens
for postage stamps.
Over his lifetime he re-
work used for stamps and CORREOS appearing as a cursive signa-
wheat in her left hand, a trac- exhorts his fellow Mexicans
their designers will usually 91. MEXICO ture near the bottom-right
tor in the right hand, with to "Remove the blindfold!"
score some points with a per-
EU. EST WILOYCES-AMCO
Y
corner of the artwork. His
hair flowing into furrows as style, in many ways, was so the 500-peso denomination
ceptive judge. Figure 1. "El Timonel" if awaiting the arrival of farm
One of Mexico's premier (the Helmsman) on this 2- distinctive that it is not dif- near the top of the stamp,
hands. This representation, as ficult to identify his work. "Evitemos la tala de
stamp designers of the 1930s centavo stamp designed by well as the balance of those
and 1940s was Francisco Ep- Francisco Eppens Helguera Many contemporary critics bosques," translates as "Let
in the set, received many ac- said his designs were like us avoid the destruction of
pens Helguera (1913-90). Al- symbolized President Co-
colades at the time. miniature murals, concepts of (our) forests." The ax
most single-handedly, Eppens mancho, who led Mexico
Some of. Eppens' best high precision and full of un- wrapped in chains symbolizes
raised Mexican stamp design in the Second World War.
work emerged at the end of mistakable symbolism. the struggle to preserve the
to a level that commanded
as "El Timonel" (the Helms- and following World War II. trees.
critical acclaim worldwide. In 1945 he conceived the In all, Eppens is credited
As a young artist at age man), the central figure on a designs for the issue honoring with no fewer than 72 stamp The 12c Liberty stamp
22, he began designing rev- set of six stamps, three regu- designs, spanning the period (790) and the 25c Male Torso
enue stamps for the depart- lar and three airmail (764-66, II GONFERENCIA DiTERAMEDICADA DE from 1935 to 1951. His out- airmails (C141, and later
ment of "Hacienda," or of- CI14-16). AGINCULTUDA 4.16 416 rh,Jako da i942 put included definitive, com- C185) issued in 1944, are
fice of government finance. The Helmsman is an icon- memorative, airmail, special probably the two Eppens de-
His approach departed from ographic representation of delivery, parcel post, insured signs most widely used.
the usual stiff and staid treat- Manuel Avila Comancho, the delivery, postal tax and rev- In the early 1950s, Eppens,
ment of the subject matter for then-newly elected president enue stamps. by then a recognized artist of
stamps, and instead empha- destined to lead Mexico from Eppens also created a num- the first order, gave up stamp
sized liberal doses of pictorial the harsh economic condi- ber of design essays for design and dedicated himself
symbolism, or iconography. tions of the Depression stamps that never were se- Figure 4. Text and symbol-
to murals and large easel
Some of the earliest de- through World War II. egi5o511EXIcc ?C24 lected for issue. works. His murals can be
ism in this rejected Ep-
pens essay for a 1947 rev-
signs he created for postage There is, incidentally, a Figure 4 shows one such found in numerous public and
stamps appeared in the 1938 minor variety of this design Figure 2. Mother Earth essay for a revenue stamp enue stamp urged the pres-
private buildings — the Col-
set commemorating the 16th showing a small apostrophe- shares her bounty with man with a message that rings as ervation of Mexico's forests.
lege of Dentistry and Medi-
International Congress of like spot of color in the han- on another 2c stamp de- true today as it did in 1947 cine at University City (Mex- ceived countless citations for
Planning and Housing (Scott dle of the ship's wheel in signed by Eppens for the when the design was pro- ico City), the post offices in his unique art. As late as
740-45, C85-90). In this set front of the allegorical fig- Second Inter-American Ag- posed. Zacatecas and Poza (Vera- 1973, his work in stamp de-
architectural concepts for ure's left biceps. This is il- ricultural Conference. The inscription, just below cruz) and Celulosa de Chi- sign was recognized in the
form of a distinguished ser- T.I.E.V. But I believe that a
vice award from the Aero- little research could lead to a
philatelic Federation of the most interesting display.
Americas. Best of all, the stamps Ep-
It seems to me that the pens designed are readily
stamps designed by Francisco available and, for the most
Eppens, as well as some sig- part, reasonably priced. I
nificant covers bearing them, would be pleased to hear
would make an ideal subject from anyone who undertakes
for a one-frame exhibit. such a project.
I doubt if any original art- Introduction to the Stamps of Mex-
work is available to show as ico by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
collateral material since most Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
of Eppens' output during this able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
hardcover for $30. The third book in
period seems to be safely se- the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
cured in the archives of the able from selected dealers or from
Mexican stamp printers, Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
36 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 27, 1995

Mexican gems in Sotheby's Koenig auction

seen the Sotheby's sale cata- bisected lr to make a 'hr against the advice that some gles, four of which were the 10-peso Pro Universidad sur-
On May 30-31 in a single-
owner sale, Sotheby's of log, there should be many at- rate. of the covers were obvious even rarer varieties on laid face mail stamp (706). One
New York will auction the tractive and desirable classic- Koenig owned what ap- manipulations. As a result, paper.) of the mint blocks is shown
Erich Koenig collection, one era pieces that could add lus- pears to be one of the latter many purchases were later Bash also mentioned the in Figure 2.
of the few remaining great ter to any collection or ex- usages, a vertically bisected pronounced examples of fak- famous 1/2r Tlalcotalpan pro- Blocks are rare, yes, but
ery and had to be purged visional on cover cited ear- the stamp itself — even
from Koenig's collection. lier. At the time of Bash's though only 1,000 were print-
Mexico In 1959, the late John K. visit, Koenig had amassed ed — is rarely missing from
By Dale Pulver Bash, a renowned expert in about 250 covers with any good auction of Mexican
Mexican philately, was in- "splits," so he was not yet material, and ownership re-
vited to Mexico City by Koe- finished with his acquisitions. quires nothing more than a
old-time collections of Mexi- nig to view and pass judg- Regarding the current decent balance in the check-
can stamps and covers. ment on his holdings. Sotheby's sale, conversation book.
The news release announc- Koenig loved his specialty with Scott confirmed that the However, there is another
ing the sale, which I received but, as a busy man, he evi- foregoing cited items are in- 20th-century rarity being of-
several weeks ago by way of dently didn't have the time or deed among the material to fered that is definitely worth
Linn' s, listed the sale date as the inclination to become ex- be sold. a second look.
March 13. But a call to Rob- pert himself in the field he Also included are many It is a lightly canceled ex-
ert Scott, head of Sotheby's collected. Bash apparently set rare pieces after the classic ample of the 1921 bicolor
New York stamp department, him straight on a number of era, in the form of essays, 10p stamp commemorating
revealed that Sotheby's had questionable items in the col- proofs, errors and varieties the Abrazo de Acatempan
postponed it in view of the Figure 1. The vertical bisect of a 1-real yellow stamp on lection. with an inverted center (or an
peso crisis in Mexico, hoping this address sheet from a folded letter of the 1850s is one When Bash returned from inverted frame — take your
for a more settled financial of the "splits" — stamps quartered or bisected to pay a that trip he wrote a short note pick. The order of the two-
situation at the later date. lower rate — of which Erich Koenig was especially fond. for the journal Mexicana in color printing is unknown).
Although the release is hibit of Mexican material. lr on the front sheet of a which he enumerated a few
Figure 3 shows the stamp
written to imply it is the en- The release makes special folded letter from Guanajuato of the other classic gems in
(632a). Listed in used condi-
tire Koenig collection, we note of a vast array of to Aguascalientes, as shown the Koenig hoard.
tion only, it is valued at
know that a few, rare indi- "splits" on cover, some 350 in Figure 1. Mentioned were two full
$6,000 in the 1995 edition of
vidual items from this hold- in all. Although it bears the guar- sheets of the 1856 8r lilac
the Scott catalog.
ing have already reached the Seasoned collectors of antee mark of a Mexican ex- stamp, one with the "VIC-
market. Mexico know the story of pertizing group, the authentic- TORIA" district name over- The news release mentions
Most notable is the so- these "splits," or fractional ity of this item is questioned prints, and one without. that this offering is the first
called Tlalcotalpan provi- usages, well. These were ex- by several current specialists. Also noted by Bash was a in 40 years and the finest of
sional 1856 '/2-real stamp on pedients created at many dis- The rate does not compute, letter front with 17 copies of three copies known. In a
cover, a unique item that was trict post offices when sup- and Guanajuato — a large the 1856 4r red stamp can- quick look through my refer-
sold by Christie's in June plies of the common, low- post office — had an ample celed in Silao. Figure 2. One of four mint ences I could find nothing to
1992 for $110,000, including denomination stamps ran out. inventory of 1/2r stamps when Another exceedingly rare and used blocks of the 10- dispute this claim. In fact, a
the buyer's premium. The 4r and 8r values, for the letter was mailed, obviat- piece was a folded letter peso Pro Universidad stamp brief note in the January
This was, perhaps, the which there was scant need, ing the need to use such a bearing a single copy of the from the Koenig collection. 1969 Mexicana stated at that
priciest piece in Koenig's were bisected or quartered to bisect. '/2r brown Eagle (Scott 18). missing from many of time that only two copies
collection, which has been use for the more prevalent 2r Koenig obviously was very This may be unique, since so today's great Mexico collec- were known.
kept substantially intact since franking. fond of these fractional us- few of these stamps ever tions. In any event, this is an ex-
Koenig's death in the fall of In rare instances, 2r bisects ages — so much so, the story were legitimately used. (Koe- Among the noteworthy ceedingly rare stamp, even
1980. were used to pay a lr rate. goes, that he frequently or- nig also had accumulated 20th-century items are four though the possibility still ex-
Although I have not yet Rarer still is the usage of a dered an agent to buy items about 50 other '/2r brown Ea- blocks (used and mint) of the ists that more examples of
this 74-year-old error could terested in acquiring a copy,
surface. contact Sotheby's, 1334 York
The section of Mexican Ave., New York, NY 10021.
airmails in the Koenig collec- According to the auction-
tion is touted to be particu- eers, the collection filled 22
larly strong, including a full albums, certainly an ample
sheet of the 1922 first-issue volume of material to satisfy
50-centavo Eagle (Cl), two more than a few specialists.
examples of the very scarce If most of the rare classic

Figure 3. Said to be the finest of only three recorded

copies of a rare 1921 Mexican invert (Scott 632a), this
gem from the Koenig collection will be offered, in a Sothe-
by's sale now scheduled for May 30-31 in New York City.
imperforate-between error of items that Koenig is known
the 1927 second issue (C2b) to have had at the time he
and two copies of the rare passed away is present, it
scarlet 10c Madero on rev- will be a rare and unusual
enue paper (C76B). The last opportunity to acquire mate-
two items catalog $10,000 rial that has not been in the
and $15,000 each, respec- market for many, many years.
tively.
Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
The catalogs for the May co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
30-31 auction have not yet Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
been mailed, but I'm looking able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
forward to receiving one. hardcover for $30. The third book in
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
It will be a useful refer- able from selected dealers or from
ence, I'm sure. If you are in- Linn's, Box 29, Sidney. OH 45365. ■
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 27, 1995

Albums for the postage stamps of Mexico

Occasionally my mail Over the intervening years, stiffness and virtually elimi- A plus is that each space made it much easier to keep tion, where it is listed as
brings a perfectly reasonable several more such albums nates show-through when contains the Scott catalog track of the stamps I was Scott RA13B.
request from a reader who is came my way in the course pages are viewed from the number for the stamp belong- missing. The blue and dark blue
getting serious about collect- of buying remainder collec- back. ing there. These catalog num- Shown nearby is a Scott error in used condition is not
ing Mexican stamps, and tions and the like. I saved Album illustrations of typi- bers were not present in the specialty album page for all that rare, cataloging only
wants to know if I can rec- each album to be recycled. cal stamp designs are ad- older Specialty albums. Mexico's 1935-40 definitives. $20, and will usually be
Much of this column will About an inch of the page on present in well-developed
be devoted to a brief review the far left (where it is collections mounted in the
Mexico of the new Mexico Specialty punched to go into the older Specialty albums.
By Dale Pulver album, a copy of which was album) has been cropped to Although the reclassifica-
kindly supplied me by the make the album illustrations tion of the lc Pro Univer-
folks at Scott. But I will also easier to see. sidad stamp is probably tech-
ommend a suitable album. mention one other album In comparing the new nically correct, since its use
This seemingly simple which I believe can be useful album page-for-page with one was obligatory for some three
question became somewhat to the collector who reads of my old ones, at least up months following issue, its
easier to answer with the re- some Spanish, and who is through the 1940s, I'm happy design was consistent with
cent announcement by Scott seeking something less ex- to see some positive editorial the rest of the set and it
Publishing Co. that it is re- pensive than the Scott album. changes. For example, several seems out of place where it
printing the Specialty album In a follow-up column, I dates in the classic era have now resides.
for Mexican stamps after a will introduce another Mexi- been corrected and appropri- But these are minor quib-
interruption of some 18 co album concept in the ate changes have been made bles. Overall, the new album
years. Until that announce- works that I consider very in the layout. deserves a good grade, and I
ment, choices were few, es- exciting. Pages are unnumbered, but predict it will spark renewed
pecially for 19th- and early It will appeal to a small, the imprinted catalog num- interest in one of the world's
20th-century issues. more sophisticated group of bers make it fairly easy to most philatelically interesting
I consider the revival of collectors who desire a pre- correctly relocate a page that countries.
the Scott album as very good printed album with spaces for might get out of order. I have The pages, which are
news for those of us who the many subvarieties found never understood why Scott punched for the Scott two-
love and collect Mexican among the classic issues. does not consider some form post album and three-ring
stamps. And it should please These are mentioned in the of pagination in its Specialty binder, are presented in two
those recent newcomers to Scott catalog but not pro- albums as other album mak- volumes.
our field who have been de- vided for in the Specialty ers have done. Vol. I, covering stamps is-
nied a fresh, new single- album. I also found that spaces for sued from 1856 through
country album for Mexico by Mechanically, the reprinted a few of my favorite stamps 1978, consists of 151 pages;
America's largest album Scott album is similar to the have either been dropped or Vol. II, from 1979 to date,
maker for so long. original ones. Pages are the relocated to be consistent has 74 pages.
When I began collecting standard 10-inch by 111/2- with recent renumbering in List prices for the pages
An album page for 1935-40 definitives from the Scott
Mexico as my main specialty inch light cream color, with the catalog. alone are about $83 (Vol. I)
Specialty album of Mexico, returning after an 18-year
some 30 years ago, I pur- fancy border and corner orna- Space for the 1-peso blue and $40 (Vol. II) — not un-
hiatus. The binding edge, punched for both two-post al-
chased a Scott Specialty ments. and dark blue Veracruz reasonable, since I know one
bums and three-ring binders, has been photographically
album. In fact, when I de- According to my calipers, Lighthouse error of color dealer who was asking more
cropped to make the page and illustrations easier to see.
cided to save both mint and paper thickness is about a (Scott 627b, formerly 627) is than that for older used Mex-
used stamps, I bought a sec- thousandth of an inch thicker equate, although many of In fact, one of the first omitted, and the 1-centavo ico Specialty albums. Fur-
ond album so that I might than pages in my older al- them (like those in the Scott things I did after purchasing dull orange Pro Universidad thermore, most supply dealers
mount the two kinds of bums. This minor improve- catalog) lack detail or appear mine years ago was to pencil stamp is moved to the back- who advertise in Linn's grant
stamps separately. ment results in added page muddy. in Scott catalog numbers. It of-the-book postal tax sec- discounts of as much as 30
 MARCH 27, 1995

percent on these products. Spanish language, and the size and color as Scott, but album was then priced at "pink zone" of Mexico City
Until Scott reissued its stamp spaces are keyed to probably a bit lower in qual- $43.50. The latter could also where tourists shopped for
Mexico Specialty album there Vackimes' own catalog (price ity. be had in a hingeless edition souvenirs. I acquired my first
was, as far as I know, only list) of Mexican stamps. The albums come with a (two volumes) for $210. Scott Specialty album from
one other album in print that This album, too, is pub- vinyl-covered two-screw post If you are interested, con- him, as well as many of my
provided space for Mexican lished in two volumes, the binder. I consider them to be tact Filatelia Vackimes, Re- first Mexican stamps.
stamps issued since 1856. first spanning the first cen- fully adequate for the inter- forma No. 418, 06600 Mexi-
tury of Mexican stamps from mediate specialist, and the co, D.F. Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
This was an album designed co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
and edited by S. Vackimes, 1856 to 1956 (71 pages), price is certainly reasonable. As a footnote, I have Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
longtime stamp dealer of with the second volume When I secured a copy of known Steve Vackimes since able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
Mexico City. bringing us to the present the first-century album a cou- 1964, when I frequented his hardcover for $30. The third book in
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
As you might expect, the time. ple of years ago, it was about little stamp shop on Ham- able from selected dealers or from
album notations are in the Pages are about the same $30. The second-century burg() Street in the so-called Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 24, 1995

Specialized albums for collectors of Mexico

My column on albums for without district names and so process of design, production a set of pages will be indi-
Eagle Issue
Mexican stamps in Linn's forth. and distribution of a finished vidually produced on a fast 1864
March 27 issue (page 40) Follansbee's approach to album, Follansbee's album laser printer, shrink-wrapped
concentrated on two possibili- this type of offering is design and layout will be and shipped out. In that way, "First Period"
ties for 19th-century and unique, as far as I know. stored on a computer disk. a major investment in an ini-
Overprinted with district name only
early 20th-century issues — In contrast with the usual When an order is received, tial edition and mass-
marketing efforts to recapture
1856 Issue its large costs can be avoid-
Mexico ed.
By Dale Pulver With District Name Follansbee expects the
price for his album will be
% Real
Four plates were used far both the ss r and I r , producing a range of shades in each vat
quite reasonable, considering
the newly republished Scott the depth of coverage pro-
Specialty album for stamps of vided. The album is designed 4 r

Mexico and a similar Mexi- for a narrow niche market

can album published by S. and is expected to generate a
Vackimes of Mexico City. small but steady return over
Both of these albums are dril, blue
many years.
limited to spaces for major "Second Period"
I Real The basic album will con-
stamp varieties. However,
tain between 100 and 125 Overprinted with invoice number (118179) and "1864' in large numerals.
that degree of detail may not
pages, and stop at the year
be enough for the specialist
1940. Collectors of subse-
aiming to collect the interest- , r
quent issues can use Scott,
ing and abundant subvarieties
Lighthouse or other available
of Mexico's classic early is- lemon yellow llo
albums.
sues. red Iliac

Following the initial men-

2 Reales But this basic album will
tion in my December column
wo plates of 60 sub*ts each and one plate of 190 subjects spaced close together were used.
be far more detailed than any
that I planned to review the
Plate I Plate II other album currently on the
Scott album, I received a market and, since it provides
very interesting letter from spaces for dozens more vari-
Nicholas Follansbee, West eties, it is not a direct com-
petitor with the established
Coast auctioneer and a recog-
nized expert on Mexican erne.rald albums.
stamps. Additionally, supplements
Plate Ill

Nick described to me a are being designed and will

new album concept that he be available for still more
layers of detail, such as the Figure 2. The first of three pages in the Follansbee album
and an associate are develop- for Mexico's 1864-66 Eagle issues organizes the stamps by
ing. Their aim is to provide a district name overprints, as
well as the errors, paper vari- period and has places for four shades of the 1/2-real Eagle.
much more specialized pre-
printed album for those ambi- eties, plate varieties, perf va- his layout and treatment very the album, which provides 15
tious collectors who, after rieties and so on that are not impressive. These aspects of spaces for color and plate va-
getting the major varieties, covered in the basic pages. the new album are well rep- rieties of the 1/2 real, lr and
decide they would like to dif- Figure 1. Page 1 from an 1856-1940 Mexico specialized Follansbee sent me proofs resented by the two pages 2r values of the 1856 issue.
ferentiate colors, plate print- album, which may be available by this summer, provides of the first 40 pages, cover- that are illustrated here. Page 2 carries on with spaces
ings, papers, stamps with and spaces for a host of varieties of classic Mexican stamps. ing the period 1856-94. I find Figure 1 shows page 1 of for the various shades of the
 APRIL 24, 1995 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 33
4r and 8r stamps, stamps to identify the correct stamp sufficient notation (sometimes able too, but, as you might Basurto of Antioch, Calif., on revenue paper (Scott 76B)
without district names and for each space in the album. including Scott and Michel suspect, they are considerably called attention to three fla- is a 20c stamp.
the meshed paper varieties. Price and date of avail- catalog numbers) to assure more expensive. grant blunders in stamp iden- The blame for these mis-
The album's coverage of ability have still to be estab- correct mounting of look- I hope these short reviews tification in my column on takes is clearly mine, since
the 1864-66 Eagle stamps lished, but Follansbee and his alike stamps. will be useful to readers who' the Koenig auction in the the folks at Linn's faithfully
(Scott 18-24) include three associate are pushing to have A further plus for the may be trying to decide what Feb. 27 issue of Linn's (page copied the text I sent them. I
pages for the basic comple- the album ready by early Lighthouse album, to my albums will best meet the 36). apologize to my readers for
ment of stamps issued during summer. (One of the prob- mind, is the comprehensive needs of their collection. Scott 18 is obviously the these errors.
five philatelically identifiable lems that remains is to find treatment afforded the long Comments on these and 3-centavo brown. Eagle, not
periods. Also included are suitable paper combining ad- and complicated Exporta any other albums of Mexico the 1/2-real as written in the Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
'spaces for stamps without equate wear properties and issue of 1975-92. Lighthouse that readers may have found text. co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
provides spaces for all the and used are welcome. Write Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
overprints, which are quite acceptable archival character- The inverted-center Abrazo able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
scarce in legitimately used istics.) recognized issues in this to Dale Pulver, c/o Linn's, hardcover for $30. The third book in
lengthy series, accounting for Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. de Acatempan stamp is a 10c the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
condition. In any event, I will keep • stamp, not a 10-peso stamp,
the various papers, water- able from selected dealers or from
Figure 2 shows the first of readers apprised of progress Mexican' expert Alfredo and the Madero stamp printed Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
the three Follansbee album on this project. marks, light-active properties,
pages for the Eagle issue, Another stamp album I gums, and so forth.
The Lighthouse editors
with spaces for stamps of the consider to be superb for
have taken a keen interest in
first and second periods of modern issues of Mexico is
this series, and yearly supple-
1864. Note again the provi- the one produced by Light-
ments often contain revised
sion of spaces for mounting house.
I bought one about 12 pages for earlier editions in
1/2r stamps printed in four
different shades: brown, lilac, years ago when I could not which new Exporta varieties
brownish lilac and red lilac. assemble all the supplements have been identified.
Follansbee puts his vast I needed to keep my. Scott Lighthouse albums are not
knowledge to good use with *Specialty album current. As a cheap, however, and their
short but informative nota- result, my general collection coverage of Mexico only
tions throughout the pages. of Mexico from 1970 finds goes back to 1934. But if
There also will be several its home in Lighthouse al- your Mexico collection is
pages of illustrations and bums. limited to modem issues, you
other explanatory detail for I have been pleased with will not find a better album
each issue. These notes pro- these albums. The pages are in which to house them.
vide all the guidance needed well designed and there is Hingeless pages are avail-
44 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 22, 1995

The 8-centavo Juarez and the elusive 8c rate

Chicago-area Mexico spe- and only stamp of the 8c de- apply to letters to the United 8c Juarez (the top-left stamp),
cialist Don Sabo has puzzled nomination you will find in States. which passed through the
for some time over an anom- the Mexico listings until How do we know this? mails unquestioned. I also
aly in Mexico's postal rates 1947. Lacking a reference to any have a photocopy of a cover
during the 1920s. While Scott lists the date official directive, we deter- with the 8c Juarez post-
Sabo phoned me several of issue simply as "1926," mined this fact from covers marked Jan. 4 in Guadalajara.
mailed during the period in On the Figure 2 cover, the
question. 8c Juarez pays the first-class
Mexico But there are several other postage. The lc stamp at top-
By Dale Pulver unanswered questions. Why right is an obligatory postal
was the rate reduced? When, tax issue (RA1) and the 20c
exactly, did the reduced rate stamp below (E2) pays the
months ago to see if I could take effect? And when was special delivery fee.
shed some light on the reason this rate discontinued, and the
for, and the duration of, a re- Sabo's Jan. 3 usage is the
first-class rate restored to earliest we have thus far re-
duction in Mexico's first- 10c?
class letter rates in 1927. corded, and suggests that the Figure 3. A 2c stamp (left) and the 8c Juarez frank a
In any event, a new 8c rate change may have been
Since he caught me some- postage stamp was the first cover from Guadalajara dated Jan. 5, 1927. Does the 2c
what off guard, I had to scheduled to take effect Jan. stamp reflect overpayment of postage, or could it be that
requirement. 1 — New Year's Day. Since
defer. But his inquiry led to The Jan. 8 date cited in the 10c rate was not officially reduced to 8c until Jan. 8?
an interesting exchange of that day was a holiday, and
Gibbons and Michel as the There are, however, in- year, ending Dec. 31, 1927.
correspondence about a situa- the day following (Jan. 2)
Figure 1. The 8-centavo or- issue date seems suspect. stances where this presumed But the latest 8c cover in
tion that deserves further was a Sunday, this could ex-
ange Benito Juarez stamp As Figure 2 shows, Sabo start of the lower rate was Sabo's collection is dated
study. plain why we have yet to see
released in 1926 (Scott 666). has a special delivery cover not duly noted. Nov. 9.
Sabo and I have not yet covers postmarked with those
Figure 3 shows a cover I have an 8c cover mailed
completely solved this riddle several other catalogs, includ- dated Jan. 3, 1927, bearing a dates.
postmarked in Guadalajara from Acapulco to San Fran-
but readers may be interested ing Gibbons and Michel, pin- Jan. 5, 1927, bearing the new cisco, dated Jan. 12, 1928. I
in what is known thus far. point it more precisely as 8c stamp plus an additional also know of another cover
Perhaps the best place to Jan. 8, 1927 (not 1926). This EXPRESA
2c stamp. Was it overpaid, or mailed from Guadalajara,
start is with the stamp cata- discrepancy has existed since ANSESA E AT R 0 VARI. was the rate indeed an- which is clearly dated Jan. 4,
111
logs. Often, clues to rate at least 1931, and neither Y VIERACRIUZ";% nounced to take effect Jan. 8, 1928.
changes can be found there. Sabo nor I found anything in N LEcHuGA as Gibbons and Michel sug- Unfortunately, I have no
If you study the Mexico the standard literature to ex- gest? other 1928 covers earlier than
section of your Scott catalog plain which date is correct. Whatever the case, covers March to provide clues about
carefully, you will note that Usually, postal authorities mailed throughout 1927 are the end of the rate period -
an 8-centavo orange stamp do not order stamps to be normally franked with 8c and by March the rate had
portraying Benito Juarez is printed unless there is an es- postage, either using the 8c definitely returned to 10c.
listed as issued in 1926 tablished need for them, and Juarez stamp or combinations As far as the 8c Juarez
(Scott 666). The stamp is il- this is where the story be- of other values to make up stamp is concerned, there
lustrated in Figure 1. comes even more intriguing. that rate. seems to have been an ample
This stamp is roughly in Sometime during 1926, The end of the 8c first- printing of it. Examples are
the same format as the regu- Mexican postal authorities class rate has been similarly found used (with the neces-
lar issue of 1923. Discount- apparently decided to reduce difficult to pin down. sary additional postage) well
ing the "OFICIAL" over- the rate for first-class domes- Figure 2. An & Juarez is among the franking on this It would be logical to sus- Into the 1930s.
print variety of the same tic letters from 10c to 8c. commercial cover postmarked Jan. 3, 1927 — five full pect the lower rate might In fact, if memory serves,
stamp (0182), this is the first This lower rate also was to days before some catalogs say that this stamp was issued. have been established for a mint copies of this stamp
were still available to collec- Still, the questions of why
tors at the philatelic window and for what specific period
in Mexico City's main post the first-class rate was re-
office when I left Mexico in duced remain unanswered.
1969. Reductions in postal rates are
There is another possible rare events, so there had to
angle to the selection of be a good reason.
Juarez for the stamp's design. Also, could there be some
Mexico's own 1989 Celis- covers bearing the stamp
Cano catalog puts the stamp dated 1926?
under a 1926 heading with a Perhaps some of our read-
footnote that translates as, ers can help us resolve this
"In remembrance of the matter. Furthermore, the an-
120th anniversary of Benito swers may lie buried in the
Juarez's birth." My Mexican Mexican postal archives, pos-
history book records the sibly accessible to some of
Juarez birth date as March our Mexican readers.
21, 1806. In an event, further input,
Obviously, it takes time to comment or clarification will
prepare a stamp once the de- be appreciated and duly noted
cision is made to issue it. So in a future column. Send
we can speculate that since a your thoughts to me in care
new denomination was need- of Linn's, Box 29, Sidney,
ed, the timing was appropri- OH 45365.
ate for the use of Juarez as
Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
the subject for the stamp. co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
But, if this explanation of Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
the stamp is correct, why was able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
the stamp not issued March hardcover for $30. The third book in
the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
21, or at least earlier in the able from selected dealers or from
anniversary year? Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365.11
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 26, 1995

A look back at the Exporta series of Mexico

In my humble and oft- public, even more varieties of the July 1991 issue of Mexi- haps its greatest value lies in porta, 1975/1993, this splen- GoebelsS and one Wifag, all
stated opinion, the Exporta Exporta stamps had appeared, cana, the quarterly journal of the initial reporting of actual didly printed 58-page booklet equipped with integral perfo-
stamps of Mexico are one of some of which were de- the Mexico Elmhurst Phila- numbers of stamps printed, was produced at Talleres de rators — were used for the
the most interesting series of scribed in that November telic Society International. data obtained by the author Impresion de Estampillas y printing.
issues the modern world of 1992 column. Shelton's price list contains directly from the Mexican Valores (TIEV), the govern- Total Exporta production
The series now has defi- was about 4.24 billion stamps
nitely ended. This fact was (the most ever for a Mexican
Mexico announced by the Mexican definitive issue), with a com-
By Dale Pulver Postal Service (Sepomex) bined face value in excess of
some time ago, and new de- 1.2 trillion pesos.
finitive stamps touting tour- The TIEV booklet was
philately has to offer. ism have taken the place of mailed to all members' of
Issued over a period of al- the Exportas. Amexfil. Since the edition
most 18 years, these stamps was limited to 500 copies, it
In spite of this, Exporta
gave serious collectors almost likely will become a collec-
stamps continue to be used
everything they could want in tor's item in itself. The front
extensively, at least on mail I
the way of challenge. cover of the TIEV booklet is
see from Mexico, indicating Figure 1. The beginning and end of the Exporta series: a 1.60-peso Bicycle stamp printed
The Exportas include at shown in Figure 2.
that there still must be plenty Oct. 14, 1975 (left); and the 2,000p Wrought Iron stamp (right), printed April 27, 1993.
least 112 face-different de- Other resources I have
of unused inventory at post
signs, a wide variety of pa- a wealth of information he government printing office. ment department responsible used over the years are price
offices around the country.
pers, gums, and light-reactive uncovered during his attempts About a year after the for printing the Exporta lists published by Filatelia
characteristics, numerous If you're one of those bent
to build a stock of these Amexfil study appeared, an- stamps. Mussot, a stamp firm in
color shades typical of such on specializing in this com-
stamps. There were some other stamp dealer, James 0. All of the Exporta designs Mexico City. The most recent
multicolor emissions, and plex issue, I feel it would be
minor mistakes in his original Vadeboncoeur of Los Altos, are reproduced in full color. edition I have came to me in
even flaws and print shop er- helpful to review the listings
list, but he corrected these in Calif., issued his own survey Actual production figures are July 1994 and appears to be
rors to titillate the sharp-eyed and information sources that
subsequent installments. titled The Exporta Issue of summarized year by year for complete as far as major vari-
stamp hunter. you can use to develop your
This price list can be a Mexico. the entire series. eties go.
Since this column began Exporta collection.
valuable resource, although it This 80-page work is There is a table character- It is interesting to note that
12 years ago, Exporta stamps First, if you desire a pre- may prove awkward for those somewhat easier to use than izing the 14 distinct papers retail prices for certain
have been featured in five ar- printed album for your Ex- not thoroughly familiar with either the Shelton list or the used in the production of stamps from the early issues
ticles. To help readers sort porta stamps, the only one I the stamps, since Shelton's Amexfil list, although some these stamps. Happily, it have soared, in particular for
their varieties, I even devel- know of that does a decent listings do not describe the of Jim's issue designations agrees with the 14 issue cat- stamps from the sixth series.
oped a checklist, which at- job of providing spaces for stamp designs. are at odds with other deal- egories that are now accepted The wide-design (37.5 milli-
tracted much more attention the many varieties is manu- In October 1992, the Aso- ers' lists. by most experts. meter) 20p Wrought Iron
than I had expected. factured by Lighthouse. This ciacion Mexicana de Filitelia, The Vadeboncoeur report A brief introduction reveals stamp is now quoted at $400,
My most recent column on firm also produces an over- a Mexican philatelic group, contains much helpful infor- additional information not and many other individual
Exporta stamps appeared in view of the Exporta issues published a 45-page booklet mation about perforations, widely known until now: the stamps have reached the $10
Linn's Nov. 16, 1992, issue from time to time in the form on the Exporta stamps as a paper characteristics, hints on first stamp off the presses to $50 price range.
(page 34), shortly after my of a guide that details the supplement to its bimonthly sorting the stamps using ul- was the 1.60-peso Bicycle In response to requests
Introduction to the Stamps of various printings and cross- journal, Amexfil. I described traviolet light and other tech- stamp printed Oct. 14, 1975. from several readers as to
Mexico was published. In- references catalog listings. this booklet in my November nical aspects of the series. The last of them was a whether I will update the
cluded as an appendix to the In the fall of 1990, San 1992 column. In March of this year yet 2,000p Wrought Iron stamp checklist that appeared in In-
book was my latest edition of Antonio stamp dealer Bill The booklet is well il- another valuable reference finished on April 27, 1993. troduction to the Stamps of
the Exporta checklist. Shelton assembled a special- lustrated and would be help- came my way from Mexico. Those two stamps are Mexico, the answer is yes.
However, by the time the ized price list for Exporta ful to collectors who can read Titled Catalogo de Produc- shown in Figure 1. For those who have relied
book was available to the stamps. It was published in the Spanish language.' Per- tion de la Serie Mexico Ex- Four presses — three on this incomplete list, some
comments are in order. First, the subseries B col- would like the complete Ex- battle with cancer.
umn under the 10th issue is porta checklist, be sure to in- In the 20-odd years he was
really a separate issue, now dicate that fact.) in the stamp business (fol-
ESFAMPILI.AS POSTALES designated as No. 13. This I hope that this brief re- lowing his retirement from a
group is not complete; about view of information sources I distinguished career in the
10 new varieties (mostly high use will be useful to fans of Air Force) he became known
values) must be added. this complicated series. worldwide as an expert in
Column A under my 10th In a future article I will Mexican philately and as a
issue is likewise missing examine the many postal fair and thoroughly honest
Al/0060N 10, H- NN, 1.111,
three values. rates that came into effect businessman.
The 11th, 12th, and 14th during the long tenure of the I knew Bill personally for
issues — printings on distinct Exportas, to explain why so most of that time, bought
types of paper — do not ap- many stamp denominations many of my better collection
pear in my list. Each is repre- were necessary. Meanwhile, items at his auctions and
Secreiaria de Hacienda y Pfiblico
LJlrnw do linpre.Ne d sented by only one stamp. any questions or comments turned to him many times for
If you are interested in re- about the Exporta series are information and advice in
ceiving this Exporta checklist always welcome. philatelic matters. He honored
Figure 2. Produced earlier update, write to me in care of • me by writing the foreword
this year by the government Linn's and include a stamped, As an afternote to this col- to Introduction to the Stamps
department that printed the addressed No. 10 envelope. umn, I want to pay homage of Mexico.
stamps, this 58-page booklet My update will be formatted to Col. William S. "Bill" Those of us who collect
is the latest addition to the so that it can be tipped into Shelton, who passed away and love Mexican stamps
specialist's library on the your copy of the book. (If May 11 at his home in San have lost a true friend
Exporta series from Mexico. you do not own the book and Antonio after a long, long indeed. •
 20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 24, 1995

Koenig sale signals Mexican market strength

My Mexico column in the Koenig's important holding. timate ranges. And all but a bidding it was hammered
trict overprints of the first is- could result in depressed
Feb. 27 issue of Linn's (page My thanks to Nick for the couple of dozen "split" lots sues in any depth, but his prices, especially since sev- down for $31,050.
36) previewed an important use of his notes on the sale, found eager buyers. collection did have a few de- eral of the stamps had condi- Even more excitement was
collection of rare Mexican and his perceptive assessment Highlights follow, with sirable items, including two tion flaws of some sort. generated in the modern
stamps and covers to be sold of its significance. prices shown including the full, unused sheets of the This was not the case. Bid- stamp section when the 10c
at the end of May by Sothe- As noted in the February 15-percent buyer's premium. 1856 8r. One sheet with the ding competition forced pric- Abrazo de Acatempan invert
AllIPIEN1111117 "VICTORIA" district name es to levels higher than has reached the block.
overprint sold for $7,187, been seen in other recent auc- Figure 3 shows this bi-
MeXico while the other without the tions for similar material. colored stamp, with inverted
By Dale Pulver district name brought $4,887. Only the laid paper 3c Ea- vignette (Scott 632a). It can
These prices were considered gles, which are much rarer be considered as Mexico's
bargains by some observers. than the stamps on normal counterpart to our inverted
by's in New York City.
Other 1856 first-issue paper, went for a lower per- Jenny, but it's much, much
This was the legendary rarer, since only two or three
items worth noting include a centage of catalog value.
Erich Koenig collection, the
cover front used in Baja Cali- The celebrated 3c on copies are known.
bulk of which was formed
fornia, with a lr Hidalgo cover, reputed to be the only Though the stamp is held
more than 30 years ago. It
pen-canceled with a large one known, caused consider- by many to be Mexico's
had remained largely undis-
"X." It brought $2,070, just able excitement by opening greatest modern rarity, when
turbed since Koenig's death
over the top estimate. below the estimate, but with- the copy in this sale reached
five years ago. a final price of $25,300, it
Another first-issue cover, in a minute or so of heated
When I did the February surprised even the most san-
column, auction catalogs had addressed to France with two
Figure 1. The first 300 lots of Sotheby's May 30-31 New 2r singles and the very rare guine market watchers.
not been mailed. My review York City auction of the Erich Koenig collection of Mexi- 4r Zacatecas manuscript Scott's 1996 catalog value of
was based largely on a Sothe- co consisted of covers franked with "splits" — stamps name overprint, sold for $6,000, up from $4,00(., just
by's news release and infor- bisected or otherwise divided to pay lower rates. Though $3,335, about three times last year, was ignored com-
mation I dug from my files common "splits" sold well below catalog value, prices Sotheby's estimate. pletely in the bidding.
or from conversations with were strong for scarcer ones. A quadrisect of an 8-real
collector friends. Finally, an 1856 2r emer- The airmail section of the
Eagle paying the 2r letter rate on this cover (Scott 250 ald with the "C(IUDAD) auction contained some great
The catalog eventually did sold for $14,375, against its $3,000-$4,000 presale estimate.
arrive, and the sale was held BRAVOS" name overprint rarities, but many failed to at-
May 30-31. Its results were column, Koenig was espe- Three-quarters of an 1857 on cover, probably the only tract even reasonable bids.
so astonishing that many of cially keen on "splits" - 4-real Hidalgo on cover pay- example in existence, sold for The 1917 postcard sent by
us are still pondering what it bisects and other fractions of ing the 3r rate was estimated $2,415 against an estimate of way of the first experimental
all means. high-denomination Mexican at $2,500 to $3,000 because $300 to $350, even though airmail flight was an excep-
Although I did not attend postage stamps used to pay of heavy staining. It brought the stamp was cut into on the tion, bringing $1,380 despite
the sale personally, I have the common, lower rates. more than $6,600, against a left side. the fact that similar items
heard from several of those Koenig had amassed more Scott catalog value of $7,000. These last items would Figure 2. The 3-centavo have recently sold for much
who did,* including dealer than 350 such items and Figure 1 shows a much have looked great in my ex- brown Eagle. Despite fears less than $1,000.
Nick Follansbee who sent me these were the first 300 lots finer cover with a 2r quadri- hibit had I been in a position that the presence of more The total sale results were
an extensive write-up of his in the sale. sect of the 8r Eagle. It to win the competition! than 50 copies of this scarce about 80 percent of the high
observe tions. Desrite the fact that there fetched $14,375 against an Figure 2 shows Mexico's stamp in the Koenig sale end of presale estimates, top-
Since we both believe the were many mediocre ex- estimate of $3,000 to $4,000, 3-centavo brown Eagle (Scott would depress prices, the ping $560,000. This was
results bode well for those amples, the group as a whole and a Scott catalog value of 18). More than 50 exnmpies Drought good prices, achieved even though numer-
who collect Mexico seriously, did very well indeed,witti $3,000. (This same cover of this rare stamp were of- crowned by the price of ous high-ticket modern items
decided to do this follow-up total realizations exceeding sold for $300 in 1960!) fered in the Koenig sale, and $31,050 paid for the only remained unsold.
column on the dispersal of the high end of Sotheby's es- Koenig did not collect dis- some of us felt this many known example on a cover. It is of further significance
Figure 3. The finest of three known copies of Mexico's
rarest 20th-century stamp, this rare 1921 inverted-center
error from the Koenig collection sold for $25,300 — more
than four times the recently increased Scott catalog value.
that this sale was the third alog values.
major auction of Mexican The results on the "splits"
material in a three-month alone should induce extensive
time span. revisions in Scott catalog
Contrary to some predic- pricing up through Mexico's
tions, prices on select items 1868 issue. Prices realized
equaled or exceeded even the for other seldom-seem rarities
most optimistic expectations. also should provide bench-
Better rare items invariably marks for even more realistic
brought spirited bidding and catalog values.
many sold at record levels. Happily, these adjustments
Several dealers came well should call further attention
prepared to scoop up bargains to the philatelic importance
for resale, but most left with and enduring value of choice
only a small fraction of their Mexican material.
intended buy lists fulfilled. Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
Collectors (and possibly some co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
investors) held them at bay. Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
Another important result of able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
hardcover for $30. The third book in
this sale will be the infor- the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
=bon
mation t contributes to en- able from selected dealers or from
able Scott to overhaul its cat- Linn's, Box 29 Sidney, OH 45365. •
30 LINN S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 28, 1995

New and improved Mexican postal products

For several years, a loyal gray and dark blue band with shaped, red "PASSED In past years, Sepomex has the printer (Romo Graphics niversary of Cardenas' birth,
correspondent in Mexico one of the Sepomex logos. FREE" handstamp appears issued souvenir cards coincid- Group), the total emission May 21, 1895. Perhaps the
City, Guillermo Wilkins, has The reverse side displays a toward the bottom on the ing with its new stamp is- (300,000) and the face value. printer was unable to meet an
kept me apprised of Mexican similarly ruled box for the face of the box in Figure I. sues, but not always with The stamp is tied clearly earlier deadline.
new issues, special offerings sender's address ("Remiten- There was no indication particularly praiseworthy re- with a special first-day can- The other half of Wilkins'
from the Mexican Postal Ser- te"), below which is the in- from Wilkins of what these sults. I reviewed some of cellation in red. The card is packet consisted of first-day
these earlier items in my
covers. These, too, were pro-
Linn's column of Nov. 13,
duced by Sepomex and are of
Mexico INTERNACIONAL 1989 (page 12). excellent quality.
By Dale Pulver But matters have improved
of late. Both the quality of Figure 3 shows the cor-
the cards and the care exer- responding FDC for the Car-
DESTINATARIO denas stamp. The motive for
vice and many of the goings cised in applying cancella-
on in the stamp world south tions to them are far superior the stamp is given at the top-
of the border. His latest dis- D AL PuLuEV to earlier efforts. left with a very brief bio-
patches included several graphical recap at the bottom
11Z, 5 B,A.uf.E c(2-Ee k. DR Figure 2 shows a recent
of the cover.
items that I thought Linn's example, a card bearing the "Centenario del natant:iv del
readers might find interesting. ts40.5tog 01-1io General Limo Cardenas del Rio"
1.80p stamp honoring former The simple cachet of three
Perhaps the most intriguing CIUDAD
Mexican President Lazaro oil derricks calls attention to
is a rather unusual new prod- REIIIPPIRCI Cardenas. The card stock is what Cardenas is best re-
uct being promoted and sold sturdy, pale gray in color,
1.1 a Wm+
membered for outside his
by the Servicio Postal Mexi- with a textured surface. own country, the nationaliza-
NNW
cano (Sepomex). [Editor's Note: Much of %.1 tion of Mexico's oil industry
Figure 1 shows this item, a SERVICIO
the unprinted gray selvage in 1938. This was undoubt-
..■■■•■• POSTAL
small box containing a stand- .171••••■ MEXiCANO around the 81/2-inch by 51/2- ASIMEMMENEENO■ edly one of the more signifi-
ard audio tape cassette. The V.91629 cant domestic events to pro-
inch card has been photo-
illustration shows the top graphically cropped in order Figure 2. This first-day- voke nationalist sentiment in
edge and the face, or address Figure 1. The top edge and address flap with a printed 7-
to make the printed detail canceled Sepomex souvenir the first half of this century
side, of the box. peso stamp for Servicio Postal Mexicano's new "CINTA
easier to see, although this card for a recently issued in Mexico.
Dotted lines define space POST" (tape mail) service box, designed to carry a cas-
sette tape. This one was carried in the mails, but only does give Figure 2 a some- Mexican 1.80-peso Lazaro A Sepomex logo appears
for the addressee ("Destina- what lopsided appearance.] Cardenas commemorative is
received a partial U.S. Customs handstamp on the front. on the envelope flap, and a
tario"). A stamplike imprint a considerable improvement
The printed text, which four-digit serial number is
in the top-right corner reads scription "Hecho en Mexi- tapes sell for at post office over some earlier offerings. printed in the bottom-right
"CINTA POST" (tape mail) co" (Made in Mexico). windows in Mexico or if they may not be fully legible in
the illustration, announces serially numbered in red ink corner of the back. I do not
and shows a value of 7 The tape box in Figure 1 are widely available. The 7- know the number of FDCs
pesos, the postage needed for came through the mail in fine peso postage converts to that it commemorates the in the bottom-right corner.
centenary of Cardenas' birth, The reverse of the card Sepomex produces, but num-
the international service spec- shape, although the time from about $1.15 U.S., so I imag- bers on the covers sent to me
ified in the top edge panel. mailing to arrival was almost ine the selling price with tape and lists details about the contains a brief biography of
stamp and its production. Cardenas and, as a footnote, ranged from 0712 to 0822.
This "CINTA POST" two weeks. Not shown here could be in the range of
logo, rendered much larger in is the somewhat smudged red $2.50 to $4 U.S. Included are the designer's mentions that the card is These philatelic items may
white on pale buff, forms the July 6 postmark on the send- Another packet of goodies name, design technique ("by from a limited-number edi- be available from "dealers
background of the address er side of the box, which has came from Wilkins a few computer" in this example), tion of 2,000 copies. who specialize in Mexican
box, though it cannot be seen a slick, coated surface. days after this tape arrived. ink color, type of printing, Curiously, the first day of stamps. But I presume the
in this illustration. Perhaps the long transit The items it contained were stamp size, number of stamps issue of the stamp was June philatelic department of Se-
Beneath the address box time can be attributed to U.S. much more focused on the per pane, gauge of perfora- 26, 1995, more than a month pomex could also be a source
and the stamp imprint is a Customs. Its faint, diamond- philatelic market. tions, paper specifications, later than the 100th an- for readers who seek this
 General Ldzaro Cdrdenas del Rio

Centel:alio de so Natal icio

Prim DM de 17,21iSit72

Politico y Gmoerei Alnicanc, rock en Jtyuelpan (18974970), President., do Is

Repribliar tic 2934-7940. Reestreetwo el perk Is ucucrdo t am la Conslike,ker de 1917,
naciarralik Is Ittchotria Perkier, err1938.

Figure 3. A cacheted June 28 Sepomex first-day cover for

the 1.80p Cardenas stamp on the Figure 2 souvenir card.
type of material. sage on the Cinta Post cas-
If you're interested, try sette he sent me. Alas, I ran
writing to Department of the tape through both ways
Philatelic Promotion/Neza- and there was none.
hualcoyotl No. 109, Piso 6/
Col. Centro/C.P. 06080 Mex-
Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
ico, D.F./Mexico. co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
I am very grateful to Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
Wilkins for keeping me up to able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
hardcover for $30. The third book in
date on Mexican philatelic the Linn's Handbook series, it is -avail-
matters, and I was hoping able from selected dealers or from
there might be a verbal mes- Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
22 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 25, 1995

Coils tried but never caught on in Mexico

Coil stamps, especially the lems associated with the mated that Mexico City had coiled in this manner as well. U.S. quarter. These 20c light.
recent United States Trans- onset of rampant inflation 400 machines in service Usually, such items cannot be coins, and the silver-colored Both the 20c and 40c sur-
portation issues, have become were a major factor. (evenly split between the distinguished from ordinary pesos (then worth about 8¢ face-mail stamps and the 20c
such a hit with a sizable However, Mexico's 1969 Mexican and the British ma- stamps unless they still have U.S.), constituted most of the and 1p airmails have been
number of serious philatelists coil issues did signal at that chines). Another 200 ma- the attached leaders used for Mexican coinage in use at the described as existing with
that they are now one of the time the rather ambitious chines were installed in major the initial threading of the time. "brilliant luminescence." All
This proved convenient in of the coil stamps I have ex-
that the commonly used post- amined are luminescent under
Mexico age stamps, and Mexican UV light, although some are
By Dale Pulver postal rates, were in incre- more brilliant than others. It
ments and multiples of 20c. may be a matter of subjective
For example, the airmail judgment as to whether these
fastest-growing specialties of rate to domestic points and deserve to be called true vari-
our hobby. the United States was 80c eties.
If you collect modern and to Europe 1p. Most sur- The modern postal histo-
Mexican stamps you may face mail required 40c in rian also should find Mexican
wonder why that country has
all but ignored this form of
1 PESO, postage, although circulars coil stamps of interest. Cov-
CORREO and unsealed envelopes could ers bearing them appear to be
stamp distribution and use. be mailed for 20c. Because rather elusive. It might be
A scan of the Scott catalog AEREO worthwhile searching for
of these rates, buying the
will yield only five face- right stamps from a vending them, as I have not found
different varieties of what we machine was a simple matter any in my browsing through
normally classify as true coil of inserting however many cheap Mexican cover stocks.
stamps — long strips of side These five face-different designs from 1969 were Mexico's only regular-issue coil stamps. 20c pieces each stamp re- Since many Mexican coil-
by side stamps with perfora- campaign by postal authori- cities throughout the republic. machines or show paste-up quired. dispensing machines were lo-
tions only between the stamp ties to promote their use. Although the Mexican post joints from the way in which Wellman reported that the cated in hotels and souvenir
impressions. Thanks to an article by office owned the machines, they were produced. coil dispensing machines shops, tourist mail would
All five of these Mexican Earl Wellman in the October they were serviced mostly by For a time during the early often malfunctioned, resulting seem to be a good prospect.
coil stamps listed were issued 1969 issue of Mexicana, private businesses, such as 1970s, one could occasionally in torn or undelivered stamps,
in 1969. They consist of 20- quarterly journal of the Mexi- hotels, which received a com- obtain these provisional coils A useful goal might be to
and were an annoyance to the try to obtain examples of all
centavo and 40c definitives co Elmhurst Philatelic Soci- mission or stamps at discount from dealers of Mexican businesses that serviced them.
(Scott 1003-04), and 20c, 80c ety International, I can pro- for keeping the machines stamps, but I rarely see them five stamps, used singly, pay-
This fact, plus the unre- ing the proper rates. This
and 1-peso airmails (C347- vide some background on this filled and operating. offered any more. lenting increases in postal
49). matter. could turn out to be quite a
Prior to the 1969 issues, all I suspect that collectors rates that began taking effect
A complete collection of challenge!
As early as 1956, hand- Mexican coil stamps were considered Mexican provi- in the mid-1970s, eventually
these items could be easily operated coil siamp vending provisional in nature, labori- sional coils as curiosities I'd be glad to hear from
made stamp vending ma-
displayed on a single album machines of Mexican manu- ously prepared by joining, rather than as worthy col- any readers owning covers
chines impractical.
page, or for that matter in the facture were tested using end to end, strips of five or lectibles. They are, however, properly franked with Mexi-
But back to Mexico's 1969
illustration shown here, strips prepared by hand from 10 stamps separated from quite scarce, so one must be can coils.
coil stamps once again. Al-
which includes the definitives sheet stock. Sometime later, sheets. These coils usually wary of fabrications and though five designs constitute
in coil pairs. Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
additional coil vending ma- were made up in rolls of 100 fakes. a complete showing of regu- co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
I do not know why coil chines were purchased from a and 200. The coil dispensing ma- lar-issue Mexican coils, varia- Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
stamps never caught on in British firm, Automatization While most of these hand- chines used during this period tions in light-sensitive charac- able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
Mexico as they have in so of London. made coils were definitive is- were nearly all actuated with hardcover for $30. The third book in
teristics are apparent when the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
many other countries. My At the peak of the coil sues, some of the then- 20c coins — ubiquitous cop- these stamps are viewed able from selected dealers or from
guess is that currency prob- stamp experiment, it is esti- current Olympic stamps were per pieces about the size of a under longwave ultraviolet Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
1 0 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 23, 1995

Celebrate the centennial of Mexico's Mulitas

It would be remiss of me proponent of Mexican philat- transportation subjects are on at least four different pa- exhibit. properly.
to let this year slip past with- ely, adds still another useful those shown on the four pers; three of which were wa- While the majority of the By far the rarest and most
out a salute to a controversial work to his long list of writ- stamps in Figure 1. termarked. Although the vast Scott-valued varieties can be expensive Mulita is the 5-
but most interesting issue of ten contributions to the From left to right, the majority of stamps were per- obtained without too much peso Mail Train with the
postage stamps — Mexico's hobby. stamps depict a foot postman forated gauge 12, the 10c can difficulty if one has the time Eagle and "RM"-watermark
Mail Transportation issue of A brief historical recap of with his knapsack, a mounted be found in gauge 11. and money, there are a few (278A). This stamp, now cat-
aloging $15,000, is believed
to be from a printing of not
Mexico more than two or three
By Dale Pulver sheets.
The watermark is hard to
see and hopeful candidates
1895-99 (Scott 242-91). submitted for expertization
The Mail Transportation are more often than not re-
issue is so named because turned without credentials.
four of the five designs de- Recorded genuine copies
pict 19th-century methods number fewer than 10.
used in Mexico to transport All this and more is amply
mail. Among the Mexican covered in Schimmer's new
stamp-collecting fraternity, book in up-to-date detail.
the issue is more often re- A prolific author of phila-
ferred to as the "Mulitas" telic research material on
(Spanish for "mules"), one Figure 1. From left to right, the four basic designs used in Mexico's Mail Transportation issue of 1895-99: a 1-centavo Mexico, Schimmer has stud-
of the means of mail carriage stamp picturing a postman in sombrero and knapsack; a 4c stamp showing a mounted mail carrier and the mules that ied these stamps assiduously
portrayed. gave the issue its Spanish nickname; a 10c stagecoach stamp; and a Mexican mail train as illustrated on a 1-peso stamp. for more than 25 years. In
I wrote about the Mulitas 1972 he teamed up with Con-
shortly after this column these stamps is appropriate. mail carrier with mules, a More remarkable are the stamps in the issue that will stantine Bulak in writing a
started (Oct. 10, 1983, page The Mulitas were the first stagecoach and a mail train. perforation varieties owing to tease even the most persistent 40-page supplement on the
10), and that article, with pictorial designs issued by Figure 2 shows a 5c stamp faulty perforators, pin break- stamp hunter. same subject in Mexicana,
minor editing, was included Mexico. Inspiration for such picturing a fifth subject, the age and careless processing. The unwatermarked 10c the quarterly journal of the
in my book, Introduction to an issue may have roots in Aztec ruler Cuauhtemoc. Be- Such varieties, long popular stamp of the 1898 printing Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic
the Stamps of Mexico. In fact, the United States Columbian cause of prevailing postal with specialists, present spe- (Scott 284) is particularly Society International.
the 4-centavo brown Mule issue of 1893, or other con- rates, this 5c stamp enjoyed cial challenges to neophytes, elusive and frequently misi- The current effort is far
stamp was chosen as the temporary stamps that de- the widest use of any value because many if not most of dentified. What is usually of- more comprehensive, with the
book's cover illustration. parted from the tiresome sub- in the set. the listed varieties have been fered purporting to be this infusion of new information
Another reason for ad- ject matter of reigning mon- The Mail Transportation extensively faked. stamp is a sheet margin copy that Schimmer has gathered
dressing this topic now is to archs, machine-ornamented issue was not popular with For the advanced exhibitor, of Scott 248, also a 10c in the intervening years.
give a tip of the hat to my numerals and the like. the public, and lasted only the existence of forerunners stamp, lacking the watermark. Especially interesting are
good friend Karl Schimmer, The motifs chosen were four years. For the serious and special printings offers (Paper grain and texture are the fascinating insights on a
who earlier this year cel- the result of a design contest, collector, however, the issue the opportunity to score im- the keys to correct identifica- long-running battle with Scott
ebrated the centenary of these the winner being Gilbert Lo- has everything one could portant points with judges. tion.) to reinstate the 12c orange-
stamps by authoring a new, meli of Queretaro, one of hope for. There is an essay, various The 20c brown rose on brown stamp as a true color
comprehensive monograph on eight contestants. After some There were 13 denomina- proofs, trial color proofs, the script "RM"-watermarked variety (not an error) and to
the Mulitas. With this book, substantial adjustments to the tions in distinct colors and well-known black presenta- paper of 1896 (264) is like- include a stronger warning to
Schimmer, a 1988 Luff essays submitted, the final dozens of shade variations. tion stamps and other esoteric wise scarce and expensive, collectors regarding irregular
award winner and a tireless designs approved for the four The stamps were printed items available to dress up an but fairly easy to identify perfs. These perforation vari-
 cause there may well be more
than 75 collectors who would
GoIt REM love to own one.
777: Members of MEPSI were
alerted to the book's avail-
ability in the April Mexicana,
so I suspect it's already sold
out. If you are one of the
unlucky Mulita collectors
who missed out, perhaps you
can borrow it from the Amer-
ican Philatelic Research Li-
brary or the MEPSI library.
Imaft At least Schimmer has pre-
Figure 2. The 5c stamp, the served for future collectors
most widely used denomina- much of his vast knowledge
tion of the issue, depicts the on these stamps, and for that
Aztec ruler Cuauhtemoc. we are very grateful. The
hobby is not always the re-
eties always should be col- cipient of such generosity.
lected in pairs or larger mul-
Introduction to the Stamps of Mexi-
tiples as a defense against co by Dale Pulver, a compilation of
fakery. Linn's Mexico columns, is now avail-
Unfortunately, Schimmer's able in softcover edition for $14.95 or
hardcover for $30. The third book in
book was a desktop-published the Linn's Handbook series, it is avail-
private edition of only 75 able from selected dealers or from
copies — unfortunately, be- Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 27, 1995

Mexico's first issue 4-real and 8r stamps

By the time this column long time. by specialists. 1/2r; more than 1.4 million of
appears it will be over, but In previous columns, I de- The two stamps illustrated the 1r; and more than 1.6
on Nov. 4, enthusiasts of scribed how the Mexican with this column from the million of the 2r. So, the 4r
Mexico's first issue of post- general post office distributed district of Veracruz represent and 8r denominations were
age stamps from 1856 were stamps to the various district the common varieties. Ship- considerably less abundant to
treated to an acquisition op- offices throughout the repub- ments to this district (15,740 begin with.
lic; how these offices were of the 4r and 9,820 8r) were Furthermore, the large,
obliged to overprint their greater than to any other of- commercially important dis-
Mexico names on the stamps to vali- fice except Mexico (City). tricts received and used the
By Dale Pulver date them for use (a measure Only about 157,000 4r lion's share of these high val-
to thwart loss of revenue in stamps and slightly more ues for registered letters and
case of theft); and how many than 100,000 8r stamps of the heavy packets.
portunity unlikely to be re- of the smaller offices were 1856 issue were distributed. Of the 55-odd districts
peated for many, many years. supplied so few stamps that Not all were used; many from which shipment records
On that date, Nicholas Fol- their overprinted stamps are were returned to be later de- are available, only 26 re-
lansbee Philatelic Sales auc- either great rarities or alto- stroyed at the general post of- ceived more than 1,000 4r
tioned one of the most com- gether unknown. fice. stamps, and only 22 received The 4-real (left) and 8r (right) stamps from Mexico's first
plete arrays, from the stand- The 4r and 8r values are These numbers pale in more than 1,000 8r stamps. issue of 1856 with overprints for the district of Veracruz.
point of districts, of 4-real generally scarce to rare from comparison to quantities is- Many of the smaller dis-
and 8r stamps of that series all but the largest district of- sued for the three low values: trict offices received only a
to come on the market in a fices and are eagerly sought more than 800,000 of the few sheets (60 stamps each),
and seven offices were appar- legendary collections of Gar-
ently sent but one sheet of cia Larranaga, Quast, Hamil-
the 8r stamp. ton and Schatzkes equalled or
Mexican specialists have exceeded this showing
long argued about a reason- (Schatzkes had 31 8r dis-
able survival rate for these tricts).
first issues, with an average In almost 30 years of col-
between 3 percent and 5 per- lecting this issue, I have only
cent being suggested as rea- managed to scrape together
sonable. So it is quite clear 8r stamps from 15 or 16 dis-
that some of these survivors tricts. But part of that is due
constitute the truly great clas- to timid bidding and lack of
sic rarities of Mexico. opportunities. I hope to fill a
The 1856 collection in the few voids from this sale.
Follansbee sale was formed This brings me to another
over a period of years by a theme I have often touted in
British collector who concen- this space: the opportunities
trated on acquiring stamps Mexican classics offer in the
from as many of the various way of shouting rarities that
districts as possible. can be acquired without
mortgaging the house. Some
Many of the key pieces in
of the stamps I have alluded
this offering are traceable to will probably fetch prices
back to some of the great near the middle to high hun-
Mexico collections of the dreds. A few will carry into
past, such as Chapman, Tay- the low four figures, depend-
lor, Fayolle, Quast, Hamilton, ing on bidding competition.
Schatzkes and Bash. And Were these United States
several of the items truly
or certain European stamps of
merit that sometimes over-
comparable rarity they would
used description, "finest copy
easily soar to levels far be-
known."
yond the reach of most of us.
Some of the highlights are No doubt the matter of
4r stamps from the districts taste and popularity drives
of Apam, Campeche, Chia- stamp pricing, but I feel
pas, Hermosillo, Huejutla, Mexico still offers the chance
Maravatio, Temascaltepee, to assemble a first-rate col-
Tixtla Guerrero, Tlalpujahua lection or exhibit and not go
and Tulancingo. broke in the process. It has
Among the 8r stamps are been done with increasing
seldom-seen examples from frequency in recent years.
Acapulco, Apam, Chiapas, During the past 20 years,
Chihuahua, Hermosillo, Hue- exhibits of Mexico have won
jutla, Maravatio, Saltillo, Ta- numerous grand awards at
basco and Toluca. national shows, and one ex-
Desirable rarities abound in hibit won the American Phil-
lots containing the lower de- atelic Society's Champion of
nominations, too. But my pri- Champions competition.
mary focus here is on the 4r Mexico has been promi-
and 8r stamps. nent in international exhibi-
Great collections of Mexi- tions as well.
co are often measured and As far as I know, the 1856
judged on the depth achieved collection in the Follansbee
with the difficult stamps auction was never shown
(covers, too). This collection competitively, but I am cer-
had 8r stamps from 29 of the tain many of the items sold
37 districts from which 8r will soon grace exhibits that
stamos are recorded. Only the are. ■
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 25, 1995

Year-end recap of stamp news from Mexico

tional period, the symbol for the past year. scribed boxed recording tapes
Traditionally, I devote my fil, the Mexican specialist so- mentioned in my June col-
December column to shorter the new currency would be ciety, came in a 9- by 12- umn directly from the TlEV. Davis reports finding a sold by the Mexican post of-
philatelic news items about N$ (nuevo peso). Stamps and inch envelope franked with Also, requests for my Ex- block of Scott E5, the 10c fice. Illustrated with the ar-
Mexico and to recognition of currency were to be denomi- 75 copies of the 20c Produc- porta checklist and update violet Archer special delivery ticle was one of these boxes
useful feedback from loyal nated in N$ and bear this tos Quimicos (Chemical still drift in; I've sent out stamp unwatermarked. This designed for international use
readers. The year 1995 was symbol. Products) stamp. more than 150 so far this variety previously had only that I had received from a
year. Most collectors want
the complete list, signalling
Mexico continued interest in the se-
By Dale Pulver ries.

The 1995-96 tuberculosis

an unusually exciting one for
seals for Mexico depict fancy
Mexico collectors.
19th-century earthenware
Just when I thought there
from Sayula, the famous craft
could be nothing new on the
center for fine china. The
oft-featured and now-expired
seals feature 25 truly beauti-
Exporta definitive series, a
ful pieces, including pitchers,
note from a regular cor- Figure 1. This cover from Mexico's equivalent of the vases, plates, sugar bowls,
respondent in Mexico alerted American Lung Association bears a 20-centavo stamp of and the like.
me to the fact that early cen- the old currency used as if it were based on the new peso. Figure 2 pictures 10 of the
tavo-denominated Exporta It also bears a 1,600p stamp in the old currency. 25 designs.
stamps are being used at
The items shown on the
1,000 times their original Meanwhile, in the runaway The envelope bears a half
seals are from the collection Figure 2. Ten of the 25 designs for Mexico's tuberculosis
value to make correct (rank- inflation of the 1980s, cen- sheet pasted on the front and
tavos had been abolished in of Banamex, the largest seals showing 19th-century earthenware from Sayula.
ings on current mail. a full sheet on the back. At
banking institution in Mexi-
An example on a cover 1987 as a virtually valueless current exchange rates, the
co. been reported in a little-used correspondent in Mexico.
from Mexico's equivalent of monetary subdivision. And, total franking of N$15 con-
the American Lung Associa- there was nothing in the de- verts to about U.S. $2.40. TIEV produced the seals Mexican catalog. Later, another friend in
cree redefining the traditional using two processes, offset Davis received a Mexico Mexico informed me that
tion is pictured in Figure 1. The stamps were canceled
sign for centavos, a "c." with 29 strikes of a dated and photogravure. Elmhurst Philatelic Society there is a domestic version of
The cover in Figure 1
So, the Mexican Postal handstamp. The offset printing was a International (MEPSI) certifi- the package (N$5 franking)
needed 1.80 new pesos for
Service was given leave to It is reported that the ob- first for TIEV, a successful cate for his stamp and subse- for use within the country.
the domestic postage. In this
use the once-useless stamps ligatory use of the "N$" test comprising 1,000 sheets quently convinced Scott to These tapes have proved to
instance, an Exporta stamp of
of 20c, 50c, and 80c at 1,000 symbol will end this month. out of a total print order of list it. Look for it in the 1997 be very popular, particularly
1,600 old pesos is joined by
times their original face value So, we may see more of the 200,000 sheets. edition. among families of workers
a 20c stamp of the old cur-
older, low-value Exporta TIEV also plans to print Davis also found a clearly who travel to the United
rency as if it were based on in old pesos. Imagine the
monetary windfall to anyone stamps, presumed to be in postage stamps using this dated 1951 cover with the States for employment.
the new peso.
who possesses a large stock ample supply at the main process. second redrawing of the 25c The Mexico column in the
The explanation for this is
somewhat contorted, but it of these previously useless post office. • special delivery stamp, E13, May 22 Linn's, page 44,
goes like this. stamps. On the same subject, at G.H. Davis of Cincinnati which Scott shows as a 1952 dealt with the 8c orange
When the Bank of Mexico Since the revalued peso least one reader, Tim Carroll has focused his attention on issue. He hopes to get this Juarez stamp of 1927 and its
established the new peso went into effect, only the 20c of California, was successful Mexico's special delivery chronology corrected, too. use. A few additional bits of
(1,000 times the old one) at stamp has appeared on mail in securing the TIEV (the stamps and usages. His per- • information came in from
the beginning of 1993, it de- directed to me. My last bi- government printing office) sistence and dedication paid In my column in the Aug. readers.
creed that during a transi- monthly journal from Amex- booklet on Exporta stamps off quite handsomely during 28 Linn's, page 30, I de- The first possible day of
usage was agreed by all re- cree of March 1, 1928, stated
spondents to be Jan. 3, 1927. that if the public would pro-
No covers have yet been vide enough support (i.e.,
found to dispute this. massive use) to make the air-
As far as the expiration mail service self-sufficient,
date for the 8c rate is con- the 2c increase on first-class
cerned, Marino Riosa of Eng- mail would be revoked. This,
land wrote that he has evi- of course, did not happen.
dence that it was Jan. 21, •
1928, with 2c of the restored My best wishes to all for
10c rate slated to help the de- safe and happy holidays, and
velopment of domestic air- thanks to all who have writ-
mail service. ten positive and kind words
Further, a presidential de- of encouragement. ■
24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 22, 1996

Where and how to obtain Mexican stamps

Occasionally, collectors ask for the first half of the 20th opened up new avenues for general collector of Mexican And, dealers also are very "either, or" bids, or want to
me where they might buy century. procuring stamps. stamps, they can be an excel- useful when you have ma- limit your expenditures to a
certain stamps missing from But, I soon found, as seri- I learned that advanced lent source of low-to-medium terial to dispose of. specified amount.
their collections. The recent ous collectors always do, that collectors relied heavily on priced stamps, and some- The truly rare gems of The use of an agent also
advent of the updated Scott key stamps and particularly public auctions for key pieces times, covers. Mexican philately generally allows the bidder to remain
specialized album for Mexico scarce stamps from the clas- (they still do). Net price lists from stamp must be purchased at auctions anonymous.
I also found out that col- dealers provide further op- If you attend stamp shows,
lectors often traded among portunities for acquisition. don't be timid about working
Mexico os, themselves and advertised Depending on your collect- the dealers for your wants. I
By Dale Pulver among the membership for ing objectives, you may find have occasionally stumbled
their needs. some of these sources to be onto interesting pieces from
may also have spawned a
s;, :'

,—.
During my last year in
Mexico, 1968, an interna-
more productive than others.
Regardless of how you ac-
Subasta
:WIN,0 ....M....,A v I
dealers not known for Mexi-
can material. These dealers
new group of collectors who tional stamp show, Efimex, quire material for your col- often acquire large, general
■
are seeking reliable sources was held following the Olym- lection, here are some consid- holdings that may contain
in order to fill in empty spac- pic Games, and I was intro- erations I strongly recom- Mexican stamps and covers,
es. duced to the concept of a mend taking into account. and once in a while you can
This month's column will stamp bourse. First, buy the very best find worthwhile, and rea-
provide some useful ideas, This bourse was crowded condition you can find within sonably priced sleepers.
particularly for collectors just with dealers from the United the limits of your pocket- And don't forget to scan
I .
beginning or early in their States, Mexico and Europe, book. the display ads and classified
development of this fascinat- who eagerly offered attractive With a sparsely filled section of Linn's for offer-
ing specialty. stocks of Mexican stamps. I album, there is a temptation Figure 2. The cover of a ings.
I began to focus on Mexi- was like a small boy in a to acquire the first copies of Mexican auction catalog If you're just getting start-
. , , '" , .÷. ,■ :
''',7,----- ''.'—
',;''''..7- :,
.. !
co back in the 1960s while I candy store with a big ap- needed stamps that come featuring Mexican stamps. ed with Mexico or haven't
was living there on a tempo- petite, but only so much your way. Use a bit of self- been at it for very long, do
or by private treaty. Figure 2
rary business assignment.
Figure 1. A page from an money. So, hard choices had discipline if you can and wait shows the cover of a Mexi- join MEPSI (write to John
In Mexico City, where I American Philatelic Society to be made. until material that truly meets can auction catalog featuring Kordich, 1014 37th St., San
was stationed, there were per- circuit book with Mexican Another worthwhile source high standards is found. This Mexican stamps from all Pedro, CA 90731, for more
haps a half dozen walk-in re- stamps from the classic era. of stamps for the beginning maxim is especially true with eras. information).
tail stores where stamps collector is circuit books. circuits, which frequently Last year, several impor- MEPSI's quarterly journal,
could be purchased. How- sic era had to be ferreted out MEPSI operates a circuit for contain low-quality stamps. tant sales included items not expertization service, litera-
ever, not all of these were one by one. And even then, its members, as does the You may have to compro- seen in the market for many ture offerings, and potential
exclusively stamp dealers. the elusive items were rarely American Philatelic Society. mise occasionally, but do so years. for enjoyable and useful
One of my earliest pur- found in dealers' stocks. I have not had much expe- with truly scarce items you're These sales focus on the friendships are well worth the
chases was a Scott special- Fast forward 35 years, and rience with the MEPSI cir- unlikely to encounter for a higher priced material, so modest annual dues.
ized album, and that, together we find the situation where cuits, but I have subscribed long time. Take my word for you'll have to be prepared to The MEPSI membership
with the Scott catalog, consti- the walk-in retail stamp store to APS circuits of Mexican it, there are plenty of top- commit decent sums of directory also lists dealers
tuted all the basic literature I is becoming a fading memory stamps for many years. A quality Mexican stamps avail- money. who specialize in Mexican
had on Mexican stamps. So, of the past. And, it is still sample page from an APS able. If you are unable to attend stamps.
like most collectors, I began difficult to locate needed ma- circuit book with classic-era Developing relationships these auctions in person, you Finally, make a conscious
filling spaces. terial if the collection is rea- Mexican stamps is pictured in with dealers of your specialty can always submit bids by effort to read and learn as
A trip to the philatelic sonably advanced. Figure 1. are worthwhile. They often mail or use an agent. I have much as you can about Mexi-
window at the main post of- My membership in MEPSI Circuit booklets, in which receive material for direct found agents to be worth the can philately. Knowledge
fice was moderately fruitful. I (Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic members mount and price du- sale you might not otherwise modest expense, especially will, in the long run, pay
bought one of everything in Society International), which plicate stamps, generally will see. If you buy from dealers where some feel of the floor handsome dividends, espe-
stock, and those stamps went I took up soon after I began not yield many rare or expen- regularly, most will be happy action is needed, such as cially in the area of stamp
quite a way in plugging holes getting serious about Mexico, sive varieties. But for the to work with want lists, too. when you wish to submit acquisition. ■
 26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 26, 1996

Mexico's Tourist definitives offer challenge

If you were one of those The table in Figure 1 is an 2 3 4 5 6 7
Design Paper Desig.> 1
collectors who, through brute attempt to summarize the va-
CAMPECHE TS-9 0.90 1.80*
force and perseverance, mas- rieties that have been re-
GUANAJUATO TS-12 1.00* 1.00 1.00 1.00 ' 1.10
tered the intricacies of Mexi- ported to me. The first col-
co's Exporta stamps regard- umn in the table lists the de- 1.30 1.80
COLIMA TS-7 1.30 1.30
ing paper, gum and light-sen- signs, arranged by denomina- 2.00
tion, comprising the initial MICHOACAN TS-11 1.90 1.90
issue. They were not printed 2.00 1.80
Mexico in this sequence, however.
COAHUILA TS-10 2.00 2.00 2.00
2.00
By Dale Pulver According to a folder pub- QUERETARO TS-8 2.20
lished by TIEV (the state SONORA TS-6 2.50 6.50
mint), three stamps were pro- ZACATECAS TS-2 2.80
sitive properties, another op- duced in 1992 and the bal-
portunity is at hand to prac- SINALOA TS-3 3.70 2.30 3.40 3.40
ance in 1993 in the order
tice those hard-won skills. YUCATAN TS-4 4.40 2.40
designated by the 3.80
The new Mexican definitive "TS-" code.
series touting Mexican tourist CHIAPAS TS-1 4.80 1.80*
attractions appears to be The rest of the columns in MEXICO (STATE) TS-5 6.00 2.70* 2.70 2.70
the table list stamp denomi-
headed down the same path
as the Exportas. nations found on various pa-
Figure 1. This table summarizes varieties of Mexico's new
pers. Stamps in columns one,
These stamps, referred to definitives, called the Turistico (tourism) series.
two and three are printed on
by specialists as the "Turis-
paper of Mexican origin, fair- the initial group, each with a are much whiter on the back.
tico" series, were officially
ly thick with PVA gum dis- different denomination rang- The stamps in columns
announced early in 1993, al-
playing faint, irregular ridges ing from 90 centavos to 6 four and five were printed on
though their advent had been
running the long dimension new pesos. Spanish-made paper, slightly
rumored for at least three
of the stamp. Since the release of the thinner with smooth PVA
years prior to that time.
Linn's associate editor The column one (original stamps, dealers and collectors gum. Column four stamps are
Denise Hatton reviewed them issue) stamps show fairly in- have reported 'several paper reported to exhibit slight lu-
in her World of New Issues tense, but even, luminescence varieties with varied response minescence on the reverse, in
colymn Aug. 30, 1993 (page on both the front and back to long-wave ultraviolet light. contrast to those listed under
12), and I included a short when viewed under UV light. Also, there have been several column five. Under UV light,
reprise as part of my Decem- The column two stamps new denominations dictated they appear cream colored.
ber 1993 column touching on have strong luminescence, but by changes in the postal Stamps in column six are
a number of news items re- have a somewhat speckled, or rates. purported to have been print-
lated to Mexico. mottled, appearance. The number of basic de- ed on the same paper (Mexi-
There were 12 designs in The column three stamps signs of the Turistico series can) used for one of the late
remains at an even dozen. printings (10th issue) of the
But counting the other afore- Exporta stamps. It is fairly
mentioned factors, there ap- thick paper with dull, ivory-
pear to be around 40 recog- colored dextrin gum that may
nized varieties. show faint ribbing and ap-
pears medium tan under UV visible without or with UV If you are keen on obtain- so that all the tourist states
light. enhancement. ing the minor varieties of might benefit from whatever
The column seven varieties Figure 2 depicts the 1993 these stamps you might be advertising value the use of
are on similar paper, with original-issue of two of these well advised to pick them up such stamps would have.
slight, blotchy luminescence stamps, those for Guanajuato soon. I have noticed steady There is little doubt we
front and back, like issue 13 and Campeche. increases in asking prices will begin to see more of the
Turistico stamps on mail
from Mexico. However, as I
have noted before, covers
franked with these stamps
during the first of their exist-
ence are hard to come by.
During that time, Exporta
stamps continued to be wide-
ly used on both domestic and
foreign mail.
I wish to give credit to
Guillermo Wilkins, a regular
Figure 2. Color varieties exist for Mexico's Turistico series definitive stamps for Guana- source of stamp news from
juato and Campeche. On the Guanajuato stamp pictured on the left, the bell can be tan Mexico, and Jim Vadebon-
or yellow. On the Campeche stamp shown on the right, the shrimp can be red or orange. coeur, who edits the new
of the Exporta series. The bell in the Guanajuato over the past few months in issue section in Mexicana, for
A note of caution: I have stamp (column one) can be the specialized lists I receive, much of the basic informa-
not personally examined all tan or yellow. The latter is particularly for those stamps tion upon which this article is
of the varieties included in scarce. in columns three and six. based.
this table and am relying on The shrimp in the Also, eight of the 12 de- I would be pleased to hear
lists provided by dealers and Campeche stamps (column signs have undergone de- comments from readers who
other collectors. Be advised five) can be red or orange. nomination changes in the may have further insight on
that there is always some The red shrimp seems scarcer three short years the stamps this subject. This is admit-
subjectivity in descriptions than the orange one. have been out. tedly a first stab at discussing
used. These color varieties prob- I suspect the choice of what is apt to become a
At least four of the stamps, ably owe their existence to these new denominations was stamp series rivaling the Ex-
those marked with asterisks, imperfect control of ink color very deliberate. It provided portas in scope and complex-
come with color varieties, during the printing process. stamps for common frankings ity. ■
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 25, 1996

Topical material can be found in Mexico

During the past 20 years or board catering to these peo- over a period of years with a migrate thousands of miles it is called a significant phila-
so, topical or thematic col- ple. I do not include Mexico marvelous thematic study of from their summer habitats in telic element. He asked me
lecting has probably become in this group, since the vast butterflies titled "The Lepi- the eastern United States and for advice in this search.
the fastest growing branch of majority of its stamps are doptera." His collection con- Canada to a remote area in Luckily, Angangueo was
our hobby. Once the province closely tied to the history, sistently wins gold medals, the Sierra Madre mountains important enough in the mid-
of youngsters and beginners, culture and wildlife of that and at times has earned grand of Mexico. 19th century as a mining
awards. town to warrant postal ser-

Mexico
Lucas became quite excited
when, in 1988, Mexico issued
ANG ANGVE0 vice. The straightline post-
mark illustrated in Figure 2 is
By Dale Pulver four stamps in honor of the Figure 2. A 19th-century known used on stampless let-
monarch butterfly (Scott straightline postmark from ters as early as 1855 and as a
1559-62). One of the stamps Angangueo, Mexico, a town canceler up through the first
it has captured the attention is shown in Figure 1. Mexican stamp issues until
near where monarch but-
of many serious and first-rate Here was an opportunity to 1867. This marking was sup-
collectors. terflies spend their winters.
add four more items to his planted by others after that
Thematic exhibits are now collection and perhaps even a The monarchs converge in time.
taking top awards at many of cover or two bearing these a very small area at 9,000 Unfortunately, it is a rather
our national level shows even Figure 1. One of four 1988 feet elevation near the small
beautiful stamps. scarce marking. Angangueo
when up. against some high- stamps from Mexico featur- town of Angangueo, in the
But long before Mexico's was then home to only 6,000 Figure 3. Mexico's Tourism
powered stamp and postal ing monarch butterflies. Mexican state of Michoacan.
Monarch stamps appeared, souls, most of whom were il- stamp for Michoacan in-
history collections. country. Lucas' knowledge of this but- The butterflies spend the win- literate, so the mail flow had cludes monarch butterflies
The fact that topical collec- Still, I believe that the terfly's life cycle sparked a ter there before heading north to be quite small. (As late as as part of its design.
tors seek stamps portraying thoughtful thematic collector search for another significant once more. 1964, the population was
such things as ships, birds, is well served in Mexican item from Mexico to enhance A seasoned thematic col- even less, around 5,000.) So to Michoacan, but their win-
paintings and the like is not philately. his exhibit. lector like Lucas knew that any cover from this era tering quarters appear threat-
lost on authorities in charge Take butterflies, for ex- In 1974, a prominent Ca- an early cover or postmark would help Lucas score in ened by encroaching human-
of choosing subject matter ample. A fellow stamp club nadian zoologist confirmed from this place would pro- the difficulty of acquisition ity and perhaps too many
and printing postage stamps. member. Vincent Lucas, has the discovery that the inde- vide a useful tie-in to the category for his exhibit. tourists.
Some countries go over- been eminently successful fatigable monarch butterflies theme of his exhibit. I think The monarchs still return Among the stamps in the
 Tourism series discussed in of Orizaba. Transportation issues of
this column in the Feb. 26 However, only the town in 1895-98.
Linn's, page 26, the Mi- Jalisco had a post office in Although some of Mexi-
choacan stamp has monarch the mid-19th century. The co's illustrious leaders have
butterflies as part of its de- earliest-recorded postmark is been portrayed on horseback,
sign. Figure 3 shows this illustrated in Figure 5. I have such as Emiliano Zapata on a
stamp. it neatly struck on a pair of 1994 stamp, the only other
Another, and similar con- 1856 1-real stamps in one of stamps showing horses with-
nection, could be made for a Figure 4. Bottles of tequila my exhibits. out riders were included in a
thematic collector interested and the maguey cactus are Also, a modern cover with set of six also issued in 1994.
in alcoholic beverages. Mexi- pictured on this Mexican the tequila Exporta stamp If you're into ships, what
co's best-known intoxicant, Exporta stamp. Tequila is clearly postmarked in the better connection could there
tequila, was one of the sub- extracted from the fer- town of Tequila would make be than Mexico's stamp com-
jects depicted in the Exporta mented sap of this cactus. an interesting item for a topi- memorating the Spanish gal-
series. The brilliantly ex- cal collection on beverages. leons plying the trade routes
ecuted monochrome (green) In the realm of other phila- from the Orient (C300), and
design by Rafael Davidson telic elements for thematic a 19th century cover or post-
shows bottles and the maguey exhibits, I'm reasonably sure mark from the port city
cactus. Tequila is extracted there are Mexican meter post- where they landed — Acap-
from fermented sap from this marks used by local distiller- ulco?
cactus. ies to advertise tequila brands I hope if you are a the-
This stamp pictured in Fig- and other alcoholic products. matic collector or exhibitor,
Figure 5. The earliest re-
ure 4 was one of the early Many other topical subjects you have found something
corded postmark from the
Exporta designs. The design can be found on the stamps from Mexico to spice up
town of Tequila, located in
appears on almost all of the of Mexico. your collection.
the state of Jalisco. Drop me a line in care of
recognized issues, although Horses, another popular
the denomination was Two Mexican towns are collecting theme, can be seen Linn's, Box 29, Sidney, OH
changed from 10 pesos to named Tequila. One is lo- pulling the diligencia (stage- 45365, if you have any unu-
1,700p. cated about 37 miles west of coach) on the stamps of the sual examples. ■
Again, we find the pos- Guadalajara in the state of
sibility of combining the Jalisco on the road to Tepic.
stamp subject with a relevant The other is in the state of
postmark or two. Veracruz, a few miles south
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 22, 1996

Out-of-district uses or early Mexican stamps

From 1856 up to the are illustrated in Figure 1. I received an interesting letter in these instances. was an occasional stamp sold As a result, the numbers did
1880s, the Mexican post of- The first, an 1856 2-real from Roberto Liera, noted Colima, in fact, presents a by the dilgencias generales not match the fonts used for
fice required the names of stamp from Mexico (district) Mexican stamp expert and special case. Because of mili- (stagecoaches) en route and overprints at the main office
postal districts to be applied bears the fancy diligencias longtime associate of Bill tary actions in the area in used on a letter posted at a in Mexicor and the stamps
to their stamps at the point of generales (stagecoach) cancel- Shelton, a dealer, now de- those years, Colima had to Dilgencia office outside the were roughed up from the
sale to validate them for use. lation of Queretaro. ceased, who handled many borrow stamps from Acap- district whose name appeared erasures. These, too, are wor-
ulco, Morelia and Guadala-
jara even after it became a
Mexico district.
By Dale Pulver For the 1856 issue, out-of-
district usages from Colima
are the rule rather than the
This practice, designed to exception. Only a few 1856
thwart the unauthorized use stamps were sent directly to
of stolen or lost stamps, pro- Colima, and these are quite
tected post office revenue. scarce.
Commencing with the Out-of-district usages exist
Eagle stamps in 1864, in- for the Eagle issue stamps
voice numbers and abbrevi- but they are not too plentiful.
ated year dates were also However, the 1868 issue is
printed on stamps prior to often found used out-of-
distribution. Figure 1. Two out-of-district uses of Mexico's 1856-61 Figure 2. Out-of-district uses often are found on Mexico's
district owing to a propensity
Classic Mexican stamps, issue. The stamp on the left, intended for use in the 1868 issue. Two examples are shown here with an Aca-
to use stamps in lieu of cur- pulco stamp used at Guanajuato on the left and a Morelia
especially the 1856-61 issues, Mexico district, has a Querataro "Diligencias Generals" rency when sending small
often bear cancellations of (stagecoach) cancel. The stamp on the right from Jalapa sums of money through the stamp used with a cancel from Mexico City on the right.
post offices not belonging to was canceled at Paso del Macho in the Cordova district. mails.
on the stamp. These are quite thy objects of a careful
the postal district whose The second, a 2r 1861 important Mexican stamp Figure 2 illustrates two
scarce and worth looking for. search.
name appears overprinted on stamp from Jalapa has the properties. out-of-district usages for this
A few properly annotated
the stamp. This phenomenon cancel of Paso del Macho. Liera added some further era. This practice probably Liera also commented on a
is generally referred to as This post office's normal par- insight to the out-of-district obscured the postal forgery curious procedure the post- examples of out-of-district
out-of-district usage. problem with the 1868 issue. usages will certainly add in-
ent district was Cordova. scenario. master of Veracruz used in
Almost 10 years ago, I de- Several reasons can be He has seen letters from The presence of numerous the mid-1870s to bend the terest to your collection or
voted a column (Linn's, June cited to explain these appar- towns in one district ad- out-of-district usages, many rules regarding out-of-district exhibit.
9, 1986, page 10) to this sub- of which turned out to be stamps. I hope this column stimu-
ent aberrations. dressed to a second district, lates you to be vigilant for
ject that has long fascinated Civil disturbances often wherein the stamp was can- stamps forged by post office
me. employees and sold to users When the postmaster en- such anomalies when brows-
prevented some remote of- celed at the receiving end.
Thanks to the reference fices from obtaining stamps This presumably was done to at discount, did not arouse countered such a stamp on a ing through dealers' stocks.
works of Chapman, Wilson, through normal channels. prevent reuse and resulted in suspicion from the postal au- letter deposited in his office, Most of the ones I've found
Schatzkes, and others, we These post offices might bor- an out-of-district cancel. thorities until thousands had he would erase both the name were not identified as out-of-
have the means of assigning been sold. and number overprint and district usages and were
row stamps from another Once such a stamp is re- apply those assigned to him. priced as normal stamps. II
postmarks to the main district nearby district. This is prob- moved from its original This fiasco, which I dis-
offices or the suboffices for ably the basis for most out- cover, there is no way to cussed separately (Linn's,
which they were responsible. of-district usages. know exactly what happened. July 1983, page 26), caused
So, it becomes an interest- Another reasonable expla- So I suspect some of my out- the rules on stamp usage to
ing challenge to find stamps, nation would be where a of-district stamps fit this cat- be severely tightened.
and occasionally covers, that traveler buys stamps in one egory. As a consequence, the
appear to have been canceled district and uses them on let- Liera also pointed out that hastily prepared 1872 issue
outside their normal districts. ters he mails from another several cities that eventually was printed on security
In the 1986 article, I il- district. There was no postal became main districts, for ex- paper. Also, stamps were not
lustrated several examples of regulation preventing such ample Lagos and Colima, sold to the public per se, but
such usages, all belonging to expediency. were subordinate to and de- had to be applied to letters in
the 1856-61 issues, my prin- The first stamp in Figure 1 pendent on other offices for the post office at the time of
cipal collecting field. Since likely falls into this category. stamps prior to 1858. So, one mailing, and out-of-district
then, further examples have Shortly after my 1986 col- had to be careful about as- stamps were not accepted.
come to hand, two of which umn on this subject appeared, signing out-of-district status The only exception to this
20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 27, 1996

Mexican Official stamps on cover are elusive

A few years ago (Linn's, was said about covers bearing the National Museum of Ar- in January 1933, bears simi- Nuevo Laredo and were civilizations of Mexico?
Feb. 8, 1988), I touted back- Official stamps, except to chaeology, History and Eth- lar markings, except the two backstamped there. That trip, Two rates are demonstrated
of-the-book material, particu- mention that they are rather nography. This was the fore- Official stamps, Scott 0181 according to the postmark on these covers. I believe the
larly Official stamps, as elusive. That is still true — I runner of the Museum of An- and 0203, were applied on dates, took about four days. 10-centavo rate to Europe
worth pursuing for those search for them whenever I thropology, which opened in top of the branch office cir- From there, I presume they shown on the 1932 cover was
looking for a specialty with attend stamp bourses, usually the 1960s and is the new cular datestamp and mu- went to New York to catch a increased to 15c in 1933.
seum's handstamp. fast steamer to Europe. My analysis of how these
What caught my eye was It's a pity neither cover has Official covers were handled
Mexico the fact that there were two a Denmark receiving mark. I in Mexico is educated guess-
By Dale Pulver distinct Mexico (City) post-
marks on each cover, with
those inscribed "Oficial"
potential that had not re-
dated one day later than the
ceived much prior attention.
iiri branch office postmarks.
In the intervening years, USE 0 NACIONAL DE ARQUEOLOGIA,
The rules and regulations
Mexican Official stamps have HISTORIA Y ETNOGRAFIA. ,unagerbrcaa.cie
1:4DiON F.1,1 N'Q J3 governing Mexican Official
indeed received attention. 8E0 NAOIONALDEARQUEOLOOIA,
mail are murky at best. And I
Catalog prices for them HISTORY, Y ETNOGRAFIA.
could find nothing in my ex-
have risen remarkably, often MONrI)A Nv
tensive files on the subject.
more than doubling their val-
But the evidence presented
ues of 20 years ago. This
on these two covers strongly
contrasts with classic 19th-
suggests that government de-
century stamp values, which
partments, at least in Mexico
have been stagnant except for
City, could deposit unfranked
the rarer districts and usages. Figure 2. Another cover from the National Museum of
mail in any post office.
I'm not sure I can claim Archaeology, History and Ethnography to Denmark bears
When such mail reached
any credit for this activity. 10c and 5c Official stamps. It was sent in January 1933.
Figure 1. This cover from Mexico's National Museum of the main post office, ap-
But lately, serious collectors propriate stamps were applied have another contemporary work. I cannot substantiate
Archaeology, History and Ethnography was sent to Den-
seem to be looking beyond and canceled with a large cir- cover to Germany (April my interpretations, but I'd be
mark in June 1932. The postage was paid by a 10-centavo
the regular postage stamps cular datestamp inscribed 1932) marked "via New glad to hear from anyone
stamp with an "Oficial" overprint. The cover traveled
for areas to collect and study. "Oficial/Mexico, D.F." York" that required exactly who might have better infor-
from Mexico City to the United States to Denmark.
Mexico issued Official I have noticed this same 14 days to reach its destina- mation. Write care of Linn's,
stamps for exclusive use on without any luck. home of the famous Aztec postmark on many used Of- tion, Berlin. This seems to be Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365.
government correspondence. At the recent Garfield- sun (calendar) stone, por- ficial stamps from the 1920s fast service indeed consider- In any event, Official cov-
During 1884-94, Mexican Perry March Party bourse in trayed on these covers. and '30s. Could this proce- ing the letter had to travel ers are certainly worth look-
Official stamps showed no Cleveland, Ohio, I found two The cover in Figure 1 was dure have been the means by almost 10,000 miles. ing for. I scanned a rather
denomination. covers from the early 1930s mailed in June 1932. Near which the authorities deliber- Present-day mail from large pile of auction catalogs
From that time until they that more than made up for the bottom is the handstamp ately withheld the overprinted Mexico often requires that featuring Mexican stamps and
were discontinued in 1937, the many dry runs I've expe- of the museum and a Mexico Official stamps from the vari- much time to make the trip postal history and found only
Officials consisted of regular rienced. They are illustrated branch post office (Sucursal ous departments to prevent to Ohio, where I live. a handful of lots that listed
stamps overprinted with here as Figures 1 and 2. "P") circular datestamp of unauthorized private use by It would be interesting to Official covers. Most of the
"Oficial" or "Servicio Ofi- Apart from their somewhat June 6. The Official stamp, government employees? know the nature of the letters estimates on these lots were
cial." They are listed near unusual destinations (Den- Scott 0183, is tied with a The two covers, addressed these covers carried. Could rather high, leading me to be-
the end of the section on mark), these covers also bear circular datestamp of June 7, to the same individual, trav- Erik Petersen, the addressee, lieve that dealers, too, know
Mexico in the Scott catalog. thought-provoking postmarks. denoting Official mail. eled by rail to the United have been a Danish anthro- Official covers are far from
In the 1988 column, little Both covers originated at The Figure 2 cover, mailed States, crossed the border at pologist working on the lost common. Good hunting. •
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 24, 1996

Mexico's Klussendorf postage strips

Postal history happens' Figures 1 and 2. The strip in could be obtained up to the lowish UV light response
every day. But sometimes Figure 2 does not have an sum of coins inserted by came into use. The postage
many of us, even when we imprinted denomination. pressing a special button. The strip without a denomination
think we are alert to what's The horizontal lines in the machines tendered no change; in Figure 2 appears to be of
going on, ignore it. Here's a top half of the strip and the any unused balance came out this type, whereas the ex-
story of some modem postal dark areas of the lower half as postage strips. ample in Figure 1 is of the
Apparently, Sepomex made early blue varieties.
no prior announcement of the Sepomex reported in 1990
Mexico April 20 test run, or if it did, that the rolls of paper used
By Dale Pulver local dealers and collectors for the postage strips were
SERV K10 failed to take notice. But ac- imported from Germany.
POSTAt cording to Widmaier, one or I cannot report with cer-
history I did not, regrettably, MEXICANO
more European specialized tainty how successful the
pay much attention to. dealers were aware of the test usage of the Klussendorfs has
On April 16, 1990, Mexico Figure 1. Mexico intro- been for the Mexican post of-
(perhaps alerted by Klus-
issued its first printed-to- duced Klussendorf postage sendorf) and they, or their fice. The post office origi-
order machine-vended post- strips in 1990. The denomi- nally predicted that many
agents, attended and bought
age strips, following the lead nation was printed to order. postage strips and also cre- more machines would be put
of numerous European and ated first-day covers. into service and new designs
other world postal administra- are printed in a deep reddish would be forthcoming.
brown. The lighter area sur- It was later reported in the
tions. Amexfil bulletin that 4 mil- On the mail I have re-
Perhaps best known for rounding the eagle's head is ceived from Mexico, I have
dark orange. The denomina- lion (old) pesos worth of
these printed-to-order items is postage strips were sold in found only a couple of in-
Frama, a Swiss firm whose tion is cloth-ribbon printed in stances of the Klussendorf
black. one- day, but it was not clear
name had become synony- if this was the amount sold strips being used. And, I
mous with this type of post- Three of the first four have not seen any either used
on the first day or on some
age strip. Following the suc- or unused in dealers stocks I
other day.
cessful introduction of the have examined.
Frama strips in 1978, their It is also reported that a
Widmaier argues, with
use quickly spread to several Klussendorf test roll of
some justification, that these
other European countries. cream-colored paper with yel-
St kV k should be considered stamps
Close on the heels of POSTAI low fluorescence (visible
MtXK 4N() and a sampling belongs in
Frama, a German firm, Klus- under longwave ultraviolet
any general collection of
sendorf, developed its print- light) was loaded into one
modern Mexico. They should
ing machines in 1981. Figure 2. This Klussendorf machine, and numerous post-
not be confused with meter
machine-vended postage age strips were produced and
The Klussendorf machines strips, as the postage strips
strip from Mexico does not sold before the mistake was
also received wide ac- are purchased, applied to en-
have an imprinted value. discovered.
ceptance; these were the ones velopes, and canceled just as
the Mexican postal authorities The normal plain paper normal stamps would be.
Klussendorf machines used in was substituted, and it is this
chose for their initial trials. The Lighthouse Mexico al-
April 1990 were installed at paper that accounts for most
Before going further, I bums now contain three
the postal station in the main of the other early impres-
should credit Walker Wid- pages with spaces for these
airport in Mexico City. Two sions. The "yellow" stamps
maier and Guillermo Wil- postage strips. However, no
were wall-hung types to ser- on cream paper are quite rare
kens, whose articles in Mexi- attempt is made to describe
vice walk-in postal patrons, and have been offered in Eu- what values or formats are to
cana on this subject serve as
the other was a counter rope for up to $300. I have be mounted therein.
the primary sources of pub-
lished information I have model for use by post office seen no offers of such mate- I would be interested in
found. personnel. rial in the United States. comments on this subject, es-
Further, I want to point out The fourth machine, a It would not surprise me if pecially from those who spe-
that this column will deal counter type, was located in the entire world's supply of cialize in this material.
only with so-called first- branch post office No. 10 in these rare first-day postage There is much we don't
design Klussendorf postage Colonia Chapultepec. strips is either in the hands of know about them, particularly
strips of Mexico. Other for- According to information dealers or collectors who paid how many of the rare first-
mats came later but I will re- provided to Wilkens by Se- dearly for them. The odds of day postage strips exist and
serve discussion of them for pomex (Servicio Postal Mexi- finding any specimens used who has them?
a future column. c,ano, or the Mexican Postal on mail or in casual dealer Finally, I wish to thank
In Mexico, these postage Service), the machines could stock are astronomical. Paul Franklin of Beaverton,
strips are called "etiquetas dispense postage strips in 12 According to Wilkens, Ore., who shared his experi-
para franqueo," loosely trans- fixed values from 500 pesos paper with blue luminescence ences in searching for these
lated from the Spanish as (old pesos) to 5,850p. The was used in Klussendorf ma- Mexican postage strips and
"franking labels." Two of machines accepted coins chines beginning in mid-June who convinced me they
these first-design Klussendorf starting at 50p. 1990. By November, a third would make a good topic for
postage strips are shown in Variable denominations paper variety with pale yel- this column. •
42 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 22, 1996

Forwarding agents in 19th-century Mexico used by Mexican forwarders three forwarding agents.
Many years ago, at the the Universal Postal Union, A letter from the interior pecially when the forwarders
urging of my good friend and they often provided the only of Mexico addressed to Lon- are shown in Figure 1. In this instance, it was first were responsible for different
philatelic mentor Herbert link between official mail don goes to Veracruz in One of the things I found forwarded at Veracruz, hav- legs of the route.
Strauss, I became interested systems. The forwarders were Mexican mails. There, it is attractive about collecting ing reached that city from The involvement of more
in the practice of mail for- capable of expediting mail recovered by a forwarder covers forwarded to and from Oaxaca in the Mexican mails. than three forwarders on a
warding. It was my initial along routes where no official who pays the domestic post- Mexico was the variety of From there, it appears to single letter is even rare.
routings used, and, hence,
forwarded by markings available.
Mexico ILUVi i4VV-1
Mail to Europe could pass
By Dale Pulver through the United States by
NrE - VA; way of Havana, to or through 0031.AN

.L
Levi & DcLavoinc Mazatlan: W. W. Scarborough & Co. the United Kingdom, or di- ETTER OFFICE,
foray into serious postal his- rectly.
tory, and, with his help, I as- Ships of various nationali-
sembled a rather nice show- I? WARDED
By ties carried the letters. And
ing of forwarded covers to L. S HAR GOLls since much of the forwarded
and from Mexico. J. H. LaBiche & Co. mail was stampless, it usually
VE;t9A-CRI/Z
I wrote about this interest- was not too expensive.
ing means of mail handling L. S. Hargous [reconstructed]
According to Rowe's latest
eight years ago in Linn's
op,esninEe pa tally, 139 forwarding mark-
(July 11, 1988, page 14).
ings from 23 locations in
What prompts my return to A.MON LUC . Mexico have been recorded.
this subject is the arrival of a TA m P 1C0 In fact, the list for Veracruz
new book, The Postal History Veracruz: Levcrgcr Freres Figure 2. A letter sent from Oaxaca, Mexico, to London
Tampico: A. Montluc includes 56 entries.
and Markings of the For- was handled by three forwarders. The Mexican postage
warding Agents by Kenneth Owing to the variable rout- was paid at Veracruz by the first forwarder, whose oval
Figure 1. Tracings of Mexican mail forwarders' markings. ing on mail in and out of
Rowe. This is the fourth time mark in blue appears in the left corner. The two New
Rowe has surveyed the sub- carriers operated. age due and dispatches it by Mexico, you can find for-
York forwarders struck their marks in red.
ject since 1966, and this Generally, forwarders were the fastest and most direct warder's markings from the
work is clearly the most merchant bankers, commis- service across the Atlantic. United States, especially New
York, and other major ex- have gone directly to New Only two examples of qua-
comprehensive and up to date sion agents or others familiar When there were alterna- York, probably in private
change points, such as Ha- druple forwarding have been
of them all. with land and sea transport. tive routings, the agent would hands.
vana. Forwarders in Havana recorded, and one involves a
A forwarder is "a person Most of the time, no fee was bring his knowledge to bear
handled a lot of Mexican From New York, two dif- letter originating in Mexico.
or firm who undertakes to see charged; it was a free service to make the best choice.
to regular customers and Most forwarders marked mail bound for Europe since ferent forwarders were in- The cover and its routing
that the goods or cor-
the mail they handled. In the British packets made regular volved in its transfer, Heck- are illustrated in the Rowe
respondence of another are probably also served as a
early years, endorsements calls to that port. ster & Coster, and the fa- book.
transported without himself means of advertising.
were handwritten with words Another interesting aspect mous Gilpin's Exchange, The 1844 letter addressed
acting as the carrier." This Mexico was among many
such as "forwarded by," of forwarded mail is that it Reading Room and Foreign to London began its long
definition is right out of the developing countries where
"dirigida por" (Spanish), occasionally passed through Letter Office. The latter was journey in Mazatlan.
Rowe book. forwarding was used exten-
"acheminee par" (French) or the hands of more than one a professional forwarder as It was first forwarded in
Forwarders were a vital el- sively, especially on com-
forwarder. I have several cov- opposed to many who did it Mexico City, again in Vera-
ement in and wielded great mercial mail to and from the variations.
Later, the use of hand- ers where two forwarders in- as an adjunct to their regular cruz, once more in New Or-
influence on international United States and Europe.
stamps containing appropriate tervened. business. leans, and finally in Boston.
communications during the Here is a brief explanation
19th century. of one way mail forwarding wording became common. The cover illustrated in Covers exhibiting triple It is the only known letter
Prior to the formation of could work. Tracings of some handstamps Figure 2 bears the marks of forwarding are quite rare, es- bearing the endorsements of
four different agents in four Unpaid overseas letters the compendium. But even
different locations. from this era always bear for the general specialist of
While the majority of for- enough varied and obscure Mexico, a forwarded cover or
warded letters do not involve postal markings to make de- two would make a fine addi-
stamps, there are some ex- ciphering them challenging, if tion to your collection. And
amples in the later years not downright difficult. they won't set you back an
where stamps were used to Obviously, the new Rowe arm and a leg.
pay part of the postage. For book is a must for anyone The book is available from
some reason, they seem to be desirous of delving further the publisher, Leonard Hart-
more desirable to collectors into this subject, and I can mann, Box 36006, Louisville,
(i.e., more expensive), even recommend it highly. KY 40233, in hardcover for
though they may be less in- The listings for Mexico $47.50, or $52.50 with 3.5-
teresting. make up only a small part of inch search file disk. ■
22 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 26, 1996

Design errors and goofs on Mexican stamps

An article on errors in drawn into the designs of the several other missions along
stamp design on Mexican 1934 University airmail set the West Coast. Similar to
stamps was featured in the (Scott C54-61), for example, the Legends of the West mis-
July/August issue of the appear to be poised for an hap, the man actually por-
Amexfil (Asociacion Mexi- imminent crash. trayed on the stamp was
But, Fink calls attention to Francisco Palou, a companion
the plane depicted in the Avi-
Mexico ation Week commemoratives SCUEtA SUPERIOR OE
INGENIERIA QUIMICA
By Dale Pulver of 1929 (C26-27). The plane
appears to have only one 1948-1973
landing wheel, and no stabi-
cana de Filatelia, A.C.) jour- lizers. Figure 1 pictures the INDUSTRIAS EXTRACTIV
nal. 20-centavo stamp. CORREOS-MEXICO 40 C
e IA7 ,

Since 1984, I have been a Figure 1. The plane on Another mistake he notes
member of Amexfil, which, Mexico's 1929 Aviation crops up in Mexico's United
to my knowledge, is the larg- Week stamp appears to Figure 3. This 1973 stamp
Nations sets of 1946 (813-18, marking the 25th an-
est organized stamp collect- have only one landing C158-62). The flags that
ing group of our immediate wheel and no stabilizers. niversary of Mexico's main
make up the letters "0 N college of chemical engi-
neighbor to the south. that happen to be my favor- U" (Spanish initials for neering should have four
The society was formed a ites, too. U.N.) include a Swiss flag in hydrogen atoms, not three.
few years earlier than that Most of Mexico's early the upper-right corner of the
and began publishing a jour- airmail stamps picture air- "U." Switzerland never was, of Serra on his explorations.
nal six times a year in 1983. planes in the designs, some- nor is, a member of that The mistake was discov-
This publication (in Spanish) times in seemingly awkward body. ered early on, but there was
was one of the main reasons flight positions. However, in this instance, I no attempt at rectification.
I elected to join the group Several of the planes think artistic prerogative may An apparent mistake in de-
because I felt it could provide have prevailed. The designer, sign that has amused me, a
useful background for my Francisco Eppens, had, I be- retired chemical engineer, oc-
own writing and enjoyment lieve, Swiss ancestors. The 5- curs on the 1973 stamp
of the hobby. peso stamp is illustrated in (1056) issued to mark the
The journal has measured Figure 2. 25th anniversary of Mexico's
up quite well, presenting a Another fairly blatant mis- principal college of chemical
balance of news, feature writ- take is found on the 2.25p engineering. What appears in-
ing and quite often, new re- airmail stamp (C319), of the tended to be a methane (CH4)
search. Its production has 1966 Olympic promotional molecule, shows only three
been improved constantly. set based on drawings by re- hydrogen atoms. There
For example, since the No- OKANiZACiON DE NACIONES UNDAS nowned Mexican artist Diego should be four. Perhaps we
vember/December 1994 issue PARA CONSERVAR LA PAZ DEL MUNDO •
Rivera. It shows outline fig- are to imagine one directly
it has featured full-color il- ures playing American foot- behind and obscured by the
lustrations. Figure 2. The Swiss flag is ball, not an Olympic sport. carbon atom. The stamp is
Ernesto Fink compiled the included on this 1946 Mexi- In 1969, Mexico issued a shown in Figure 3.
list of stamp design mistakes can stamp honoring the stamp to commemorate Fa- Pancho Villa, a Mexican
in the July/August issue. United Nations. Switzerland ther Junipero Serra (C346), revolutionary general who is
With full credit to Fink, I'll has never been a member the Franciscan missionary purposely ignored in the post-
review some of the errors of the United Nations. who founded San Diego and revolutionary era, finally
 CENTENARIO DEL NATAL ICIO DE
FRANCISCO VILLA
1818 1978

Figure 4. On the stamp on

the left, Pancho Villa is
wearing a sombrero, a type
of hat he is not known to
RE have worn. He preferred a
fedora, shown on the right.
found his way onto a postage was certainly appropriate sub-
stamp in 1978 (C568). The ject matter, but the stamp is
stamp marked the centennial shown with perforated edges.
of Villa's birth. He is shown As all serious specialists of
wearing a traditional broad-
brimmed "charro" sombrero.
The problem is that he was
never known to have worn
this type of headgear, prefer-
ring instead a felt fedora. He
is more correctly pictured on
Scott 1415, the 35p value of
the set commemorating the
75th anniversary of the 1910
revolution.
Figure 4 depicts the two Figure 5. A 1985 Mexican
Pancho Villa stamps. commemorative for Mexfil
On two airmail stamps 85 features a stamp-on-
from 1980 showing colonial stamp design of Mexico's
churches (C628 and C629), 1856 8-real stamp. The
the inscriptions inadvertently 1856 stamp is shown with
were interchanged. The Acto- perforations, but it was
pan church is labeled Tlaya- only issued imperforate.
capan, and vice versa. No
corrections were printed. This Mexico know, this stamp
mistake and the one involv- only exists imperforate.
The 1985 stamp-on-stamp
ing Serra are noted in the
design is pictured in Figure
Scott Standard Postage
Stamp Catalogue. 5.
Looking for design errors
Fink mentions several seems to be a growing sport
other design mistakes, but I among collectors. It can pro-
will conclude with another vide many hours of diversion,
recent goof that really jarred if not pleasure.
those of us who collect Mex- However, it usually re-
ico's classic stamps. quires a great deal of re-
In 1985, the local Amexfil search and an instinctive
group in Mexico City organ- awareness of possible mis-
ized a large stamp exhibition, takes in fact or context.
Mexfil 85, and convinced the This can be especially dif-
postal authorities to issue ficult for foreign stamps,
three stamps in honor of the where reference sources may
event (1382-84). This they be hard to come by.
did, but the designers failed So, good luck in your
to consult with stamp collec- hunt, and I'll be interested in
tors. hearing about any other de-
The 22p stamp portrays the sign goofs readers can iden-
8-real stamp of 1856. This tify on Mexican stamps. ■
24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 23, 1996

The story of Mexico's Sarabia flight stamp

The decade of the 1930s Sarabia, a native of the state The Sarabia plane, desig- The flight was timed to co- ton and was a guest at the York World's Fair (C91).
was remarkable for many rea- of Durango in Mexico. He nated model R-6H and origi- incide with the opening of White House, where he pre- Figure 1 shows. the Sarabia
sons. As the world staggered was engrossed with airplanes nally named Q.E.D., was the Mexican pavilion at the sented President Roosevelt stamp on the left, and the 20c
through a deep economic de- and flying from an early age. larger and faster than the rest, New York World's Fair. with a block of four of the New York World's Fair air-
pression and Europe poised In 1938, he purchased, having been designed around And so, on the morning of special stamp. mail stamp on the right.
for war and serious political through an aircraft broker, the a 675-horsepower Pratt and May 24, 1939, laden with all His fame, unfortunately, The Sarabia differs from
the gasoline he could safely
carry, official greetings from
Mexico the Mexican president to his
Reml'e
Lic.H.MArtinez.
Anahuac 78,M64icz,DF.
By Dale Pulver U.S. counterpart, and a mail
sack of flight covers, Sarabia J4433 6'
took off from Mexico City
upheaval, aviation enjoyed al- on the 2,400-mile flight to J.F,„,1.4.,s.volft, 0 ATIREO
most universal appeal and New York.
stamp collecting was touted Unknown to those gathered lu
as the world's most popular at New York to await his ar-
lerul de Mich.
hobby, thanks to examples STDLET,N0.71.,
rival, including Sarabia's wife
set by a British monarch and and children, he encountered ND/ YORK City .
an American president. stiff head winds and a couple
CERTIFICADO;''
Aviation and philately of storms along the way and
seemed to be meant for each 1... iiraa '; YORK ran behind schedule. Figure 2. A cover bearing Mexico's Sarabia airmail stamp
other; and here is yet another i979AEREO The delay sparked rumors
example of that fortunate CORPEO,XIti,)0 20 among the media present that
and carried on the flight from New York to Mexico City.
22,152 3
union. he had gone down along his was short-lived. Immediately the other 20c stamp in that it
On May 1, 1939, at the be- route. Finally, at about 5:40 after takeoff on his return was printed in two colors,
hest of a Mexican pilot at- Figure 1. Mexico issued a limited-edition airmail stamp p.m., the plane appeared, cir- flight to Mexico June 7, his blue and red, and bears an
tempting to beat a nonstop for Francisco Sarabia's attempt to make a record- cled the field, and im- plane lost power and flipped inscription at the upper right
record flight time between breaking nonstop flight from Mexico City to New York in mediately landed downwind. into the Potomac River as — "Sarabia Vuelo (Flight)
Mexico City and New York 1934. This stamp is shown on the left. It is similar to the This unusual maneuver Sarabia made a frantic at- Mexico-Nueva York" in
set in 1934 by Amelia Ear- 20-centavo airmail stamp issued by Mexico to honor the startled the experienced avia- tempt at an emergency land- scarlet. The wording was en-
hart, Mexico issued a special, New York World's Fair, pictured on the right. tors present, but the reason ing. The plane sank at once. graved into the plate as op-
limited edition stamp, .Scott last racing plane built by the Whitney engine, one of the was soon clear — only about Nearby emergency crews posed to a rubber stamp over-
C93A. Granville brothers of Madi- most powerful at the time. a gallon of gas remained in were unable to rescue Sarabia print like the one applied to
The idea was that most of son, N.H. These planes were This plane had raced sev- his fuel tanks. before he drowned. the famous Earhart flight
the stamps would go to the known in aviation circles as eral times in the United Sarabia had indeed broken Later, it was discovered commemorative of 1935.
pilot, who in turn would sell the "GeeBees." States prior to Sarabia's own- Earhart's record, by almost that a careless mechanic had Sarabia had suggested a
them at a premium to offset The planes were built ership, but, owing to me- four hours. His time was 10 left a wiping rag inside the limited printing of 1,200
the costs of the flight. strictly for speed and by chanical failures, had never hours, 48 minutes vs. Ear- engine cowling, and this had stamps, of which he was to
There are two parts to the some thought to be unsafe in finished in any of those hart's 14 hours, 19 minutes. been sucked into the carbure- get 1,000 to sell at a pre-
story. One concerns the pilot, less than ideal flying condi- races. He became an instant hero, tor, killing the engine in- mium to pay for the flight.
his plane and the flight; the tions. Seven were produced Sarabia refitted, repainted and was wined, dined, feted stantly. However, Mexican Presi-
other deals with the uproar by the Granville brothers. All and renamed his plane Con- and paraded by New York's The Sarabia stamp is virtu- dent Cardenas ordered a
the stamp caused in philatelic of them eventually crashed, quistador del Cielo (Sky Mayor LaGuardia and other ally the same as the 20- printing of 2,100, with 1,000
circles. and four carried their pilots Conqueror) in preparation for dignitaries. centavo airmail stamp issued going to Sarabia, 400 to the
The pilot was Franciso to their deaths. his record-breaking attempt. Sarabia flew to Washing- by Mexico to honor the New Universal Postal Union and
the rest to the Mexican phila- committee for Sarabia at for his record-breaking flight.
telic agency and to a lottery Floyd Bennett Field. He is not mentioned in the
sale. Somehow the Stamp Cen- Book of World Records, al-
This scheme of distribution ter at Macy's department though Earhart is.
infuriated local collectors store managed to acquire The onset of World War II
who expected to buy stamps about 100 copies of the Sara- pushed aside the news and
at face through post office bia stamp and quickly sold notoriety his feat might have
windows. most of them to eager buyers enjoyed. But Conquistador
Meanwhile, prices in the for $29.50. del Cielo did survive (at least
market soared. It was sug- A few weeks ago, a fellow most of it) and was eventu-
gested that listing in the Scott club member offered me a ally restored. It resides in a
Standard Postage Stamp Cat- never-hinged sheet corner small museum near Sarabia's
alogue be withheld because copy of the Sarabia stamp he hometown in Durango, Mexi-
of the circumstances sur- had pur'chased in a job lot. It co.
rounding its issue. was in a hingeless mount on Perforce, this had to be a
Some dealers and collec- a preprinted album page by very brief overview of the
tors were able to secure cop- itself. Beneath the stamp was Sarabia incident.
ies of the stamp early on, and the penciled notation: "Sara- Readers wishing more de-
approximately 400 covers bia/Macy ' s/5 -31-39/$29.75." tails are referred to an article
were prepared for transport The page came with some- by John T. Chapin reprinted
on the flight to New York. thing even more interesting in the April 1990 issue of
Figure 2 shows one of — a yellowed clipping from Mexicana.
these covers. It is postmarked The New York Times of May If you can't get access to
in Mexico May 23, and bears 28, 1939, (a Wednesday) this, send an addressed,
New York backstamps of with an article describing the stamped envelope with 550
both May 24 and May 25. controversy sparked by this postage and $1 for copying
The cover is addressed do stamp, as well as information costs (seven pages) to me,
Rafael de la Colina, Consul about other stamps issued to Dale Pulver, c/o Linn's
General de Mexico. Colina honor the World's Fair. Stamp News, Box 29, Sid-
was among the Mexican dig- Regrettably, Sarabia was ney, OH 45365. I will see
nitaries in the welcoming never ascribed enduring fame that you get it. ■
64 LINN S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 28, 1996

District overprints of Mexico's classic era

For the first 27 years opportunity for new discover- ford, and that's usually not Guadalajara, Guanajuato, name overprinting, at least by 41/2mm) name overprint
stamps were used to prepay ies. Yet, sometimes it still very many. But other games Puebla, Queretaro, and San
for the 1856 issue, is color. of Puebla has been known for
postage in Mexico, the Mexi- happens. can be played with the dis- Luis Potosi each had at least
Black is normal. But years, with examples shown
can post office employed a Stamps from the large dis- trict name varieties. three different name stamps.
Campeche and Pachuca are in Figures 3 and 4. Usages of
unique system to help safe- tricts are fairly plentiful. The large districts, because A collector can have a lot of
known in red; and Apam, the large Puebla begin in
guard revenues from their However, the tiny district of- they handled so many fun looking for the less com-
Chiapas, Guadalajara, and mid-1863. Collectors were at
mon varieties. I(sla) del Carmen can be a loss to explain why this de-
Where do you find the found struck in blue. vice appears so late in the
Mexico overprint dimensions and font
characteristics?
Some of the colored name
overprints are scarcer, more
issue (when at least three oth-
ers were known to exist).
By Dale Pulver
They are described in The
desirable and, naturally, more Writing in the April 1995
Postage Stamps of Mexico,pricey. issue of Mexicana, James
sale. District post offices 1856-1868 by S. Chapman The use of color seems to Mazepa, noted collector and
were obliged to overprint (Quarterman reprint, 1976);
have increased somewhat in exhibitor of the 1856-61 is-
their names on stamps prior the specialized catalog of
the late issues that bore
to their sale or use. Mexican stamps by Celis names; and red was often
In theory, stamps lacking Cano, fifth edition, 1985used, as was violet/magenta.
such names were to be con- (Spanish); and the rare Les One of the more celebrated
sidered invalid. This would Premieres Emissions du Mex-
stories about name overprints
apply to those stamps, for ex- ique, 1856 a 1874 (1935), by
is the case of Zacatecas.
ample, that were lost or sto- Smeth and Fayolle (French). In late 1858, the postmas-
len. They also are listed in
ter fled to Aguascalientes to
There were exceptions, of Figure 1. Two of the five name overprints for the district Odfjell's book on the postal
escape the fighting between
course. Some postmasters did of Mexico City on Mexico's 1856 issue. The overprint, districts and in the Aguirre
conservative and liberal forc-
not understand the rules, or which reads "Mexico," is in outlined letters on the left, stamp catalogs (Spanish).es. He apparently left his
chose to ignore them. So, we and has dashes on both sides of the name on the right. Another variable in the
name stamp behind and, for
have perfectly legitimate ex- three months, he and his
amples of stamps without fices, such as Sultepec, Ixt- stamps, generally had more clerks dutifully wrote the
these names. lahuaca, Ciudad Bravos, and than one name overprinting name, Zacatecas, by hand on
I've covered these proce- Iguala, for example, were device. Mexico (City), for ex-
the stamps he sold.
dures in previous columns supplied so few stamps that ample, used five different Several distinct handwrit- Figure 3. The overprint of
and in my book Introduction overprinted examples are ones on the stamps of 1856. Puebla is large, measuring
ings exist on the Zacatecas
to the Stamps of Mexico, very rare and much sought Two were in solid Roman 24 millimeters by 41/2nun,
overprints, and both stamps
which is part of the Linn's after. type fonts, and three con- on this 1-real stamp.
and covers are keenly sought.
Handbook Series. The same is true for sev- sisted of hollow (or outline) The lr and 2r values with sues, came up with a plau-
The eminent British philat- eral other offices that did not letters. An example of the the manuscript name can be sible explanation. His theory
elist Samuel Chapman apply their names, such as latter is shown on the left in found occasionally, but all suggested another instance of
brought these stamps to the Guadalupe Hidalgo, Tepeji Figure 1. other denominations are rare. lost, or misplaced, name
attention of serious collectors del Rio, Polotitlan, Texcoco, One of the name over- Fewer than a dozen ex- handstamps.
in the 1920s. Since that time, and San Filipe del Obraje, to prints, "-MEXICO-," be- amples of the 11/2r stamp are Mazepa deduced that when
the intricacies of the name name a few. These stamps tween dashes is fairly scarce recorded, and fewer still of the French, during the 1861-
overprints have been pretty must be identified by their and so far has been recorded the 4r and 8r value. Figure 2 64 intervention, laid siege to
much explained over the cancels. on only the 1/2-real stamp. It Figure 2. The overprint for shows a lr stamp with the Puebla in March 1863, the
years. It would seem that the We specialists search for is pictured on the right in the Mexican district of handwritten name. postmaster fled to Mexico
field has been studied so examples from as many of Figure I. Zacatecas is handwritten di- On the 1861 issue, the City. Upon his return, he
thoroughly that there is little these districts as we can af- The large districts of agonally on this stamp. super large (24 millimeters could not find his original
 Huamantla, San Martin, Te-
huacan, Yzucar, and a few
other offices are recorded.
Figure 4 shows the Te-
huacan and Yzucar suboffice
stamps with the large
"PUEBLA" from my collec-
tion.
This case amply demon-
strates that there are still un-
resolved questions about
Mexico's classic stamps. And
that there is always an op-
portunity for some new, en-
lightening research.
Figure 4. The suboffices of Tehuacan (left) and Yzucar Sometimes we don't know
(right) with the large Puebla overprint on 2-real stamps. what the questions are until
handstamps and began using This large name was used we stumble across some
a colonial era canceler - on many stamps from Puebla anomaly or aberration that is
"PUEBLA" inside a rounded until the Eagle issue appeared not explained or answered in
box — to validate his stamps. in 1864. Such stamps are not the available literature. But
Since a stamp appearing on scarce. for me, that's one of the joys
cover with this overprint The large name is likewise of this hobby.
might give the impression of found on stamps sent to and If you're ready for a new
reuse of a canceled stamp (a used at several of Puebla's challenge, why not check out
postal fraud), the postmaster subordinate post offices. Ex- the district name overprints?
trimmed off the surrounding amples from Acatzingo, Acat- You never know what you
frame. Ian, Atlixco, Chalcamula, might discover. ■
 NOVEMBER 25, 1996 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 41

Three Mexican postal cards' stories

A little over four years ative to the shipments. I have
ago, in the May 18, 1992, 82 u F OS IAL another similar card used for
Linn's, page 12, I briefly re- the same purpose with Span-
viewed some of the collecting r ,r ish text.
opportunities in Mexican Note that inscriptions at
_ the side of this card signal it
postal cards.
The area is fairly exten- was for domestic service
("servicio interior"). These
designations seem to have
Mexico ,-,14,1
been widely disregarded.
By Dale Pulver My card with the Spanish
. rvi.
(.2.4;o4 text was issued for local ser-
vvvvvet, vice ("servicio urbano")
sive and complex, well suited /Ivo- firmi ta< with 2c franking. The 3c for-
for those collectors with lots ;‘ • ON POSTAI7F,
eign rate was met by simply
of serious curiosity but lim- adding a contemporary lc
ited resources. Figure 1. An 1882 Mexican postal card with two stamp stamp to the address side of
This field has attracted imprints, 3 centavos and 2c, was sent to Santander, Spain. the card. These cards for do-
more of my own interest dur- mestic usage have only Span-
ing retirement. plied 14 days after the card 1899. ish inscriptions.
Some recent acquisitions, was written. Whether it Note that the postal in- As I wrote in the afore-
which demonstrate how inter- passed through Havana is structions on this and the pre- mentioned 1992 column, the
esting these cards can be, open to question. vious card appear in both many, many design varieties
prompts this return visit to The card bears a weakly Spanish and French, per UPU of postal cards during the
the subject. This month's col- struck Santander receiving rules. first 20 years of their exist-
umn tells the story about mark on the reverse, indicat- The final offering, pictured ence. This, added to the fact
three of those cards. ing the balance of the journey in Figure 3, is a 3c card from that they were readily ac-
By way of background, took another 14 days. Veracruz to Hamburg relating cepted by a diverse public
Mexico issued its first postal So all told, the card re- to consular invoices and bills anxious for a cheap, handy
cards the year it joined the quired about a month to of lading for goods being means of sending short mes-
Universal Postal Union, 1879. sages, spawned a vast array
The first cards were smallish of usages to tantalize serious
(140 millimeters by 70mm) mfr ATA
collectors.
and unfranked. They gener- REPUBLICA M CAA- MUSLIM MEXICAINg
TARJETA POSTAL The postal cards were
ally are referred to as formula N A ESPcESTA PACADA widely used by merchants
(or formular) cards. STALE Avcc REPONSE PAYEE
and salesmen, and, as in the
The first franked cards ap-
case of the third example, by
peared in 1882 and were
large business enterprises.
somewhat larger (140mm by
90mm), following a new Examples sent to remote
UPU standard. foreign destinations are espe-
The Mexicans did some- cially exciting when you find
thing I have not seen in any them — and they do exist.
other country. Mexico's or- I know of two reference
nately printed cards included sources for the serious collec-
ttttt • • A• • 1,1, SUSI. LA /ALAI, A AOL,,A
two spaces for stamped im- nt•tlot A tttt laCs •
•AS•tityt• u
IA [AIM C1,0M71 SA P(5711Aff A LA AAA0.1 tor. Section 12 (Macau to
pressions to indicate the Muscat) of World Postal Sta-
card's value. And further- Figure 2. Half of a Mexican prepaid-reply postal card sent tionery Catalog by Higgins
more, these franking designs from Hamburg to Mexico City in December 1899. and Gage, and Catalog of
were the same as contempo- Mexico Postal Stationery
rary postage stamps. reach its destination. shipped on the Interoceanic published by the Mexico-
Figure 1 shows the second The second example, Railway of Mexico. Elmhurst Philatelic Society
issue, incorporating the small shown in Figure 2, is half a Routing was Veracruz to International (MEPSI).
numeral dies (Scott type double postal card designed Mexico City, to the United My Higgins and Gage cat-
A16), representing values that for prepaid replies. This card States (presumably), to Ham- alog is the 1969 edition, and
were added to Juarez foreign originated in Hamburg, Ger- burg. The card took 17 days I think there was a pricing
mail series in 1882 (see Scott many, Dec. 6, 1899, and to reach its destination. update for it in 1979. I do
Nos. 146-49). The two stamp reached Mexico City Dec. 22, The back of this card has a not know its current avail-
imprints, totaling 5 centavos pretty fast service, actually. printed message by the rail- ability.
(the rate to Europe), are re- The card is endorsed to go road in English with spaces The MEPSI catalog, which
produced in their normal col- by way of New York and to insert appropriate data rel-
can be purchased in sections,
ors, 3c carmine and 2c green. such as postal cards, letter
The text and ornamental cards, envelopes, and so
work are printed in a pale OSTAL v forth, is still available and
blue on coarse buff stock. It 0 perhaps a bit more user
all makes for an attractive c-1̀
4, - r
friendly. The whole set, six
piece. TARJETA POSTAL. -0 k.t44* sections and a supplement,
At the time this card was will set you back about $35.
issued, the Mexican post of- It is available only in 81/2- by
fice was still using district 11-inch loose-leaf format.
name overprints and invoice If interested, contact Carl
control numbers. Overprinted LeMar John, 5063 E. North
names are seldom seen on Regency Circle, Tucson, AZ
postal cards, however. 85711-3000.
This card does have a con- From my vantage point,
trol number, 1782, in the this is a field where one can
upper-left corner. The number satisfy intellectual curiosity,
tells us that the card was have a lot of fun, and not
from stock shipped to San Figure 3. This Mexican postal card was sent to Hamburg spend an arm and a leg doing
Luis Potosi, district No. 17, although it originally was intended for domestic service. it. Good luck. •
in 1882. This fact is also Laredo, Texas. Although ad-
confirmed from the writer's dressed in care of a German
dateline on the back. The
firm in Mexico City, it ap-
mute cancels obliterating the
pears to be a personal mes-
stamps are similar to some
sage in German.
recorded from that district.
The curious thing about
The card, dated Jan. 17, this card is that it is not the
1883, is addressed to San- return half of the original
tander, Spain. A manuscript double card, but the portion
notation at the lower left di- on which the outgoing mes-
rects that it be sent on the sage would normally be writ-
"first steamship: by way of ten. This didn't seem to both-
Veracruz and Havana." er the German post office.
The circular datestamp just Further, this was a new de-
above this notation shows the sign listed as first issued in
card went by way of New 1900. But clearly, the card
Orleans. That mark was an- was used in the last month of
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 23, 1996

Update of news from Mexico; postal rates

A tradition for my Decem- sheet of 24 stamps urging back I received was a note and I thank Finnegan for his
ber column is to recap news conservation of native plant from Paul Franklin of Or- time and effort.
items not worthy of a full- and animal species. These se- egon, who nudged me to •
length article and to recog- tenant stamps make a colorful write the article in the first And now to one of my
nize loyal readers who have and attractive composite in place. special projects. For more
provided noteworthy feedback sheet form. This issue is And then, a few weeks than a year now I have been
bound to be popular with
topical collectors.
Mexico All but one of the new
By Dale Pulver stamps pay either the domes-
tic rate (1.80p) or North
American/Caribbean first-
to my various columns dur- class letter rate (2.70p). The
ing the year. exception is a souvenir sheet
• with a single 7.40p stamp
The lead story in my col- commemorating the 400th an-
umn last December (Linn's. niversary of the founding of
Dec. 25, 1995, page 30) re- the city of Monterrey.
ported the use of centavo- The sheet, shown in Figure
denominated Exporta stamps 2, was released in conjunc-
on current mail at 1,000 tion with Filrey 96, a large
times their value before the stamp show held in that city
revaluation of the Mexican during September.
peso. I thought I had ex- The total face value of all
plained fairly carefully how Figure 1. A portion of a recent cover from Mexico to the the stamps planned for the Figure 2. Mexico issued this souvenir sheet with a 7.40-
that process worked, but a United States franked with a 1.10 new-peso stamp and a year is slightly more than peso stamp to mark the 400th anniversary of Monterrey.
number of readers wrote that 1,600p pre-revaluation Exporta stamp. In this case, the I70p, or about U.S. $21.50 at
they were still confused. And later, I received a letter from assembling information for a
1,600p stamp is treated as if it were a 1.60p stamp. the current rate of exchange. Guillermo Wilkins, my ever- comprehensive compendium
I admit, it is not an easy con- •
cept to grasp. Farm Machinery (airmail Still, such a combination faithful Mexican correspon- on Mexican postal rates. This
At that time, I predicted stamp), 7p Overalls and 10p could confuse a postal histo- Tourist definitives continue dent, who enclosed an ap- should be of use to postal
more old Exporta stamps rian 50 years hence if the cir- to crop up with new and sub- proval card with 16 unused historians of all eras. And, as
Tequila.
from post office inventories All were used as if the de- cumstances of fiscal reform tle paper characteristics. postage strips to augment my far as I know, no such uni-
would be pressed into service valuation never occurred. had been overlooked. One attempt at classifica- pitifully meager sample of fied source exists.
and that, indeed, has come to A recent letter from a cor- • tion I have received lists these items. My ultimate objective is a
pass. respondent in Mexico was eight different printings in- This windfall provides ma- loose-leaf guide covering the
From time to time the phil- ,
a a
wo o e iste varieties this subject, if, in the mean- century when the Mexican
column, I had seen only the stamp and a 1,600p pre- Postal Service (Sepomex)
apparently are scarce enough time, I can secure more infor- postal system became organ-
20c Chemical Flasks stamp revaluation Exporta stamp. publishes a schedule of antic-
so that dealers already have mation on when types were ized up to the present.
used in this manner. Since The portion of the cover with ipated stamp issues for the
priced them in the three- first sold to the public. It has been slow going be-
then, mail has arrived from the stamps is shown in Fig- year. According to the latest
figure range. cause I want to use original
Mexico with a wide array of ure 1. one I received (dated Aug. •
Jim Leggett of Worthing- sources, such as official post-
the early low-value Exportas: Obviously, the 1,600p Ex- 28), 36 issues involving 84 The column on the two of-
ton, Ohio, sent me two 2.70p al tariffs. Some of these are
50c Pistons, 1-peso Electric porta stamp is treated as if it separate designs were ficial covers to Denmark
Estado de Mexico Tourist particularly hard to come by.
Cable, 2p Abalone, 4p Con- were a 1.60p stamp, since the planned for 1996. (Linn's May 27, page 20),
stamps that appear com- Thanks to many friends in
struction Materials, 5.20p correct franking- is 2.70p. One issue consists of a triggered an interesting ex-
pletely different under an 8- the hobby, and particularly to
power magnification. He sug- change of letters with a curi- Alejandro Grossmann of
gested that one was printed ous reader. Mexico City who is research-
by photogravure and the In the article, I mused ing the archives at the Postal
other by lithography. whether the addressee, Erik Museum in Mexico City, I
At first, I agreed with him Petersen, could have been a now have a substantial file of
as I knew the printer TIEV Danish anthropologist. official rate information. But
had produced some of Mexi- Gregory Finnegan, associ- gaps remain.
co's 1995 TB seals by lithog- ate librarian and head of ref- If you have, or know the
raphy. But, I have since been erence at the Tozzer Library whereabouts of Mexican
informed that there were two at Harvard University, took postal tariffs, especially of
different photogravure print- up the chase and did an ex- the late 19th century, I would
ings of this stamp, one a tensive search for Peterson in be delighted to hear from
fine-grained impression with the library's computerized in- you. Write to me in care of
a violet cast to it, and the dexes. The Tozzer collection Linn's and I will answer at
other, a rather coarse impres- constitutes one of the world's once with what I am still
sion, or as the Mexicans list leading anthropology libraries seeking. Full source credits
it — "porous," with more with particular focus on mid- are promised.
blue. Has anyone else noticed dle American culture. •
this? Sadly, he was unable to Finally, sincere best wishes
• find any reference to Erik Pe- for the holidays and may
I thought my column on tersen, so we are still in the your Christmas stocking be
the Klussendorf postage strips dark as to the possible nature filled with at least one or two
(Linn's, June 24, page 34), of the official correspondence items missing from your col-
would elicit a fair measure of these envelopes carried. lection (even if you have to
response. But, the only feed- However, it was a good try buy them yourself). 111
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 27, 1997

Supplementary markings on Mexican covers

I find envelopes that bear in Figure 2 pictures another
addition to the usual postal interesting example of an
markings other messages or iiU04.14 Ct. added message. Illustrated is
brief explanations related to / ey/slgt the message side of a photo
them fascinating. postcard sent from Chihuahua
These are sometimes re- Ne*R'. • *OS*. to Mexico City.
The rubber handstamp
t1 message at the upper right Sri ta stena solora ,on.
Mexico ihaSas s
H • Pe reads, "Esta correspondencia Chiapas no.98.
By Dale Pulver he--sco-tilt•toS av•Pkr resulto danada en el incendio
r s'a fa. t..4 .4. De 4Pexis.4cti 0 . /414P.AN que sufrio el carro correo in Mexico. D.F.
cp
Encarnacion de Diaz, Jal., 16
ferred to as auxiliary or sup-
Marzo 1956." Translated:
plementary markings. How-
"This correspondence was
ever, I could find no clear
damaged in a fire suffered by
definition of either of these
the mail car at Encarnacion
terms in a philatelic glossary
Figure 2. The message side of a 1956 postcard from Chi- de Diaz (State of), Jalisco on
I have.
March 16, 1956."
So, I will use these terms huahua to Mexico City with a rubber handstamp stating
that the card was damaged in a fire in the mail car. Although not clearly vis-
in the sense of words or
phrases added to covers ex- tion in this column. reads, "Esta carta fue abierta ible in the illustration, the Figure 4. The handstamps on this airmail cover urge the
plaining delays, special han- Figure 1 shows one of the por los bandidos en el cami- card is slightly charred and inclusion of a return address, promote the use of airmail
the stamp was washed away, service and ask letter writers to use oblong envelopes.
dling or other unexpected earliest examples I have of a no." The translation is:
"This letter was opened by presumably by the water used
events. This would include supplementary marking.
to extinguish the fire. 3, shows a two-line hand- pened from looking at the
things such as train wrecks, This marking is on the re- bandits on the road."
This cover illustrates a Almost a month elapsed, stamp applied to an airmail other postmarks on this enve-
plane crashes, reroutings, or verse of an 1859 first stamp
before the postcard was re- cover sent from New York to lope, the cover was flown
perhaps even warnings or in- issue cover from Orizaba to problem of mid-19th-century
Mexico, wherein the mails processed and reached Mexi- Mazatlan. from New York to Mexico
structions by the post office. Puebla.
were often raided by high- co City. The handstamp reads, "Re- City and then to Durango on
I'll share a few unusual The handwritten message
Similar items should be mitida por tren/por suspen- its way to the west coast port
items from my small collec- on the back flap of the letter waymen seeking money or
other valuables. of Mazatlan.
In this case, the letter, The message applies to the
which probably contained final leg of the journey, for
nothing of substance, was re- which airmail service was ei-
covered and sent on to the ther suspended or not avail-
addressee; able.
The double oval handstamp Figure 3. A two-line handstamp from a September 1941 This was in September
suggests the message was airmail cover sent from New York to Mazatlan, Mexico, 1941 Up to that time, the
probably written by a clerk in indicates that the cover was sent on its last leg of its letter had moved quite rap-
the Puebla post office, where journey by train because of suspension of the flight. idly, two days to Mexico
the handstamp was applied. from New York and one
I also have a cover from available from mail involved sion de vuelo," which trans- more to Durango. The final
the same era that was re- in aircraft accidents. But, so lates to "Sent by train, owing train ride took three days,
Figure 1. A handwritten message on the back flap of a turned to sender with a hand- far, I haven't been able to ac- to the suspension of the probably due to roundabout
Mexican 1859 first stamp issue cover translates to "This written note regarding insuf- quire one. flight." routing.
letter was opened by bandits on the road." ficient franking. The next example, Figure Piecing together what hap- Censored covers often bear
interesting auxiliary mark- oblongos," translates to cancel slogans used in the
ings, as do covers passing "Send your letters in oblong 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.
through the customs offices envelopes." The final example, Figure
when suspected of containing This handstamp admon- 5, shows a handstamp mes-
goods that are subject to a ishes writers not to use the sage applied to mail at the
duty. They are worth search- popular European-style enve- behest of the secretary of
ing for in this context. lopes that often were almost public education. It was
The Mexican post office square in form, usually mea- struck in magenta ink and
translates to "Cooperate in
the Literacy Campaign."
Raising the level of lit-
eracy was a major priority of
the Mexican government dur-
ing the 1930s and 1940s (this
letter is dated July 1936).
Its importance was further
underscored by a series of
stamps issued in 1945, Scott
806-11, C153-57.
Figure 5. A handstamp promoting literacy was applied at So once again, we find an-
the behest of Mexico's secretary of public education. other niche in Mexican phi-
lately to explore at low cost
and other government depart- suring about 6 inches by 43/4 and with abundant collection
ments often used the mails inches. opportunities.
for messages of encourage- Apparently, these enve- I've told you about only a
ment, instruction or warning. lopes caused problems for the few of the many markings
The airmail cover shown in machine cancelers the large available, and I'd be glad to
Figure 4 originated in Oaxaca Mexican post offices were hear of any unusual finds
bound for Mexico City. Post- beginning to use. In fact, from readers. Write to me in
marks indicate it was mailed similar warnings were em- care of Linn's, Box 29, Sid-
on and reached Mexico the bodied in several machine ney, OH 45365. •
same day, Dec. 31, 1929.
Three handstamps were ap-
plied to the front of the letter,
probably in the Mexico post
office.
The one in the upper-left
corner ("Importante ...")
urges that a return address be
applied in the event the letter
is undeliverable.
The six-line message at the
lower right touts airmail ser-
vice as a good way to save
time, certainly demonstrated
in ample fashion by the ser-
vice tendered to this letter.
The final handstamp,
"Remita sus cartas.en sobres
44 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 24, 1997

Cover provides details about shipping silver

Every once in a while I folded letter, the message pal district post office, it pre- ouster of the Spanish. culation of any coin in the Capt. F.R. Baby. It went to
stumble across a cover where half having been cut or torn viously was subordinate to As early as 1824, the Brit- history of the world. London by way of Panama.
the contents prove to be as off and discarded. Morelia (until 1858) and ish began investing in and re- The coins were roughly the There was no canal in
interesting as the cover itself. Since my Spanish is pretty most of its stamps were sup- storing the silver centers of size of a silver dollar, 11/2 those days, so the boxes had
This was the case with the good, I make it a practice to plied from that office. Mexico, especially the mines inches in diameter, and to be transported overland to
cover shown nearby, which read the contents of complete I suspect Colima had no in Guanajuato and Pachuca. weighed about 27 grams, or connect with another ship on
One of the famous mines in slightly less than an ounce. the Atlantic side.
the latter location that the The silver content had to Although we can't know
Mexico British capitalized was the be at least 90 percent. The the exact origin of the silver,
By Dale Pulver Real del Monte. Investors in balance was copper. one might logically ask why
England eagerly bought A little simple math tells it did not leave Mexico by
shares in many of, these ven- me that the coins in the two way of Veracruz, where
came my way in an Ameri- tures, even though some of boxes weighed about 160 steamers to Europe called
can Philatelic Society Mexico them ultimately failed.. pounds, not counting the regularly. The British-
circuit. The business overseen by weight of the containers. So operated mines at Guanajuato
I did not buy it, mostly be- Whitehead (I could not deter- each of the two boxes would and Pachuca were certainly a
cause the postmark is weakly mine its exact name) seems be about all that a man could lot closer to the east coast.
struck and I already have to have been one of the suc comfortably carry. My guess is the reason
several similar items in my cessful holding companies. The loose bill of lading ac- was safety. At that time, ban-
collection. Still, the cover is And, it is to that company companying the letter gives dits and highwaymen preyed
not lacking in philatelic that the silver is going. some interesting insight into on the transport routes
charms. An 1860 Mexican folded letter franked with a quadrisect The shipment is described throughout the country, espe-
the costs of the shipments.
First, it demonstrates frac- of an 8-real stamp. The letter deals with a silver shipment. as consisting of two boxes of cially on the road from Mexi-
Nearly everything is based
tional usage of the first issue, letters like this one. stamps when this letter was "specie," which I take to on the value of the shipment. co to Veracruz.
showing how high-value The letter, dated Sept. 10, written, so it probably was mean that Mexican coins Bags, plus boxes and pack- It was probably much easi-
stamps were often cut up to 1860, came from a commis- carried to Morelia unfranked. were being sent. And just ing, for example, was 0.125 er to safeguard a valuable
make frankings for the more sion agent, Oetling and Co. Whatever the case, the first what were they? Undoubtedly percent or $3.38. Freight shipment to a west coast port
common lower rates: of Colima, and deals with the evidence of the letter being they were Mexican 8r coins, from Colima to the port was than to the east. And, it may
This example is a quadri- shipment to London of silver handled in the Mexican mail or, as they were called in calculated as 0.4 percent of have depended on where the
sect of the 8-real stamp and valued at $2,700. It also con- system was at Morelia. those days, pieces of eight. shipment value plus sea coins were minted.
pays a 2r rate. tains a, copy of the bill of Since I have a similar These and similar coins freight plus lighter fee and What happened to the sil-
Such usages, at least of the lading detailing fees and cover, addressed to White- also were referred to as Span- packing. ver once it reached England?
first and second issues of shipping charges totaling head, I was curious about the ish dollars, piasters or pesos. Then, there were customs Some of it may have ended
Mexico, were legal and are $68.65. situation to which the con- The symbol designating them fees, agents fees (both land up as hard currency reserves.
not terribly scarce. Clean ex- The letter is directed to tents of this letter refer. So, was the dollar sign. Millions and sea), storage awaiting ar- However, most of it probably
amples always add luster to a Charles Whitehead Esq. who with the aid of some coin were minted in Mexico dur- rival of the steamship and so was converted to jewelry,
collection or exhibit. was, as the address states, the books and the encyclopedia, I ing the 19th century. forth. When all was said and hollowware and flatware.
Another favorable aspect commissioner for British did a bit of research. Mexico was, and still is, done, the shipper owed $68 This story about silver
of this particular cover is that bond holders. He maintained British businessmen were the world's foremost pro- and change. This did not in- arose from a letter having un-
it contains a complete letter, his office in Mexico City. in Mexico looking for com- ducer of silver bullion. Much clude $13 due Oetling for usual franking. So it seems
even including a loose, extra The 8r stamp fragment was mercial opportunities soon of the metal that was mined preparing the paperwork and only fitting that the required
page that was part of the probably applied at Morelia, after the 1810 Mexican War and reduced in Mexico ended arranging the transportation. postage was satisfied with
original communication. where it was canceled. for Independence. They were up in coinage. It has been The shipment was con- one-fourth of a stamp equal
Many such items contain Although' in 1860, Colima attracted to the mining indus- said that the so-called piece signed to the steamship in value to a piece of eight, a
only the outer sheet of a enjoyed the status of a princi- try, left in shambles after the of eight had the greatest cir- America under command of main topic in the article. ■
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 24, 1997

A 1928 Mexican airmail first-flight cover

one addressed to myself and tirely too few to supply the covers in the early days of 3 was Dallas-Chicago;
Mexico has a lot of good stamp for Nuevo Laredo is,
airmail postal history. I have this addressed to you, and demand. airmail. This letter reveals C.A.M. 17 was Chicago- "This envelope approved by
touched on it a few times in hope that they come through "The postmark should be how some of them came to Cleveland-New York. the U.S. Post Office Dept.,
this column over the years, alright. Please let me know if dated October 1st and will be. Backstamps, illustrated in for AIR MAIL ONLY. Use
and a lucky find at a recent you receive this. probably bear a special 'ca- The letter was dated Sept. Figure 2, show that the cover for other purposes not permit-
local stamp show bourse pro- "Be sure to keep the entire chet' or postmark indicating 20, 1928. It obviously was processed in Nuevo Lar- ted." Would such an admon-
reached the Mexican post- edo Oct. 2, passed through ishment be heeded today in
master general in plenty of the Laredo, Texas, post office these times of permissive-
Mexico time for the desired airmail Oct. 3, and through the ness?
By Dale Pulver handling. Cleveland, Ohio, DPO (distri- Uncle Edwin did receive
CORK() AEREW Two 25-centavo airmail bution post office) Oct. 4. the first-flight cover and it
vides an opportunity to re- stamps and a 10c surface At Cleveland, it probably eventually made it to the
mail stamp comprise the 60c went aboard a mail train for philatelic marketplace where
visit the area.
The cover, which is shown franking. This is rather curi- Pittsburgh. I bought it — almost 70
ous since effective on the day years after it was mailed.
in Figure 1, is a first-flight Although no receiving
WESTINGHOUSE BUILDING, of this flight, airmail postage And, yes, it became worth
cover carried on the Mexico-
to the United States was re- handstamp was applied, the a couple of bucks. I paid
Nuevo Laredo airmail route PENN AVE. & NINTH STREET, letter was likely delivered the
duced to 35c. $4.50 for it. However, that
inaugurated Oct. 1, 1928. PITTSBURGH, PEN A., U.S.A. My other first-flight cover next day, Oct. 5, four days certainly is not a very good
These covers are not excep-
from the same flight was sent after it went on board an air- long-term investment yield if
tionally scarce; I have a simi-
Figure 1. A first-flight cover from the Mexico-Nuevo Lar- at the lower rate. Even if the plane in Mexico City. one had hoped to make a
lar one in my collection. Between the wavy lines of
edo airmail route, which began Oct. 1, 1928. new, reduced rate hadn't been killing with such merchan-
But, for a philatelically
communicated to the airmail the Nuevo Laredo transit dise.
contrived cover in the early
fans wanting such covers, mark is the message: "Utilice
period of airmail, it has a lot The letter closes with a
I'm surprised the clerks pro- Usted el Correo Aereo para
going for it. Perhaps, best of final interesting news tidbit
cessing these covers didn't Ganar Tiempo." This slogan
all is that it came with its from nephew Rob.
apply the appropriate postage translates to "Use air mail to
original contents. This helps save time." He writes, "I am going up
and pocket the difference.
tell its story. Despite the technical ad- to the Polo Grounds today to
The letter was written by As predicted in the text, see a double-header between
vances in mail processing and
R.E. Patterson of White the cover bears a special ca- the N.Y. Giants and the St.
the increased speed of aircraft
Plains, N.Y., to a relative in chet, in black, marking the Louis Cardinals. As these
to carry the mails, such quick
Pittsburgh. inaugural flight. It was two baseball teams are the
service cannot be expected
The letter began: "Dear stamped in the lower-left cor-
today. In fact, letters from contenders for the honor of
Uncle Edwin: I will endeavor ner. It is dated "1 October
my correspondents in Mexico participating in the next
to send this letter to you by 1928" and marked as the of- World's Series, they should
City usually require seven to
way of Mexico City via the ficial air route. . 10 days to reach me. be very interesting games."
new air-mail route to be inau- Figure 2. The backstamps on the reverse of the cover Below this cachet is typed
And, of course, airmail, as The Cardinals did represent
gurated on October 1st. shown in Figure 1 show how the cover traveled. "C.A.M. Route 22-3-17."
a distinct class of service, has the National League in the
"I recently learned that the This extra endorsement,
World Series that year but
Postmaster General of Mexi- envelope, as this is known in that the letter was carried on added by the sender, indi- long disappeared from the
lost four straight to the New
co offered to accept for mail- philatelic circles as a 'first- the initial trip." cates the contract airmail scene.
day flight cover' and should The letter concludes with The reverse of the enve- York Yankees.
ing any letters which were routes to be followed to the
accompanied by International be worth a couple of dollars other news. cover's ultimate destination, lope carries another interest- See how much fun you can
Money Order for postage (60 in a very short time, as the I had often wondered how Pittsburgh. C.A.M. 22 was ing message. In fine print un- have with a modest purchase
cents Mexican). I am sending number carried will be en- collectors obtained first-flight Dallas-San Antonio; C.A.M. derneath the transit hand- from a dealer's shoe box. ■
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 28, 1997

Specializing in a single Mexican definitive

A small three-frame exhibit the judges, will certainly im- 17mm by 20.75mm. termarked paper. Papers with between encircled eagles, was is listed as Scott 1054. The
built around a single Mexican prove its ratings. Scott makes a note after three different watermarks are first recorded in 1963. These basic paper is not wa-
stamp design was on display Grossman selected the 20- Nos. 943-52 that the clouds cataloged. last two watermarks generally termarked but has fluorescent
at the recent Garfield-Per- centavo value from the Ar- were almost eliminated in the The first printings used read down but early printings printing on the back reading
ry March Party show held in chaeology and Architecture redrawn 20c Puebla Cathedral paper with Scott Type 279 of the "MEX-MEX" (type "Secretaria de Hacienda y
Cleveland, Ohio. definitive series of 1950-75 stamp. This is misleading be- watermark, "Gobierno/Mexi- 300) can be found reading Credito Publico" with a bee-
I admit it was at my sug- for his exhibit. This stamp cause this visual aspect de- cano" with an eagle in a cir- up. hive pattern.
shows the Cathedral of Pueb- Color and gum are two
la, the title selected for the other variables easily studied
Mexico exhibit. using mint stamps. The gum
By Dale Pulver This stamp has much to and paper varieties generally
commend it for an in-depth go hand in hand, but the blue
study. It was one of the true hues of the stamps vary all
gestion that Alejandro Gross- workhorses of the series, ini- over the palette, from pale
man, a friend who lives in tially paying the surface rate gray blues to rich, deep Prus-
Mexico, entered this exhibit. for a single-weight letter. sian blues.
Although it did not earn Moreover, it served as a use- Inking and printing roll
him a major award, it demon- ful denomination to comple- pressure probably are at the
strated once again what can ment other values to meet root of most of the color
be done with a modern inex- much-used frankings. variations. Color control was
pensive stamp. Although I do not ha, not a strong attribute at the
This was the first time records at hand to prove it, it The redrawn version of the 20-centava Puebla Cathedral printing plant.
Grossman's exhibit had been is probable that this stamp stamp of Mexico, pictured at the left, has a smaller design Figure 3. This 20c Puebla
In any case, there is plenty
shown in the United States, was among the top four or area than on the original. Shown on the right is an orgin- Cathedral stamp has a rich
to look for in- the color de-
and further development, blue color. It is one of the
five most-used denominations al-version stamp with a portion of the redrawn version partment. The stamp in Fig-
heeding suggestions made by redrawn varieties and
in the series. placed over the design at the bottom to compare size. ure 3 has rich, deep color. It
is one of the small, redrawn shows the clouds clearly.
Several variables in its pro- Notice how the word "Correos" doesn't line up properly.
duction make the stamp at- pends on inking and roll cle. This watermark runs di- varieties and shows the This is sometimes referred
tractive to specialists. Scott pressure applied at the mo- agonally. Four orientations clouds in the background to as a false watermark. It
assigns five numbers to vari-. ment of printing. quite clearly. washes off when stamps are
have been identified.
eties: Nos. 860, 878,, 946, In the last few years of soaked. An example of this
Many of the small, re- When a stamp is viewed
1003 and 1054. But one drawn stamps show the from the front, the watermark this issue, papers reactive to variety is shown in Figure 4.
could argue that there are clouds quite clearly. ultraviolet light and with The Puebla Cathedral
can read from upper left to
more majpr varieties than added coatings were em- theme found its way onto
Figure 2 shows this point. lower right, or read upward
those listed., ployed. Stamps exist with postal stationery, too. Hand-
Stamps of about the same (upside down) from lower
phosphorescent (yellowish) fed flat-bed presses were
Two design sizes, some- color density show the clouds right to upper left. Also, it
and fluorescent (bluish white) used to produce 20c enve-
times referred to as plates, weakly. The stamp on the reads backwards (mirror lopes, giving rise to many
right is the large design; the image) from upper right to response under UV light.
exist.
Except for a general note, printing errors and varieties.
In the early printings, the one on the left is the small lower left or vice versa.
Two other watermarks Scott ignores these varieties Letter cards and postal
printed design measures one. The two also are shown
Figure 1. The 20-centavo exist. Scott Type 300, in its listings. cards also were produced
17.25 millimeters by 21mm, overlapped on the right to "MEX-MEX" cutting a cir- The 20c Puebla Cathedral with the 20c Cathedral de-
denomination of Mexico's as shown in Figure 1. compare the design sizes.
Archaeology and Architec- Another variable is that, cle surrounding an eagle, stamp is one of only two sign. And a wrapper for
ture definitive series shows Later, the stamp was re- with one exception, the came along in 1953, and the stamps in the series that was printed matter exists.
the Puebla Cathedral. drawn and the size reduced to stamps were printed on wa- Type 350, a single "MEX" printed on fiscal paper. This Most everything I've de-
 material available for a single
modern stamp. But they felt
that usages were seriously
underrepresented in view of
the number of unused vari-
eties displayed. This exhibit
is certainly one worth work-
ing on, especially the postal
history aspects.
Only the unused stamps of
the first two printings have
appreciable Scott catalog
value.
The rest are quite low in
Figure 4. The front and reverse of the 20c Puebla Cathe- price, although I suspect lo-
dral stamp with fluorescent printing on the back in a cating some usages, for ex-
beehive pattern (Scott 1054). The reverse side of the ample, the coil versions and
stamp was photographed under ultraviolet light. the fiscal printings, may
present a real challenge. But
scribed in this column was probably was not appreciated these are precisely the things
displayed in Grossman's ex- fully by the viewing public, that will impress judges in
hibit, together with some since all the captions, save the competitive arena.
printing freaks and postal us- the title page, were in Span- Modern Mexican material
ages. ish. can offer exceptional op-
For me it served as a very I know the judges were portunities for a significant
instructive display, but it impressed with the range of and worthwhile collection. ■
New Mexican Revolution reference
It's always exciting when a The third chapter examines can civil war issues. copy arrived at my desk, the
new and substantial reference the many local provisional It even includes eight en- initial printing of the book
book appears on the scene. A overprints, an area completely tries by the founder of Linn's was already sold out from the
month ago, I received from ignored by Scott save a brief Stamp News, George Ward publisher. Contrary to early
the publisher, the Collectors note following Scott No. 320. Linn, who was fascinated publicity promising it would
Club of Chicago, a review Figure 3 pictures a Monter- with the war issues and made not be reprinted, a second
printing was ordered in re-
sponse to the strong demand.
Mexico I have it from a reliable
By Dale Pulver source that only 300 copies
were ordered initially plus
200 more in the second print-
copy of The Stamps of the ing. That is my major beef.
Mexican Revolution 1913- A book like this one could,
1916 by Nicholas Follansbee. should and probably would
This is an important work. spur renewed interest in Mex-
And it has been a long time ico's war issues, which many
coming. collectors have avoided for
Follansbee, one of the want of an authoritative
foremost students and experts handbook and a sour reputa-
on the stamps of this era, ..- . Nih
tion for manipulation.
began the actual writing This work certainly serves
Figure 2. Two of the Madero series stamps, one perf and
about 12 years ago and had a the purpose, but if an aspir-
one imperf, that are included in Nicholas Follansbee's
manuscript pretty much ready ing collector can't buy one or
book The Stamps of the Mexican Revolution 1913-1916.
by 1990. has to pay more in the sec-
These stamps were prepared by the Ellis Brothers Print-
The book was to have been ondary market, it will be a
ing Co. of El Paso, Texas, but were never issued.
the initial offering in a hand- turn-off.
book series published by the rey overprint from 1914. The important literary contribu-
I do not know how the
Mexican Elmhurst Philatelic overprint reads "Gobiemo/ tions to the subject.
Collectors Club of Chicago
Society International Consitucionalista" (govern- The only criticism I have
came up with the original
(MEPSI). But politics and the ment/Constitutionalist." with the book is the lack of a
print order of 300. It did not
death of key personalities be- The book includes three topical index. But this is
consult me or some of the
hind that enterprise scotched appendices. Two reproduce probably not too important
other MEPSI folks who have
the effort. Eventually, the articles Follansbee previously owing to the presence of a
a feel for collector interest in
Chicago group agreed to un- wrote for Mexicana, the quar- detailed table of contents and
Mexican philately.
dertake the project. terly journal of MEPSI. the logical organization of the
An early sellout certainly
Mechanically, this book is The first article provides a
helps the cash flow of the
made to last and sustain useful recitation of postal
publishing agency, but does it
heavy use. It is printed on rates during the period. The
really serve the hobby's best
coated acid-free buffered second is a minibiography of
interests? Hard to say. But I
paper with sewn signatures in Cosme Hinojosa.
don't think so.
a stout clothbound case. Hinojosa was the opportun-
The end papers have repro- ist postmaster general of the The book is still available
ductions of a contemporary civil war era who is sus- from a few philatelic book
map of Mexico showing rail- pected of lining his own dealers. At last reports, Leo-
roads and many of the impor- pockets by ordering limited nard Hartmann and Jim Lee
tant towns and cities involved printings of overprinted had them in stock, and the
in that historic struggle. stamps and selling these rare MEPSI publications manages
The book opens with a de- varieties to stamp collectors. laid in a supply to serve soci•
tailed table of contents and a The third appendix is a ety members. The price
15-page introduction. The lat- lengthy (70 pages) and de- Figure 3. A local Monterrey $35, a real bargain consider
ter serves to list acknowl- tailed summary of the revolu- overprint from the Mexican ing the book's quality anc
edgements, outline the book's tion. Revolution. The two-line value of content.
organization, cite information Some readers may question overprint reads "Gobierno/ In any event, if you have
sources and give brief de- if such an in-depth historical Consitucionalista" (govern- had a latent interest in Mex-
scriptions of the sections to review belongs in a philatelic ment/Constitutionalist." ico's stamps of the revolu-
follow. handbook. But Follansbee, text material. tion, you should waste no
These seven sections (or with help from David War- Once a collector becomes time in ordering your copy.
chapters) deal with the main man, now deceased, weaves familiar with the contents, he I suspect that even 500
groupings of revolutionary is- in a great deal of philatelic will have no problem utiliz- copies may be absorbed rath-
sues. connections and, in my view, ing the valuable information er quickly by those who are
The Sonora issues are provides invaluable back- it has to offer. looking for a useful refer-
ground for the serious postal However, with all this ence, plus those who collect
historian. good news, there is some bad philatelic books just as some
The book is touted as a news. By the time the review of us collect stamps. ■
handbook and catalog. Scott
numbering has been used
wherever possible, and every
listed item has either a price
quotation or "R's" where
sales have been too few or
too infrequent to establish a
numerical figure.
But, the real value of this
book is that it carefully ex-
amines and explains the
Figure 1. A 1910 2-centavo stamps and postal history of
Mexican stamp overprinted what has always been a dif-
"E S" for "Estado [de] So- ficult and confusing area of
nora" during the Mexican Mexican philately. The civil
Revolution of 1913-16. war issues were manipulated
and doctored for years by un-
treated first. Figure 1 depicts scrupulous dealers and, yes,
a 1910 2-centavo Mexican even collectors.
stamp overprinted "E S" for The forged overprints are a
"Estado [de] Sonora." plague, and Follansbee shows
The Constitutionalist gen- how these can be detected.
eral issues follow the Sonora He also advises the reader
issues. Figure 2 shows two of on what he calls "manufac-
the unissued Madero series tured covers" and items of
stamps, one perf and one im- uncertain status.
perf, that are included in the Another useful feature is
second section of the book. the last section, a bibliogra-
These stamps were prepared phy. This comprehensive
by the Ellis Brothers Printing compilation lists virtually
Co. of El Paso, Texas, but every important article, book
were never issued. or study written on the Mexi-
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 23, 1997

Mail delivery times in 19th-century Mexico

One aspect of mail convey- (Nov. 11, 1991), I discussed waymen, some letters reached Luis Potosi. A similar stampless letter Even then, schedules were
ance that fascinates me is docketing and related how their destinations rather It required more than two in my collection from an ear- such that two days were still
how long it took letters to go several contemporaneous cov- quickly. The post office took weeks time, generally 16 to lier date (1855) confirms the needed for letters to reach the
from point A to point B. ers from Mexico City to Du- its charge seriously in those 18 days, to reach Durango, speed of this service was no coast, not significantly faster
Mail delivery is a hot topic rango provided enough data days. the famous mining town in fluke; it was marked received than the extraordinario ser-
these days. See Bill McAI- to deduce the likely schedule Mail from Mexico to Pueb- the Sierra Madre. Rainy the day after it was sent out vice. An 1874 letter in my
weather could add several 1,111■11111••■■■
, ■•■•■••■••■■■•■■,...
--,•■••0011■1•17•■•••■ms■MI
more days to that journey.
Mexico Mail to locations not on
the stage routes or remote
a7Z,

By Dale Pulver
from the major towns and
cities often took weeks to be
lister's Washington Watch delivered. It was an age of '(? 4 7 77i a
column in Linn's May 25 cr e"' ',J difficult and slow com-
issue, page 8, where he de- /.4 •
munication.
scribes the United States One bright spot for mer-
Postal Service's less-than- chants and businessmen in
stellar performance meeting 67.?4frar. Mexico and in cities on the
two- and three-day delivery route to Veracruz was the
objectives. Extraordinario. This express
My commentary here, service operated under the •
however, will focus on the auspices of the British liga- Figure 2. This cover was sent from Mexico City to Woost-
Figure 1. Letter carried from Mexico to Veracruz by
Mexican mails. Even a brief Extraordinario, an express service. It was written and tion to rapidly transport let- er, Ohio, by railroad. It was mailed Sept. 25, 1888, and
overview of this subject probably mailed Sept. 29, 1861, and was received Oct. 1. ters arriving on steamships up received Oct. 1. The cover contains a letter from a stamp
would be too much for a sin- to Mexico City and back collector requesting approvals and trade information.
gle article, so I will divide of deliveries to this remote la (80 miles) usually took again. Twice the normal post-
the subject into at least two town and also to establish the one day, while the continuing age rates were charged. from Mexico. collections demonstrates this.
columns. speed with which they were route to Veracruz required Under favorable conditions, Simple arithmetic reveals In the 1880s, two roughly
Tracking time of transit for carried. two more for a total of three answers to inbound letters that a 38-hour transit means parallel railroads were com-
Mexican mail in the mid-19th Mexico City was the cen- days to cover about 265 carried by the steamers could the courier with his pack pleted from Mexico City to
century is usually not too dif- tral hub of transport routes, miles. reach the port in time for mules was averaging about the U.S. border. These had a
ficult. Many surviving busi- linking the major towns and That's not too bad, allow- their departure. Reportedly, seven miles per hour, a re- significant effect on expedit-
ness letters from that era are cities of the country in the ing for the fact that the the courier, Rafael Beraza, markable rate of travel in- ing northbound mail, since
carefully docketed with the middle of the last century. A coaches only ran during the made his journey in 36 to 38 deed. before that time, the fastest
dates of dispatch and receipt. stagecoach company, Diligen- 14 to 16 hours of daylight, hours as opposed to the usual The movement of mail im- service to New York, for ex-
The tracing becomes more cias Generales, operated in the route crossed mountains three or four days required by proved substantially with the ample, invariably relied on
difficult later on when enve- the central section of Mexico and there were stops for the regular post. advent of railroads, although steamship service from Vera-
lopes came into general use and probably carried most of meals and changes of the The letter illustrated in these were slow in coming to cruz.
and their dated contents are the mail distributed within teams. Figure 1 was carried by this Mexico and few in number. I have two interesting ex-
rarely found. But transit and this region. However, between other means. Note the "por Ex- Attempts were made as amples from this era carried
receiving marks, both on gen- More remote locales were major cities of the central traordinario" written at the early as the 1830s to link on the railroads to my home
eral and registered mail, often serviced by pack mules and plateau, delivery times were bottom. Docketing indicates Mexico City with Veracruz state of Ohio. The first, il-
give us clues to the time a human mail carriers. Despite much longer. Mexico City to it left Mexico City Sept. 29, by rail. But it wasn't until lustrated in Figure 2, is an
letter took to be delivered. poor roads and the dangers Guadalajara was at least five 1861, and was received in December 1872 that the line 1888 letter from Mexico City
In an earlier Linn's column posed by bandits and high- days, as was the trip to San Veracruz Oct. 1. was fully completed. to Wooster via Eagle pass. It
made it in six days. munication was paramount.
Contained in the envelope So, by the end of the cen-
is a letter from a stamp col- tury, the speed by which
lector requesting approvals long-distance letters were
and trade information. being delivered had improved
A 1900 registered letter and was probably approach-
from Monterrey to Cleveland ing the best it could be until
via Laredo took but four the coming of airmail.
days. I will continue this theme
in a future column dealing
Compare those times with with mail transport in the
today's service. The improve- 20th century.
ments in mail handling dur- Meanwhile, check your
ing the last decades of the 19th-century covers for evi-
19th century were unques- dence of swift delivery. I'll
tionably tied to President be happy to hear of unusual
Porfirio Diaz's efforts to examples — and even of
modernize and develop a some that took an especially
backward country. In this en- long time to reach their desti-
deavor, efficient com- nations. ■
24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 28, 1997

Condition factors for classic Mexican stamps

grading problems. called rare districts did not.
A month or so ago, Harry plate. Even so, nice copies of the 1861 leftovers (Scott the first Mexican issue to re-
Spahr, a Linn's subscriber When asked, I advise peo- exist, and Figure 2 shows The small post offices did 35-41) almost always have ceive serious attempts at a
from Pennsylvania, wrote that ple to pay strict heed to con- representative examples of not receive many stamps to smudged, illegible Mexico means for easier separation of
he would like to see a col- dition when purchasing older the 1/2r and 1 r stamps. begin with, and most of the City cancels. stamps from sheets. The early
umn discussing the condition Mexican stamps. Large plates for the 1 r and premier copies are securely Figure 3 shows a typical trials of perforating machines
of Mexican classic stamps. Buy the best condition you 2r stamps were made soon locked up in high-powered example. This 4r stamp has were not eminently success-
He was especially con- can find, even if it means ac- after the issue began in an Mexican exhibits. nice, even margins but also ful.
quiring fewer stamps because has a smudged double strike
of budget limitations. of a Mexico City circular
Mexico Better-grade stamps are de- datestamp. The Gothic name
By Dale Pulver sirable, easier to sell when overprint is difficult to see.
the time comes and, if exhib- Clear and readable ex-
ited, mark you as a discrimi- amples are highly prized.
cerned with centering and nating collector. Generally, the Eagles (18-
margins, and suggested the But there's another side to 25) will have tight margins
time frame of 1856-83. the story, and that is, what since the transfers on these
This is a reasonable period condition can you expect of plates were closely spaced,
for this subject because, ex- certain issues? You cannot, too. Similar rules of thumb as
cept for some stamps in the unfortunately, apply a uni- those cited for the 1856 and
issue of 1868 and those of form standard for all the 1861 issues apply with re-
1874 and 1882-83, it em- stamps in the time frame spect to scarce districts and
braces all the imperforate Spahr proposed. A great deal or suboffices.
stamps of Mexico. These depends on how the stamps Centering quality may
stamps have their own special were produced. force you to compromise Figure 3. Mexico's 1867
Figure 2. Sixty-subject plate examples of Mexico's 1856
The first printings of the from time to time. overprinted stamps usually
1/2-real and lr stamps with nice margins and light cancels.
1856 stamps came from 60- The Maximilian issue has have smudged, illegible can-
subject plates. The layouts of effort to reduce printing You may have to compro- similar problems, although cels from Mexico City. The
impressions were such that costs. mise a bit on quality to own with patient searching you 4-real stamp is shown here.
copies with full margins exist The 1r plate had 200 sub- such rarities. There are just can generally find examples
for all denominations and can with clear margins. The paper It's hard to find well-
jects, and the 2r plate had not enough fine stamps to go
be found quite easily. for some of the lithographed centered perforated stamps.
190 subjects. around.
stamps is quite soft and frag- Pin-perforated stamps with
Figure 1 shows a 2-real The stamp transfers were With the exception of the
ile. I have seen many thinner very rough edges or separated
stamp from the so-called tightly packed on these two widely spaced lr and 2r
examples, so beware. with scissors are often en-
early, wide-spaced plate (I) plates with small gutters. In plates, the 1856 issue plates
countered.
that will delight even the many cases, the impressions were used for the 1861 issue. The 1868 issue was litho-
most fastidious collector. It touched one another. Here, So again, you have the same graphed, and the stones were Also, don't forget that
has broad margins all around the opportunity for securing problem with rare districts. carefully prepared so that some districts did not receive
and a light cancel to boot. clear margin copies is much Thinned stamps are not too spacing between the stamp any perforated stamps.
The cancel and the district reduced. Still, careful selec- prevalent in the early issues, impressions in both directions The 1874 issue was initial-
Figure 1. Jumbo margins overprint are from Veracruz. tion will yield good stamps. but you should be alert to is quite uniform. ly produced by the American
on a 2-real stamp from The other four denomina- Now consider the compli- this defect. It is not difficult to find Bank Note Co. in New York,
Mexico's 1856 first issue. tions were printed with simi- cation of district name over- Heavy, obscuring cancella- well-centered copies of the and its work is of top quality.
The stamp, which is from lar layouts, but space be- prints. While the large, com- tions are sometimes the norm imperforate stamps. Stamp centering is usually
plate I, has a light cancel tween impressions was less mon districts left plenty of for certain offices. The perforated stamps are very good, too.
and a Veracruz overprint. generous than the first 2r fine+ stamps, many of the so- The 1867 provisional uses a different story. This was This is one issue where the
 enough stamps around (thou-
sands of remainders were
sold) so that you can pick
and choose for quality.
For this issue, I concen-
trate on canceled stamps I
know were legitimately used.
The foregoing is a broad
brush review of major con-
, dition factors for what is re-
EiNTICUATRO GEKTAVOS
garded as the classic issues of
Mexico. Quality standards
have to reflect what the issue
has to offer, and it's not al-
Figure 4. This copy of the
ways easy to define what's
24-centavo value of Mexi-
fine or very fine. After you
co's Juarez foreign mail
have collected for a while
issue is on thin paper, is off and seen a lot of stamps, it
center and has blind perfs. gets easier.
collector should hold out for Don't be in too much of a
top quality. hurry to fill all those empty
The companion issue, the spaces; take some time to
Juarez foreign mail stamps survey what is available. But
(123-49), was produced in do remember that if you de-
Mexico, and there were some cide to specialize, you will be
quality control problems with faced with difficult choices.
perforating. These are fairly Sometimes, you may have
obvious if you've examined a to swallow hard and pay your
large number of these stamps. $50 or $100 for a stamp with
The thin paper was dif- a rare district overprint in
ficult to perforate cleanly, spite of the fact that it is cut
and specimens with blind in on one or more side. That
perfs or hanging bits of paper may be the only way you can
abound. afford one.
Figure 4 shows one of the A clear, four-margined
poorly perforated 24-centavo copy may add another "0"
stamps on thin paper. This to the price! And such an
stamp was used at Veracruz. item may not come to the
But again, there are market for years. ■
 We Ither predictions t n Mexican flag cal peels
Everybody talks about the On the Figure 1 example, England and was bound for same, but the date is a year in the current census are One collector who responded
weather, but nobody knows the July 1, 1903, weather flag Chihuahua. As it passed and a month later. It shows dated within very short peri- after my earlier article said
how to do much about it. predicts good weather in the through Mexico City, it was what can happen from long ods or are one-of-a-kind dis- that he had read somewhere
Forecasting weather has be- morning, rain in the after- struck with a weather flag use. Note that only the date coveries. that the predictions were so
come a mammoth industry, noon. cancel dated Aug. 24, 1903. and time are readable, the In the March 1994 issue of far wrong that they became
even though it sometimes The cancels were applied This was about five months rest of the dial has either the American Philatelic Soci- an embarrassment to the au-
been worn away or so badly
AUGUST 25, 1997

damaged so that it is illeg-

Mexico ible.
By Dale Pulver The card was sent from
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to
Mexico City.
seems more of an art form According to the 1904 re-
than a science. port of the Mexican Weather
Before the advent of radio Service director, 40 dies were
and other mass media chan- Figure 1. A July 1, 1903, weather flag cancellation from authorized with various
28LINN'S STAMPNEWS

nels, Mexico and certain Mexico City predicts good weather in the morning, rain in weather predictions. They
other countries tried using the the afternoon — an easy call for the rainy season. have been classified into
mails as a means of spread- three general groups.
ing news about the weather to mail with Barr-Fyke ma- into the usage period for MONTREAL—New Smex EXCHANGE :BUILDING. . !
Os

chines, first introduced into them. There were 16 dies for

to the general public.
Mexico in 1900. They were The weather message canceling mail processed in
In February 1991, I de-
voted about half my column struck mostly on the backs of translates to "Good weather the morning. They describe
letters and, very infrequently, A.M./Rain P.M./(and) Tomor- current weather conditions
on Mexican machine cancels Figure 3. The front of a postcard sent from Montreal,
on the stamp. row." and forecast what was in
to the so-called weather flag Quebec, Canada, to Mexico City in September 1904. The
forecast postmarks used These cancels usually A week or so ago, I re- store for the afternoon.
served as receiving marks on ceived an American Philatelic The forecasts were sup- dial of the flag cancel shows extreme wear.
shortly after the turn of the
century. In these dog days of arriving mail, although they Society circuit book con- plied by the central Mexican ety's magazine, the American thorities, not unlike some
summer, the story of these can be found as transit marks taining some covers with weather office an hour or two Philatelist, Alfredo V. Ba- predictions we receive today.
popular machine-applied on letters that passed through weather flag postmarks. Most before the canceling was to surto, much-published author In any event, these intrigu-
markings is worth retelling. the Mexico City post office. had already been purchased, take place. on Mexican philately, wrote a ing postal markings have al-
In Mexico, it began in the They often are seen on in- but I did find one to pair up Fifteen weather message feature article on the so- ways been popular with seri-
bound foreign mail. with the one I just described. dies were made for use on called weather flag forecast ous postal history collectors.
spring of 1903. According to
Figure 2 shows the address The front of this postcard is mail processed after noon. cancels of Mexico.
most authorities, Mexican They are rather scarce and
site on a postcard from my shown in Figure 3. These generally tried to pre-
Postmaster General Manuel Basurto has long champi- covers with clear strikes fetch
collection that originated in The weather message is the dict weather for the following
Zamacona e Inclan, perhaps oned these interesting post- good prices. Some messages
day.
inspired by contemporary marks in various stamp are much scarcer than others
The cancellations in Fig-
United States experiments, hobby publications. His and command hefty premi-
ures 2 and 3 fall into the lat-
ordered canceling devices to checklist included with the ums.
imprint forecasts of weather ter group.
American Philatelist article is If you are interested in
in the Federal District (Mexi- Finally, nine messages probably the most complete
co City) on mail received at ims SPA,
I ,
1,1q, Pm: Co could be used either before or delving into this area further,
one available at this time. I strongly recommend the ar-
the main post office. after noon.
1
Of the 40 different weather The checklist gives the ticle by Basurto in the Ameri-
Figure 1 demonstrates the
various weather forecast can Philatelist. The checklist
anatomy of these devices. / 4 Vic-a-4-"e--el forecasts, only 21 have thus
far been recorded. And but wordings, their English trans- is a useful tabulation to have
The canceler dies consisted .11

three of the third group have lations, and, if reported, the at hand.
of a 22-millimeter dial con-
been found. earliest and latest dates of
taining "Mexico D.F./the There are earlier articles on
use.
date and time/recibida." The Some machine cancel spe- weather flags in Mexicana
replaceable killer was a tas- The weather flags ceased and in the literature available
C./ cialists suggest that perhaps
seled flag with a box con- to be used in late 1904, with from the Machine Cancel So-
many of the killer dies,
taining one, two or three though prepared, were never Dec. 17, 1904, as the latest ciety. But it all seems to be
lines of weather information, Figure 2. The address side of a postcard sent, from the used. Still, there is always recorded date. based on the same sources
and a tail of seven wavy United Kingdom to Mexico. It received a flag cancel with the possibility that more will Why they were abandoned summarized by Basurto, or
lines. a weather forecast as a transit mark Aug. 24, 1903. be found, as many examples so suddenly is not known. on his articles. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 22, 1997

Mexico's brief flirtation with semipostals

Semipostal stamps are pected with the impending Plenty of empirical evi- years of specializing in Mexi- doesn't appear to have been postal tax stamps appear to
much in the news these days. U.S. issue, the Mexican semi- dence suggests that the co and after, pawing through good. have been far more effective
President Clinton recently postals were low-budget pro- project was not very success- thousands of covers at bours- This wasn't the end of in generating funds for chari-
signed a bill ordering the ductions. Two regular-issue ful. es, I have never found or Mexico's use of stamps to ties.
United States Postal Service stamps from the 1916 defini- The stamps are not terribly seen a cover with these promote charitable purposes. Still, there are many ex-
to issue the first United tive series, Scott 614 and difficult to find in the mar- stamps that was not philateli- A series of postal tax stamps amples of letters posted with-
cally contrived.
I know of only one, of-
Mexico fered in a Nick Follansbee
SAN LUIS MINING COMPANY
AVOLIITA.VIA [STACK. LIMAS
SINALA. MEXICO

By Dale Pulver sale a few years ago, that

could be considered a bona 'Po,*
fide nonphilatelic usage.
States semipostal stamp to Esealan r,rother
C<';`i
k A
help underwrite breast cancer This cover was sent to j/'O■ '-Pl? -^ 1 e
research. Peru by way of New York,
ne- Intorr ;:ionsa. St.
This was in spite of op- where it was censored. It had
position by the U.S. Postal a presale estimate of $300 to
Service and a vain attempt at $400. I do not know what the
dissuasion by American Phil- cover actually realized, but it
atelic Society president does show what a knowl-
Randy Neil. edgeable dealer thinks such a
Figure 1. Mexico issued its only semipostals Dec. 25, 1918. cover might be worth. Figure 2. The use of postal tax stamps is obligatory, at
While some European
To produce the semipostals, two stamps from the 1916 least for a specified period of time. A Mexican postal tax
countries, Switzerland, for
definitive series were overprinted in red with a cross and My good friend, the late stamp for child welfare appears below the airmail stamp
example, successfully have
with a premium of 3 centavos and 5c, respectively. Jim Beal, owned a cover on this cover mailed Feb. 9, 1932, to Nogales, Ariz.
funded worthy causes with
overfranked with both stamps
the sale of semipostals, many 622, were subjected to Mexi- ketplace, although their cata- issued from 1925 to 1947 fo- out the required tax stamps.
log price has increased sharp- that bore the corner card of
observers see the U.S. effort co's time-honored process of cused on various worthy Such covers can be fun to
as another ill-conceived gim- overprinting. ly from what it was when I the well-known Mexican causes. See the listings at the search for when you know
mick that will not produce began collecting Mexico in stamp dealer, Eduardo Agu- end of the Mexico section in the time periods these tax
The 5-centavo stamp car-
the mid-1960s. irre. Scott, RA1 to RA19. stamps were supposed to be
the desired results, while ried a premium of 3c and the
draining a lot of money from 10c stamp had 5c added. In the Scott 1967 catalog, Aguirre apparently applied In the majority of these used.
stamp collectors. The imprints consist of a they were both listed at $1 these stamps often to his emissions, use of the stamp We'll have to wait to see
Our neighbor to the south block cross plus the sur- used and $1.50 unused. The business mail, such usages was obligatory, at least for how the U.S. semipostal
did issue semipostals many charge, fittingly printed in 1998 Scott catalog has them seem to be most of what we some specified period of story plays out. Perhaps
years ago. On Christmas Day, bright red. valued at $15 used and $14 see in the marketplace. Even time. Figure 2 shows a cover warm-hearted Americans will
1918, Mexico released two Unused copies of the two and $17.50 unused, respec- so, these covers fetch good bearing one of the so-called queue up to the post office
semipostal stamps to raise semipostal stamps are il- tively. prices when they are offered Pro Infancia stamps issued to counters and make the semi-
funds for the Mexican Red lustrated in Figure 1. But, I believe the used for sale. However, usage of support child welfare work. postal project a rousing suc-
Cross. They are identified in I searched my extensive prices belie their actual scar- semipostal stamps by the This Feb. 9, 1932, cover cess.
the Scott catalog as B1 and files, but no one seems to city in this condition if genu- general public seems to have was sent to Nogales, Ariz. But if they do, it will be in
B2, and can be found tucked have reported any informa- ine. I would go so far as to been virtually nil. The service was reduced stark contrast to what seems
unobtrusively between the tion as to the number that suggest that many, if not You can draw your own from airmail to surface (train) to have happened when the
listings for regular issues and were overprinted and offered most, used semipostal stamps conclusion about Mexico's when the flight was canceled. same opportunity was offered
the airmails. for sale or about how many bear favor cancels. success with semipostals, but Compared to the semi- to Mexican postal patrons al-
Contrary to what is ex- were actually sold. Further, in more than 30 from my vantage point it postal (voluntary) approach, most 80 years ago. •
62 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 27, 1997

Stamps mark Mexican-American War battles

If you were to ask an Figure 1 depicts this 30 One of them, Juan Escutia, of the nation" and recollect
American high schooler the stamp issued Oct. 16, 1946 shown on the stamp in Figure four pivotal engagements: the
significance of the words (Scott 944). According to the 2, is said to have wrapped Battle of Padierna, the Battle
Padierna, Churubusco, Mo- inscription on the stamp, it himself in the Mexican flag of Churubusco, the Battle of
lina del Rey, and Chapulte- commemorates the entry of before jumping. Molina del Rey and the Bat-
pec, I doubt if one in 50 Stephen Watts Kearny into Each of these brave young tle of Chapultepec Castle.
Santa Fe (New Mexico). Each of the four stamps
Scott notes the design is was released in August or
le-TENTENARIO
Mexico taken from Kenneth M.
Chapman's painting Capture
CHAPULTEPEC September on the exact 150th
anniversary of the battles
By Dale Pulver
of Santa Fe, but the word 18471947 they commemorate.
CORREO
"capture" is conveniently AEREO ti Figure 4 depicts the inside
could identify them as impor- omitted from the design text MEXICO-CTS ' panel of an elegant and elab-
tant battle sites in the Mexi-
IPr CENTENARIO orate presentation folder pre-
on the stamp.
can-American conflict of 184/ 011APULTEPEO 1947 Mexicans, on the other pared for each of the four
1846-48. Their Mexican CORREOS Figure 3. This 50-centavo
hand, feel no chagrin in com- stamps. The one shown is for
counterparts would certainly MEXICO Mexican airmail stamp
memorating a war that ulti- the Chapultepec Battle stamp.
score much better. 10 CTS
ral r wirttr. wr
too LIMO Pt MI oa .wv mately resulted in loss of a
shows Chapultepec Castle.
The folder features an en-
Despite the fact that the vast area that now constitutes men is pictured on a stamp in larged facsimile of the stamp
Mexican army was defeated Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, the set, as are four generals design featuring oval portraits
in each of these engagements, Figure 2. This 1947 Mexi- California and parts of other of the six young men who
who played prominent roles Figure 4. The inside panel
their memories are cherished can stamp depicts Juan Es- adjoining western states. jumped rather than risk cap-
in the various battles. The of a folder prepared for a
and celebrated as examples of cutia, one of six young In 1947, on the 100th an- ture. These portraits are over-
Chapultepec fortress is shown Mexican commemorative is-
a brave, though futile, de- Mexican officers-in-training niversary of the Battles of laid on a scene depicting the
on the 50-centavo airmail sued Sept. 13 of this year
fense against an aggressor na- that leapt to their deaths Chapultepec, Churubusco, battle that took place on the
stamp pictured in Figure 3. for the 150th anniversary of
tion. from Chapultepec Castle and Molina del Rey, Mexico, approaches to the castle.
Gen. Antonio Lopez de the battle at Chapultepec.
As I write this column rather than surrender dur- issued seven regular and five Mexican history has be-
Santa Anna, who was presi-
(September), it has been ex- ing the last conflict of the airmail stamps to com- stowed upon the six officers
dent of Mexico at the time millimeters by 40mm; the
actly 150 years since the final Mexican-American War. memorate those events (830- the sacred mantle of "Ninos
and commander-in-chief of perforations are 131/2 gauge;
battle of that war took place eventually forced Mexico to 36, C180-84). the armies responsible for the Heroes" (boy heroes). Their it was offset printed on
near Mexico City. relinquish nearly half its Perhaps the best remem- defense of the capital, has names are immortalized on pregummed paper by Grupo
The terms of settlement northern area to a stronger, bered conflict was the final been ignored on commemora- monuments in a park at the Grafico Romo; and the quan-
more determined neighbor one, the Battle of Chapulte- tive stamps. Many Mexicans foot of the Chapultepec Hill. tity printed was 300,000 in
bent on expanding its territo- pec Castle. of that era blamed him and Beneath the facsimile is sheets of 25.
rial borders from ocean to This fortress, once the resi- his ineptness for the Ameri- the stamp itself tied with a I found in examining these
ocean. dence of viceroys, then can victories. Sept. 13, 1997, first-day can- stamps under long-wave ul-
The Mexican-American housed the Mexican military This year, for the 150th cellation. Some other useful traviolet light that the Mexi-
War seems to be one histori- college. When it became cer- anniversary of the war, Mexi- data beneath the stamp is no can coat of arms appears cen-
cal event we Americans tain the American assault co has again used stamps to doubt too small to be read in tered on each stamp in a
would just as soon forget. As would succeed, six young honor events of those final the Figure 4 illustration. light-active coating. It also
F gure 1. This 1946 United near as I could determine, the Mexican officers-in-training, weeks preceding the sur- This data reveals that Ser- can be discerned by holding
States 3¢ stamp related to United States has issued only rather than .surrender, gained render of the capital. gio Barranca designed the the stamp to an oblique light
the Mexican-American War one stamp with a feeble ref- immortality by leaping to Four $2.30 stamps have stamp on a computer; the source. This feature is al-
is based on a painting titled erence to this campaign of their deaths from the ram- been issued thus far. They colors are cyan, magenta, yel- luded to in the descriptive
Capture of Santa Fe. acquisition. parts of the fort. bear the notation "in defense low and black; the size is 48 data as a security measure. •
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 24, 1997

Mexican fancy cancels came in many shapes

I find handstamped cancel- this was the most common nevertheless because of its dition. Prime examples do
lations a most fascinating and rate. design and red color. command high prices in the
interesting aspect of 19th- Occasionally, the word While circular datestamps marketplace.
century Mexican philately. "Franco" or "Franqueado" were common in some of the While we're on the subject
This is one of my own favor- is found in the postmark. large post offices, such as of the diligencias, some of
ite fields, and I am constantly This denotes prepayment of Mexico, Veracruz and the cancellations used by this
Guadalajara, I have always firm (Diligencias Generales)
been amazed at the number contained an eagle, represent-
Mexico of different oval postmarks Figure 4. A postmark
shaped like a tombstone ing the Mexican coat of
By Dale Pulver used by the Mexicans. They arms. The eagle motif was Figure 6. A postmark from
come large and small, with from San Louis Potosi.
invariably present, too, in de- Texcoco shows a cap of lib-
single and multiple surround- tors find irresistible. The vices used by government of-
looking for new examples to erty surrounded by rays.
ing lines, with and without "tombstone" postmark for fices to mark mail.
add to an already sizable col- inscribed dates and in general San Louis Potosi illustrated
lection. The so-called "Cap of Lib-
in any oval form you can in Figure 4 is an example. erty" surrounded by rays is
I recently heard that certain imagine. Although it's not rare, who
fancy cancellations on U.S. used in a few postmark de-
Figure 2. One of five oval There must have been would pass on an opportunity signs. The strike shown in
stamps and covers, for ex- postmarks known from the something especially captivat- to add a well-struck example
ample the so-called Water- Figure 6 is an example re-
Mexican town of Culiacan. ing about the oval form to to his or her collection of corded used during the issue Figure 7. A ribbon post-
burys, are unique in the an- Mexican postmasters. In the fancy postmarks?
nals of philately for beauty of 1868 at the office of Tex- mark from Ciudad Guzman
1840s and 1850s, for ex- One of my favorites is the coco, near Mexico City. It is
and originality. Well, I'm not on a 1-real Mexican stamp.
ample, the town of Culiacan oval cancellation illustrated in quite scarce.
certain that a similar case Figure 5. This is from the for many,, many years. Some
(Mazatlan district) employed Town names in ribbons
can't be made for the cancel- postal district of Toluca and examples have been found on
no fewer than five different comprise another scarce cat-
lations used by Mexico up is inscribed "Diligencias Ge- stamps and covers up to the
oval cancels, all but one of egory of fancy postmarks.
through the last century. nerales/Linea de Toluca" turn of the century.
which were highly orna- Ciudad Guzman in the postal
After this brief review, see if (stagecoach line of Toluca). By the early 1870s, the
Figure 3. A wreath frames mented. I have a stampless district of Guadalajara is a
you don't agree. cover bearing two of the five. The design shows a coach Mexican post office under-
a "Franco" (prepayment) good example. A partial
Before stamps, letters were marking from Mazatlan. Figure 2 shows one of the with the driver cracking his took a program of postmark
postmarked in the office of whip over the heads of his strike of this one on a 1-real standardization, and much of
ovals whose use persisted stamp is shown in Figure 7.
origin, usually with the name postage, a rare occurrence, team of horses. the quaint and sometimes
into the stamp era.
of the town or city where the since most letters were sent This cancel is tough to Other ribbon names in- crude artwork in postmarking
collect. Wreaths were another pop-
letter entered the mailstream. find in clear, well-struck con- clude Huamantla (Puebla dis- devices gradually disap-
Early Mexican postmarks ular subject. Typical of these
If the letter was unpaid, it trict) and Amapa (Veracruz peared.
took a myriad of shapes and is the one shown in Figure 3.
also received a numerical due district). Fortunately, enough mate-
forms. Straightlines, with or This postmark was used to
marking, often a "2" since Most of the fancy post- rial in the form of stampless
without outlines or boxes indicate prepayment ("Fran-
marks I have shown here had letters, stamped covers and
around them, were quite co") at Mazatlan.
their greatest use during the stamps themselves survives
7"aniptea'tio.
/7
common.
Cursive lettering is often
This mark usually occurs
in combination with one of
mid-19th century, in the late
stampless period and early
so that serious postmark col-
lectors can assemble signifi-
env okuz. seen, too, as illustrated in the
postmark of Tepic, a subof-
the town name cancels and
was current at the end of the
stamp era.
As I have noted in previ-
cant showings of these unu-
sual markings.
fice of the Guadalajara dis- stampless era and the begin- ous columns in Linn's, many While some of the more
Figure 1. A postmark from trict, shown in Figure 1. This ning of the stamp era. Figure 5. A stagecoach of the postmarking devices, exotic markings may tear a
Tepic, Mexico, has cursive is not a particularly scarce There were many other marking inside an oval particularly from small of- hole in your wallet, there is a
lettering inside a rectangle. marking, but it is attractive postmark designs that collec- from the Toluca district. fices, continued to be used (Continued on facing page)
Mexican fancy cancels
(From previous page) U.S. material of comparable
good supply of beautiful rarity might fetch.
strikes of some of the more If you like postmarks and
common postmarks that can cancellations, 19th-century
be had for a fraction of what Mexico has much to offer. ■
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 29, 1997

Flight cover mix-up; postal tax stamp usage

As I write this, it's hard to correspondents available to He returned the cover to that the postal tax was re- Two statements that ap- limited to printings of
believe its almost December return flight covers sent to the post office with this state- quired on domestic mail peared in that Kitchen Table 300,000 copies. For a country
again, but here in northeast them, and many of the small- ment on the flap: "Opened only; letters abroad were not Philately column prompt of its size and population,
Ohio we've already had plen- er towns or refueling stops because it carried my first obliged to have them. I think some comments here. this is really a small number.
ty of evidence that our long, had no one to contact. name and surname. Jose Fer- Davis is right. The reviewer reported that I suspect commemoratives
and spectacular fall season is So, an enterprising Mexi- nandez." , I have copies of quite a heavy cancels rendered a few do receive wide distribution,
few official rate tariffs from stamps uncollectible. I can so the period of their avail-
the 1930s and 1940s and I sympathize with that observa- ability from post office win-
Mexico DR. S. YOKOYAMA
0ROGUERIA Y BOTICA JAPONESA,
went back to them to see
By Dale Pulver T MA1MM. what they say about this.
TAMPICO, TAMPS,. MEX.
The 1941 tariff (No. 22) is
the earliest one I have that
finally over. As it is my cus-
mentions obligatory use of
tom, this last column of the
/341.4
, 2.,rrv Octi
7
the postal tax stamps on do-
year will touch on several S;j
mestic mail. Mention of the
subjects and recognize a cou-
tax is absent from the rate
ple of readers who responded
OZ70 (2 ecZ,27 charts for international mail.
to columns I wrote in Linn's.
• I suspect that rules on tax
stamp usage may have been
In my column in the
handled earlier by way of Figure 2. The stamp on the right on this Mexican Tourist
March 24 Linn's, page 34, I
related how some collectors Figure 1. This domestic letter, postmarked Aug. 10, 1929, supplementary orders. pair shows the "N" for the denomination new pesos that
obtained Mexican first-flight shows proper use of a Mexican postal tax stamp. In any event, a domestic was not erased when the plate was reworked.
cover with proper use of a
covers. can collector conceived the Eventually, the cover made tax stamp is illustrated here tion. dows is probably short, and
In that story, the addressed idea of preparing registered it back to the sender in a as Figure 1. The envelope is Many times in this column this can explain why so few
cover was sent, with ap- covers, using bogus names round-about way, with many postmarked Aug. 10, 1929. I have lamented the difficulty turn up in on-paper mix'ures
propriate remittance in the and addresses for the desired more markings than he origi- in obtaining light but clear gleaned from commerciz es-
form of an international destination points, with in- nally bargained for. • cancellation strikes on con- tablishments.
money order to the postmas- structions to return to sender • I was glad to see Mexico temporary mail. The Kitchen Table PI ilat-
ter general for the desired promptly if not delivered. was the subject of the Kitch- Much Mexican mail is still ely report noted that 1 )ok-
In my Sept. 22 column,
service. In the noted example, However, in one instance page 32, on Mexico's flirta- en Table Philately column in processed by hand, probably alike stamps can actuall3 be
it worked fine. on a letter addressed to an tion with semipostal stamps, I the Oct. 27 Linn's, page 34. as a way to employ unskilled different. The example g. yen
Marino Riosa of England intermediate stop in Colom- illustrated a cover addressed E. Rawolik purchased and labor, and I suspect the pres- is where the value is ex-
read the article and sent me a bia, when the addressee could to the United States (Nogales, analyzed a mixture of modern sure to process as fast as pos- pressed in N$ units (for i ew
related and amusing story. not be found, it was for- Ariz.) to demonstrate use of Mexican stamps. sible precludes any attempts pesos) or simply with a $.
In 1930, when international warded to Bogota and adver- one of the postal tax stamps The mixture was advertised to handstamp carefully. The N$ symbol was in
airmail service was estab- tised on a "Lista de Corre- issued by Mexico between as containing large com- Believe me, clear strikes general use when the new
lished throughout the Ameri- os." 1925 and 1947. memoratives, stamps issued are the exception rather than Tourist definitives first ap-
cas, those enthusiastic indi- Then, a funny thing hap- A letter from my friend to mark special events, an- the rule. peared a few years ago. The
viduals who sought and ser- pened. Somebody with the G.H. Davis, an avid collector niversaries people and vari- The second point involves "N" later was dropped as
viced first-flight covers faced same name as the bogus ad- of Mexican special delivery ous subjects, but it also con- the low representation of part of the peso symbol.
many problems. dressee stepped forward to usages, suggests this example tained ordinary-issue stamps commemorative stamps in the An interesting error oc-
One problem was how to claim the letter. He must was probably not a proper known as definitives. mixture. curred on one of the Tourist
get outbound covers back. have been surprised to find use of the postal tax stamp. The earliest-issued stamp Most issues of Mexican stamps when the folks at the
There were but a few foreign nothing inside but a stiffener. It was his understanding in the mix was from 1988. commemorative stamps are Mexican security printer,
T.I.E.V., were revising the for a Christmas present to
printing plates from the old give yourself, you can't go
to the new value designation, wrong here. It's $35 postpaid
missed one of the "Ns." in the United States. Contact
This anomaly occurs on the Nick at Box 3210, Ashland,
3.40p Sinaloa stamp of the OR 97520.
Tourist series. I plan to review the book
Figure 2 shows a pair of in detail next year.
these stamps, one with, and •
one without the "N."
According to Wenceslao In December 1996, I men-
Maldonado, a Mexican deal- tioned my project to produce
er, the error occurs in posi- a listing of postal rates over
tion 37 of the second plate. the years for Mexico. Some
He also estimates that 15,000 progress was made but I am
panes were printed with this still missing some of the of-
error. ficial tariffs for the early part
of this century. If you can
■
help, please contact me in
As I was putting the final care of Linn's, Box 29, Sid-
touches on this column, I re- ney, OH 45365.
ceived a review copy of Nick
Follansbee's new book, A •
Catalogue of the Stamps of Finally, I wish everyone
Mexico, 1856-1900. It looks the best for the holidays and
like a fine resource, espe- success in the coming new
cially for the intermediate to year. May you have as much
advanced collector of the fun with this wonderful
classic issues. hobby of ours as I have had
If you are scouting about over the years. ■
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 26, 1998

Mexican postcard mystery from 1911 race

I start off the new year a curious use of the Bultos begin? If Percival was travel- (Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic
with what I hope will be a postmark, normally used on ing east to west, it was prob- Society International) soon
reader participation project. parcels and bulky packages. ably somewhere near Ca- after it opened its member-
The postcard illustrated in Most of the message on lexico or Mexicali. ship to collectors outside the
Figures I (front) and 2 (re- the reverse side of the card Also, how had he ac- local area.
verse) has been on my desk appears to have been pre- cumulated the nearly 30,000 One of his many contribu-
printed, presumably to facili- miles logged up to that time? tions to the MEPSI cause
tate the dispatch of multiple Certainly not with a simple was a translation from the
Mexico postcard reports. transcontinental crossing. At French, with help from the
By Dale Pulver Even the signature, "Per- the rate he was traveling, it late Jim Beal, of the chapters
cival" was printed before- would take him almost two in the Smeth and FayoIle
hand. years to reach the goal of book, Les Premieres Emis-
for some time now, awaiting
This is probably not clear 100,000 miles. sions du Mexique (1856-
what I expected would be a
from the illustration, but the So we have many unan- 1874), dealing with the coun-
full explanation of its myster-
origin, date, mileages, weath- swered questions, both phila- terfeits of Mexico's 1856 and
ies and an all-revealing col-
Figure 1. This postcard from Mexico is addressed to a er and road conditions, and telic and historical. Can 1861 issues.
umn for Linn's.
I retrieved this interesting Utica, N.Y., newspaper. It bears a 1910 Independence 2- the next destination are all Linn's readers help? I would Published in 1954 in Mexi-
item from a dealer's cheap centavo stamp with a black blot on it and a July 25, 1911, handwritten by the sender. be delighted if someone cana, the MEPSI quarterly,
cover box at a local show. red oval cancel reading "Bultos Postales/Tijuana B. Cfa." My curiosity was piqued could shed some light on the translation was of great
Like many of my fellow col- by this message, and I spent these matters. help to serious collectors of
umnists, I scour the stamp a few hours at our local li- Of special interest to me is those issues.
shows not only for items that brary searching for informa- the black blot cancel like the Brock was a joiner, and
will fit into my various col- tion that might reveal what one seen on this card. It is proudly maintained his mem-
lections and exhibits, but also this Abbott-Detroit 100,000- bership in the Texas Phila-
the only example I have en-
for my monthly columns for mile durability run was all telic Association for more
countered for this time pe-
about. I found some refer- than 70 years. He held every
Linn's. riod.
What this card appears to ences to early races and dis- elective office of that group
Any thoughts on the use of
be is a brief progress report tance runs of that era, but and chaired its conventions
a Bultos package cancel on
nothing tied into this particu- seven times.
to a journalist from an auto- postcards or information on
mobile driver competing in a lar item. the Abbott-Detroit durability I remember Brock best as
race or an endurance run in And, what about the bull- run would be welcome, too. a gravelly voiced Texas gen-
1911. He writes from Ti- dog on the reverse of the tleman who relished attending
Write me c/o Linn's Stamp philatelic meetings and get-
juana, Mexico, just across the card? Was that symbolic? As
News, Box 29, Sidney, OH togethers just to visit with his
border from San Diego, Calif. a youngster I remember the
45365. many friends. He collected
The card is addressed to Mack school buses our dis-
I'll do a follow-up column Mexico actively until the
W(illia)m Weed, do Herald Figure 2. The reverse side of the postcard shown in Fig- trict owned had a hood orna- if I receive significant replies.
Dispatch, Utica, N.Y. ure 1 depicts a bulldog and contains information about ment resembling a bulldog. very end and was partial to
It is franked with the 2- the Abbott-Detroit 100,000-mile durability run. Some of Could the test vehicle here
• the classic issues.
centavo value of the 1910 In- the information, including the signature, is preprinted. have been an early prototype I want to pay tribute to an Brock willingly shared his
dependence issue of Mexico of that firm? old friend who passed away considerable knowledge of
(Scott 311). inscribed: "Bultos Postales/ black blot might be some sort The information reported at the end of November. Mexican philately, and during
The stamp is canceled with Tijuana. B. Cfa." and the of precancel. Yet, a thorough on the card poses some more Charles W. Brock, who was the many years we cor-
a solid black circle about 8 date, "Jul 25 1911." search of my files and refer- interesting questions. 89 when he died, began col- responded gave me constant
millimeters in diameter and is When I first saw this card, ences yielded nothing to sup- Where did the 157-mile leg lecting Mexico seriously in encouragement for these ar7q
tied with a red oval cancel it occurred to me that the port this theory. Also, this is of the journey of that day 1937 and joined MEPSI ticks. I will miss him.I
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 23, 1998

New Follansbee catalog of Mexico

I noted the arrival of a re- cross reference key to the covered in useful detail, espe- information, making his book
view copy of Nick Fol- Scott system is given. cially when it comes to dis- much more readable than a
lansbee's new A Catalogue of Next, he discusses the pric- tinguishing some of the catalog. Frankly, I had a
the Stamps of Mexico, 1856- ing bases, which are derived tricky papers used in their tough time putting it down
1900 in my column in the from his own long experience production. once I got into it.
Dec. 29, 1997, Linn's, page in the stamp business to- Finally, the catalog closes It is obvious from what I
gether with input from many with the traditional back-of- have written here that I find
other specialists. the-book issues (Porte de Mar the catalog worthy. It repre-
Mexico We then get to the meat and Officials). sents years of work and an
By Dale Pulver and potatoes of the catalog The various rare provi- investment of effort that may
— listings by issue, of the sional stamps for which Mex- never be fully repaid by
stamps and their varieties, ico is famous are included in sales.
40. I promised to review it in with the values assigned to the catalog where they belong Others are also impressed
detail later. them. from a chronological stand- by the catalog. The latest sale
I will put my final verdict In my particular area of in- point. catalog from Pyramid Auc-
right up front in this column. terest, the stamps of the first The confusing Guadalajara tions (Roberto Liera) that I
If you love Mexican design, the stamps are priced provisionals are organized received a month ago already
stamps, especially those of by district and by major color and treated in an expanded contains valuations taken
the 19th century, do not hesi- varieties. A pricing table for and wonderfully logical fash- from the Follansbee catalog.
tate to acquire this splendid the "splits" (fractions of ion. When dealers climb on the
resource immediately. higher value stamps used for Tables and prices consti- bandwagon, it's a good sign.
For the beginning, interme- franking when correct values tute only a small part of the If you wish to order a
diate or advanced collector of were unavailable) is included. information contained in the copy, write to Nick Fol-
Mexico, it's the best thing to There's also a table listing catalog. Abundant notes are lansbee, Box 3210, Ashland,
come along in years. Your the premiums that can be interspersed among the pric- OR 97520. Again, the afore-
$35 (cost postpaid, see ad- added for certain common ing tables that explain, il- mentioned $35 price includes
dress given near the end of plate flaws. luminate and caution the col- shipping and postage.
this article) will be repaid lector. There is more good news.
Twenty-one pages are de-
many times over with the voted to the issues of the The common forgeries of The comprehensive stamp
knowledge gained from por- all the early issues are de- album for Mexican stamps
monarchy (Eagles and Maxi-
ing over its pages. scribed, allowing the user to designed by Follansbee and
milian heads), again with ta-
And now for the deiails. bles pricing the stamps by make a coarse sorting of Mark Johnston and keyed to
Mechanically, it is printed in district questionable items that might this catalog is also ready and
an 81/2-inch by I1-inch for- While the pricing is not as be in a collection. available for purchase.
mat on reasonably heavy detailed as that found in Leo Follansbee also sprinkles in I plan to discuss this
stock bound in a card cover. Corbett's The Imperial Ea- a good measure of anecdotal album in my next column. •
There are 122 pages of clear- gles of Maximilian's Mexico
ly printed text. The illustra- (1993), it would he more
tions are good, not outstand- than enough for the average
ing, but certainly more than
specialist.
adequate for the purposes in-
The pricing by district ta-
tended.
The organization of the bles continue for the various
book is, as one would expect, stamp issues until the 1884
Hidalgos, when the practice
chronological by issue. It be-
gins with a short introduction of overprinting control num-
followed by an explanation of bers and names ended.
the postal district system and To my knowledge, this is
the overprints, so necessary the first time such detailed
and important for the intel- pricing has been attempted
ligent collecting of the classic since the Aguiree catalogs (in
stamps of Mexico. Spanish) were last published
Follansbee then sets forth in Mexico about 40 years
his own logical numbering ago.
system, which includes more The last four definitive is-
major listings than Scott. A sues of the 19th century are
 MARCH 30, 1998 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 27

New album for Mexico's 1856-1900 stamps

In last month's column the rarest Mexican classics, varieties is in the 1874-83 There is one minor distrac-
(Linn's, Feb. 23, page 26), I and most of these would no Hidalgo Profile issue. Scott tion. The set of pages I re-
reviewed the new Nick Fol- doubt remain unfilled even covers this group with 18 ceived, offset and drilled for
lansbee Catalogue of the for the most assiduous collec- major varieties on a half page a three-ring binder, had a
Stamps of Mexico, 1856- tor. of its specialized album. slight horizontal curl for
1900. I hope anyone who is The page layout of this But, the story of these about an inch in at both the
album is clear and tasteful. stamps is more complex and top and bottom of the sheets
The example shown nearby deserves a more logical de- so they do not lie perfectly
Mexico depicts the initial page for velopment.
There were four distinct
flat.
By Dale Pulver the 1856 stamps — my field Johnston informed me that
of interest. It has spaces for emissions: stamps with over- the paper he uses, a high-
all of the major color varie- printed control numbers cotton- content archival stock,
hooked on the classic issues ties for the 1/2-real, 1 r and 2r spaced wide apart (1874-78); takes a bit of a "set" from
acquired this new tool to help stamps. It also notes the plate those with numbers close to- the temperatures inherent in
with the complexities of numbers for the important 2r gether at bottom (1878); the printing process.
those early stamps. varieties. numbers close together at the He is working to resolve
This month, as promised, I Each box is numbered ac- to (1878-83); and those this anomaly. I found that by
will review a companion cording to the listings in the without numbers (1883). drawing the paper over the
project of Follansbee and Follansbee catalog. There were other variables, sharp edge of my desk, this
graphics designer/publisher Also, the page includes too, such as paper and water- curl could be eliminated. It is
Mark Johnston, a new stamp brief descriptions of color marks. also mitigated by using page
album for Mexican stamps. and characteristics of the In the Follansbee/Johnston protectors.
This album perhaps breaks stamps to be mounted. album, the collector is chal- For those of you interested
new ground in the area of The pages are numbered lenged with nine pages for in purchasing the album
philatelic accessories. As a unobtrusively at the bottom. mounting these varieties. pages, the basic set is $65,
highly specialized product This feature will help those Some of these varieties can postpaid in the United States,
aimed at a limited market, it who purchase the supplemen- be rather dear if purchased and the supplementary pages
is produced on order. tary pages to collate them from a well-informed dealer, are $70. Blank pages with
The design and layout re- properly into the basic album. but many can be acquired in- border are 10 for $2.50.
side in computer disk memo- For example, the basic expensively, especially if the Make your check out to
ry and are brought to bear album page numbered 39 is collector is. willing to do his Mark F. Johnston and send
only after an order has been to be followed by supplement homework, knows what he is the order to Archive Phila-
The initial page for Mexico's 1856 issue from Nick Fol-
received. lansbee and Mark Johnston's new album for Mexico. pages 39A, 39B, 39C, etc. looking for, and has the pa- telic Publications, 5728 Main
When that happens, album In my 1856 issue area, a tience to search for them in St., No. 133, Springfield, OR
pages are generated with a case of the offset borders, color, paper, plate flaws and supplementary page, 3A, was circuits or poorly sorted deal- 97478. Allow a couple of
high-speed laser jet printer. punched or unpunched pages. perforations. made for the mesh-paper va- er stocks. weeks for delivery and you
This scheme has advan- The pages are available in Blank pages with and with- rieties of late printings and The catalog provides a will have the closest thing
tages. two parts: a basic album (66 out issue headers also are two errors, and 3B for varie- user-friendly means to organ- there is to a Mexican custom-
It avoids the heavy initial pages) with spaces for more available. ties involving the plate ize and mount a moderately made stamp album.
expense of book production than 775 varieties of the I judge that most serious cracks, double transfers and specialized collection of The bottom line, in my
— a first-edition inventory. stamp issues between 1856 collectors wanting a compre- re-entries. Mexican stamps without view, is that is a thoughtful,
It also permits the flex- and 1900, and specialized hensive showing of the 19th- A similar extra page exists going into deep specialization well-crafted product that will
ibility of various page for- supplementary pages. century issues will find the for 1861 plate varieties. of any single issue. serve a serious fan of 19th-
mats geared to the wishes of There are 58 supplemen- basic album quite adequate. Another example of the And, I found the notation century Mexican stamps well
the buyer, such as centered or tary pages for more than 400 The specialized supplement typical expanded coverage and brief descriptions well indeed. A hearty thumbs-up
offset borders, and, in the of the lesser varieties of contains spaces for many of this album offers for stamp chosen and helpful. from this corner. ■
38 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 27, 1998

Details and postcards from endurance run

Thanks to input from sev- Cfa." and the date, "Jul 25 that produced cars prior to railroad, straddled the rails average 100 to 150 miles, so and July 27, 1911.
eral obliging Linn's readers 1911." 1920. and proceeded on what must simple arithmetic tells us that Since there seems to be no
most of the questions raised The card also bore a pre- From a photocopied page have been an uncomfortable, he needed another 500 days philatelic inspiration involved
in my Jan. 26 column (page printed message and the of the Standard Catalog of bumpy ride. of strenuous driving to get — all are in different hand-
26) on the Abbott-Detroit printed signature of "Per- American Cars, 1805-1942, I They frequently had to there. I'm inclined to believe writing to diverse addresses
100,000-mile durability run cival." learned that Charles G. Per- abandon the rails quickly the 100.000 was a sales gim- — we theorize the "bultos"
when trains approached.
Mexico Figure 2 depicts a photo-
copy of a photograph of Per-
By Dale Pulver
cival riding the rails.
Fearing arrest for interrupt-
have been answered. ing so many train schedules,
In that column, I featured a they took off cross country,
postcard sent from Tijuana, got stuck in a sandy desert
Mexico, in 1911 to a newspa- some 60 miles southeast of
per in Utica, N.Y. The front El Paso, used all their water
of the card is shown here as and almost perished from
Figure 1.
Figure 2. Charles G. Percival at the wheel of his car heat exhaustion and thirst,
The card is franked with but were eventually rescued
the 2-centavo stamp of the "Bull Dog" in 1911 riding a railroad line in west Texas.
by U.S. cavalry forces.
1910 Independence issue of Jim Elliott of Richfield, cival took a stock Abbott-
Mexico (Scott 311). The Minn., both a car enthusiast Detroit Model A touring car Not long after that they
stamp is canceled with a and stamp collector, wrote to and embarked on what was reached Tijuana, Mexico, Figure 3. The front of a postcard mailed from Charles G.
tell me that Abbott-Detroit supposed to be a 100,000- from where the postcard I Percival's 1910-11 endurance run depicting Main Street in
solid black circle and tied by
a red oval cancel reading: was one of many short-lived mile endurance run. have was mailed. They, then, Tijuana, Mexico, including the post office.
"Bultos Postales/Tijuana. B. automobile manufacturers Elliott provided other leads motored up the west coast to
(packages) cancel may have
for information that I pur- Vancouver, British Columbia, mick.
Whether he did or didn't is been used provisionally
sued. Canada, and boarded the
perhaps not too important; he owing to damage or loss of
Eventually, I amassed more ferry to Skagway for a side
than enough background to trip into Alaska. unquestionably demonstrated the regular one.
the strength and durability of Hart remembers seeing two
follow up on this fascinating Once again, they took to a 1910 automobile that car- or three other cards with sim-
story of typically American the rails, using the road bed
determination and derring-do. ried a factory price tag of ilar markings but cannot re-
of the White Pass and Yukon $1,500. call the dates of the hand-
Percival, who was well Route Railroad and then the
stamps. Nor has he seen any
known as a publicist, author, Canadian post roads across Incidentally, the Abbott- other examples of the black
and adventurer, began his the tundra to reach Carmacks, Detroit Co. underwent several
blot killer usage except these.
journey in Kansas City, Mo., a fur trading outpost about ownership changes, moved to Can any reader produce a
in July 1910. 200 miles north of Skagway. an expensive factory site in letter cover in this time frame
The Abbott-Detroit Con- Cleveland, Ohio, in 1916, with this combination of
It was an arduous journey,
solidated Car Co. sponsored and when sales income could postal markings'? It would
and extraordinary that it was
this undertaking as a means
accomplished without serious not keep pace with manufac- help support our theory.
of promoting sales of its au- turing costs, declared bank-
mechanical problems. This closes out the Bull
Figure 1. This postcard was mailed from Tijuana, Mexico, tomobiles. From there, the Bull Dog ruptcy in 1918. Dog story for now. For me, it
during a 1910-11 endurance run across North America Percival gave the name My thanks, too, to Joan really turned into a fascinat-
retraced its route back to the
sponsored by Abbott-Detroit Consolidated Car Co. "Bull Dog" to his car as
United States, crossed the Klimchalk of Dearborn ing study of an all but forgot-
recognition of its mechanical
Rockies eastward as winter Heights, Mich., who made a ten odyssey that no doubt
strength and durability. That set in, and arrived in New special trip to the Henry Ford captured the imagination of
explains the picture of the York in time for the auto Museum Archives to dig out thousands of Americans dur-
bulldog on the postcard il- show in Madison Square Gar- some useful information for ing the infancy of automobile
lustrated in the January col- den in January 1912. this story. travel.
umn. Percival's exploits were the On the philatelic side, fel- Unquestionably, Percival's
For the balance of 1910 talk of the show.
low Mexican-Elmhurst Phila- accomplishment, even though
and well into 1911, Percival,
his traveling companion, He also retold his experi- telic Society International he may have fallen short of
(MEPSI) member Michael his announced objective, was
George Brown, and the Bull ences in at least two small
booklets, Lost on the Desert Hart of Burlingame, Calif., remarkable. Considering the
Dog motored extensively
wrote that he has two post- logistics, road conditions, and
throughout the eastern half of and Motoring in the Arctic
Regions, published by the cards in his extensive card mechanical sophistication of
the United States, stopping at
collection with identical post- that era, it is a wonder he
towns and cities to show off Abbott-Detroit folks as sales
promotions. The illustration al markings (except for date) achieved as much as he did.
their intrepid convertible-top
touring car. in Figure 2 is from Lost on as the card shown in my ar- For those who enjoy a
the Desert. ticle. good chase, I can't help but
In the summer of 1911,
they crossed the border into My references end with the Figure 3 illustrates the face believe there ought to be
Mexico and visited Monter- New York show, leaving one of one of Hart's cards. It more Bull Dog reports out
rey. From Monterrey, their major question unanswered. shows Tijuana's Main Street there in postcard stocks. Per-
travel plan led to El Paso, Did Percival ever achieve his with the post office (Oficina haps a few were mailed from
but the journey proved to be goal of 100,000 miles? By de Correos) on the right. his Alaskan excursion. Let
more difficult than expected. that time, he probably had Another card was reported me know if you find any by
A cloudburst had washed logged about 35,000 miles on by my friend Karl Schimmer. sending details to me c/o
out the road along their cho- the Bull Dog. Including mine, all four cards Linn's Stamp News, Box 29,
sen route, so they found a On his best days, he would bear dates between July 20 Sidney, OH 45365. ■
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 25, 1998

New Mexican maritime mail book published

Within the past 12 months Karl H. Schimmer and John evant archival material. The rating and route analy- Tabasco Dec. 7, 1846. The deal with postal tariffs, U.S.
serious collectors of Mexico M. Heath. With a field so vast and sis of pre-UPU covers to and forwarder, d'Oleire and Hop- ship letter rates, British and
have been generously favored Both Schimmer and Heath complex, I was anxious to from Mexico has rarely been penstedt, interceded it at Ve- French due markings, cur-
with important and worth- have collected and studied know how the material would simple, but this book will racruz, paying Mexican post- rency conversions, and ships
while literature to enhance- this area for decades. be organized. The authors di- help for a number of reasons. age on Dec. 19 and deposit- and shipping lines that car-
ried Mexican mail.
There are still areas requir-
Mexico ing further study. But as
By Dale Pulver Gene Tinsley points out in
his forward to this book:
their knowledge and collect- "The gap which existed for
ing enjoyment. Mexican maritime mail has
First there was Nick Fol- now been filled for the first
lansbee's definitive work, The time by Karl and John. No
Stamps of the Mexican Revo- doubt more on the subject
lution 1913-1916. This fine will be discovered and re-
book, already out of print, ported in the future, but this
leads the collector through book will be the authoritative
one of the treacherous mine study for years to come."
fields in Mexican philately. I concur and am happy to
No sooner had that book Figure 1. The front of an 1846 seamail letter sent Dec. 7, Figure 2. The reverse of the Figure 1 cover, which trav- give it my highest recom-
been absorbed when Fol- 1846, from Tabasco, Mexico, to London, England. eled from Tabasco to Veracruz and then on to London. mendation.
lansbee's A Catalogue of the The book is not cheap. It
Stamps of Mexico, 1856-1900 James Bendon of Limassol, vided everything into 15 First, a great deal of wide- ing it with the British consu- is priced at $97.50 plus $2
appeared on the scene. Cyprus, published this book. chapters beginning with the ly dispersed information on lar post office for transfer to postage to the United States
This wonderful new re- As those familiar with Ben- Spanish Colonial period and the subject has been gathered London via (as it is written from James Bendon, Box
source was quickly followed don's publications can sur- carrying through to the end in one spot. on the cover) "West India 6484, 3307 Limassol, Cyprus.
by a specialized album for mise, it is absolutely first- of the 19th century, when Second, among the wealth steamer" on Jan. 1, 1847.
However, if you have
19th-century Mexican stamps, rate. It is printed on coated Mexico joined the Universal of covers and postmarks il- It was received in London
19th-century maritime covers
edited by Follansbee and stock in a hard, cloth binding Postal Union in 1897 and the lustrated, you are likely to Feb. kwith 9/- due.
to and from Mexico and have
published by Mark Johnson. that should withstand the rig- transfer of overseas mail be- find an example similar to In later chapters of the not yet figured them all out,
All of these have been re- ors of regular use. came simpler. one you are attempting to re- book, you are enlightened this book may not only help
viewed in previous Mexico The attractive dust cover In the early chapters, you solve. about Mexico's maritime you make sense of them but
columns in Linn's. shows a reproduction of a learn how Great Britain, The cover illustrated in mail contracts, special ser- also may repay its cost many
Now we have another, and mid-19th-century lithographed France, the United States and Figures 1 and 2, which is vices on the east and west times over in saving time and
I dislike overusing the view of Veracruz harbor with Germany were involved in from my own collection, is coasts; the work of the Wells, money with library visits and
phrase, monumental work fo- the fortress of San Juan de the transport of Mexican similar to the kind of mate- Fargo agencies in Mexico; photocopy costs.
cusing on another complex Ulua in the background. overseas mail. rial you will find explained the "Porte de Mar" system
and neglected area in Mexi- The end papers are fac- These channels were es- by Schimmer and Heath. used just before UPU mem-
Dale Pulver's Introduction 10 the
can philately. The new book similes of 16th-century maps. sential to local businessmen Figure 1 shows the front of bership; and the role for- Stumps of Mexico is based on ap-
is Mexican Maritime Mail, A Eight color plates show and commercial interests be- this seamail letter sent from warding agents played in the proximately 40 of his Mexico columns.
Postal History from Colonial covers that are scarce over- cause Mexico never really Mexico to London, England. movement of international The book is available from dealers or
mail. from the publisher, Linn's Stamp
Times to the 20th Century, seas uses. The book also in- had a mercantile marine fleet The reverse is pictured in News, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. For
written jointly by two experi- cludes 300 other illustrations capable of carrying mail until Figure 2. Five useful appendixes ordering information, see the "Linn's
enced and capable collectors, of covers, postmarks and rel- almost 1900. The letter was mailed from round out the book. They Library ' near the back of this issue. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 29, 1998

Four types of Mexico's Klussendorf stamps

Just two years ago (Linn's, articles focused on the ma- Meanwhile, Paul Franklin, lustrated in Figure 2. glowed bluish, and the self- of legitimate uses. I thought
June 24, 1996, page 34), I chines and their use. of Corvallis, Ore., who alert- Type II also has 16 lines adhesive label behaved like there might be some response
wrote an article about Mexi- This column discusses the ed me to the Klussendorfs in in the background, but the the gray/blue labels. after my first article, but I
co's first experiment with stamps in greater detail. the first place, received a printing is grainy and the line As I noted in my first ar- did not receive a single reply.
printed-to-order franking A few weeks after my June similar set from Wilkins and spacing somewhat irregular. ticle, I suspect most collec- As far as is known, the pe-
labels that the Mexicans call 1996 article appeared, began to probe their fine Notice, too, that the lettering tors have overlooked these riod of use was from April
points. He, in turn, sent his is smaller, about 1.5mm tall. 1990 to probably about the
set to Cal Whitsel of Types III and IV strips are beginning of 1995, when the
Mexico McAllen, Texas, who under- printed in shades of gray and era of new peso designation,
By Dale Pulver took a meticulous analysis of dark blue. Figure 3 shows N$, ended. The machines
their characteristics. type III. There are only 13 were designed to issue
Whitsel recently sent me a lines in the value field, and stamps in old pesos and ap-
"eitquetas para franqueo." copy of a report on his find- the eagle's beak is not so parently were not modified
You could obtain these sharply hooked as in the type for the new rates.
ings. This report may appear
machine-vended stamps in Figure 1. The first type of I and II stamps. The lettering Figure 3. The third type of Everything we know sug-
in a future issue of Mexicana.
Mexico by putting coins into Mexico's Klussendorf is slightly smaller than type I Mexico's Klussendorf gests that Klussendorf ma-
Whitsel's classifications
a machine containing a coil stamps is orange and (1.7mm). stamps is gray and dark chine-vended stamps are
probably represent overkill
of gummed labels and by brown with 16 horizontal scarce both in their unused
punching in the denomina-
for all but the most avid stu- Although measurable, the blue with 13 horizontal
lines in the value field. dents of the hobby. However, differences between type III lines in the value field. state and on cover. There
tions desired (within certain were, after all, only four ma-
he did highlight some differ- and type IV are small and adhesives because they do
limits). And then out would Wilkins sent me 16 examples chines used during the early
ences that should interest the probably insignificant to most not look like postage stamps.
come stamps ready to be af- of Klussendorfs with a brief years of the test.
ordinary collector. collectors. The type IV de- But, as Widmaier and others
fixed to a letter. note stating that they were all I would be grateful to hear
I previously had grouped signs are about a half mil- have argued so convincingly,
These first machines were the different types he could from Linn's readers who
my Klussendorfs into three limeter taller than type III, they truly belong in the realm
made in Germany by the find during the few years the might have covers bearing
types. Whitsel prefers four and the type IV paper is of postage stamps.
Klussendorf firm, and, so by Klussendorf machines were Klussendorf stamps, or from
types to describe them, and I about 0.001 inches thicker.
custom, the stamps it pro- in operation. Furthermore, none of the those who have searched for
will defer to him because his
duced are referred to as Klus- Such a group would permit There are discernible dif- regular catalogers or album
reasoning is sound. them with or without success.
sendorfs. Later on, Swiss ma- a much more comprehensive ferences in colors and their makers, with the exception of
Figure 1 shows a type I. Write me in care of Linn's,
chines printed similar stamps study of the various charac- intensity, especially with the Lighthouse, have paid much
The design is printed in Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365.
known as Framas. teristics of these interesting gray/blue labels. Whether this attention to them, either.
And include some photo-
I will confine this column labels, so I set them aside for shades of orange and brown. was intentional or a random
There are 16 horizontal lines This situation can dampen copies if you can. I promise
to the Klussendorf adhesives. future reference. printing variable is not
in the field designated for the the enthusiasm and demand to answer all replies and will
When I wrote the June known.
value imprint, which the ma- for a given issue. circulate information if
1996 column, I had little in- The gum on all 16 items is enough is forthcoming. ■
formation on the stamps chine applies with a carbon I am interested in reports
glossy, although on the two
themselves. In fact, I owned ribbon. The lettering is about type III labels it is a hit less
only two examples, both of 2 millimeters tall, and the shiny.
which were illustrated. overall dimensions of the All the labels respond to
Most of the information re- label are slightly more than longwave ultraviolet light.
ported came from articles by 37mm by 19.5mm. Generally, the brown/orange
Walter Widmaier and Guill- Figure 2. The second type The type II stamp, and labels, with three exceptions,
ermo Wilkins in Mexicana, of Mexico's Klussendorf there was only one in the show yellow luminescence,
the quarterly journal of the stamps is the same orange group, is also brown/orange. while the gray/blue labels
Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic and brown colors as the It is a self-adhesive label react in shades of tan.
Society International. These first but is self-adhesive. with a peelahle hack. It is il- Two brown/orange labels
22 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 27, 1998

Pancho Villa's reign led to 1914-15 overprints

Seventy-five years ago this tween episodes of banditry His exploits so captured print. Buyers should be cau- of postage stamps with the their arms in return for a
month, on July 20, 1923, to and civilized employment and the admiration of observers tious. "GCM" (Gobieno Constitu- year's severance pay.
be precise, one of Mexico's took the name of Francisco on both sides of the border The Constitutionalist forc- tionalista Mexicana) mono- Villa was given an aban-
most famous revolucionarios, Villa after his biological that the Mutual Film Corp. of es, as those headed by Ve- grams. This apparently was doned hacienda in Canutillo
Francisco "Pancho" Villa, grandfather. Hollywood offered $25,000 nustiano Carranza and Villa not implemented until some- and a sum of money thought
met his death in a hail of When Francisco Madera for rights to film battle ac- were called, continued their time after Dec. 28 when final to be 500,000 pesos.
tion, which Villa quickly ac- authorization was given. He charged into his new
cepted. There were two varieties, a life with the same intensity
Mexico He even agreed to resched- script version known as the he employed in leading his
By Dale Pulver ule hangings from 5 a.m. to 7 Carranza monogram and a famous cavalry attacks, plow-
a.m. and conduct battles dur- Gothic one as shown on the ing the land, raising crops,
ing daylight hours for better 5c stamp in Figure 2, known repairing fences, restoring
bullets as he and his body- lighting conditions. as the "Villa" monogram. buildings, setting up schools,
guards left Parral, Chihuahua, Hundreds of feet of docu- Ample supplies were dis- and spending time with his
on his way home to his haci- mentary takes, plus some family that included six chil-
tributed to areas controlled by
enda at Canutillo, some 45 staged footage led to The Life dren.
Villa and his compatriots. In
miles to the southeast. of General Villa, which His enemies, however,
spite of this, there are abun-
I do not know what the opened at the Lyric Theater dant and difficult-to-detect were still plotting against
Mexicans will make of this in New York City, May 9, counterfeits of both these him. And on that fateful July
anniversary. His exploits and 1914. markings. day in 1923, they ac-
memory were downplayed of- But a month before the Figure 2. The monogram on During Villa's brief stay in complished what seemed to
ficially for years, though he film's opening, Villa had this Mexican stamp over- the capital, he appears to many to be impossible, catch-
Figure 1. This 1914 5-
was immensely popular with fought and won another and printed in 1915 is known as have carried on some cor- ing the great Pancho Villa
centavo Mexican stamp
the masses. perhaps his greatest victory, the "Villa" monogram. respondence. The cover in with his guard down.
from the Transitory issue
Only recently has he the retaking of Torreon, Figure 3 is addressed to the Although an official in-
was overprinted to cel-
gained a modicum of recog- Coahuila, April 2. push south, with Villa captur- British vice consul at El quiry was announced, the
ebrate Pancho Villa's vic-
nition at high government The battle lasted for sev- ing Zacatecas after soundly Paso. The corner inscription perpetrators were never
tory at Torreon, Coahuila.
levels. eral days, with substantial defeating Federal forces com- translates: "Personal Cor- named or brought to trial. It
But it is an opportune time opposed the repressive and losses on both sides. But manded by Victoriano Huer- respondence of General Fran- has been long believed there
to review the minor and in- favor-dispensing government whoever held Torreon, the ta. cisco Villa.-
teresting impact he had on of Porfirio Diaz, Villa per- junction of railroads running However, Villa had a fall- The cover is postmarked CENTENARi0 DEL NAtALIEI0 DE
the postal affairs of Mexico. ceived an ally with whom he east and west and north and ing out with Carranza, titular
FRANCISCO VILLA
Mexico City, Jan. 4, 1915, 1878 197. h
First, a historical recap. could identify and who could south, controlled central Mex- head of the Constitutionalist just days before he left the
Villa was born Doroteo Aran- rectify the many injustices he ico. movement, whom he consid- capital for good, and his for-
go, oldest son of a large and had suffered. In honor of the event, the ered too ambitious. tunes began to turn south
poor Mexican sharecropper's He joined the movement Transitory stamps (Scott 354- The break was complete with a vengeance.
family. The father died and within a short time be- 60) were overprinted with the when Carranza bestowed the This fortunate find came
young, leaving the family to came one of the strongest and words: "Victoria de/TORRE- honor of occupying Mexico out of a dealer's box of
fend for itself. most feared leaders of revolu- ON/ABRIL 2-1914." City on his own favorite, cheap covers, and I've often
In the course of defending tionary forces. Gen. Alvaro Obregon. wondered what message it
The overprints were pre-
his sister's honor against his Villa formed the Division But Villa was not yet carried.
pared and applied by the ME
employer's unsolicited ad- del Norte in September 1913 through. His enemy was no I do not think Villa was
Ellis Brothers Printing Co. in •,•
vances, Arango shot the as- and proceeded to outwit Fed- longer the Federals (they had too popular with the king's
El Paso, and the printings
sailant and was obliged to eral forces garrisoned at been defeated), but the Car- foreign service.
were very limited, amounting
flee to the mountains. Subse- Ciudad Juarez, which he rancistas, as he called the fol- In early 1914, Villa's aide Figure 4. On a 1978 Mexi-
to only a few sheets of the
quently, he alternated be- seized in November 1913. lowers of Carranza. And he had shot down William Ben- can airmail stamp marking
common values, and half
sheets of the 20 centavo and fought them savagely. ton, an English rancher, for the 100th anniversary of
Teaming up with Emiliano no apparent reason. Pancho Villa's birth, Villa
50c.
Zapata, Villa occupied the "An unfortunate mistake," is shown wearing the orna-
Figure 1 shows the 5c
was the aide's only comment. mented sombrero of the
stamp, the most common, of Mexican capital in December
During the next few years, flashy Mexican gentlemen
which 10 sheets are believed 1914 and early January 1915,
supporting Eulalio Gutierrez, Villa lost influence and was cowboys, the charros, that
to have been prepared.
constantly harassed by Obre- he so intensely disliked.
Scarcity and collector de- the interim president.
mand has prompted some de- In early December, Gutier- gon's forces, losing battle was involvement at the high-
ceptive forgeries of this over- rez ordered the overprinting after battle. est levels of government to
He retreated to his favorite rid the country of a worri-
haunts in northern Mexico
Co,"rspondeneth As.Aticala^ some troublemaker.
and became a guerrilla fighter
d.I Only in 1978 were Villa's
with the few loyal followers
.general granclaco contributions to the revolu-
who remained at his side. tion belatedly recognized
After the United States rec- with a 1.60-peso airmail
ognized the Carranza govern- stamp commemorating the
ment, Villa became incensed 100th anniversary of his
Fo:man C. and launched the infamous birth.
raid March 9, 1916, on Co- And then, in perhaps the
lumbus, N.M. unkindest cut of all, he is
ce Inglaterra. The United States dis- portrayed wearing a huge or-
patched Gen. John Pershing namented sombrero of the
El 1,
on a punitive expedition to charros, the flashy Mexican
,soi
capture Villa, the most ex- gentlemen cowboys he is
pensive and unsuccessful known to have disliked in-
manhunt in U.S. history. tensely. The stamp is shown
Even Carranza's forces in Figure 4. •
couldn't find him.
Finally, in 1920, a negoti-
Figure 3. A Jan. 4, 1915, cover with a corner inscription ated settlement was reached.
saying that it is the personal correspondence of Gen. About 750 men, all that re-
Francisco Villa, also known as Pancho Villa. The cover is mained of the once proud Di-
addressed to the British vice consul at El Paso, Texas. vision del Norte, laid down
44 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 31, 1998

Mexico City's main post office on stamps

Readers occasionally write opening. gan that translates: "The printed in red "HA- stamps depicting the main
that I seem to ignore the con- This ornate edifice, de- Mexican Postal Service, yes- BILITADO/Servicio Oficial/ post office.
temporary stamps of Mexico, scribed as being in the Italian terday, today ... and al- Aereo." These are among the As a subject, the main post
and they are probably right. Renaissance style, was one of ways." few Official airmail stamps office offers enough possibili-
Mexico, like so many the major public works The stamp itself depicts the issued by Mexico (CO3-10). ties to fill several pages.
stamp-issuing entities, pro- projects during the final years magnificent double staircase It is reported that only 128 Some items will be tough to
leading from the lobby level examples of the 1p Post Of-
to the offices on the mez- fice stamp were sold. In a
Mexico zanine level and second floor. recent auction, a rare used set
By Dale Pulver I remember well when I of these stamps brought
Figure 3. Control numbers
lived in Mexico during the $1,800, plus buyer's commis-
are on this variety of Mexi-
1960s climbing this remark- sion.
duces so many commemora- co's 1917-20 5-peso stamp.
able set of stairs to reach the After all this early activity,
tives these days that it's hard office of the philatelic agen- the post office disappeared
to keep up. (Commemora- cy. from stamp designs for about
tives are stamps issued to Figure 2 shows a much 50 years, although other pub-
note special events, an- Figure 2. The exterior of earlier stamp featuring the lic buildings and architectural
niversaries or subjects. They the Mexico City post office post office. examples were used fre- Figure 5. In 1982, Mexico
usually are available for only is shown on a 1916 stamp. This 5p stamp (Scott 514), quently. Even the 50th an- commemorated the 75th an-
a limited time.) from the regular issue of niversary slipped by unrecog- niversary of the opening of
And most modern stamps, of the Porfirio Diaz regime. 1915-16, was released in nized in 1957. But, during the Mexico City post office.
except some of the longer- Meant to demonstrate to 1916. It is a bicolor printing the 1950s, Mexico issued few find, especially covers or
running definitive (regular- the world Mexico's arrival to with a claret frame and an Figure 4. The post office is commemorative stamps. wrappers. But a successful
issue) series, lack the phila- the company of modern na- ultramarine vignette (central pictured again on a stamp However, on Feb. 17, chase should provide pleasure
telic elements that interest tions, it was one of the archi- design). in Mexico's Second Pan- 1982, exactly 75 years after and satisfaction.
me. tectural jewels to be dis- The stamp is readily avail- American Postal Congress the post office was originally Finally, it is interesting
On the other hand, those played to foreign visitors and able in unused condition, but set. This stamp was over- opened, Mexico issued a 4p that the 1997 souvenir sheet
collectors who pursue topical diplomats at the sumptuous since 5p was so much money printed "Habilitado/1930." stamp showing the post office had a printing of only
subjects can find many attrac- celebration fiestas of 1910 in those days, legitimate cov- 682). Figure 4 depicts ex- in green and ocher. It was 100,000, one-third the quan-
tive items to add to their col- marking the 100th an- ers bearing this stamp are vir- amples. These overprints assigned Scott 1266 and is il- tity of a normal commemora-
lections. This month, I'll re- niversary of Mexican inde- tually unheard of. The stamp have been forged, so caution lustrated in Figure 5. tive stamp, and perhaps fewer
view a theme that has been pendence from Spain. would have been used on is advised. Unless I've missed some- than the quantities of the reg-
well served by the Mexican No expense was spared in heavy parcels. Also, the Pan-Am set was thing, this completes the ular-issue post office stamps
postal authorities. its construction, and it housed The same design appears printed in black, and over- book on varieties of Mexican of 1916 and 1917. •
Monuments and public some of the most modern again as a 5p stamp in the
buildings often have been mail-handling machinery series of 1917-20 (628). This
chosen as subject matter for available at that time. time the frame is green, and
Mexican stamps during this The 1997 souvenir sheet is the vignette is black.
century at least. If you were shown in Figure 1. It con- Both Scott 514 and 628
to choose architecture as a tains only one stamp, face have some interesting varie-
topic to collect, for example, value 7.40 pesos, laid against ties. The earlier stamp exists
you could fill several pages a view of the building itself with the vignette inverted
with Mexican stamps relating and surrounded with a col- with respect to the frame, and
to various aspects of this dis- lage, including views of mail the later stamp exists with
cipline. handling and distribution plus the vignette of the 1p stamp
The main post office in a geometric sculpture repre- (Veracruz lighthouse). Both
Mexico City is a good ex- senting a postal messenger by are rare and pricey.
ample. Just last year a souve- the famous Mexican artist Se-
A less-expensive variety of
nir sheet was issued to mark bastian.
628 shows overprinted con-
the 90th anniversary of its Below the stamp is a slo-
trol numbers, usually five
digits, in either red or violet,
as illustrated in Figure 3.
In 1926, a set of stamps
was issued to honor the sec-
ond Pan-American Postal
Congress. This set included
the main post office again,
this time as the 1 p value.
At first glance, it appears
the same die was used for the
vignette as on the earlier 5p
stamps. But if you examine a
1p stamp closely, you can see
F.
that the engraving is much
1-11. sharper, and clouds have been
VSFRI'lCIO PO. S.T4L TIFYICANO ilyer, siemi 7. added to the sky.
The Pan-Am stamps were
revalidated in 1930 and 1931
Figure 1. A 1997 souvenir sheet from Mexico features the with overprints reading "HA-
main post office in Mexico City. The stamp portion shows BILITADO/1930 & HA-
the double staircase in the lobby to the upper floors. BILITADO/1931" (674,
20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 28, 1998

Postal history from Mexico's 1916 inflation

Periods of rampant infla- Cosmc Hinojosa ordered that This initial printing in- with the earlier 20c to make
tion pose serious problems appropriate surcharges be cluded surcharges of 10 cen- the common interior rate. The
for postal systems that are overprinted on obsolete issues tavos, 20c and 60c on the lc, 25c found use not only on
generally not geared for rapid to meet this demand. 5c, and 2c stamps of the In- regular letters but also in
change. The first of these sur- dependence issue (Scott 578, multiples to meet the much
For example, during the re- charges were produced about 579 and 581). higher registry fee.
Figure 3 demonstrates the
25c surcharge on a letter
Mexico Tie%la de Abarrete,
bit PIA 11. me t !ICS
C. Arriaga y Cia. Suer.
Casa 9unn.a.. en 091.
febrica de Jahn
MILO,. posted Oct. 18, 1916. This
By Dale Pulver raw. y S& a. Wm.
Cknorrans,
"k4t1):, 1211.1.110. cover was sent from the
northern state of Sonora to
the border town of Naco,
cent inflation of the Exporta- Ariz.
stamp era in Mexico, the Technically, the franking
printing of higher and higher on this letter may have been
denominations barely kept insufficient since another
pace with the soaring postal boost in postal rates had oc-
rates. curred at mid-month, but
Lea Angeles, 1 1.
Other countries experi- a.u.A. Figure 4. The back of a Me xican cover mailed Nov. 27,
with rates changing so rap-
enced similar problems with 1916, bearing a block of 10 of the 10-centavo on lc In-
idly postal clerks were apt to
hyperinflation, for example, forth Main ZtreQt. dependence stamp to pay the 1-peso drop rate.
overlook these short-paid let-
Germany in 1923 and Hun- ters.
gary in 1945-46. but nearly all of them are of cause you to wince a bit.
While these times often By Nov. 20, first-class let- philatelic origin. At a recent auction, a well-
Figure 2. This cover from Mexico to Los Angeles was ters to the interior of Mexico Assuming that the public mixed lot of 30 inflation-
leave misery and hardship in
mailed Aug. 31, 1916, the last day of the 20-centavo rate required 2.50-peso franking knew about the impending period covers, including some
their wake, they also leave
period that started June 1 of that year. The cover is and the so-called "comple- change to preinflationary very scarce rates, was
interesting opportunities for
franked with two surcharged 10-centavo on lc stamps. mentario" (postage due) rates, there was little incen- snapped up by a collector for
the postal historian.
stamps of 1908 were over- tive for them to suffer the Sp $410. This, with commission
Mexico had another infla- June 7, 1916, after the June 1 Later, other overprinted printed with the monogram franking if they had the and handling costs, works out
tionary period that had a big rate change. The overprints stamps of this era were simi- "GPM" and "$2.50" to sat- wherewithal in silver-backed to about $15 per cover. Not
impact on the postal service consisted of an intricate en- larly surcharged. isfy this rate (603-07). currency for the lower rate. dirt cheap, but certainly not
in 1915-16, but especially graved design (to discourage The new surcharged Only the 2.50p-on-lc This inflation period pro- outrageous when the potential
during the last half of 1916. counterfeiting) containing the stamps paid the first-class stamp (603) saw any substan- vides an interesting op- for an interesting exhibit or
The major battles of the letters "G.P. de M." (Provi- rate for regular and drop tial use. Most used examples portunity for collecting and just plain enjoyment is taken
civil wars had been fought,
of the other values probably philatelic research. Covers are into account.
Pancho Villa was in retreat,
bear favor cancellations. still available at reasonable And oh yes, it is still pos-
and Venustiano Carranza of
the constitutionalist move- Figure 4 shows the back of prices, although some, such sible to find sleepers from
ment was struggling to gain a cover from this same period as registry uses and covers to the inflation era in dealers'
control over the government. bearing a block of 10 of the foreign destinations, may cheap cover boxes.•
The national treasury was 10c surcharged lc In-
all but depleted, and the dependence issue.
value of the Mexican peso In this case, the 1p frank-
was sinking fast. ing pays the drop rate for
From August 1915 until Mexico City. The postmarks
early December 1916, six canceling the stamps arc
changes in postal rates oc- dated Nov. 27, 1916.
curred, all upward. The table Use of multiple copies of
in Figure 1 summarizes these the barril surcharged stamps
rate changes for first-class is quite common during this
Figure 3. This cover sent at the end of Mexico's 25- period, and covers may be
letters and registry fees.
centavo rate period bears a surcharged 25c stamp. found literally covered front
It soon became clear there
were not enough of the high- sional Government of Mexi- (local) letters, and, in the and back with postage
er-denomination postage co) and a denomination. case of the 60c surcharge, stamps.
stamps, usually printed in Because of its shape, this regular postage plus registry One final increase occurred
smaller quantities, to meet surcharge became known as fee. Dec. 2, 1916. For a few
the new higher rates. the "barril" (barrel) over- Figure 2 shows a cover hours that day, the rate on a
Postmaster General Don print. mailed Aug. 31, 1916, the single-weight letter rose to
last day of the second, or 5p. But this did not last long.
Mexican postal rates 20c, rate period. Long-running negotiations
The cover was destined for for a United States-backed
in the 1915-16 inflation period loan to prop up the peso
Los Angeles. As near as I
Dates First-class letter Registry fees can determine, the postal rate were finally concluded and
local interior announced. Before the day
was the same as for domestic
Aug. I915-May 31, 1916 4c 10c 20c ended, it was ordered that
June I-Aug. 31, 1916 20c
mail. The cover is franked
10c 40c
with two 10c-on-lc stamps postal rates would return to
Sept. I-mid-Oct. 1916 10c 25c 75c, Ip, I.25p"
mid-Oct.-Nov. 20, 1916 40c Ip 2p (578). their preinflation levels but
Nov. 21-Dec. I, 1916 Ip 2.50p 7.50p, 10p, 12.50p* On Sept. 1, 1916, postal that postal fees had to be
Dec. 2, 1916 5p rates were raised again, and paid with the new silver-
*fees include postage two more surcharges were based currency.
prepared, a 5c and 25c. Covers dated Dec. 2 with
Figure 1. Table of rates of Mexico's inflation period. The first could be used the high frankings are known,
 ▪
34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 26, 1998 ▪

Mexican War anniversary souvenir covers

I devoted my October 1997 general delivery or, in the of returned letters were never claimed) markings do include ultraviolet light. I think these never become valuable postal
Linn's column to Mexican case of Mexican destinations, examined. the town name. It also ap- were applied in Mexico to history rarities, they are cer-
stamps issued to commemo- the equivalent counterpart, Figure 1 shows one of the pears that the mail clerk's aid in routing and delivery. tainly unique items.
rate the 150th anniversary of "Lista de Correos." more interesting covers. initials are included between Most of the several dozen This project demonstrates
important battles in Mexico He figured that the covers It originally was mailed to the two lines of text. envelopes sent out over the what a curious collector on a
City during the 1846-48 war would be returned eventually, a nonexistent family in Buena Carroll wonders if whoever two-year period eventually limited budget can do with a
handled this cover may have
had an inkling of what he T11410111TJ.CARROLL

Mexico was trying to do, for no other

7879AMOREONE.
WIRWOCCCA90921

By Dale Pulver envelope had postmarks so 1.1 z: • no chat*

thoroughly obliterated.
Although there was no evi-
with the United States. fr.,.
dence of tampering, there are
The memories of this con-
three sets of staple holes ; et ri 0,
flict, which stripped Mexico
around the edge of the cover
of almost half of its territory,
that remain unexplained.
have been all but ignored by A similar cover, shown in :I!,, 34, ..-410
the United States, postally or Figure 2, was mailed to Ve-
otherwise. Figure 1. Collector Tim Carroll mailed this cover to a Figure 2. This cover was mailed to Veracruz, Mexico,
racruz on the April 8 an-
The Mexicans, on the other fictitious address in Buena Vista, Coahuila, Mexico, Feb. niversary of the day Gen. April 8, 1997, 150 years after American troops began
hand, have repeatedly called 22, 1997, on the 150th anniversary of the last major battle Twiggs led the first column marching into central Mexico. It was listed for pick-up in
attention to what they call of the northern campaign of the Mexican War. of U.S. troops from Veracruz general delivery before being returned to the sender.
"The War of Northern Inter- toward the capital city of found their way back to Car- little imagination to increase
vention." and, with luck, they might Vista, Coahuila, Mexico, Feb. Mexico in 1847. Again, a fic- roll, some within a month, his enjoyment of the hobby.
One West Coast collector bear postal markings of cities 22, 1997. This date was ex- titious addressee was used. others requiring up to a year. It also provides an op-
and fellow member of the or towns to which they were actly 150 years from the start Carroll told me that he had portunity to learn a great deal
This letter was advertised
Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic sent. of a two-day battle in which a lot of fun doing it and feels about some rather obscure
and when the specified period
Society International, Tim For franking, Carroll used Gen. Zachary Taylor's forces for claiming it was up, it was his project was eminently historical events.
Carroll, undertook a two-year 320 James K. Polk stamps repulsed a much larger Mexi- struck with words to that ef- successful. Carroll read several books
project to create a series of (United States Scott 2587) to can army under the command fect, "Devuelto por haber For a very modest invest- during the course of his un-
150th anniversary mementos. add further relevance to his of Gen. Santa Anna. cumplido el termino de ley" ment he was able to secure a dertaking and now considers
Armed with a list of dates souvenirs, plus others when This turned out to be the (Returned [unclaimed], hav- colorful array of interesting himself fairly well informed
of important events in that required to make up the rate last major battle of the north- ing complied with the law) markings from Mexico, as concerning the 1846-48 war
long-ago war, Carroll pre- to Mexico. ern campaign. and the pointing finger. well as from stateside post between Mexico and the
pared covers to be mailed to It was during President The cover was ultimately On the reverse is a ma- offices. And while they may United States. •
locations in both the United Polk's administration that war returned but the dates in the chine datestamp applied at
States and Mexico on the was declared, and it was circular handstamps from Veracruz April 16, the date it
exact 150th anniversary of sometimes referred to by his Torrance, Calif., as well as presumably first arrived in
those events. detractors at the time as "Mr. the names and address, had that city.
Since he had no friends or Polk's War." been marked out with a felt- Also, both covers bear
contacts in most of the towns Brief descriptions of the tip marking pen. faint bar codings in either
from which he desired post- events to be commemorated There is no Buena Vista pink or orange on the front
marks, Carroll used the ruse were enclosed in the enve- datestamp, but the pointing and back. They may not
of addressing his covers to lopes in case someone finger return order plus the show up in the illustrations
fictitious parties in care of opened them, but the contents "NO RECLAMADA" (un- but they glow strongly under
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 23, 1998

Identifying Hidalgo Heads by the overprints

Early in the cycle of these does not offer a sound frame- on the right is from Zamora. On the 50c stamp shown
columns (Linn's, Sept. 8, work or basis for logical or- In 1878, the overprinting on the right in Figure 3, the
1986, page 34), I wrote about ganization of a • large assort- scheme was modified to un- numbers were applied upside
the Hidalgo Heads of 1874 ment of stamps. separated numbers (digits down.
through 1883, emphasizing We now have a much close together) applied to the There was one exception to
the possibilities for special- more thorough analysis of bottom half of the stamp. this placement. District Mexi-
co continued to have its con-
trol number printed near the
Mexico bottom of the stamp beneath
By Dale Pulver an arched district name that
often formed a cap on the
portrait of Hidalgo.
ization. I'm revisiting this
issue because there is a fine, The name and number
new resource available to the overprints for Mexico were
serious collector. probably applied simulta- Figure 4. Stamps for the Figure 5. After control
The Hidalgo Head issue is neously by letter press. Mexico district had the con- numbers were abolished
noteworthy for a number of An interesting example of trol numbers printed at the Oct. 1, 1883, a few districts
reasons. First, the design and this anomaly is shown in Fig- bottom of the stamp. This continued overprinting their
initial printings were pro- ure 4. This 25c stamp, used stamp was used on a letter names as shown on this 5-
duced in the United States by in Mexico in 1880, bears a posted at a collection box. centavo stamp from Jalapa.
the American Bank Note Co., Buzon 8 (collection box No.
Figure 3. The third type of overprinting on the Hidalgo 8) cancel. the 1878 issue with un- 1872 issue.
although the plates were later separated numbers. There is
Heads of Mexico features unseparated control numbers on I have never understood
transferred to Mexico in The fourth and final group
the upper part of the stamp. Note that the control num- no need for further discussion why Scott ignores these.
1877. includes stamps issued start-
bers are inverted on the 50c stamp shown on the right. here as the subject is also Stamps with a portion of
Mexico's two previous ing Oct. 1, 1883, without the
covered fully in the Fol- the watermarks were special
general issues, the 1868 and these stamps in Nicholas Fol- This is illustrated in Figure 2. district or year numbers and lansbee catalog. — probably numbering no
1872 stamps, were not par- lansbee's new A Catalogue of Shown on the left in Fig- with or without district
The variable that preoc- more than 10 per sheet.
ticularly distinguished at a the Stamps of Mexico, 1856- ure 2 is a 10c stamp from names. They were sold into
cupied the Scott editors when Roughly 90 percent of the
time when Mexico was striv- 1900. He divides the stamps Monterrey without the district 1884, and genuine used ex-
their original listings were set stamps showed no trace of
ing for its place among pro- into four distinct issues, each name. Pictured on the right is amples are quite a bit scarcer
up was paper. Many different the watermark but were print-
gressive nations of the world. defined by the time when a 100c stamp from Mexico. than the previous overprinted
papers were employed during ed on the same paper.
In 1879, Mexico joined the they were made and used. stamps.
the years these stamps were This issue offers immense
Universal Postal Union, while The key to assigning a When the original ship- Figure 5 depicts an unused
produced, and it is possible possibilities for specialization,
the Hidalgo Heads issue was stamp to one of his four cat- ments of these close-together/ stamp from the district of Ja-
to correlate most of them both as stamps and postal
current. - egories is the form and place- bottom stamps ran out, they lapa.
with fairly well defined peri- history.
And finally, it was the last ment of the overprinted con- 'were replaced with yet an- My earlier column on the ods of use. This, too, is dealt Like the other classic is-
issue on which the cumber- trol number. other format. Hidalgo Heads discussed the with in detail by Follansbee. sues of Mexico, the rare vari-
some practice of overprinting These control numbers The third issue had unsepa- district numbering system in One should be aware that eties will drain your wallet,
of district names and invoice consist of three or four digits rated numbers overprinted in much more detail and was in- in addition to the "LA but one can still put together
numbers were employed. And identifying the postal district the upper half of the stamp, cluded in my Linn's hand- CROIX FRERES" water- a very respectable showing of
these final overprints, owing and year of issue. For ex- as shown in Figure 3. This book Introduction to the marked varieties noted in the these stamps on a modest
to apparent nonuniformity, ample, "1 75" stood for overprint position was used Stamps of Mexico. It ex- Scott listings, there are also budget. And there is yet the
have long confused collec- Mexico district and the year from 1878 until the over- plained the sequence of as- examples with the "Papel opportunity of finding scarce
tors. 1875, and "2078" designated prints were abolished near the signed numbers and how it 'Sellado" watermark like stamps in mixed stocks if
Part of the problem lies Puebla from 1878. end of the series in 1883. was inverted at the time of those found on the previous you know what to look for. •
with the note at the end of The first issue bore sepa-
the listing for these stamps in rated numbers, usually placed
the Scott catalog. from the middle to the lower
The note states: "The part of the stamp. This place-
stamps of 1874-81 are found ment lasted from 1874 to
with number and date wide 1877. Figure 1 shows two ex-
apart, close together or omit- amples of this type.
ted, and in various colors." The 5-centavo stamp on
Would-be specialists soon the left is from Veracruz, al-
discovered it wasn't that sim- though that name isn't over-
ple and that the listing itself printed on it. The 25c stamp

Figure 1. The first type of overprinting on Mexico's

Hidalgo Heads of 1874 to 1883 has a large space between
the district code and the year date. The stamp on the left
is from Veracruz. The one on the right is from Zamora.

Figure 2. The overprinting scheme was changed in 1878 to

unseparated numbers applied to the bottom half of the
stamps as shown on the stamp from Monterrey on the left
and on the stamp from the Mexico district on the right.
Review of 1998 columns; Mexican TB seals
In looking back over my book is an excellent resource canceler was used on the card for 1999-2000. While these
Mexico columns in Linn's for for those who enjoy unlock- remains a mystery. are in no way considered
this year, I see they covered ing the secrets of 19th- The pot is still boiling on postage stamps, they are fre-
a rather broad spectrum. century covers and letters that the Klussendorf preprinted quently found used during the
Three dealt not with traveled beyond the bound- franking labels I covered in holiday season alongside
stamps or postal history but aries of Mexico. the June 29 column. The de- whatever postage stamps are
nomination is printed at the chosen for franking.
time of purchase on these
Mexico stamps that are vended by
And for a number of years
they have been produced by
By Dale Pulver Klussendorf machines.
the T.I.E.V., the Mexican
SERVICIO The self-adhesive stamp re- government printing office
POSTAL
with valuable aids to enhance MEXICANO
ported as a type II, shown responsible for postage
the enjoyment of our hobby. here in Figure 1, was exam- stamps, banknotes and gov-
In the Feb. 26 column, I ined by a European expert in ernment security paper.
Figure 1. This self-adhesive this field who believes it may
reviewed the new A Cata- Klussendorf machine- The theme this time is the
logue of the Stamps of Mexi- be genuine (officially pro- Mexican marketplace: pro-
vended stamp from Mexico duced). There had been some
co, 1856-1900, assembled is believed to be genuine. duce and related items one
and published by Nick Fol- question about this. would find in a typical Mexi-
lansbee. Again, as time goes on, I But since he cannot get can grocery store.
If you are into 19th- appreciate more and more the confirmation from Mexican The sheet of 50 seals (25
century Mexican stamps, I value of this reference. postal authorities that such different) shows pinatas,
types were issued, it will not Figure 2. Eight se-tenant Christmas seals from Mexico
hope you have acquired your I had the most fun with the fruits, vegetables, flowers and
be included in the German- show produce and other items from a Mexican market.
copy by now. I find I use it articles I did for the Jan. 26- other bulk staples.
language Michel catalog list- The seals are in sheets of 50 with 25 different designs.
almost every time I work on and April 27 columns.
In these columns, I wrote ings for Mexico. Figure 2 depicts a block of
my early Mexican stamps.
I would like to correct a eight of the seals from the this year, in that the face since 1943. Even though the
The catalog is a bargain at about the endurance run of
Charles Percival's Bull Dog, statement in the June 29 col- upper-left-hand portion of the value of the seals increased seals are not valid for post-
$35 postpaid from the author
a 1911 Abbott-Detroit Model umn in which I implied that sheet. from 20 centavos to 50c. The age, they are sold at post of-
(Nick Follansbee, Box 3210,
Ashland, OR 97520). A touring car that he and a Mexico's printed-to-order There is an interesting lower price had been in effect fice windows throughout the
My March 30 column re- companion drove around the Klussendorf stamps were not twist to the sheet's layout. for five years and was not republic and seem to be pop-
viewed a new specialized perimeter of the United States listed in stamp catalogs. This The block of 25 designs (five providing the desired cash ular with many stamp collec-
Mexican stamp album, a with side trips into Mexico is wrong. The Michel catalog by five) on the left side of flow. tors worldwide.
companion to the catalog, de- and Alaska. does cover them because this the sheet is a mirror image of A sheet of this year's seals The National Committee
signed by Follansbee and The genesis of this story type of material is very popu- the right side. would be equivalent to about (Alvaro Obergon 74, Desp.
Mark Johnston. was a postcard reporting Per- lar with European collectors. The designers of this color- U.S. $2.50. 108, Col. Roma, 06700 Mex-
Not so essential as the cat- cival's progress mailed from They are not, so far as I ful array are Guadelupe Net proceeds from the sale ico D.F., Mexico) has an in-
alog, the albuM is still a fine Tijuana, Mexico, bearing an know, to be found in Norma and Cecilia Vergara, of these stamps support the ventory of past issues for
product if you are a general unusual cancel. English-language catalogs. who also collaborated in the fight against tuberculosis and those interested.
collector of the classic issues. Many Linn's readers got • design of the Conservation of other respiratory disorders. With this last column for
Finally, Mexican Maritime into the act on this project. I recently received from Marine Species postage The TB Committee in 1998, I wish all my readers a
Mail by Karl Schimmer and I now have a thick file on Alejandro Grossmann, my stamps issued by Mexico last Mexico was created by presi- peaceful and joyous holiday
John Heath was the focus of details of the expedition, but loyal Mexican correspondent, summer. dential decree in 1939 and season and extend thanks for
my May 25 column. This why a "Bultos" (package) a sheet of the TB seals issued There was another change has issued seals annually the continuing support. ■
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 25, 1999

Mexico's postmarks of the classic stamps era

I love used stamps and cov- and used quaint devices of ex- failed to overprint their names formation, as shown on the
ers because in the perfor- traordinary charm. Some on first-issue stamps. The on- left in Figure 3.
mance of their duty there is al- Mexican fancy postmarks ri- ly way you can tell if a stamp In rare instances, stamps
ways a story, often revealed by val those of Waterbury, Conn., is from those districts is if it may be found with a portion
the postmarks they bear. whittler John W. Hill. My bears an appropriate postmark of a certification handstamp,
Mexico had a rich tradition Mexico column in the Nov. from the district. Usually but these were usually struck
stamps from these small of- clear of the stamps.
fices are rare and expensive. Shown on the right in Fig-
Mexico Unfortunately, crafty forg- ure 3 is an 1856 stamp with a
Figure 4. Two 1872-issue
stamps with the "B" for "bu-
Figure 5. Two 1874 Hidaglo-
head stamps with oval can-
By Dale Pulver ers have been at work, and portion of a registry postmark. zones" or letterbox, which cels. The example on the left
many presumed rarities turn The first use of a 18-mil- signifies that the cover was is from Chietla in the Puebla
of unusual and attractive 19th- out to be products of their il- limeter circle surrounding a deposited in a letterbox. district. The stamp on the
century postmarks. When licit trade. "B" and a numeral started right from Mafia in the Chi-
postage stamps first came on Apart from the sometimes with the stamp issue of 1868. few years.
apas district has a handwrit-
the scene in 1856, many of the crudely fashioned postmarks These postmarks, found on This fact sometimes helps
Figure 2. Two Mexican Ea- ten date of Aug. 21, 1881.
devices used to cancel them of the early stamp era, you oc- stamps of Mexico City, signal specialists detect bogus uses
had been around for years. gle stamps with well-crafted that the cover was deposited — stamps bearing postmarks to be used in smaller, remote
casionally run into profes-
They were the same hand- circular date cancellers. in one of several "Buzones" or not contemporary with the towns right up to the end of
sionally made devices. The
stamps used on prestamp 24, 1997, Linn's reviewed two Eagle stamps shown in letter boxes situated around stamps. the Large Numeral issue.
mail. some of my favorites. Figure 2 were socked on the the city. These cancels are not Around 1872, attempts The timing here also coin-
Although numerous post- These early postmarks have nose with double-ring date- terribly scarce, but they are were made by the postal au- cides with what stamp collec-
marks were similar in form, been studied in-depth, result- thorities to standardize cancel tors consider to be the end of
for example, the rectangular ing in two fine reference devices. The new handstamps the classic era.
name and date devices used inbooks: The Cancellations of were to be oval in shape and As noted in my column in
Mexico, Puebla, Veracruz, Mexico, 1856-1874 by Joseph inscribed according to the the Nov. 23, 1998, Linn's on
and Zacatecas, there seems toSchatzkes, revised in 1983, type of mail to be canceled. Hidalgo heads of 1874, it also
be no evidence that the main and The Postmarks of Mexico, Some were for ordinary marked the end of district and
post office imposed rules on 1874-1900 by Karl Schimmer, first-class mail, others for Of- control number overprints.
designs until late in the centu-
from 1977. I highly recom- ficial mail and for certified
Figure 3. A Mexican stamp with a part of a registry post- In a future column, I plan to
ry. It was left to the imagina-
mend both books. mail, although not all offices
mark is shown on the right. A fascimile of a certification look at postmarks of the last
tion and ingenuity of local Knowledge of postmarks is had the latter type.
handstamp with spaces for inserting the date is on the left. three decades of the 1800s
postmasters. a useful and valuable tool for These ovals varied in size, and the turn of the century.
Many post offices created the specialist. Even a small stamps that were probably im- fun to look for. some being single-line and
ported, most likely from Figure 4 shows two such Stamp collecting was be-
portion of a marking can often others double.
France. Neither is recorded markings on 1872-issue coming a popular pastime,
be used to pinpoint where the Two examples on the Hidal-
used prior to 1864 when the and it prompted some interest-
stamp originated. stamps. go-head issue of 1874 are
ing tactics by dealers pressed
The two stamps shown in French-supported Maximilian Up to the early 1870s, post- shown in Figure 5. The can-
monarchy came into power in to meet an ever increasing de-
Figure 1 came from the postal masters continued using what- cels are from Chietla (Puebla
Mexico. mand. ■
district of Mazatlan. One was ever handstamps they had on district) and Tuxtla (Chiapas
used in the small town of Few special-service post- hand or could obtain when the district). The latter stamp also
Fuerte; the other originated in marks existed in the early old ones wore out. Many post- bears a handwritten date of
Figure 1. Fragments of post- Concordia San Sebastian. years of stamps. Most large marks, especially from places Aug. 21, 1881.
marks identify the origin of Both are fairly scarce uses, cities had handstamps for des- handling little mail, saw use The transition to these oval
these 1556- and 1861-issue but they were cheaply priced ignating certified mail. They for many years. cancelers obviously took
Mexican stamps as being in circuit books I receive. were designed for inserting For others, the usage period some time as the older hand-
from the Mazatlan district. Some small postal districts date of mailing and other in- could be short, perhaps only a stamped postmarks continued
 24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 22, 1999

Mexico's Aviation Week: a tale of two covers

In 1929, airmail in Mexico and a 40c stamp (Scott C26- tion to the event. The double- philatelic item. November 1929. I discussed promotion. Translated, it reads
was still in its infancy. 27). ring datestamp used as a can- I find the airmail cover il- early meters in my column in "By airplane your correspon-
That year several regular- As a further stimulus to use celer contains the words "Se- lustrated in Figure 2 more de- Linn's of June 10, 1991. dence will fly, consequently
service schedules were inau- airmail, the rate for a 20-gram mana Aerea." sirable than the first item. It is Some examples of the first your business prospers."
gurated, linking major cities letter was reduced Nov. 1 from Covers similar to the one a truly commercial use, and a meter imprints are quite rare, The envelope also received
25c to 20c. the triangular Aviation Week
Two Chicago-bound covers F. 34.1,F44.9.3-MAX cachet.
Mexico from my collection illustrate I 611111. &. E' 6 DIA,
118VITRLVAS.' 4
tI AVI U LAN
A double-ring datestamp
By Dale Pulver typical markings used during struck just above and to the
GOICM0171 NE
that promotional period. left of the address is inscribed
SUS IlEOCIOS PROSPER AN
Figure 1 shows a cover "Maquinas Franqueadoras"
in Mexico with the United mailed Dec. 10, the first day (franking machines). This was
States border. of Aviation Week, using one applied at the main post of-
And by year's end, it was of the special stamps. fice, probably to alert clerks
possible to send letters from The stamp is inscribed "Se- that this new machine frank-
Mexico City to northern U.S. mana de Aviacion — Con- ing was truly valid postage.
cities in two days or less. memorativa" (Aviation Week Voted Chromium, Ine., Unfortunately, there is no
3220 Bellevue Ave.,
The promotion of airmail, — Commemorative) and Detroit, Mich. backstamp to show when this
to boost its use and thus sup- shows a single-engine mono- letter arrived in Chicago. But
port its higher cost, became an plane flying over Mexico City if it made a timely connection
official government priority. with the words "CORREOS with the U.S. mails in
It was decreed to set aside a — MEXICO" (Mexican Mail) Brownsville or Laredo, it
week in December to be in bold letters on its wing. Figure 2. A business envelope showing early meter usage in Mexico and Aviation Week probably made the journey in
known as Aviation Week. Letters processed in Mexi- markings. Like the cover in Figure 1, this cover also was mailed Dec. 10, 1929. two, or at most, three days.
The post office issued two co City received a large pur- Airmail did speed up com-
airmail stamps to commemo- ple triangular handstamped shown in Figure 1 are not rare. modern postal historian would but if you are lucky enough to munications, particularly for
rate the event, a 20-centavo cachet calling further atten-
Nearly 74,000 20c stamps probably declare, "It has find one, it may not cost you long hauls. It enjoyed its gold-
were issued, and there must everything going for it!" very much. en age from the 1930s to the
have been hundreds, perhaps It, too, was mailed Dec. 10, Many dealers won't know 1960s. But it has been abol-
thousands, of such covers the first day of Aviation Week. what they have, and meter en- ished almost everywhere as a
processed on the first day. It features an illustrated cor- velopes still don't command separate service class.
The Figure 1 cover, despite ner card of La Consolidada the respect from collectors Even though much of to-
its seemingly commercial ad- S.A., a firm that dealt in top- that covers with stamps do. day's. mail does move by air,
Correa .iereo dress, has a philatelic prove- of-the-line fasteners and other Since my aforementioned quick delivery, as shown here,
Seiores ?rank 3.Imhoff nance. Robert Rubsamen, a
11020 Hermosa Ave high-grade steel products. 1991 article, Doug Kelsey, is probably a thing of the past.
Chicago, Ill. Mexican stamp dealer, pre- Instead of an Aviation Week Linn Meter Stamps colum- I find the inscription above
pared and mailed the cover. stamp, it bears one of the ear- nist, wrote a small but useful the corner card rather amus-
A datestamp on the reverse liest meter franks used in catalog on Mexican meter ing. It says that if the letter is
suggests it was received in Mexico. It was imprinted in stamps that was published by not delivered in six days, re-
Chicago Dec. 12. red by a machine produced by the Mexico Elmhurst Philatel- turn to sender.
The other stamp in the Avi- the Universal Postal Frankers ic Society International, also That would have to be re-
ation Week set, the 40c value, Ltd. of London, England. known as MEPS1. vised for today's situation.
Figure 1.A typical cover prepared on the Dec. 10, 1929, first is rarely seen on cover. Only Postage meters were new to The meter on this second Mail I receive from Mexico
day of Mexico's Aviation Week. The cover bears a 20-centa- 3,000 stamps were issued, and Mexico, and the earliest- cover includes a slogan that City requires eight to 14 days
vo stamp and a purple cachet promoting Aviation Week. it has always been a pricey recorded examples date from ties in nicely with the airmail in transit to arrive. •
 20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 22, 1999

Recent Mexican stamp promote conservation

The Mexican postal system has made a de- Conservation, one of the major initiatives in- Smaller than the jaguar, the ocelot's spotted
liberate and continuing effort since 1990 to volved in the conservation efforts. pelt is also highly sought after, and the animal
support the cause of conservation, both of The conservation focus in this case is the is known to have been used in various rites by
species in danger of extinction and of the habi- Lacandano Forest, a traditional home of the the prehispanic cultures.
tats where they thrive. jaguar and one of the tracts being designated The ocelot is portrayed on the stamp (1946)
If you scan the Mexican section of the Scott for wildlife preservation. illustrated in Figure 3. It was issued Dec. 4,
1995. By that time, Mexico had developed its
peso and the denomination is stated in new pe-
Mexico UNIDOS PARA LA CONSERVACION 1992 sos, 180 pesos. TIEV printed 300,000 stamps.
By Dale Pulver I find the design attractive, but the main in-
scription lacks clarity.
With the exception of a sheet issued in 1993
Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, you will containing 24 different designs, nearly all
find many stamps calling attention to conser- Mexican stamps touting the conservation
vation. I think that they are some of the most theme are in a large format, 48 millimeters by
attractive Mexican stamps to be issued in re- 40mm. The stamps produced by TIEV were
cent years. perforated gauge 141/2 and those by Amate
I focused on a 1993 Mexican stamp pictur- were perforated slightly less than gauge 10.
ing the quetzel (Scott 1838) in the Mexico col- The Amate perforations are rougher and not
umn in the April 1994 issue of Linn's. This BERRENDOS 13nn always well aligned.
BOB KUHN AMATE 1 V V PESOS
bird, a beautiful denizen of the tropical rain Mexico's Conservation series stamps and
forests, has an uncertain future because of con- their usages could be the basis for an interest-
tinuing destruction of its natural habitat. Figure 2. A painting of pronghorns by Bob ing topical display. And this theme easily could Figure 3. An ocelot is featured on Mexico
In this column, I will feature three more of Kuhn is pictured on a 1992 Mexican stamp. be extended using stamps of other countries. Conservation postage stamp issued in 199
my favorite stamps from this Conservation se- The United Nations has promoted this theme most Mexican commemoratives, they will n
ries. Figure 1 shows the 1991 Conservation This stamp was produced at Mexico's main too. And I'm sure other countries have done so be abundant in on-paper mixtures. I am to
stamp (1696) that portrays a jaguar (Panthera government printing plant, T.1.E.V. (Talleres de as well. The subjects portrayed, various Mexican kiloware is not a great source for cu
onca). Although I would have appreciated in- Impression de Estampillas y Valores). Accord- wildlife forms, would fit nicely in other the- rent commemoratives.
ing to the official release information, 1 mil-
scriptions and text in a larger font, it still is an matic collections. This also begs another question. With SW
lion stamps were issued. I can also vouch that these Mexican stamps limited printings, does the conservation me
The denomination is 1,000 pesos, the first- are immensely popular with young collectors. sage really get out to the general public? Wha
class rate for a domestic letter at the time. It's not too difficult to obtain unused stamps ever the answer, the stamps do signal a reco,
In 1992, the subject chosen for the conser- from new-issue dealers. Used stamps are quite nition at high government levels of the need f
vation message on a stamp was the pronghorn another story. The problem here is that with conservation efforts. And that may be the mo
deer (Antilocapra americana), or prongbuck, printings of 300,000, which is a normal run for important result of their existence. •
as it is sometimes called. This graceful animal
was once plentiful in the western United States
and throughout the elevated plains of Mexico.
But its numbers have been severely reduced,
again by hunting and loss of habitat.
The 1992 stamp (1778), shown in Figure 2,
was produced by Amate Mexico, one of the
contractors used by Mexico to print stamps in
recent years. The design is from a painting by
American artist Bob Kuhn showing a group of
Figure 1.A jaguar is shown on a 1991 Mexi- five pronghorns in a desert setting. The value
can stamp issued to promote conservation. was 1,300p, reflecting Mexico's continuing in-
flation. A total of 300,000 stamps were issued.
elegant design. The subject seems suspended This stamp design was, in my view, much
with a three-dimensional quality. more successful than the Jaguar stamp. The in-
The jaguar, the largest member of the cat, scriptions are well positioned, clear and emi-
family native to Central American forests, was nently readable.
once plentiful and played a significant role in The final stamp in my selection was issued
the culture of the prehispanic residents of the in 1995 and calls attention to one of the most
area. Its pelt has always been highly prized, beloved mammals of Central America, the
and today its numbers are declining. ocelot (Felis pardalis). It, too, is a member of
The main inscription on the stamp, "Unidos the cat family and once lived in forests that ex-
Para La Conservacion," stands for United for tended from Texas to Paraguay.
 50 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 26, 1999

Franklin Roosevelt and Mexican philately

Prompted by the release of 1945, just as World War Il was able and worthy pastime. stamps and proceeded to mark
Linn 's new book, Franklin D. drawing to a close. After FDR's death, the Roo- them on the back with the EXPOSICION RPUSICION
IIM1111138114
Roosevelt: the Stamp-Collect- Practically everyone in sevelt family decided that Roosevelt collection prove- FILATCLICA
11111EIRTOK
FILATEUCA
NIVA YORK
MAYO a 25 ,1941
ing President by Brian C. America knew of his interest since the late president de- nance. MAYO 1/15•1347

Baur, I decided that FDR's in stamps, and no doubt he rived so much enjoyment and I believe that it is Ideal COPPED 25 CORREO UN
connections to Mexican stamp provided inspiration to thou- relaxation from his stamps, Stamp Co.'s handstamp illus- AEREO AEREO
trated in Figure 2. MEXICO CTYS
-TAU IATATT 717 WV of 7, .7 7,7,Ats.K77,7.7, TA
PESO
MEXICO YEW
, T VAL.,. MEM,

This was a ploy to sell low-

Mexico value stamps at inflated prices Figure 4. Two airmail stamps from Mexico's 1947 Cente-
By Dale Pulver to collectors coveting stamps nary International Philatelic Exhibition set depict President
previously owned by the pres- Franklin Roosevelt and a stamp from Mexico's first issue.
ident of the United States.
collecting might be worth ex- Other dealers did this too. them — they were picked out Figure 3 shows the 10c sur-
ploring. Ideal Stamp even published of American Philatelic Soci- face-mail-rate stamp that was
The two stamps illustrated a catalog of what stamps were ety circuit books. But what in- printed in a yellow-brown col-
in Figure I would be consid- available. teresting souvenirs I have of or (826). Although a half mil-
ered by experienced collectors So I suspect my two stamps the golden age of stamp col- lion of this denomination
of Mexico to be common and followed this route into the lecting, when even a U.S. were printed, its popularity
ordinary. Figure 1. These two common Mexican stamps of 1934 are stamp market. True, I had to president took time from his and heavy usage combined to
The stamp shown on the left from the collection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. pay a bit more than 15¢ for heavy responsibilities to enjoy drive its catalog value to the
in Figure 1 is the 10-centavo the hobby. highest for any stamp in the
Cross of Palenque design in the right thing to do was to Roosevelt's avowal of the set. In the 1999 Scott catalog,
violet from the general issue sell his philatelic holdings so Good Neighbor Policy shortly it is listed at $1.65 mint and
NTERNACt ()NAL
of 1934 (Scott 712). The Scott others could enjoy them too. after assuming office won $1 used.
Standard Postage Stamp Cat- The H.R. Harmer firm in widespread admiration among The two airmail stamps de-
alogue gives a used copy of New York City was chosen to the Latin American nations. picting Roosevelt are in a hor-
the stamp its minimum cata- dispense the collection and During WWII, Roosevelt's izontal format. The 25c value
log value, 150. did so in four sales conducted meeting with Mexico's presi- is blue-violet (C167). The 1 p
Pictured on the right in Fig- between February and De- dent Avila Comancho at Mon- denomination was printed in
ure 1 is the 1-peso airmail Figure 2. A handstamp stat- cember 1946. terrey in 1943 did much to as- two colors, carmine and blue
stamp from the same general ing that the stamp is from Many items, such as proofs suage the sour relations pre- (C169). Figure 4 shows the
issue (C72). It likewise cata- President Roosevelt's collec- and complete mint sets, were vailing between the two coun- two stamps.
logs at 150. tion is on the reserve of the lotted individually, but much tries as a result of the oil ex- Both had printings of
What sets these stamps stamp shown on the right in of the material was sold in propriation act in 1938. 250,000. They currently cata-
apart is that they purport to be Figure 1.A similar overprint bulk lots. So, when the Centenary In- log 90¢ mint, 50¢ used, and
from the collection of one of also appears on the reverse It was estimated that Roo- ternational Philatelic Exhibi- $1.25 mint, 400 used, respec-
America's best-known stamp of the other Figure 1 stamp. sevelt had more than 20,000 tion in New York City came tively.
collectors, Franklin D. Roo- stamps in 30 albums when he around in May 1947, Mexico's The other two stamps in
sevelt. It says so on the back sands to pursue the hobby entered the White House in set of five stamps honoring this 1947 set show the Mexi-
of the stamps. When I began collecting 1933, and the collection grew that event included two verti- can coat of arms and the U.S.
Each bears the handstamp stamps as a youngster in 1938, immensely while he was in of- Figure 3. Mexico pictured cal-format stamps portraying 10¢ black stamp of 1847 (2).
illustrated in Figure 2. my parents felt that if the fice. Franklin Roosevelt on this the late stamp-collecting pres- An imperforate subvariety
How this handstamp came president of the United States One enterprising firm, the stamp issued in 1947 for an ident together with a facsimile exists of the 30c airmail
about makes for an interesting collected stamps in his spare Ideal Stamp Co., bought some international stamp exhibi- of a 15c stamp from Mexico's (C168). Although this may be
story. Roosevelt died in April time, it had to be an accept- of these large lots of cheap tion held in New York City. first issue of 1856. one of the many cases of res-
cued printer's waste, it has al- sevelt. One 1947 airmail
ways had a high catalog value, stamp from Monaco (C16) de-
now listed at $325 for a pair. picts Roosevelt working on
The Roosevelt stamps, even his collection.
though they are well past 50 I would be interested in
years old, are still readily hearing from collectors who
available from dealers in may own Mexican stamps that
Mexican stamps or from cir- were formerly in the FDR col-
cuit books. lection. He had a good collec-
The Roosevelt theme cer- tion of Mexico.
tainly can be developed with Have you inspected the
stamps from other countries. back of all your stamps lately?
Monaco, for example, issued You may have one of these
several stamps honoring Roo- souvenirs and not know it. ■
 36 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 24, 1999

Examining a V-Mail letter from Mexico

At my club's recent show, the Garfield-Perry GIs by V-Mail, though he, too, was unaware of
7."
, ......."":=1"7.=.11===7.===== •7
March Party held March 12-14 in Cleveland, I 3V— —4"
any letters originating outside of the United
made the perfunctory round of dealers hoping States.
to find something useful for my various Mexi- Graham also was able to determine the loca-
,„.-...gi-
aii.—... A.4_z_v__
can collections.
Rarely do I uncover anything really great,
V MAIL tion of the addressee from WWII references he
possesses. The 421st Squadron, 504th Bomb .
_t_t_A_
....................■ (.
./

n u /A/

.rov
irrAJ, /tort Group, to which Hynds was assigned was lo-
cated on the island of Tinian in the Marianas
, - d ,_ t .
i f. , i44
- tvtr --1
.,_?_ ,.
j.

Mexico Y.21"- J..

2v a", /g. group.
k• .
By Dale Pulver Ja. 7.4.444 According to Graham's source, the 504th qyr„
. .ll
i. f kst Ni' ' 7'3 1 t f ii

, -,.. z. .z ,,
1,q1-r-!. ,,.
was based at the north airfield from Oct. 29,
1/3
1944, to June 24, 1946. It flew bombing raids
4. I-44f,,.c.
but occasionally I do find something that pro- with B-29s over Japan and nearby islands the .sic
•r ,,t. 6..„c ( tl , ,_
vides a story for this column. Such was the Japanese still occupied.
case this year.
Figure 1 illustrates the item, a 1945 V-Mail
%Ma mule. porsialee • awe* rapid meant of tiamoratatket. II addremad le 14
116= .ban phioroqrophiro rake le not 1.b1. 4.arioinel Wt.. .41f be
.,ended by Oro nu, .aped.. roma
This proved an exciting revelation for me. It
was from this same airfield that Lt. Col. Paul
*V ltg.N4n7-c. 4 vt !
r. ,, • i. .4 i4 ? .7.4-',.. . .. -t
:..

/ ,,rfri4r4qf .- ri P
letter that originated in Mexico City. It is ad- I NNNNN CTIOPIIS
( I ) Write rot rotn message plainly roi roe ether role ..MM nevi "I ,rora
Tibbets and his crew flew the Enola Gay, a t`" /
dressed to an Air Force master sergeant in care specially equipped B-29, to drop the world's /
12) Pilaf Nu roue taif Nate.. i. the roe grout proinaeal arreiretrot d niereberi
. /
of Nie Armed Five. Jetuld show full nu, cereal.. *Ina, eta /taro] . /
of a San Francisco APO (Army post office). addreta iroluifoo erode at ••■ •• ■ mania, .14 Oa attioroil o. first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hi- /
Although not obvious from the return ad- atroalroal awl army peat office in c.c. of Or appropriate pstroroVer
roshima Aug. 6, 1945. /
appropriate fleet pa. *Woe.

dress — the names are different — it is a letter Ill Fold. watt esel o any pant Arra letter drop Or 0401 Mn. I don't presume any connection between this NW All MO IOND • I ONIIRM
from a mother to her son scolding him for not
frolteene teen net be pled $4., ))). ,
letter and that historic event. Tibbets was com- 4000, ""----- V -. AIL -..2...ff.
(4) VAlail 1 may be 6.10 fn. d pe)taga by numberotti An.d
Wl.r, rota mander of the 509th Composite Bomb Group,
writing more frequently and asking for news of be
by oniun pistrooe mien he prepaid at rataioetic neat ilk anfileory
dairreal ohm moiled M Oat u. Li
his condition and well-being. and their raid was two and a half months after Figure 2. The message portion of the V-Mail
The letter is properly franked for delivery in the date of this letter. But the fact that Master letter shown in Figure 1. The circle for the
the United States with Mexico's 25-centavo Sgt. Hynds may have been at the same base as censor's mark in the upper left is blank.
brown Allegory of Flight stamp, Scott C141, the Tibbets' crew is nonetheless interesting. sage for a censor's mark, but this is blank. This
that had been issued the previous year, 1944. Figure 1. This V-Mail letter was sent from I feel that there may still be unanswered blank circle can be seen at the top right of the
This V-Mail letter immediately raised sever- Mexico in 1945 and bears an airmail stamp. questions about this V-Mail cover. If it did in- letter in Figure 2.
al questions. The letter is opened partially to show the in- deed follow the path of an ordinary letter for And finally, could the letter have been inter-
Was it legitimate? It is the first instance I structions on the back, as well as the front. delivery, it is remarkably well preserved for cepted and returned to sender in a government
have encountered of a V-Mail letter from Mex- having traveled halfway around the world and envelope as being an illegal use? I don't think
ico, although the dealer from whom I bought it at the San Francisco APOs. back again.
I also was curious about the address and this was likely, but when you're guessing, one
had two others in his stock, each directed to a There is a penciled notation, "LT 74/4-5," on tries to think of all angles.
different person. where Master Sgt. Robert H. Hynds might an inside flap, that neither Graham nor I can
have been located in May 1945. Readers who may be able to shed further
This one seemed most interesting to me be- explain. Could it have been docketing applied light on this interesting piece of Mexican
cause of the address, so I chose it over the oth- Thankfully, my good friend and fellow at the V-Mail processing office? Was this an in- postal history are encouraged to drop me a
er two. Linn's columnist Richard B. Graham was able dication that the original letter, after micro- line. Write to Dale Pulver, in care of Linn's,
I also wondered if this letter had been mi- to help me out on some of my puzzlement. filming, was not destroyed? Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. I will acknowledge
crofilmed and handled the way V-Mail was First, Graham confirmed that there were And what about censoring? I know ordinary all communications. •
supposed to be, and then perhaps spirited many cases where V-Mail letters were sent letters from Mexico were censored at the time
through the back door of the processing center without microfilming, in some instances, by this one was mailed. Perhaps, with the war
by a zealous stamp collector? Or was it sent on design of the participants. winding down, this precaution was no longer
as an ordinary letter? And if so, why no cen- He added that, as far as he knew, there was deemed necessary. The V-Mail form itself pro-
soring? Certainly there were V-Mail facilities no limitation on who could write to overseas vided a special space above the written mes-
 26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 28, 1999

Mexico's late 19th-century postal markings

This month I'll continue the exploration of the required endorsement would be written by in the 1895-98 Mail Transportation series.
Mexican postal markings that. I began in my hand. Bridge handstamps were devised for other
Mexico column in the Jan. 25 Linn's. During the transition years, from the mid- post office chores and were so inscribed. They
The time frame will embrace the last two 1870s to 1890, the majority of new official and marked lower mail classes as well as mail di-
decades of the 1800s, when the Mexican postal canceling handstamps were ovals. Various rected to foreign addressees (servicio interna-
system was undergoing wrenching changes to styles and sizes are recorded. These postmarks cional). Figure 5 shows two stamps bearing
are eminently collectible, bridge datestamps, one with the international
and they show up beauti- mail designation and the other inscribed "pa-
Mexico quete postal" (parcel post) in the center and
right, respectively.
By Dale Pulver
Special datestamps existed for urban deliv-
Figure 4. Two Mexican stamps with bridge- ery and night mail.
keep pace with the modernization dictated by type cancels from 1895. The stamp on the As population and mail volume grew, larger
Mexico's president, Porfirio Diaz. left is from Monterrey. The one on the right towns, and especially Mexico City, found it
To recap from the January column, the cum- is from Muzquiz (now Melchor Muzquiz). necessary to establish branch post offices.
bersome overprinting system used since the years to come. Figure 3 shows a tracing of it, This bridge cancel format, with and without
first Mexican stamps of 1856 was abandoned Figure 2. ()sal handstamps were used in and Figure 4 shows two stamps from the mid- vertical bars, and in various sizes, endured well
in 1883. Mexican post offices from the mid-1870s to 1890s with centered strikes. This handstamp into the 20th century. I've seen it used as late
Attempts to standardize cancelers and postal 1890. These examples are from two small vil- has been named the "bridge-type" datestamp as 1945, and there may well be later examples.
markers, underway since 1872, had made lage post offices, Hecelchakun and Topia. owing to the bridgelike appearance of the two Hundreds of other handstamps in various
progress, but many smaller post offices contin- semicircular segments between the dater panel shapes and sizes were employed during the last
ued to use the crude but quaint devices from fully on the orange and vermilion stamps of the and the inside ring. days of the 19th century, and it can be fun
earlier times. numeral issue of 1886-90. Figure 2 depicts This canceler format slowly took its place in searching for them too.
Perhaps the most profound change occurred representative examples from two small vil- post offices throughout the republic. On the All of the examples illustrated with this arti-
with the reorganization of the postal bureau- lages, Hecelchakun in the state of Campece two stamps in Figure 4, the datestamp was cle are from my small collection of socked-on-
cracy. In place of a regional hierarchy, as had and Topia in the state of Durango. used from a large office, Monterrey, which the-nose stamps that I have been gathering for
existed from colonial times, new pyramids of Most stamps of this
authority were drawn strictly within state era bear at least a por-
boundaries. tion of the oval can-
Initially, three levels of offices were estab- celer, and a few ex-
lished: "oficinas principales" (administrative hibit well-centered
offices in the state capitals), "estafetas" (ad- strikes. The office
ministrative sub-offices), and "agencias" seal is rarely found
(small town offices). used on stamps.
The estafeta category was eventually The 1880s saw a
dropped, and the subordinate offices were des- Figure 3. A tracing marked increase of
ignated local administrations. of a handstamp used oval cancelers
Ideally, each post office received three hand- in Mexico starting in equipped with daters.
stamps: One to mark official communications, 1888. This circular While most of the
another to indicate payment of postage and datestamp is known large offices had used
cancel stamps, and a third to designate regis- as the bridge type. dated cancelers all
tered letters. Figure 1 show typical examples of along, the sub-offices Figure 5. A Mexican route agent's cancel used aboard a train is shown on the left. Show n in
the three types. and agencies were quite apt to omit this fea- the center and right are cancels used for foreign-bound mail and parcel post, respectively.
The first type usually included a designation ture. But as railroads spread across the country,
of the office status — principal, administrative the movement of mail became easier and then had a population of about 35,000, and many years. For the most part, these stamps
or agency. quicker, and it seems the post office took a from a much smaller Muzquiz (now Melchor cost pennies, far out of proportion to the inter-
It took a long time to convert to the new measure of pride in substantiating its faster de- Muzquiz) that was then home to fewer than est and pleasure they have provided me. ea.
handstamps with the consequence that small livery times. 3,000 souls. I suspect many collectors do not pay much
offices were, as noted, obliged to use their old Around 1888, a circular datestamp appeared Also during this era more and more instruc- attention to the inscriptions found in the post-
handstamps. If they lacked a registry marker, that was to become a standard design for many tional and directional handstamps appeared. classic cancellations. But they can reveal a
With the expanding role of railroads in the great deal about the postal duty the stamps pro-
conveyance of mail, route agents were put vided and are, in my opinion, every bit as in-
aboard and were provided with self-designat- teresting as the early ones.
ing handstamps to use on mail delivered di- If you are looking for something to collect
rectly to the mail cars. The stamp on the right that doesn't require a huge bankroll to fund, try
in Figure 5 shows a 5-centavo Mulita bearing bull's-eye strikes of turn-of-the-century can-
an agent's cancel. The inscription "Ag. Post cels.
*6" stands for Postal Agent 6. Although not There is great variety and reasonable chal-
visible, I believe the lower inscription named lenge. To assist you, try to obtain a copy of
Figure 1. The three types of handstamps used by Mexican post offices in the late 1800s: the the Zacatecas-Chihuahua railroad as the line Karl Schimmer's 1977 book — The Postmarks
example on the right was for official communications; the one in the middle was for can- on which this agent operated. of Mexico: 1874-1900. It is the definitive work
celing stamps and donating payment; the one on the left was for registered letters. The Mulitas ("little mules") are the stamps on the subject. •
 14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 26, 1999

Mexican stamps honor artist Diego Rivera

For two and a half months this spring, works easel painting from a later era showing a nude
of art by Diego Rivera were on display in against a background of flowers. Figure 3 il-
ARTE PICTORICO MEXICO $110
Cleveland, Ohio, near where I live. lustrates this 80p stamp. Rivera created several
In the world of art, Rivera is perhaps Mexi- similar works with this flower theme in the
co's best known native son. The exhibit at the middle years of his career when he also ac-
Cleveland Museum of Art included 120 exam- cepted a number of portrait commissions. At
the time of this work (1944), he had been
named professor at the National School of
Mexico Painting and Sculpture, and he was exerting
considerable influence on the Mexican art
By Dale Pulver
movement.
The subject of the high value of the 1986 set
pies of his prolific output, providing a rare op- is the central portion of one of Rivera's great DIEGO RIVERA
SUENO DE UNA TARDE DOMINICAL
portunity to view masterpieces from public as murals titled Suena de Una Tarde Dominical EN LA ALAMEDA CENTRAL - 1947
T.1.8.11 1986
well as private collections. en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday af-
Rivera's art also is abundantly reproduced ternoon in the Alemeda). In this somewhat au-
Figure 4. A controversial mural by Diego
on the postage stamps of Mexico, although he tobiographical and satirical work, he empha-
Rivera is reproduced on this stamp issued
did not live long enough to see it so utilized. sizes the contests between the disparate groups
by Mexico in 1986. The mural originally in-
He was born in Guanajuato in 1886, one of that make up Mexican society. This fresco
cluded words saying that God doesn't exist.
twin boys (his brother Jose Carlos died in measures 5 meters by 15 meters.
1888). After his family moved to Mexico City Many of Rivera's murals were so controver- fresco was later completely destroyed. (Rivera
in 1892, his aptitude for art was nurtured at the Figure 2. Diego Rivera's cubist painting of a sial that they spawned virulent criticism and espoused communism his entire life.)
Academia de San Carlos from 1898 to 1905. Zapatista landscape is reproduced on this sometimes noisy demonstrations by those who In 1947, when a mural commissioned for a
The following year, Rivera entered 26 works 50-peso stamp released by Mexico in 1986. believed they were unfairly portrayed or who Mexico City hotel was found to contain fine
in the annual art competition of his alma mater disagreed with his depicted philosophies. print to the effect that God does not exist,
before embarking (in 1907) on a 14-year so- easel paintings, including many portraits. In one famous incident involving a mural, demonstrations by the devout against Rivera
journ to Europe to cultivate his considerable His style was unmistakable, reflecting keen when Rivera was commissioned to paint in the were so disorderly that the archbishop of Mex-
talents. insights on his revolutionary ideals and an un- lobby of the new Rockefeller Center (1933), he ico had to intervene.
His years abroad were defining, not only canny ability to portray vividly the earthy refused to remove the figure of Lenin he had
This is the Dream mural shown on the afore-
with respect to his artistic versatility but also lifestyles of the masses. incorporated into the work. The project was
mentioned 1986 stamp. The mural was
his lifestyle preferences. If my count is correct, his work is the sub- halted by the Rockefellers, and the unfinished
screened from public view for eight years until
He joined the cubist movement of Pablo Pi- ject of at least 17 Mexican stamps, beginning Rivera agreed to modify the offending text.
casso. Eventually, however, he broke with Pi- in 1965 with a commemorative honoring revo-
lutionary patriot Jose Morelos (Scott 967). For those collectors who dote on art-topical
casso and the cubists as his art form took a dif-
ferent turn. A year later, outline sketches of athletes by ARTE PICTORICO stamps, Rivera's work thus illustrated would
While in Europe, stormy relationships with Rivera were chosen for the first of several spe- form a wonderful basis on which to develop a
at least two women set a pattern he was to fol- cial issues promoting the 1968 Olympics (974, number of themes. Probably no other Mexican
low with the opposite sex for the rest of his 975, C318-20). artist became so competent or recognized in
Several more stamps reproducing Rivera's diverse styles and mediums as did Rivera. With
life.
Rivera returned to Mexico in 1921 bringing work appeared during the 1970s and 1980s. compatriots David Siqueros and Jose Orosco,
with him a soaring artistic reputation and defi- The subject matter invariably focused on Mex- the mural art form, especially in Mexico, was
ican patriots and heroic events, and most of the elevated to heights never before achieved. It
nite ideas on the direction Mexican art should
designs for these stamps were excerpted from was art to be appreciated by the masses and al-
take. His first important commissions were
his many murals. ways carried a forceful message.
murals, for which he ultimately gained endur-
ing fame. He also continued to produce notable Over his lifetime, he also painted numerous Here's another opportunity for an interesting
self-portraits. The stamp shown in Figure 1 re- thematic at modest cost. Mexico's art ;tamps
produces a self-portrait Rivera created in 1954 are readily available and quite attractive. If you
when he was 68 years old, three years before are interested in further details of Rivera's life,
his death. there are two excellent biographies, one old
One thing that could always be said of and one new. The Fabulous Life of Diego
Rivera was that he painted true to life, as Rivera by Bertram Wolfe (1963) is a near con-
demonstrated here. The self-portrait reflects temporary account by a man who knew and
the wear and tear of his many years and his traveled with Rivera. Dreaming With His Eyes
lifestyle excesses. This self-portrait stamp was Figure 3. This 80-peso Mexican stamp de- Open — A Life of Diego by Patrick Marnham
issued in 1986 on the 100th anniversary of his picts a painting by Diego Rivera of a nude (1998) examines the man and his art from the
birth. with flowers. The painting is from 1944. perspective of a later generation. •
Earlier that same year, the Mexican postal
service began a series of pictorial art stamps
honoring Mexican artists. The first set of three
stamps was dedicated to the art of Rivera, and
the examples selected were some of his great-
est works.
The first stamp in the series is shown in Fig-
ure 2. This 50-peso stamp reproduces a 1915
painting by Rivera titled Paisaje Zapatista (Za-
patista landscape). This work was painted in
the cubist style, while Rivera was still in Paris.
Figure 1. Diego Rivera painted this self-por- Its elements reflect aspects of the Mexican rev-
trait when he was 68 years old. Mexico is- olution, then in full swing, and for which
sued the stamp in 1986 to commemorate the Rivera had begun to show great sympathies.
100th anniversary of the artist's birth. The second stamp in the set depicts a typical
 22 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 23, 1999

The risks and hazards of 19th-century mails

The subject of securing and profitably disposed of in a August of 1856 represented a In my search for similar
safeguarding the mails in number of ways. face value equal to 4,905 pe- items, I have stumbled on sev-
19th-century Mexico has al- The postal authorities came sos, a huge sum of money in eral other examples.
ways fascinated me. up with a clever scheme to those days. One, a stampless letter from
Historical accounts of life protect the revenue represent- But the overprinting regula- the early 1850s, shows how
in that vast and provincial ed by these adhesives. tion wasn't uniformly followed. the mails became a pawn in
While most offices obeyed the struggle for power by op-
the directive to the letter, a posing parties. An endorse-
Mexico few others, usually small of-
fices, misunderstood or ig-
ment similar to the one in Fig-
ure 2 states that the letter was
By Dale Pulver
nored the rules and sold delayed because it was held
stamps without the district up by "the protesters" of the
land during the mid-1800s re- names. other side.
veal that communication and Examples of such stamps When the French-supported
travel between the large popu- must be identified by cancel- monarchy was in power, 1864-
lation centers was a hazardous lations from places known to 67, letters within and between
and chancy business. have done this. cities and towns strongly con-
Madame Calderon de la Postal records show that trolled by Maximilian's forces
Barca writes in her epic book, some stamp shipments were usually moved quickly and se-
Life in Mexico, that her exten- lost (presumed stolen) en curely. But out on the fringes
sive travels during the 1840s route to their destinations. I of royalist control, the situa-
were always under the watch- am unaware of any proven in- tion could be quite different.
ful eyes of protective compan- stance where such stamps I have an interesting letter
ions or armed escorts. were used illicitly, although it mailed from Silao to Guanaju-
Figure 1. This Mexican first- ato in April 1866. The writer
She and other writers of her would be hard to tell if this
issue stamp shows the vali- laments that there is no mail
era have described the ever- were so. Figure 2. The endorsement on the flap of this 1859 Mexican
dating name overprint from collection between Silao and
present dangers of bandits and One of my favorite covers letter translates to, "This letter was opened by bandits on
Chihuahua above the value. in my first-design collection La Piedad, some 85 miles
highwaymen that preyed on the road." The letter was recovered and delivered by the
travelers and merchants trans- They decreed that stamps speaks to the risks and dan- southwest of Guanajuato, ow- Puebla post office, as indicated by the oval handstamp.
porting goods in the interior. shipped to the various princi- gers of mail transport in mid- ing to skirmishes between
19th-century Mexico. It is il- royalist forces and the liberals the prevalence of duplicates The cumbersome overprint-
1 read the contents of all the pal postal district offices
would have no franking power lustrated in Figure 2. under Juarez. directed by different routings, ing system was abandoned as
old Mexican letters I acquire.
The handwritten message The letterwriter advises that it must have been substantial. the postal system underwent
Many examples I have are du- until overprinted with the
on the back flap of this folded mail addressed to his brother After Juarez succumbed in reorganization. And, a nation-
plicates or triplicates of the name of the receiving district.
In theory, lost or stolen letter reads (translated from at La Piedad should be sent to 1872 and Porfirio Diaz rose to wide police force maintained
same message sent by alterna-
Spanish) "This letter was him, and a mozo (house boy power in 1876, the issue of order so stagecoaches and
tive routings to guarantee that stamps would be worthless.
Figure 1 shows an 1856 opened by bandits on the or messenger) will deliver it. communications became one trains could move unmolested.
at least one made it through. By the end of the century,
first-issue stamp with a clear road." , It seems that locals could of the government's chief pri-
This is but one means used to
Obviously it had been in pass freely through the lines, orities, with the speed and se- mail service in Mexico was as
insure written communication. name overprint demonstrating
but not the official mailman. curity of the mails improving safe and reliable as it ever had
When Mexico's post office the procedure followed. This some sort of pouch that was ri-
immensely. been. ■
decided to use stamps to con- overprint is from Chihuahua. fled by robbers looking for There is no way to estimate
firm the payment of postage, it The consequence of such a valuables. The oval marking in how much mail was lost to
no doubt had the bandit/high- measure is evident when you the lower-left corner indicates these dangers of the highway
wayman danger in mind, too. consider that the first ship- that the letter was subsequent- and ended up being undeliv-
Stamps were like money and, if ment of stamps to the large ly recovered and delivered by ered. Judging from references
stolen, could undoubtedly be district office of Veracruz in the post office in Puebla. I have seen within letters and
44 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 11, 1999

Postcards show Mexican interurban

I found interesting material dressed to United States desti-
to add to my Mexico collec- nations and bear 2-centavo
tions at the American Philatel- frankings of Mexico's 1903
ic Society's Stampshow Aug. Coat of Arms stamps. The
26-29 in Cleveland. first, mailed in 1908, goes to
I acquired not only a few the writer's sister in Geneseo,
Ill. As shown in Figure 2, it
bears a single 2c green stamp
Mexico (Scott 305).
The short message on the
By Dale Pulver
card reads: "Dear Sis — We
are now in Mexico. I never
gems from the classic era but seen anything like it. Am
also some inexpensive items well."
that appear to have stories be- The second card is ad-
hind them. dressed to Delaware, Ohio. It
The postcard shown front Figure 1. The front of a postcard showing a Mexican in- bears a pair of the 1c violet
and back in Figures 1 and 2 is terurban railcar route between Matamoros and Santa Cruz. Coat of Arms stamps (304) to
one of these finds. make up the 2c franking.
From the philatelic stand- There is no message except
point, it is unquestionably a the brief endorsement on the
pedestrian item, but the view front: "12/14th 1906 D.T.
it portrays captured my atten- Williams."
tion and curiosity. It's not a Both cards were printed in
great photograph to begin the United States, and they ap-
with, and certain details may pear to have been promoted by
not show up in the illustration local drugstores. The caption
here. on the Figure 1 card is in
The card features the in- Spanish and includes the
terurban railcar route that ran wording "Botica Nueva" (New
between Matamoros and San- Pharmacy). The second card
ta Cruz, two neighboring has a caption in English men-
Mexican towns just across the tioning Williams Pharmacy.
Rio Grande from Brownsville, I could not place the exact
Texas. location of Santa Cruz, but I
The car, which has departed Figure 2. The reverse of the Figure 1 postcard, mailed to the suppose it must have been a
the primitive station shown at United States in 1908 with a 2-centavo Coat of Arms stamp. small village or settlement not
left, is a hundred yards or so a stamp bourse a few years the stops along the route. I can too far from Matamoros and
down the right-hand tracks. ago that gives a clearer picture count 13 people, passengers, of such importance that a
Horses grazing on the open of the interurban in question. operators and onlookers. rapid transit connection could
range and a group of build- Figure 3 pictures the front A rather forlorn-looking be justified.
ings can be seen in the dis- of this card. It shows the rail- mule is hitched to the starkly By now, I assume it has
tance. car with a complement of appointed railcar. been assimilated within the
This card pairs up with a well-dressed passengers pre- The two cards have much in urban sprawl of Matamoros,
similar postcard I picked up at sumably ready to leave one of common. Both were ad- with a population today ap-
 Figure 3. This postcard showing the Matamoros-Santa Cruz
railway was sent to the United States. It bears no message.
proaching a half million. noting the amount due from
The current postal zone the addressee (2 reales = 250
guide for Mexico assigns a U.S.). Full prepayment was
separate code number (87370) not possible at the time.
for Santa Cruz within the Incidentally, the "H." pre-
Matamoros regional postal ceding the name in the post-
district (87300). mark stands for "Heroica," a
Matamoros has had an in- term denoting heroism, loyal-
teresting history, including ty and patriotism during the
events of postal significance. American incursion of 1846.
It was founded in 1765 as San Matamoros is one of only
Juan de los Esteros Her-
manos, a cattle ranching
colony far from the main- . MA TAMOROS
stream of Mexican culture and
commerce.
IMMININOMMINIA
It was renamed in 1826 af-
ter a Mexican hero of the War Figure 4. This boxed post-
of Independence, Maiiano mark of Mitamoros,ittexi-
Matamoros. The city became, co, was used on some Civil
with its coastal sister town War blockade covers.
Bagdad, an important port of
entry in northern Mexico. four Mexican towns bestowed
Gen. Zachary Taylor began this honorific designation.
his invasion of Mexico in Today, Matamoros is one of
1846 through Matamoros, and the main entry points along the
several early battles were U.S.-Mexican border. It is the
fought in the area. home of more than 80 firms
The town gained even more that assemble U.S. goods from
fame and prosperity during U.S.-supplied parts without
the U.S. Civil War when it imposition of custom duties by
served as a conduit for sup- either country. Matamoros also
plies and communications to is a terminus of the Union Pa-
the Confederate forces in cific Railroad.
Texas, thus circumventing the Bagdad disappeared long.
Union blockage of gulf ports. ago, the victim of hurricanes,
Several so-called blockade bandits and pirates.
covers are known bearing the As far as I know, there was
Matamoros boxed postmark never a post office in Santa
shown in Figure 4. Cruz, nor any evidence that
I have a pre-Civil War cov- the railcar plying the crooked
er from the United States di- tracks to Matamoros carried
rected to Zacatecas bearing any mail. But it's fun fantasiz-
this mark plus a large "2" de- ing that it might have. ■
52 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 22, 1999

Mexico's 1934-50 issue

A new series of general-is- lization in the state of Chia- Over the next 16 years,
sue postage stamps was intro- pas, adorns the 10c value. through 1950, the series con-
duced to the Mexican public The next three stamps in the tinued with the stamps that
coincident with the assump- series depict monuments Scott numbers with a low of C
tion of office by newly erected marking important events in 729 and a high of 851. There's
imp
Mexico
By Dale Pulver

president Lazaro Cardenas on

7
Dec. 1, 1934.

samunlioddo
This set includes some in-
teresting varieties and has
much to commend it for study
by a serious and persistent
collector.
Initially, 12 values from 1
centavo to 5 pesos, each with
a separate design, were is-
sued. Color changes occurred
with three of the original val-
ues, so the first listings for the
issue in the Scott Standard
Postage Stamp Catalogue Figure 1. Six of 12 designs of Mexico's regular issue of 1934
(Scott 707-20) show 15 major are shown here. The designs show aspects of Mexican culture.
varieties.
These engraved stamps call Mexican history. also the overprinted 728A.
attention to important aspects Independence monuments - In 1937, for reasons not en-
of Mexican culture. in Mexico City and Puebla tirely clear, but presumably
Figure 1 shows six of the 12 grace the 15c and 20c values, for economy, the much-used
designs. The 1 c, 10c, 15c, and the 30c depicts the monu- low-value stamps were re-
40c and 5p values are pic- ment to the child heroes of the drawn—in a smaller size,
tured. 1846-48 war with the United 171/2mm by 21mm.
The lc and 2c denomina- States. The new, smaller stamps
tions portray Indian women of The 40c stamp shows the were printed by photogravure
the Yalateca and Tehuana sacrificial stone of Tizoc. Pic- at the reorganized government
clans. tured on the 50c is the temple printing office, Talleres de
The 4c shows a huge arched wall at the ruins of Mitla Impression de Estampillas y
tower in central Mexico City (Oaxaca), center of the Za- Valores (TIEV), the same
that was to have been the cen- potec civilization. plant that prints some Mexi-
terpiece of a massive federal The bicolor 1p stamp has can stamps today.
palace envisioned by Presi- the Mexican coat-of-arms in The imprint at the bottom
dent Porfiro Diaz. brown and orange. The 5p de- of the new stamps reflects this
The project was abandoned, nomination depicts a man in change.
and, in 1935, the structure was the typical garb of a charro. This is the only instance I
renamed Arch of the Revolu- The stamp designs measure know of in Mexican philately
tion as a shrine to the 1910 about 20 millimeters by of using the same designs in
civil uprising that ousted Diaz. 26mm, and the first printing is two sizes.
The Tower of Los Remedios on paper watermarked The smaller stamps were
on the 5c stamp marked the "CORREOS MEXICO" and first printed on the "CORRE-
terminus of a 16th-century perforated 101/2. OS MEXICO" watermarked
aqueduct. The imprint at the base of paper, but the perforations
The cross of Palenque, a the design reads "Oficina Im- were punched to what was be-
relic of the lost Mayan civi- presora de Hacienda - Mexico." coming a new standard of

Mexico: varieties of 1934-50 regular issue

Designs: Scott A108-A119
Large, 20mm by 26mm Small, 17'/zmm by 21mm
Scott watermark type, wording approximately perf 101/2 approximately perf 14
No. 156 — Correos Mexico (1934-40) Scott 707-20, 728* (1937) Scott 729-33
No. 260 — Secretaria de Hacienda (1937) Scott 735 (1937) Scott 733B
— with lines
No. 272 — SHCP/Mexico + (1945-46) Scott 795A-800A (1944) Scott 784-88
eagle in 0
No. 279 -- Gobierno/Mexicano + (1947-50) Scott 846-51 (1947-50) Scott 837, 838, 840, 841, 844
eagle in 0
*10c violet with overprint "Primer Congreso Nal. de Higiene y Med. del Trabajo."

This table lists the watermark varieties found on stamps of Mexico's 1934-50 issue.
- — --
gauge 14. Legitimately used Official
Many subsequent printings stamps can be rather elusive,
of these stamps occurred in and covers bearing Official
the 16 years they were cur- stamp frankings are scarce.
rent. You should be alert when
Four different watermarked browsing through cheap cover
papers have been identified, boxes. A really worthwhile
which are defining features of find could be your reward.
the separate emissions. Although listed in Scott, it
Use of the watermark show- is alleged that the imperforate
ing the slanted "Secretaria de stamps of the large and small
Hacienda Mexico" between redrawn series, as well as
lines must have been acciden- some of the so-called rare col-
tal or a brief emergency mea- or varieties, slipped out the
sure because only two vari- back door of the printing of-
Figure 2. Poorly centered
eties are known with this wa- fice exclusively for sale to
stock was often used when
termark, and both are scarce collectors.
Mexico's 1934-50 issue
(Scott 733B and 735). These They were never sanctioned
stamps were overprinted for
are the only really expensive by the authorities or sold to
use as Officials. The 2c over-
stamps in the group. the public for general use.
printed stamp is shown here.
In the first series from Finally, postal rate revisions
1934, unwatermarked vari- enough, although the old- prompted the addition of new
eties exist, but they were not ,fashioned way with a safe flu- stamps that are usually
regularly issued. Most known id detector is effective too. grouped in this general-issue
examples are in used condi- This stamp series served as series. These include a 12c
tion. It is believed they were the basis for the last set of (790) from 1944; a 3c (805)
printed in 1936, just before Mexican Official stamps used from 1945; and an 8c 812)
the small stamps of 1937 to frank government corre- from 1946. All were printed in
came out and again they may spondence. The Officials, the small format.
represent a stop-gap measure. Scott Nos. 0224 to 0232, are The large size continued to
Because watermarks are so overprinted with the word be standard for the higher val-
important in identification of "OFICIAL" in a black, serif ue stamps.
the varieties and the listings typeface. I know of no one who has
are so scattered in fhe cata- Poorly centered stock often sffictied these srarips in depth.
logs, I devised a table that was used for the overprinting, But they are still plentiful and
may be helpful in sorting as shown by the 2c stamp pic- cheap, and they offer interest-
stamps of this issue. The table tured in Figure 2. ing opportunities for collectors
is shown nearby. Mint sets are rather easy to willing to invest the time and
To determine watermarks, I find. When I lived in Mexico effort in careful examination.
use a Signoscope, a German- during the 1960s, they were As with other long-running
made device that examines still available at the philatelic series, I would suspect many
stamps without immersion. window of the main post of- varieties remain undiscovered
This seems to work well fice at face value. or unreported. ■
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 27, 1999

President Roosevelt; V-mail; mule car line

By custom, I use the last umn. One example appeared Squadron. The 201st squadron, (Taiwan). In all, they flew Santa Cruz mule car line. raised in Brownsville, report-
column of the year as a chance to have been sent to a San which was made up entirely of nearly 100 missions. Michael Hart of Bur- ed that his mother recalls that
to recognize loyal readers who Francisco APO (Army post Mexican nationals, mostly If I could find a piece of lingame, Calif., sent color during the Great Depression
provide useful feedback that office) linked to a transfer sta- from the Mexican Air Force, mail to or from this group, it photocopies of some lovely and Prohibition, the "Norte-
often adds interesting back- tion for replacement troops received advanced training in could be the basis for a more postcards showing various americanos" would ride the
ground to the stories I write. headed to the Far East com- the United States and ulti- complete account of this inter- views of the car line. Whereas ferry and car line to Mata-
, . the one I illustrated in the arti- moros for 20 or 30 where they
411AIAT:R— I" cle had a one-mule hitch, two could buy beer for a nickel or
Mexico 11110
-also sli usi
of his cards showed fairly
elaborate open-side cars being
a shot of tequila for a dime.
According to notes on the
By Dale Pulver
o *3 010G‘-, ' ,,. , ,.„. A 0 drawn by two mules. reverse of Hart's postcards, the
t1111.1aDoortOs* ,s.., John Rowin answered the line was established in 1872.
This year provided another ,,,-.4Ezumanninis___c,..
IBItimi."...,,_ ...0
., .... . . _. , A question about Santa Cruz' lo- Wes Leatherock of Okla-
good crop of responses.
After the article on Franklin
assitlistslitsiva_. ,..,,,,.. •-•wi>, cation. Rowin lives in
McAllen, Texas, some 50
homa City surfed the Internet
and found out that plans were
Delano Roosevelt and Mexi- 111110111111111111wasinvit. miles upstream from Browns- made in 1908 to electrify the
can philately appeared in the cialiCEIT,-, itw• . 41.4+.1
‘ww+ ville/Matamoros. Santa Cruz line and extend it across the
April 26 Linn's , page 50, two [ 1 pc , . ,. , „. • .).‹ was simply the terminus of river. Nothing came of this.
readers sent photocopies of 11vADUDic
f t t [ 1,,1‘..y,,,, * ,. .. , ,..• the railcar line at the Rio But during the 1920s, the line
lour . 4
material they found in their
',Y. FL FFL 7L 'L , 0 • . \ . 0 Grande directly opposite acquired a gasoline-powered
holdings that once graced the 111TY'F • 9 \ ' .
i, ., 4 I Brownsville, Texas. car that started the phaseout of
White House stamp albums. 4'}''Fqi , , " • ., .. In those days, no bridge mules. When the line ceased
Ed Nierenberg of San •• --, connected the two towns and operation is not known.
Bruno, Calif., has a 1940 for- :.43, . Ak■
"• •.: ,-----;,-?;K:...• - •-- z '' ■g
.... one was obliged to ferry With this new information
eign service cover addressed .... . , 0■ across the river. on the Matamoros and Santa
to the "Honorable Secretary
of State" franked with three
r -:.
'J
,',.. :-4 4,4 4_.. - . -,
......!..tf;:..
„, -...-. ..
- ......,
- .
--------- ---- ,\
-.0.0.
/
Rowin sent along photo-
copies of two turn-of-the-cen-
Cruz railcar line, I strongly
suspect that mail between the
- ::
contemporary Mexican air-
mail stamps that was passed ..... • , A (i. 1 •
".., tury maps (1890-94) that
clearly show the route the car
two towns was carried on the ;
cars. There were no special
along to FDR. The cover in- Turn-of-the-century map that shows the route of the Matamoros-Santa Cruz mule car line. followed. Tracks ran north and markings, but it is not unrea- j
cluded the standard H.R. south a block apart from the sonable to assume that when j
Harmer authentication stamp. mand. Nevertheless, it had mately was dispatched as the esting wartime unit. I'll keep center of town to a point about required, the postmasters
Apparently, knowledge of been opened and bore a cen- Mexican Expeditionary Air looking. a block and a half from the would dispatch mail pouches
the president's collecting inter- sor's mark. Force to the Far East. Also noted in this short re- river and then veered to the containing cards and letters
est among the upper govern- No one was able to explain The squadron ended up in port was the fact that nearly a northeast across open fields for the other side. What could
ment echelons prompted how or why my cover escaped Manila, Philippines, where it quarter million Mexican na- until they reached the sharp be simpler and more direct?
staffers to be alert for material examination. Nor was there was attached to the 58th tionals served in U.S. military bend in the river where the Let me take this opportuni-
that could be of interest to him. any further insight on how V- Fighter Group of the U.S. 5th units, so V-mail exchange be- ferries docked. This may be ty to thank all readers who
I also received several re- mail might have been handled Air Force. Equipped with tween relatives and these ser- seen in the map shown nearby. took time to write to me on
sponses to the article in the at the time of my example. P-47D Thunderbolt fighters, vice people should not be too It is possible that the crude various subjects. I especially
May 24 Linn 's , page 36, about Mike Cherrington of Mid- the squadron served valiantly surprising. station shown in Figure 1 of appreciate the many kind
V-mail that originated in Mex- land, Texas, sent along an in- against Japanese forces in By far the biggest response the Oct. 11 column was the comments about these arti-I
ico. A couple of readers re- teresting piece prepared by northern Luzon and later of the year came as the result Santa Cruz station at the river- cles. Also I extend to every-,'
ported covers similar to the the Confederate Air Force on made long range reconnais- of the article in Linn's Oct. 11, bank. one my best wishes during the \
one I illustrated in the col- the 201st Mexican Fighter sance flights over Formosa page 44, on the Matamoros- Rowin, who was born and holiday season. •
42 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 28, 2000 www.linns.com

Mexico issued Little Eagles series in 1899

More than one hundred This issue has never caught Another aspect of this de- ried to Germany.
years ago, in 1899, Mexico in- on with specialists, even finitive issue has probably at- In any event, neither the
troduced a new series of defin- though it offers interesting tracted even less attention but REPLIOLICA ROUBLIQUE MEXICNNE German post office nor Mexi-
itive (regular-issue) stamps, collecting possibilities. is nonetheless captivating - TA R..! ETA POSTAL can authorities objected, and
EtiPu EST.% .ACAJA
Scott 294-303. Although the printing is a full complement of postal STALE AVEC Rtooms1 PAYEE
it went through unmolested.
In Mexican collector cir- relatively free of defects and stationery was issued along The handwritten note at top
with the adhesive postage directs it by way of New York

J 1Y1SOJ NOIN I1
stamps. and Laredo, Texas.
Mexico This included postal cards. ce.0//"ael`rn d€"Za
The example pictured in
By Dale Pulver letter cards, wrappers and en- Figure 3 is a regular postal

I
velopes. The frank on these card issued for overseas use.

1, 1 1SSJAINI
cies. this set of stamps often items consists of an embossed This card, dated Sept. 11,
is referred to as "the Aguili- design about 30 millimeters 1904, originated in Tampico,
tas" (little eagles). This nick- in diameter also featuring the Mexico, and headed to Ham-
name came about because the Mexican eagle as the central LAO*....... warccotfis
cao.....J•
r4.•
Cunt ..4cman
usc•t LA .....
etsnatt 4 u la.poP4C
Ml•
burg.
first seven values of the set subject. Figure 1 shows this By 1904, the rate to Ger-
depict Mexico's coat of arms design. Figure 2. The message side of a Mexican paid-reply postal many had been raised to 4c so
showing an eagle perched on The various denominations card was mailed from Hamburg, Germany, Dec. 6,1899. The the original 3c values were
a cactus and holding a snake were printed in colors consis- card arrived in Mexico City 16 days later, Dec. 22, 1899. blotted out and "cuatro cen-
in its beak. Figure 1. The embossed de- tent with the Universal Postal originated in Mexico, was We can only speculate how tavos" printed below the im-
Engraved and printed by sign of Mexico's coat of Union conventions. pression.
written and mailed from this happened. Perhaps the
the London firm of Bradbury, arms featuring an eagle, For several years, I have The card provides an addi-
Hamburg, Germany, Dec. 6, other half, the reply portion
Wilkinson and Co. Ltd. (the from postal stationery is- been accumulating turn-of- tional clue to its routing with
1899, to Mexico City. It ar- was used first on an outbound
same firm that produced the sued about 100 years ago. the-century postal stationery, the transit circular datestamp
rived there Dec. 22, after 16 mailing from Mexico. Or per-
Independence issue of 1910), unintended varieties, some especially postal cards, seek- days in transit. haps the card was hand-car- of "N(ueva) Laredo,
the stamps were very well rare and attractive essays and ing interesting rates, routes Tam(aulipas)" above the ad-
done on a hard wove, water- proofs exist, and the postal and destinations. dress.
marked paper, cleanly perfo- history aspects can be chal- This field has not been ex- This card went from Tampi-
rated and exceptionally well lenging. tensively studied, and materi- co by train to North Laredo,
centered. Two of my 1992 columns al is still available at reason- crossed the border, then on to
The top three values, 50 (Linn:s, Jan. 13 and June 15, able prices. This means good New York, also by train,
centavos, 1 peso and 5p, de- 1992.) discussed the origin of opportunities and reasonable where it caught up with a
pict three familiar Mexican the scenic designs and went challenge for the serious col- steamer bound for Europe.
landmarks: the Juanacatlan into some depth on the col- lector. Again, the total transit time
Falls near Guadalajara, the lecting opportunities and The card shown in Figure is very good. According to the
volcano Popocatepetl and the what is available. 2, is a very unusual use. Hamburg receiving mark, the
Cathedral of Mexico City. I also noted that my friend First, although most postal trip took 15 days.
This was the first time that Karl Schimmer had mounted stationery catalogs note that Official revaluation, as
Mexican postage stamps had an attractive and interesting these postal cards were offi- demonstrated by the card
portrayed anything other than exhibit appropriately titled cially issued in 1900, it is shown in Figure 3, wasn't the
former leaders, coats of arms, "Mexico: Entering the 20th quite clear that this card was only way to satisfy a higher
or numerals of value. Century." used in December 1899. rate.
The three high-value Schimmer's is the only ex- It also is a misuse of a 3c Figure 3. This Mexican postal card issued for overseas use For cards to pay same-city
stamps are in a large horizon- hibit I know of that deals ex- paid-reply card. The message was revalued when the rate increased. It was sent from drop service (lc) or domestic
tal format. clusively with these stamps. portion, which should have Tampico, Mexico, to Hamburg, Germany, in September 1904. use between Mexican towns
www.zillionsofstamps.com
or to the United States (2c), the end of the 19th century.
users could and often did add These early Mexican postal
stamps to make the proper cards provide an accurate
rates. overview of an evolving
Nor did it seem to matter if postal system that was pro-
message-reply pairs were cut gressive and well run.
apart and used as regular The Aguilitas stamps and
cards as long as the franking postal stationery marked an
was correct. I have several optimistic and hopeful entry
such examples. into a new century.
Postal cards were immense- But there were political
ly popular at that time, espe- storm clouds on the horizon,
cially within the business and by the time the issue was
community. replaced in 1910, the country
They were used to adver- was on the brink of the most
tise, request payment, trace disastrous civil revolution it
rail cars, confirm shipments has ever known.
and advise customers of im- What a difference a hun-
port-export action. And from dred years can make. ■
every indication I have, they
were handled as expeditiously
as were sealed letters, which
required higher rates.
In retrospect, one cannot
help but be impressed with
the efficiency and timeliness
of mail handling in Mexico at
54 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 27, 2000 www.linns.com

Mexican meters offer collecting opportunities

Today's commercial corre- anatomy of a meter stamp. Es- rearrangement gave rise to nu- eagle perched on a cactus with
spondence usually is franked sentially, there are two parts: a merous and sometimes curi- a snake in its beak (the Mexi-
with a meter stamp instead of town mark that includes the ous collectible varieties. can coat of arms). The Mexi-
a postage stamp. city and state of origin and In the early days of Mexi- can eagle also is featured in
Meter machines can date of processing; and the can meters, letters received all of the Pitney Bowes im-
process thousands of en- frank, that indicates the pre- supplemental postal markings pressions.
Certain quasi-official slo-
gans were included in meter
Mexico stamps. These touted tourism,
By Dale Pulver use of postal insurance, prop-
er packaging of parcels and
other subjects.
velopes in a short time and ac- Private firms also used their
curately tally the total cost of logos and trademarks liberally
postage. They avoid the need in their meters, and some of
for stocking stamps and evade these are eagerly sought by Figure 3. This 1943 censored cover sent from Mexico to
the possibilities of theft. topical collectors when the Akron, Ohio, bears a circular marking reading "Maq. Fran-
Figure 1.A 1930 meter stamp from Universal Postal Frankers
They also permit compa- mark fits their favorite theme. queadoras," indicating that it was franked by a meter stamp.
Ltd. This British firm was the first to lease meters in Mexico.
nies that use them the oppor- The variety of meter de-
tunity to expose their name paid postage for the letter. with the words "MAQUINAS signs and art elements is so
and corporate logos to the Because meters are operat- FRANQUEADORAS" vast that one is usually oblig- 0,1C0 CORREOS
public, as well as to display ed under the strict control of (franking machines) at the ed to specialize in some way MEXICO
short sales messages. government postal authorities, main post office to alert clerks or other.
I wrote about meter stamps
in my Mexico column in the
June 10, 1991, issue of Linn 's .
the impressions also must
show a license or permit num-
ber and the registry number of
that the postage indicated by
the meter stamp was valid.
At least two different for-
One manageable approach
is to assemble a type collec-
tion of Mexican meter stamps,
24.4 .64
CIS *040
I am in the midst of mount- which is what I have done. My D. F.
ing a long-dormant collection collection includes examples 41.0112393 °-
of these items for exhibit, so I [MEXICO from all the meter companies MICE fl SERVIC/0 49
thought it might be appropri- .- RitruS that operated in Mexico, in- Of STGMS'POSTAILIT
ate to explore their collecting cluding most of the subtypes
possibilities again. that are recognized by meter Figure 4. This Mexican Francotyp meter stamp features the
Universal Postal Frankers specialists. eagle, cactus and snake from the Mexican coat of arms.
Ltd., a British firm, was the Other specialized collecting don't cost very much. Unfor- Frobisher Ave., Dublin, OH
first to lease meters in Mexi- CENTAVOS areas could include town tunately, though, you may 43017-1652). The society and
co, doing so in 1929. Figure 1 marks, rates, destinations, lo- need to search hard for the its members will set you
M ACI.N! 1700
shows one of the firm's meter gos, and trademarks and slo-
PERM N! wits early meter types or find a straight. Meanwhile, good
stamp impressions from 1930. gans. dealer who has put some hunting. •
This 20-centavo meter NERRIMIEN1A9 In my 1991 column about aside. I have found many just
stamp is on a 1930 cover sent PAQUINFIRIR meter stamps, I noted as infor- browsing through bulk stocks
to Hamburg, Germany. mation sources articles by of inexpensive covers.
The Pitney-Bowes Compa- Werner Simon in Mexicana,
It helps to know what
ny and the Swiss firm of June 1970-71, and The Meter
Figure 2. The two basic parts of a meter stamp are the town- you're looking for, but careful
Hasler arrived in Mexico next. Postage Stamp Catalogue
mark (left) and the frank (right). The machine and permit study of the Kelsey catalog
After World War II, the (circa 1953) by S.D. Barfoot
numbers on this example are in panels below the frank. will prepare you for your
German companies Francotyp and W. Simon. The catalog is
quest.
G.m.b.H. and Postalia, and the machine itself. mats existed for these supple- considered the bible for meter
Satas, a French maker, got in- In the sample illustrated, mentary postal markings. stamps up to 1951. There may I have skipped over all the
to the act. National Cash Reg- these are located in panels at The cover shown in Figure be a later edition; I am not mechanical details of postal
ister also made meter impres- the base of the frank. 3 pictures a late design of the certain. meters that some specialists
sions in Mexico, but these me- Later on, it was decreed supplementary marking. It However, for those interest- find so interesting. The actual
ters were never as dominant as that the permit number should probably was used because ed in Mexican meters, Doug designs, varieties and uses are
the others. appear at the bottom of the the meter stamp was quite Kelsey (Linn's meter stamps more to my liking.
Figure 2 shows the general town mark, and efforts at this faintly struck and could have columnist) has written a con- If you are interested in the
escaped notice by the sorting cise and useful compendium machine technicalities, by all
clerks. on the subject, Mexico means look up the older Bar-
The Figure 3 cover was sent Postage Meter Stamp Catalog foot and Simon literature and
from Mexico to Akron, Ohio, (1994). check out the International
in 1943 and was censored. Kelsey's catalog builds on Machine Cancel Society (Sec-
No design standards seem the Werner Simon knowledge retary Gary Carlson, 3097
to have existed for Mexican and touches on the inflation
meter stamps, and some of period of the 1980s. This cata-
them, especially those of the log, published by the Mexico
European firms (Hasler, Fran- Elmhurst Philatelic Society
cotyp and Postalia), cleverly International, is still available.
worked Mexican cultural ele- If interested, contact Carl
ments into their designs. LeMar John, 5063 E. North
Figure 4 shows a good ex- Regency Circle, Tucson, AZ
ample of this. This 1964 Fran- 85711.
cotyp meter stamp depicts an Metered envelopes usually
www.zillionsofstamps.com APRIL 24, 2000 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 29

FDCs for U.S.-Mexico Conservation stamps .

Both Mexico and the Unit- tives of both countries. and stamp hobby circles. first day of issue for both Mexico, but I have reached lot of fun doing it.
ed States have issued numer- Both the U.S. and Mexican Ohman had no difficulty ob- countries. the point where significant I close with one observation
ous stamps with conservation stamps were featured in a taining a pane of the Mexican The U.S. stamp on the Fig- additions to my collections that I have probably made be-
themes. These attractive front-page story in the Sept. 9, issue (300,000 were printed), ure 1 cover shows an ocelot are few and far between. fore. Mexico usually prints
stamps seem to command a 1996, issue of Linn's. but he really wanted FDCs (Fells pardales). This member Items I can use rarely surface, about 300,000 of each of its
lot of attention from stamp The U.S. stamps were mod- bearing both the U.S. and Mex- of the cat family also is pic- and when they do there is usu- nondefinitive, or commemo-
tured on the right-hand Mexi-
N L')A N LIE).SPECJI..'S
. can stamp on the cover, just
Mexico above the word "Niebla."
Butterflies are featured on
By Dale Pulver
the U.S. and Mexican stamps
on the cover pictured in Fig-
collectors as well as from the ure 2.
general public. Delighted with his acquisi-
My Mexico column in the tion, Ohman displayed his
March 22, 1999, Linn's high- newly mounted treasures at
lighted efforts to promote his local club's show-and-tell
conservation using stamps to night.
stimulate public awareness of He wrote me that he was
this important issue. pleased to receive many kind
Recently, I received an in- comments about his showing,
teresting letter from a Linn 's Figure 1. A joint first-day cover for United States and Mexi- which amply rewarded all the
reader whom I had helped can Conservation stamps issued Oct. 2, 1996. The stamps are effort he put into the project. Figure 2. This FDC is similar to the one in Figure 1, except it
connect with a dealer of Mex- not considered a joint issue because the stamp designs differ. When first announced in bears other stamps from the U.S. and Mexico's 1996 Conser-
ican stamps. The letter writer, Linn's, the Mexican pane was vation panes. Butterflies are shown on the stamps and cover.
Victor Ohman of Missouri, is eled after photographs of the ican stamps, and none of the to consist of 12 1.80p stamps
keen on first-day covers of subjects in the wild. The 15 dealers he contacted could and an equal number of 2.70p ally a conflict with the limits rative, stamps. The printing of
joint issues. His story may in- subjects were chosen from the help. values, plus a nondenominated of my stamp budget. this Conservation pane was no
spire others in finding new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- Eventually, he turned to the label to make up the five-by- I'm not yet ready to capitu- exception to this rule.
twists to our hobby. vice's endangered species list. Internet, which is becoming five format of the pane. How- late totally to the more afford- Assuming that a good share
On Oct. 2, 1996, the U.S. The 24 Mexican stamps, ever more popular as a source ever, when issued, it appeared able new issues, but I can ap- of these panes ended up in the
Postal Service issued a pane however, depicted endangered for difficult-to-find items. with 24 1.80p stamps for a to- preciate why many collectors stamp market to be saved by
of 15 32¢ Endangered Species flora and fauna against a clev- He learned of an FDC auc- tal face value of 43.20p. At the are attracted to them and de- collectors, it doesn't leave a
stamps calling attention to 15 erly linked and continuous tion and, by way of telephone time, this would have convert- vise ways of having fun with whole lot to be used to spread
animal species. backdrop of their natural habi- bids, was able to acquire 15 ed to about $5.65. them. the message on conservation.
Mexico issued a pane of 24 tat. The pane was a seamless covers, each bearing a differ- The U.S. pane, on the other Ohman has certainly found It is, however, a start and
1.80-peso Endangered Species composite of many environ- ent U.S. Endangered Species hand, cost a collector $4.80. a wrinkle to challenge him- there is no doubt that we shall
stamps at the same time. ments, from the cloud forests stamp plus two (usually) of The Mexican pane bears a self, and, from the tone of his see more such issues in the fu-
Although this coincidence of the tropics to the deserts of the Mexican stamps. Figure 1 surface coating with prehis- letter, he is obviously having a ture. •
was not considered a joint is- the Mexican plateau. shows one of his covers. panic designs visible only un-
sue in the strictest sense (there This was the first time such According to Ohman, the der black light. Presumably,
were no equivalent designs), a complicated se-tenant de- cachets were handtinted, and this treatment was added for
the Oct. 2, 1996, first-day cer- sign had been attempted in all the covers were of different security reasons.
emonies in Mexico City, Mex- Mexican stamp production, sizes. My serious collecting inter-
ico, and San Diego, Calif, and it was generally received Carefully applied cancella- est focuses predominantly on
were attended by representa- with high praise in both public tions mark the Oct. 2, 1996, the early classic issues of
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 22, 2000 www.linns.com

Early Mexican airmail flights to the U.S.

I have started work on a On April 15, 1928, a sender rate was restored, and on July though even some of these are tionery catalog, several vari- of the available items were
small accumulation of early was offered two additional op- 6, of the same year it went becoming more difficult to eties of these envelopes exist. flight covers made expressly
Mexico-to-United States air- tions: flown in Mexico and back to 30c. find as time goes on. No corresponding adhesive for stamp collectors. For some
mail covers to see if there is surface mail in the United Because some of the rate As I was sorting my covers stamp of this design (Scott flight segments, these collec-
enough material for a one- States for 60c, or flown in periods were quite short, find- according to the rate periods AP1) was ever printed. The tor-inspired covers may be all
frame exhibit. My arbitrary both countries with priority ing covers to demonstrate to identify items I still need to first 35c airmail stamp issued that exist.
acquire, I was struck by the
fact that in many cases, prop-
Mexico er franking could not be
achieved with a single stamp.
By Dale Pulver
The 1922 50-centavo Eagle
PAN AMERICAN AIRWAYS, INC., airmail (Scott C1), or more
cutoff for early airmail service likely the 1927 50c Eagle
T 42ND STP.FET,
had been the end of 1930. (C2), could be used to make
YORK CITY, N. Y
However, I may extend that the early 50c rates. But the
E. U de A.
a year or two to include some high rates of 1928 had to be EDGAR C. CANTRELL
of the interesting rate gyra- met with multiple stamps, P. 0 00%1247
:NTONIO, TEXAS
tions that occurred in the ear- usually one or more of the
ly 1930s. 1928 25c airmails (C3-4),
The period between 1927 plus regular surface-mail
and 1932 was a complex and stamps. Figure 2. This first-flight cover for the inaugural contract
Figure 1. A first-flight cover for the March 9, 1929, inau-
confusing era in Mexican air- This provides many oppor- airmail flight from Mexico City to Matamoros is franked
gural contract airmail flight from Mexico City to Mata-
mail postal history. tunities for interesting frank- with a 25-centavo airmail stamp and a 10c definitive.
moros, on 35-centavo Mexican airmail postal stationery.
First, the airmail rates rose ing combinations.
sharply, then fell, only to rise rail service between Tampico them presents considerable I recently acquired a 1929 by Mexico was the Coat of In certain instances, it is es-
again. and San Antonio for 75c. challenge. cover marking the March 9 in- Arms and Airplane design, timated that fewer than 100
Thanks to Marino Riosa's This choice of service last- Business correspondence augural contract airmail flight (C15, design AP3), that ap- covers were carried, so there
article in the February 1994 ed only until May 31, 1928. prior to 1930 is quite scarce from Mexico City to Mata- peared in August 1929, nearly are true scarcities to be found
issue of the American Air The next day, June 1, the rate for understandable reasons. moros. Figure 1 shows the a year after the 35c rate went in this field.
Mail Society's Airpost Jour- for airmail service, for as First, the expense of airmail cover. into effect. Any lucky finds of business
nal, these rate changes are much as could be provided, often was not justified by the This is not a difficult first- Figure 2 shows a sister cov- correspondence carried on
conveniently sorted out and was pegged at 60c. This lasted small amount of time saved. flight cover to find, and I have er with the same cachet, ex- these early flights should be
summarized. until Sept. 30. Surface letters, requiring 10c several others. What set this cept this item, addressed to especially cherished, as they
It is assumed that the abrupt On Oct. 1, 1928, the airmail postage, were carried quickly one apart is that it is an air- San Antonio, boarded the are truly quite scarce.
changes reflected the tug-of- rate to the United States was and reliably by the mail trains, mail postal stationery enve- northbound flight at Tampico.
war between low rates to en- lowered to 35c. and those trains could run at lope with a correct-rate 35c The franking on this cover is They will generally have
courage airmail use and the This remained in effect for night. imprint. the more typical combination the cachets corresponding to
realities of cost to provide that more than a year until Nov. 1, And, in the beginning, only These letter envelopes bear of a 25c airmail stamp (C3) the various special flights, but
service. 1929, when it was reduced still a limited number of Mexican government service imprints and the common 10c surface- some may not and will have to
For most of 1927 and up to further to 20c. During the 35c cities had airmail service. applied diagonally between mail stamp, 655, to make up be identified by dates and the
April 14, 1928, a first-class rate period, airmail usage real- Owing to the popularity of green and red bands on the the 35c rate. use of the "Servicio Aereo"
letter (weighing less than 20 ly took off. stamp collecting, philatelic upper-left and lower-right cor- Collecting these early Mex- cancellations.
grams) to the United States The 20c rate ended Sept. 1, covers (collector- or dealer- ners. ican airmail covers can make I will have more to say
carried by train in Mexico and 1930, with a further reduction made souvenir covers), such According to the Mexico- for a pleasurable chase. about these early airmail
flown in the United States re- to 15c. as first-flight covers, are con- Elmhurst Philatelic Society Airmail was quite a novelty flights in future columns.
quired 50 centavos. On April 26, 1932, the 20c siderably more common, al- International's postal sta- at the time, and the majority Meanwhile, good hunting. •
 www.zillionsofstamps.com JUNE 26, 2000 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 33

Provisional uses of Mexico's first stamp issues

A fascinating aspect of the For the collector, the situa- This is often referred to as the ample that I recently found in on hand at the time of Maxim- Mexicana is published
classic stamps of Mexico is tion improves considerably sello negro (black seal) period. a circuit book. It was listed as ilian's fall. Most of these re- quarterly by the Mexico
the variety of ways in which later in 1867. Some innovative postmas- an ordinary stamp. mainders were overprinted Elmhurst Philatelic Society
the stamps were used. Much Following the execution of ters concocted their own pro- In many cases, the clue that with a gothic style "Mexico" International. For information
of this stems from the unset- Maximilian in June 1867, the visional adhesives. These alerts you to a provisional is a and were used within the cap- on back issues, contact the
' tled political situation that post office faced a serious stamps from Guadalajara, name overprint (or lack of ital, although a few seem to publications manager, Carl
Cuernavaca, Chiapas and have been sent to nearby post
Cuautla and other cities are offices.
Mexico found at the end of the Mexi- Figure 3 pictures one of
these first-design stamps with
By Dale Pulver co listings in the Scott Stan-
dard Postage Stamp Cata- the gothic Mexico name. The
logue. With the exception of names and cancels during this
prevailed when Mexico's first those produced and used in gothic-overprint era often ap-
adhesive postage stamps came Guadalajara, they are quite pear poorly struck or
into use in August 1856. rare and pricey. smudged.
In this column, I will give a Other postmasters appear to Later in summer 1867, a
brief overview of provisional have located unreturned re- small printing of the first four
usage of Mexico's first issues, mainders of the 1856 and values was made on thin, wa-
a subject that has been receiv- 1861 issues, and, although the termarked paper (42-45) and
ing quite a bit of attention in stamps were technically in- used.
recent years. valid because they had been Most Mexican collectors Figure 3. "Mexico" is over-
My dictionary defines pro- demonetized, their provisional agree that these and the 1861 printed in gothic letters on
Figure 1. The large name on this 1867 provisional stamp.
visional as "provided for the the right side and the usage was permitted. Figure 2. Perote, in the remainders represent true pro-
time being, pending perma- Provisional uses have been postal district of Jalapa, visionals and probably should The gothic-style overprints
monarch-era cancel mark often were poorly struck.
nent arrangements." In the this stamp from Orizava, identified from several towns, Mexico, was the source of be grouped with the Guadala-
philatelic sense, a provisional Mexico, as a provisional. including Acapulco, Aguas- several 1867 provisional is- jara and other provisionals at
refers to the emergency use of calientes, Cordova, Guadala- sues. The illustrated stamp the end of the Scott section on LeMar John, 5063 E. North
stamps until new stocks of dilemma. It would be unthink- jara, Jalapa, Orizava, Perote, is probably a provisional. Mexico. Regency Circle, Tucson, AZ
regular stamps could be ob- able to continue using the Pichucalco, San Luis Potosi So the key message here is, 85711.
tained. Such provisional stamps of the empire picturing and Zacatecas. Again, with one) and a cancellation not when you're browsing a deal- The American Philatelic
stamps often were overprinted Maximilian's portrait, and the one or two exceptions, all of normal for the period in which er's stock, be alert for seem- Congress publishes the Con-
or surcharged. Some were bi- government was in such disar- these provisional uses are the stamps were originally is- ingly innocent covers bearing gress Book. These books are
sected, or cut in two. ray, that a quick issue of new firmly ensconced in the cate- sued and used. 1861 stamps with and without available from dealers in phi-
However, the Mexican pro- stamps was impossible. In gory of rare stamps. The stamp shown in Figure district names and with date- latelic literature.
visionals of the classic period fact, it would be more than a One exception is Orizava. 2 was probably used provi- lines or docketing of 1867. For information on the
sometimes are not quite as year before the new stamps All of the 1861 values, except sionally. The district Jalapa You might get lucky and find American Philatelic Con-
easy to distinguish from the made an appearance in Sep- for the 8-real green (12) are sent old stamps to several of a provisional use. gress, write to the secretary at
nonprovisional stamps. tember 1868 (the Hidalgo full recorded used provisionally. In its suboffices, including Per- If you are really interested American Philatelic Con-
Most provisional usage in face issue, Scott 46-57.) absence of a dated cover, these ote, where this stamp was in delving into the subject fur- gress, Box 32858, St. Louis,
the Mexican classic period is Meanwhile, most smaller stamps can be distinguished by used. Although the cancel is ther, read James Mazepa's ex- MO 63132.
a direct result of the disruptive cities and towns reverted to the presence of a large name well known on 1856 and 1861 cellent article on the provi- Mazepa's articles go into
factors of the French interven- the handstamp practices em- overprint (18 millimeters by stamps, the small district sional usage of the 1856 and much greater detail than the
. space here allows, and they
non in i 1863. But documented ployed before adhesive 2.5mm) and one of two oval name is from the monarch era. 1861 stamps of Mexico in the
examples of provisional use stamps. These handstamps in- cancellations unknown before In Mexico City, the central January 1997 issue of Mexi- have the most complete cen-
between 1864 and early 1867 cluded a town mark plus a nu- the monarchy period. post office still had signifi- cana or in the Congress Book sus of provisional uses com-
are Quite rare. meral denoting postage paid. Figure 1 shows such an ex- cant quantities of 1861 stamps 1998. piled to date. •
38 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 24, 2000

Small Numerals part of Mexico's foreign-mail issue

Mexico's Small Numerals 6c ultramarine, correspond to it a challenge to find sound, merals were in use.
stamps of 1882-83 were de- postcard and letter rates then undamaged examples. As with the immediately
signed to be used on foreign in effect. Figure 1 shows used A few years ago when I preceding issues, the invoice
mail. examples of the three differ- purchased a small mounted number list was inverted al-
When Mexico joined the ent values. collection of the Small Nu- phabetically, with Zamora and
Universal Postal Union in The 3c and 6c were the new merals stamps, I found that 25 Zacatecas being assigned
numbers 1 and 2, and Aguas-
calientes and Acapulco having
Mexico numbers 52 and 53.
For some unknown reason
By Dale Pulver
the largest district, Mexico,
was assigned number 54, and
April 1879, Mexican postal 55 went to Colima, perhaps as
authorities faced a serious an afterthought.
dilemma. Domestic postal The scarce to rare districts
rates were higher than those are pretty much the same as Figure 2. This cover, franked with the 6-centavo blue of
specified for the exchange of those of the earlier issues: Mexico's Small Numerals issue, took 20 days in September!
letters with UPU member Texcoco (district No. 11), 1883 to reach its destination in Cortland County, N.Y.
Figure 1. Used examples of the three denominations, 2-cen-
countries. tavo, 3c and 6c, of Mexico's Small Numerals issue of 1882-83. Tlaxcala (13), Jilotopec (32),
To resolve this issue, Mexi- Cuautitlan (46), C. Bravos
co adopted a two-tier rate sys- denominations. percent of them were faulty in (48), and Apam (51). Used
tem, and it designed and print- Of the two shades of the 6c, one way or another. stamps from these offices are
ed stamps expressly for mail the blue commands a much It seemed to me that most truly rare.
addressed abroad. These higher price than the ultrama- damage was caused by care- However, it is important to
stamps are known in special- rine because of its relative less separation by the initial keep in mind that in 1888 re-
ists circles as the Juarez for- scarcity. users or by improper soaking turned stamps and unused re-
eign mail issue. Even if the design itself is when the stamps were re- mainders in the post office in-
The stamps feature a por- rather pedestrian, the Small moved from the paper to ventories were sold to stamp
trait of Benito Juarez. They Numerals stamps are beauti- which they were affixed. dealers.
come in eight denominations fully engraved, and their col- But these damaged stamps As a result, unused stamps
from 1 centavo to 100c (or 1 ors are vivid. They are some- are still worthy of attention from some rare districts show
peso), although the first five what smaller than their sister because some varieties are up from time to time, but they
denominations are about the Juarez stamps. The name quite scarce. Often they can are considered to have no
only ones ever found genuine- Small Numerals stamps sets be picked out of circuit books more value than the common Figure 3. This 6c cover from Mexico took less traveling time
ly used. them apart from the Oval Nu- and dealers stocks at reason- Scott-listed varieties. than the Figure 2 cover did. It was sent May 2, 1894, and ar-
In 1882, a rate change ne- merals issue of 1886. able prices. While these stamps are rel- rived May 10. The stamp has a missing lower-right corner.
cessitated denominations not Several problems exist for The foreign-mail issues atively free of forgeries, num-
part of the original series. So the collector of the Small Nu- were the last to bear the cum- ber overprints and cancels that scarce, but not nearly as diffi- a 20-day duration for the cov-
the Small Numerals, as they merals. The printing was bersome district-name and in- strongly influence value have cult to find or as pricey as er to reach New York. It was
are called, Scott 146-49, made made on very thin, brittle voice-number overprints. been faked using remainder covers bearing the Juarez sent Sept. 6, 1883, from
their debut in 1882-83. The wove paper, the same paper The overprints consisted of stock that had no overprint. stamps. Guadalajara, and it arrived
designs include small digits in used for the later printings of district name and an assigned Valuable overprinted stamps Figure 2 shows a cover Sept. 26.
the corners. The Oval Numer- the Juarez stamps. Most number plus the last two dig- should always be submitted bearing the 6c blue franking A similar cover, shown in
als stamps of 1886 do not. stamps were generally not its of the year. This gives rise for expertization. addressed to Harford, a small Figure 3, was much speedier.
The four 1882-83 stamps, a well centered, and they were to upward of 250 varieties for Covers bearing the Small town in Cort(land) County, It left Hermosillo May 2,
2c red, 3c green, 6c blue and poorly perforated. This makes the two years the Small Nu- Numerals stamps are fairly N.Y. The backstamp indicates crossed the border at Nogales
www.zillionsofstamps.com
into Arizona Territory May 4, If you need a new field to
and reached New York May explore you might try the
10. Note that the stamp has a Small Numerals. And if you
missing lower-right corner, a don't already have one, buy
typical fault. Nick Follansbee's Catalogue
Covers (or cards) bearing of the Stamps of Mexico 1856-
single 2c or 3c stamps aren't 1900.
encountered too often, al- It will help you sort out,
though the be rate is occasion- identify and value the many
ally found satisfied with three varieties you will find among
2c or two 3c stamps. the Small Numerals stamps. ■
44 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 28, 2000 www.linns.corn

Mexico issued many stamps for 1968 Olympics

In mid-September, the world's top athletes Diego Rivera of athletes participating in vari- can Olympic issues.
will gather in Sydney, Australia, for the cele- ous sports. The subject matter is varied, ranging from
bration of the 27th Olympic Games. It was 32 The 20c low value of the set is illustrated in Olympic symbols to some of the venues and
years ago, in 1968, that Mexico City hosted Figure 2. Sprinters and a high jumper are buildings erected especially for the Games.
the Summer Games. shown on this design. The building shown on the 2p stamp, pic-
From a stamp viewpoint, Mexican postal au- Curiously, the 2.25p airmail stamp depicts tured in Figure 4, served as the venue for bas-
what appears to be American football, which ketball. This newly built arena, with its unusu-
was not an Olympic sport. al roof of formed copper panels, might have
Mexico Again, there were two souvenir sheets, one
for the regular stamps and one for the airmails.
been an architectural marvel. But on the after-
noon I attended to watch the U.S. team play,
By Dale Pulver
Stamps in both of the foregoing series dis- there was a fierce thunderstorm, and the roof
play the year of issue as well as the reference began to leak on the playing surface.
thorities went all out, not only to publicize the to the Games scheduled for 1968. This may have been the first and only time
Games, but also to provide collectors with a Stamp dealers were delighted with these an Olympic basketball game was interrupted
wide variety of collectible items. popular stamps, and many created rather elab- because of rain.
Before the Games were over, 40 Mexican orate first-day covers. Unfortunately, the first- All of the Mexican Olympic souvenir sheets
were issued without perforations and, in the
case of the sheets of the first pre-Olympic se-
ries, without gum.
All were numbered serially, and, although
print quantities are not recorded for the earliest
XIX JUEGOS OLIMPICOS - MEXICO 1968 sheets, the later ones had press runs in the hun-
dreds of thousands. Figure 4. This Mexican stamp issued Oct.
Only those of the final series, Scott 998a, 12, 1968, the opening day of the 1968 Sum-
AEREO gx

X IX JUEGOS OLIMPICOS1968
MEXICO mer Games, features the basketball arena.
xx
MEXICO ,
A 4 tC"1965
%)
ac
mm (&S) Is il 0
I 000a, C342a, and C344a, have more than
nominal catalog value.
The 1968 Olympic stamps provide a won-
derful opportunity for specialization, especial-
ly if you go after the postal history aspects.
from 14p to 400, 1351-37.
For the Games at Seoul, South Korea, in
1988, Mexico issued two items, a stamp of
500p and a pane of 700p, 1154-55, the denom-
With so many stamps and different values, inations again reflecting the rampant inflation
any collector seeking contemporary use covers in Mexico at the time.
bearing Mexico's Olympic stamps faces a real Mexico commemorated the 1992 Summer
1965rAIK challenge. Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, with two stamp
Particularly difficult will be the high values sets. The first, two stamps of 2,000p face val-
issued in the later sets, which I suspect were ue, came out in February and March 1992.
SERIE PRE - OLIMPICA 1965 ordered to bulk up the revenue from the sales These were produced by a contract printer,
of stamps to souvenir hunters. Amate, and are rouletted, 1718-19.
After the flood of Olympic stamps for the A second set consisting of 10 stamps, vary-
048404 $ 3.90 1968 Games, Mexico's stamps output for suc- ing from 1,300p to 2,000p with a souvenir
.1■11? ceeding Olympiads dropped off to a trickle. sheet of 7,000p, was issued July 30, 1992,
For Munich in 1972, only one stamp was is- 1738-48. These stylized line sketches of vari-
Figure 1. This souvenir sheet includes the two surface-mail and two airmail stamps of Mex- sued, 1046, and none for 1976 Montreal or ous sports were produced by TIEV, the govern-
ico's first set of stamps from the 1968 Summer Games. The set was released Dec. 17, 1965. 1980 Moscow Games. ment printing office.
For the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, Mexico I am not aware of what Mexico has in mind
stamps and 16 souvenir sheets had been issued day cancels often were carelessly applied or in- issued seven stamps, six of which depicted for this year's Olympics, although I suspect,
with the Olympics theme. I do not know if this completely struck. Olympic sports. The inflation period was in that as a one-time host nation, it will issue
is a record for an Olympic Games host nation, Mexico's next Olympic stamp series consist- full swing and the stamp denominations ranged something, if it has not done so already. •
but it certainly must be close. ed of five regulars and four airmails, plus four
Add to this the numerous theme cancella- souvenir sheets, 981-85, C328-31. The set was
tions and meter slogans promoting the Games, released Oct. 12, 1967, almost exactly a year
and you have a rich field for specialization. after the previous issue.
The first stamps, in what was called a Pre- The designs, created by graphic artist Lance
Olympic series, appeared Dec. 17, 1965. These Wyman, employed some interesting elements.
stamps depict prehistoric clay figurines in Solid colors were used for each value overlaid
what were assumed to be athletic poses. There with silhouettes of athletes engaged in various
were two large surface-mail stamps (20 cen- Olympic sporting events.
The action pictured repeats laterally, with
portions overlapping adjoining stamps, as seen
TUFGO-i, DE T XIX C IMPIADA IntOf in the pair of 20c stamps illustrated in Figure 3.
This stamp pair features two-man kayak teams.
Also, for the first time, the official Mexican
logo for the Olympics is used at the top of each
stamp, to the right of the denomination and
service designation.
This solid color format was used again on
CORREOS 11EXICO stamps released March 21, 1968, just seven
010.01•M11111. months before the Games opened. This time
there were 10 stamps and four souvenir sheets,
Figure 2. Sprinters and a high jumper are featuring different colors, sport topics and a
pictured on the 20-centavo stamp from Mex- couple of values not previously issued, 900-95,
ico's 1966 set of stamps for the 1968 Games. C335-38.
By now, 19 Olympic competition events had
tavos and 40c), and three airmails (80c, 1.20 been displayed on these Mexican colorful
pesos and 2p), Scott 965-66, C309-11. stamps.
The denominations were useful for both do- The two series are easily differentiated. The
mestic and foreign mail. Designs of four of the early one has the date 1967 at the bottom, the
five stamps were gathered together on one of other has 1968.
two imperforate souvenir sheets. Figure 1 The final group of Mexican 1968 Olympic
shows this souvenir sheet. stamps appeared Oct. 12, 1968, coinciding
A second Pre-Olympic series, again with with the opening-day ceremonies. There are II
two surface-mail stamps and three airmails, stamps and four souvenir sheets, once again,
made its debut Oct. 15, 1966, 974-75, C318- the work of Wyman, 996-1001, C340-44. They
20. These stamps show outline drawings by are probably the most colorful of all the Mexi-

CORREOS

20C : 20C

•
•
•
T.I.E.V.• WYMAN 19 6 ? 7.J.E V.

Figure 3. Kayak teams race across this 20-centavo pair of Mexico's third Pre-Olympic stamp
set for the 1968 Games. Lance Wyman designed these stamps, which were issued in 1967.
46 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 25, 2000 www.linns.com

Mexico wins Champions award for third time

At Providence, R.I., in Au- scope, and it probably reflect- Garfield-Perry March Party (6), again believed to be the
gust, a collection of classic ed Dormer's feeling that he this spring (my club's show) only one known.
Mexico took center stage to needed to show more than just where I had a chance to go Mazepa has a lovely strip of
claim for its owner, James P. a single design. through it rather thoroughly four of the 2r emerald variety,
Mazepa, what every serious When Robert Paliafito won with its owner at my side. (3c), which is the largest mul-
U.S. exhibitor covets — the the Champion of Champions Virtually every one of the tiple known of this variety.
The largest known franking
using 4r stamps (4), is another
Mexico outstanding item present in
the exhibit.
By Dale Pulver
Many rare examples of the
popular split uses are included
American Philatelic Society in Mazepa's exhibit. These
Champion of Champions were instances where high-
award. (See Linn's Sept. 11, value stamps were cut into
page 9.) fractions to match rates for Figure 2. Another cover from the Zacatecas district of Mex-
The Champion of Champi- which lower value stamps icoJranked with fractions of the first-issue 8-real stamps to
ons competition took place were unavailable. pay the 6r rate, also is from James Mazepa's exhibit.
Aug. 24-27 in conjunction The exhibit contains several the rare postal districts. These Mexico as one of the world's
with APS Stampshow 2000. one-of-a-kind split combina- include Lerma, Ixtlahuaca, best and most challenging ar-
Mazepa's exhibit, "Mexico: tions, such as the cover shown San Felipe, Ciudad Bravos, Zi- eas for serious collectors.
First Issue, 1856-1861" was Figure 1. Mexican first-issue stamps were split into frac- in Figure 1. This Zacatecas- tacuaro, Polotitlan, Cuautitlan I, too, have been a long-time
judged the best of 29 grand- tions to make up lower rates. This cover from the Zacatecas district cover bears 'A and 'A and Tepeji del Rio, tiny towns fan of the first design, and
award winners from national- district bears % and % fractions of 4-real stamps to pay the sections of 4r stamps to pay that received exceedingly while my collection will never
level shows for the 1999-2000 3r rate. This cover is from James Mazepa's Mexican exhibit the 3r rate. This is the only small shipments of stamps and win the Champion of Champi-
season. that won the Champion of Champions award. such cover known. from which only a handful of ons, it has afforded me much
This was Mazepa's seventh Figure 2 shows another Za- examples has survived. pleasure and satisfaction.
attempt to win the top award. 10 years later in 1987, his fo- 160 jiages has one or more catecas-district cover franked Assembling and mounting Mazepa's achievement
He won five grand awards ear- cus was confined to the items of exceptional interest with similar fractions of 8r an exhibit of grand-award cal- gives another boost to Mexi-
lier with a classic Poland ex- stamps of the first design, and rarity. A great many of the stamps to pay the 6r rate. This iber is not easy. Modem ex- can stamp collecting. It
hibit before switching to Mex- those of 1856, 1861 and the items are unique. Others have cover is the better of the two hibiting has become very so- demonstrates that a smallish
ican classics about 12 years emergency printings of 1867. fewer than three or four exam- such uses known phisticated and exacting. It is country, often underappreciat-
ago. And Mazepa has two Both collections have since ples reported. Another strong area is that even more difficult, once the ed and avoided by earlier gen-
show grands with his Mexico. been dispersed, and many of For example, Mazepa of provisional usage of the grand-award level has been erations of serious collectors,
Two previous Champion of the key pieces that were in shows a proof strip of six of 1856 and 1861 stamps after achieved, to make the final can be collected and exhibited
Champions winners also were them have been acquired by Scott 1, the '/2-real value, they had been demonetized. step to the top of the pyramid. head-to-head against the
exhibits of Mexican classics. Mazepa to augment his run at which is the only one known. Mazepa has studied this It takes determination, perennial favorites of the past.
In 1977, Edward Dormer U.S. collecting's highest re- The exhibit also includes a field extensively and written some luck, and usually a great While United States and
won the competition with the ward for exhibiting. cover bearing a strip of four of about it in both Mexicana (the deal of financial sacrifice Confederate States exhibits
exhibit "Mexico — Selected In my view, this latest Mex- the 1/2r with the handwritten journal of the Mexico- (money). In most instances, it have dominated the Champion
Pages, Period of Spanish Dom- ican first-issue exhibit is, district name Zacatecas. Only Elmhurst Philatelic Society will require several tries. of Champions competition for
ination Through the Republic from the standpoint of includ- nine of this variety are report- International) and The Con- It pleases me that Mexican the past 33 years, Mexico is
and Maximilian Periods." ing major rarities, the ed, and here are four of them. gress Book, 1998. first issues have scaled the now tied for second place with
As the title implies, his strongest of the three. It won Another spectacular piece Finally, you can see in this difficult climb to the top once Danish West Indies in number
showing was much broader in the grand award at the is a full sheet of the 1861 1/2r exhibit stamps from some of again. For years, I have touted of wins — three. •
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 30. 2000 www.linns.com

Stamp-on-stamp designs on Mexican stamps

You could form a nice one- near its peak in popularity as a an afterthought, in fine print stamp that fit the stamp-on-
country collection of Mexican pastime, and I believe the low reading upward, hidden at the stamp theme (897).
stamps that depict other values were widely distributed lower-left corner of the stamp. This large-format stamp,
stamps. These are known as and extensively used. The next large group of measuring 40 millimeters by
stamp-on-stamp designs. The 10c stamp paid the stamp-on-stamp subjects after 48mm, has an ornate border
I wrote about Mexican common domestic letter rate. the 1940 Penny Black series surrounding a Mexico Scott 1
facsimile in almost full size.
FIRST DAY COVER
This time the printing is
Mexico quite sharp, making for an at-
By Dale Pulver tractive stamp, one of my fa-
vorites. It is illustrated in Fig-
ure 3.
stamp-on-stamp designs in ME X./C0 HONOURS
The next 30 years saw a
two previous Linn's columns, FRANKLIN D. number of stamp shows
Feb. 12, 1984, and Sept. 10, ROOSEVELT staged in Mexico, and usually Figure 3. Mexico's first
1990, and thought that it was special stamps were issued for stamp of 1856 is featured on
time to revisit the topic. these events. the design of this 1956 stamp.
The first Mexican stamp- In 1960, the Elmhurst Phil- After the 1968 Mexico
on-stamp emission, and per- atelic Society of Mexico, col- Olympics, another large inter-
haps, the best in my view, ap- SOCCial
AIR MAIL lectors specializing in Mexi- Figure 4. The 1956 . stamp
of Xit%i
national stamp show took
peared in 1940 to mark the can stamps, celebrated the shown in Figure 3 is the basis
Figure 2. This registered first-day cover bears a complete set place in Mexico City, and two
100th anniversary of the 25th anniversary of their of this stamp-on-stamp de-
stamps plus a souvenir sheet
British Penny Black stamp. of Mexico's stamp-on-stamp commemoratives issued in founding in Mexico City. The sign of a 1963 Mexican stamp
1947 to mark the 100th anniversary of the first U.S. stamps. (C333-34 and C345) were
Mexico issued two five- government printing office honoring an American Phil-
prepared with a stamp-on-
stamp sets, one for surface honored the event with special atelic Society convention.
stamp design of an 1894 Hi-
mail and the other for airmail Three other values had came in 1947 when the United inscriptions on two high value dalgo Official stamp. by by postal authorities.
(Scott 754-58, C103-07). printings of a half million, States stamp-collecting frater- stamps, (909 and C249). Several more Mexican Although Sepomex (Servi-
Figure 1 shows one stamp which is more than the usual nity celebrated the 100th an- Printed in very limited stamp events during the 1970s cio Postal Mexicano) main-
from each set. These stamps, 300,000 ordered today for niversary of U.S. stamps with quantities, they are known in and 1980s prompted postal tains an interest in the supply
naturally, feature a stamp-on- new commemorative stamps. a large stamp exhibition in collector circles as the adhesives with stamp motifs. I of stamps and other philatelic
stamp design of Great Mexico honored the Penny New York City. Elmhurst issue. plan to review these in a fu- material to collectors, the use
Britain's first stamp. Black again in 1990 (1646) on To show support of this
For the American Philatelic ture column. of stamp-on-stamp motifs
The print order for these the 150th anniversary of its is- event, Mexico issued five
Society 77th convention and We probably have the late seems to have waned in recent
1940 stamps varied from a sue, but the. result was not stamps, two regulars and three
annual meeting held in Mexi- Emilio Obregon to thank for years. This is evident as you
high of 5 million for the 10- nearly as satisfactory as the airmails (826-27; C167-69).
co City in October 1963, the the abundant stamp-on-stamp peruse the Mexico listings in
centavo surface mail stamp to earlier stamps. Three depict the Mexico 1856
Mexican centennial design, issues of this era. He held an the Scott Standard Postage
a low of 10,000 for each of the The printing (lithography) 1/2-real (1), and two show the
Scott 897, was resurrected for influential position in the post Stamp Catalogue.
5-peso high values. My Sept. did not do justice to the fine U.S. 1847 100 George Wash-
a special 1p commemorative office hierarchy, promoted a Still, as I noted at the onset,
ington (U.S. 2).
issue (937) in what could be number of multinational there are enough stamp-relat-
I don't know why the Wash-
(111T1i11AIN) l)13 PKI/AIR !ill! IMMO 181.110//tIK called a stamp-on-stamp-on- stamp shows, and was proba- ed adhesives already to make
ington stamp was chosen over
stamp issue. The stamp is bly responsible for the gener- up an interesting and attrac-
the 1847 50 Benjamin Frank-
shown in Figure 4. ous attention given to the hob- tive display. Have fun. •
lin. Perhaps it was because the
Mexicans equate our first
president with their liberation
hero Miguel Hidalgo, remem-
bered as the instigator of the
War for Independence in
1 8 1 O.
Franklin Roosevelt, friend
of Mexico and noted stamp
lotaNT collector, is portrayed on the
three stamps with the stamp-

CORREO5T on-stamp design of Mexico

Scott 1.

MEXICO lU '411811t1411411!4VNO.1 16 s•
Figure 2 shows an over-
franked registered first-day
cover bearing the complete
set.
Figure 1. Two of the 10 stamps Mexico issued to commemo- This cover appears to have
rate the 100th anniversary of Great Britain's Penny Black gone through the mail (the ad-
and featuring a stamp-on-stamp design of the 1840 stamp. dress label has been re-
moved), since it bears back-
10, 1990, column included a engraving of the original stamps of Laredo, Texas, and
table showing the print order stamp, and the colors were Pleasantville, N.Y., the pre-
for each value. rather drab. sumed final destination. The
Five million commemora- At the time, Mexico had transit time was three days.
tive stamps may seem like a suffered incredible inflation, The stamps of this set are
lot for a Mexican issue, but and the denomination, 700p, lithographed, reasonably well
stamp collecting then was appears to have been added as printed but not so well perfo-
rated. Most examples have
perforation waste adhering or
blind perforations in the case
of blocks.
When Mexico celebrated its
own stamp centenary in 1956,
another stamp exhibition was
staged in Mexico City with
the government authorizing a
18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 27, 2000 www.linns.com

A tale of two 1914 covers sent from Mexico

The year 1914 was signifi- These 1914 events had in- Washington stamp from a and avoided the Mexican
•-•
cant in Mexico's struggle to teresting philatelic ramifica- booklet pane (425e). mailstream entirely.
establish a stable government tions. It then appears to have left I suspect that the USS lAigo?.411
' •
following nearly four years of Mexican rebel forces were Mexico by way of a U.S. Navy Ozark was one of the supply
intense civil wars. issuing their own stamps for vessel, the USS Ozark. ships supporting the Atlantic
It was the year of the big use in territory they occupied. Both stamps are canceled fleet concentrated in the Gulf
of Mexico at that time. The
ship had a mail clerk and
Mexico ON HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S SERVICE
seems to have offered a full
complement of postal ser-
By Dale Pulver
vices, including registry.
I was surprised to discover
battles, with various power CelHlle Berelny Esquire. that the 20 U.S. stamp appears
etc. eta etc.
factions pitted against each to be Scott 425e, a perforation
IStitisX Ekbeasr.
other and what was left of the Washington, A a
gauge 10 example from a
Iffet044:1-
federal regime of Porfirio Di- booklet pane that was first is-
az. And it was the year that the sued in January 1914. The etial0 Ce4
United States became entan- regular gauge 10 stamps were
gled in the Mexican struggle. not released until September,
Figure 1. Both Mexican and United States stamps were af- Figure 2. This 1914 Mexican cover from the Constitutional-
The unsettled situation fixed to this cover mailed in 1914 from the British consulate a month after this letter was
ist-held city of Chihuahua was carried overland through the
caused the United States to in Tampico, Mexico, to the British embassy in Washington. mailed.
United States. The 5-centavo rate is paid by two stamps, a
deploy a large naval force in The second cover, shown in
The cover is canceled Aug. 9, 1914, aboard the USS Ozark. 1910 Federal Independence 5c and the Denver Eagle 5c.
the Gulf of Mexico. Figure 2, mailed six days after
On April 9, 1914, when a When the United States with one of the standard hand- the Figure 1 cover, demon- ties would accept. work out the circumstances
small contingent of U.S. took control of the Veracruz stamps (type 3) used aboard strates a different challenge The letter might have gone surrounding their use requires
Marines from the USS Dol- post office, it installed U.S. naval ships, consisting of a for the sender. I've explained through unhindered with only some attention to the political
phin put ashore in Tampico to supervisory personnel with 31-millimeter circular date- this cover in a previous col- the Denver Eagle. I have ex- situation at the time the letters
buy fuel, they were arrested. U.S. stamps to be used on stamp and a killer with umn and in my book Introduc- amples where this happened. were mailed. And in the case
The Mexican government, mail originating from that of- "TAMPICO/MEXICO" in- tion to the Postage Stamps of But acceptance of the local of Mexico during this era, the
then under Gen. Victoriano fice. serted between the three bars. Mexico. provisionals seems to have course of events was anything
Huerta, quickly released the These actions caused some The cancel is dated Aug. 9, It, too, is addressed to the been at the whim of the U.S. but straightforward.
men with an apology, but it confusion and difficulties in 1914. British embassy in Washing- postmaster at transfer points Still if one has the time and
stoutly refused a salute to the transferring mail across the Owing to the state of affairs ton. But it originated in Chi- along the border. patience, unraveling the ratio-
American flag demanded by so-called battle lines. between Mexico and the Unit- huahua, in the middle of terri- Combination uses, such as nale behind such covers can
U.S. Adm. Henry Mayo. Figure 1 shows a cover that ed States, I presume the tory already controlled by the the two examples shown here, provide many enjoyable
This rebuff provided a con- originated with the British sender was taking no chances. Constitutionalist rebel fac- are not especially rare. But to hours. ■
venient excuse for the United consulate in Tampico after the The Mexican post office tion, and it was carried over-
States, already at odds with Americans blockaded the east would recognize the 5c stamp, land by rail.
Huerta, to occupy the Mexi- coast of Mexico. Addressed to and since the 20 stamp would To assure undelayed pas-
can port of Veracruz April 21. the British embassy in Wash- suffice for its journey in the sage, the sender used a 5c
The official reason for the ington, it was franked with a U.S. mails, both were used. Denver Eagle, Scott 389,
invasion was to prevent an 5-centavo Miguel Hidalgo No Mexican cancellation which the local government
arms shipment arriving on the Mexican stamp of the 1910 appears on the cover, so it is would surely recognize, and a
German vessel Ypiranga from Independence issue (Scott possible that it was handed di- 1910 5c orange Hidalgo, Scott
reaching Huerta. 314) and a 20 U.S. George rectly to U.S. naval personnel 314, a stamp the U.S. authori-
42 LINN S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 25, 2000 www.linns.com

Mexican airmail auction and ship update

With this column I continue can airmail, Austin Paul of was out. at least, are the price esti- ship was a single-turreted Atlantic fleet in this capacity.
a tradition of recognizing Walnut Creek, Calif., shared I telephoned Mazepa and he mates. They seem extremely monitor, a late state-of-the-art The ship spent most of the
readers who generously pro- photocopies of 1928 first- confessed that, yes, Regency high in comparison to similar design of steel warships built year 1914 in special duty in
vided feedback on the articles flight covers from Mexico Stamps Ltd. had made him an material sold at recent auc- from the mid-1880s until after the Gulf of Mexico, where my
I wrote during the year. I will City to Laredo, Texas. offer he could not refuse and tions. 1 appreciate that many the turn of the century. These cover was processed. It played
also comment on some other These covers contained fas- that the collection was slated of the Mazepa pieces are the warships were odd-appearing no significant role in World
only ones known or one of
very few known, and it is dif-
ON HIS BRITANNIC MAJ ESTY'S SERVICE
Mexico ficult to assign values to such
items.
By Dale Pulver r9
4 I am certain there are re-
serves for most items, if not
happenings relative to Mexi- all of the lots. And assuming
• sc vAtro.
can philately. they are pegged at the usual
BrItIola loba.ey.
My Mexico column in the IluistAg c•
high percentage (70 to 75 per-
April 24 issue of Linn 's on the • ■•17.•11 cent) of the estimates, it may
TAM PICO,
Endangered Species stamps be difficult to find buyers
issued jointly by Mexico and willing to go the full distance
the United States in October Figure 1. This cover was carried from Mexico to the United on much of the rare material.
1996 (Scott Mexico 1995, States aboard the ship USS Ozark in August 1914. By the time this column is
U.S. 3105) drew a response published in Linn's, the sale
from Philip Sandler of Po- cinating letters written by for auction in a single proper- will be over. It will be most
tomac, Md. functionaries of the pioneer ty sale in early December. interesting to see how this
He advises that the first-day airlines involved in these in- While he did not reveal the auction played out, and I look Figure 2. This postcard pictures USS Puritan, a sister moni-
ceremony programs prepared augural flights. details of the deal, it appears forward to a report from tor to USS Ozark, which carried the Figure 1 cover.
by the U.S. Postal Service One letter relates how the to have involved a guaranteed someone who attended the
were similar to the Mexican planes, heavily loaded with bottom-line figure for Ma- auction. vessels with two 12-inch guns War I except to patrol the Gulf
covers I illustrated with the passengers, mail and full zepa, plus other considera- The Nov. 27 column dis- in the single turret. of Mexico waters and the
column in that each had one tanks of gas, barely got off the tions. And Mazepa was oblig- cussed two covers dispatched Figure 2 pictures USS Puri- coastline to the Panama Canal
Mexican and one U.S. stamp ground in the thin air of Mex- ed to write the lot descriptions from Mexico in 1914 during tan, a sister monitor that had Zone.
tied by cancels of their respec- ico City. Those had to be ex- and assist in setting price esti- the civil wars in that country. the same basic appearance as Ozark was decommissioned
tive countries. citing times for devotees of mates. One was handled aboard a USS Ozark. The illustration is in 1919 and sold for scrap in
The Mexican issue com- airmail and air travel. A lavishly illustrated sale Navy ship, the USS Ozark. from the picture side of a 1922.
prises 24 se-tenant 1.80-peso The column in the Sept. 25 catalog was sent out with a This cover is shown here in postcard. Graham suggests that cov-
stamps, so this means that a Linn :c celebrated James sale date set for Dec. 10. Figure 1. Ozark originally was named ers processed by the Ozark
collector must acquire 24 pro- Mazepa's winning of the The catalog is a valuable Without knowing exactly, I USS Arkansas, but it was re- during the Mexican blockade
grams to own all of the Mexi- American Philatelic Society's reference for 1856-61 issue suggested that this vessel named in 1909 so that one of could be quite scarce. I would
can stamps, although there Champion of Champions title specialists because of the might have been a support the new battleships, then un- be happy to hear from any of
will be some duplication of with his exhibit of Mexican enormous amount of informa- ship. der construction, could carry my Linn 's readers who may
the U.S. stamps. first issues. tion that it contains. Meanwhile, my good friend the Arkansas name. own such covers.
Finding these 24 programs Within just a few days of Nearly all of the better and Linn :c Postal History The following year, Ozark Finally, I take this opportu-
seems like a daunting chal- that column, the philatelic items are reproduced in color columnist Richard Graham was refitted as a submarine nity to wish all readers of the
lenge. grapevine was crackling with and most of the rest are illus- came through with the full tender (its low-freeboard de- Mexico column best wishes
Following my column in the the news that the collection trated too. story on the USS Ozark. sign suited it for this service), for the holiday season and a
May 22 Linn 's on early Mexi- would be sold before the year What is botheneemute jn ....„Suallam reports that the and it subsequently joined the prosperous New Year. •
 20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 22, 2001

Mexico issued many revenues

in the 19th century
Every so often my mail ject once again. -
..-1■■••
brings an inquiry from a There are perhaps twice as einr- &:14 4otlnizso
Linn's reader about a Mexican many varieties of Mexican
stamp that he cannot find in revenue stamps as there are
the Scott Standard Postage postage stamps.
Stamp Catalogue. Almost in- A number of reasons con-
tribute to this anomaly.
Revenue stamps were is-
Mexico sued more or less as receipts
certifying the payment of var-
By Dale Pulver
ious taxes, and, because Mex-
, ico derived much of its feder-
variably the mystery stamp is al income from levying such
a Mexican revenue, which, of taxes, the use of revenue
course, Scott does not list. stamps was extensive in busi-
It has been more than 15 ness and commerce.
years since I last wrote about Another reason for their
these interesting adhesives in abundance is that new revenue
Linn's, so I thought it would stamps were generally issued
be appropriate to visit the sub- for each fiscal year, and this,
too, contributed to the prolif-
eration of varieties. -
In this column, I will focus
on the beautifully engraved Figure 3. A 10-peso stamp from Mexico's 1885 first issue of
19th-century revenue stamps special customs revenue stamps called "aduanos."
that I find to be both interest- (Mexico City). This example was pen-can-
ing and attractive. The 20th- Fiscal districts were distinct celed and name-punched in
century revenues I will leave from postal district names Frontera.
for a subsequent column. seen on early Mexican Customs stamps were af-
Mexico issued its first rev- postage stamps. fixed to the documents cover-
enue stamps in 1874. There Figure 2 pictures one of the ing the importation, and then
were two sets: "documentos y early contribution federal rev- dot-perforated with the name
libros" (documents and books) enue stamps. This 1-peso rev- of the location where the
and "contribucion federal" enue shows a liberty cap and a goods entered Mexico.
(federal tax). book of laws. Thus, most of the examples
Businessmen used the The way these revenues of used aduanos reveal a read-
books and documents rev- were used is interesting. If a able perforated name when
enues in their accounts books. merchant was required to ob- held to a light.
Figure 1. Mexico's 5-centavo Any businessman with cap- tain a 10-peso city license to Some of the punched
documents and books rev- ital in excess of 2,000 pesos operate his business, he was names, for example, Isla del
enue of the 1874 first issue. was obliged to keep precise charged 12.50p: 10p for the li- Carmen, Paso del Norte (El
books recording his business cense plus 25 percent federal Paso), and Ocampo are much
transactions. Further, he was contribution. The revenue scarcer than say, the larger
required to buy and affix doc- stamp shows that the federal ports of Tampico or Veracruz.
uments and books stamps to contribution was paid. Another revenue series,
the pages in his account Government inspectors "renta interior" (internal tax),
records in an amount propor- strictly enforced these and was introduced in 1885. This
tional to the value of those other regulations. Violations commercial transaction tax
recorded transactions. were severely penalized with persists as a tax classification
Figure 1 shows the 5-centa- fines that were likewise certi- in Mexico.
vo documents and books fied with even more revenue Figure 4 pictures an early
stamp. This large stamp (30 stamps. example of such a revenue
millimeters by 45mm), is part Another important source stamp. This 10c revenue
of a series in 12 colors and 10 of federal revenue was the shows a woman bearing a
denominations. The stamp customs duties levied on im- shield as its main design.
shows a portrait of Miguel Hi- ported goods. Special customs After 1888, the interior tax
dalgo, hero of Mexican inde- revenue stamps, called "adu- revenues were issued with
pendence. anos," were first issued in talons, or attachments. In this
Figure 2. This 1-peso Mexi- In the panel below the por- 1885 and continued for eight way the revenues could be
can contribution federal trait, the name of the fiscal series. placed across the separating-
revenue stamp depicts a cap district is handstamped, in this Figure 3 shows the 10p line of a receipt so both the re-
of Liberty and book of laws. case, the Federal District stamp from the initial issue. ceipt and its stub would bear
portions of the stamp.
Used revenue stamps with - -1-37:
.4471
talons are preferred by collec-
tors and sell for more than
those without.
Early on, this commercial
tax was set at Y2 percent of a
transaction value, although
some rates, such as those on
wines, liquors and tobacco
products, were much higher.
These 19th-century revenue
stamps I have described are
easily distinguished from
Mexican postage stamps since
most of them are much larger
than any postage stamp issued
in that era. Figure 4. This Mexican 10-
Revenue stamps did get centavo internal tax revenue
smaller as time went on, how- shows a woman with a shield.
ever. --
Another test is that postage published in 1979.
stamps generally bear the I believe the later edition is
word "correos," the Spanish still available from MEPSI.
word for "mails," whereas Contact Carl LeMar John,
revenue stamps will often MEPSI Publications Manager,
have wording that includes 5063 E. North Regency Cir-
"timbre" (fiscal stamp), im- cle, Tucson, AZ 85711.
plying some sort of tax. If not, I'm reasonably cer-
Also, Mexican revenue tain one of the philatelic book
stamps will almost always dealers can find a copy for
bear year dates designating you.
the time for which they were There is much more to the
valid. story of Mexican revenue
For collectors interested in stamps that I will defer for a
delving further into this field, future column. The stamps are
I recommend The Revenue eminently collectible and,
Stamps of Mexico written by when you find them, not terri-
Richard B. Stevens and pub- bly expensive.
lished by the Mexico- The book cited above can
Elmhurst Philatelic Society provide additional details for
International. The first edition the many varieties that exist in
came out in 1968, and it was the revenue stamps of the 19th
subsequently revised and re- century. ■
46 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 26, 2001 www.linns.corn

Some Mexican postal adhesives aren't stamps

You won't see them listed in adhesives marked letters dressee. This front was then In Mexico, the word "certi-
the catalogs, and you won't where strict security measures returned to the sender as proof ficado" was widely used to in-
pay much for them if you find needed to be taken to assure of delivery. dicate registration, so some of
some in dealers' stock. They safe delivery. I do not know exactly when the early registry labels con-
have their origin in post of- In the classic era of Mexi- registry stickers, such as those tain the letter "C."
fices, were widely used, and can stamps, up to about 1870, illustrated in Figure 1, were The registration labels
special handstamps designat- first used. The earliest one I come in many formats.
ed registered mail. The outer have is on a cover dated 1887, Some were designed for in-
Mexico edges of a letter were repeti-
tively struck with mute mark-
but I suspect they were in use
long before that.
sertion of the name of the
originating post office.
By Dale Pulver The two examples shown in Others from large offices, Figure 2. These two Mexican seals from the early part of the
ings to alert carriers of its na-
ture. Figure 1 have the letter "R" such as the one shown on the 20th century were designed to be used to seal registered let-
Upon delivery, the letter (for registry) at the right side left in Figure 1, had the office ters. Because of their shape, they are called sunburst seals.
came in a wide variety of
shapes, sizes and colors. And had to be opened immediately, of the label. (Federal District) printed on ed States, it was handstamped in such cases, the sender was
they are the focus of a small, and the front of the letter was the label. The registry number and assigned a new U.S. reg- obliged to add an endorse-
yet avid group of collectors, countersigned by the ad- could be applied by a rubber istry number. ment to the back of a letter
but they had no franking pow- REPUBLIQUE MDUCAINE stamp, or be handwritten. In the early days, registered that he had witnessed the seal-
er whatsoever. MIEXIQLTE"
.. Frequently, new labels were letters were sealed across the ing procedure.
I refer to the Mexican ancil- U. P. U. applied as the registered item closure flap with sealing wax. Eventually, this wax process
District Federal.
lary adhesives applied to cov- RtRiBLIG MEXICAINE moved through the intermedi- Usually, these wax seals bore became so cumbersome that
ers to signal special handling Np.p. NI< nt. ate post offices to its destina- impressed monograms identi- paper seals were devised and
within the postal system. tion. fying the sender. applied across the closures.
First, I'll discuss the so- Invariably, if a letter Most post offices could ap- Handstamps were then
called registry labels. These Figure 1. These two Mexican labels bear an "R" for registry. crossed the border to the Unit- ply seals if necessary. Often, added to tie the seal and pre-
www.zillionsofstamps.com FEBRUARY 26, 2001 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 47
elude tampering. name to be inserted, or alter- processed at the Mexican bel used during the early years them properly used on cover.
Figure 2 shows two seals natively, it could be preprint- dead letter office (departa- of airmail. Such labels were On-cover collecting would be
that date from the early part of ed, as shown. mento de rezagos). This type employed extensively on air- challenging but probably the
the 20th century. They are Most of the sealing labels of label was used extensively mail letters, presumably to fa- most interesting.
called sunburst seals because were brown in color, but a few during the civil conflicts of cilitate sorting. Finally, my thanks to Ted
of their shape. can be found in red. Early de- 1910-20 on letters that were There are a couple of ways Showers of Camp Verde,
They were produced in signs were quite elaborate, of- undeliverable and lacking a to collect these nonfranking Ariz., who, a couple of years
many styles and colors. Note ten including the Mexican ea- return address. adhesives. You can search for back, put me on to the im-
that the inscriptions vary. Figure 4. This type of stamp- gle coat of arms and heavy or- Many times the named off-cover examples that some- mense variety of these non-
Most of the seals, such as the like closure label was for use namentation. sender could not be located ei- times crop up in packet mix- stamps, especially the cerrado
one on the left, bear the word on mail processed at Mexi- In recent years, these labels ther, so the letters ended up in tures. Or, you can look for y sellado labels. ■
"certificacion" but others, co's dead letter office. have become quite plain and limbo. I still don't understand
such as the seal on the right, straightforward. why they weren't destroyed,
were imprinted "correspon- lado" (closed and sealed) ad- Figure 4 shows a fancy, but many such covers sur-
dencias registradas." hesives, such as the one stamplike closure label that I vived for the philatelic mar-
Other common post office shown in Figure 3. have seen used only on letters ket.
stickers are the "cerrado y sel- These labels came in a wide It is difficult to find this
variety of designs starting in particular label in good used
the late 1800s. condition. The label was ap-
They were used to seal let- plied to reseal the opening slit
ters and packages that arrived made by the examiners, so
at the post office unsealed or most were ultimately de-
that had to be opened for in- stroyed on the final opening.
spection. But once in a while, you will
The wordings on these la- see a fair specimen that some-
Figure 3. This Mexican bels call attention to the ac- Figure 5. This red, green and one salvaged.
postal label reads "cerrado y tion taken at a local post of- white label was used on ear- Figure 5 pictures a red,
sellado" (closed and sealed). fice. Space is provided for a ly Mexican airmail letters. white and green adhesive la-
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 26, 2001

Ancillary markings found on

In the Mexico column in similar ones on envelopes dat-
the Feb. 26, 2001, Linn 's, page ed as early as the first decade VAHAN MOZIAN. Inc.
46, I discussed ancillary adhe- of the 1900s right on up into 505 F.:PI, AVENUE
AY 42No
NEw YORK. N. Y.
sives used in addition to post- the 1950s. Sometimes this ad-
age stamps on letters in the monishment not to use the
Mexican mail system. In this large, nearly square Euro-
pean-type envelopes contains
wording mentioning that such
Mexico items impede the rapid han-
,
By Dale Pulver dling of mail and that the cov-
ers can be easily damaged in
the process.
column, I'll discuss a few an- Two other ancillary mark-
cillary markings found on ings appear on the Figure 1
Mexican covers. cover, which is an airmail cov- Figure 2. This 1941 airmail cover sent from a New York City
I define ancillary markings er. The one at the bottom-right stamp dealer to Mazatlan, Mexico, bears a supplemental
as any messages applied to corner of the cover encour- marking reading "Sent by train, owing to flight cancellation."
covers other than a normal ages the use of airmail to dress should follow. peculiar to Durango and prob-
cancellation, meaning the speed delivery of correspon- A supplemental marking ably rarely used. However, I
usual town mark and killer. dence. It notes that the 20- added to the 1941 airmail cov- have since seen several other
The 1929 cover shown in centavo airmail rate (twice the er illustrated in Figure 2 examples applied at different
Figure 1 was a cheap find that surface rate) is a small price reads, "Sent by train, owing to locations.
caught my attention because it to pay for such rapid service. flight cancellation."
bore three ancillary markings. Finally, a handstamp at the Many date from the early
The first, and one of my fa- upper left exhorts the public Backstamps allow us to plot days of airmail service, when
vorites, appears just below the to add a return address in case the path of this cover sent, ac- equipment problems and foul
address. It pleads to writers: a letter cannot be delivered cording to the corner card, by weather often grounded the
"Send your messages in ob- and must be returned to the New York stamp dealer Vahan mail flights.
long envelopes." sender. This handstamp also Mozian. It is franked with the Mexican postal authorities
I have seen this message or tells the form the return ad- 1927 100 Lindbergh airmail apparently supplied these
stamp (Scott-E$): The-cover handstamps to offices---where
left New York Sept. 17, 1941, such interruptions were likely
arriving in Mexico City Sept. to occur.
Y.N2bIriNT7a 19. It was then flown to Duran- Another marking that has
torraportk?1,71 %fa) dental go, reaching that city Sept. 20. nothing to do with mail deliv-
y affix
astrA At Durango, the reduced ery is shown in Figure 3, on a
service marking was applied, cover pictured only in part.
and the letter went aboard a This marking is applied to a
sri.ta Steila train, presumably the one 1936 cover originating in San
headed west from Durango to- Luis Potosi and sent to New
Chiapas No.98.
ward the Pacific coast. But York City.
Mexico. D.P. that railroad does not go all The handstamp urges the
sr' "AF.TAS EN SO BMS OBLO the way through to Mazatlan, citizenry to cooperate in a lit-
so for the final 90 miles the eracy campaign. The urging
letter probably traveled by seems to have originated with
dtl<1"°4"...0 • mail truck over the twisting the secretary of public educa-
.t.37 atta.
.fro '.a4:cen:ams roads of the Sierra Madre tion; and I assume this was
mountain range. initiated at the federal level.
Whatever conveyance was Collectors familiar with
used, it took three days for the Mexican philately will recall a
Figure 1. This 1929 Mexican airmail cover bears three an- Durango-Mazatlan connec- series of stamps, both regular
cillary handstamped markings: one about using oblong en- tion. and airmail, issued in 1945 to
velopes, another about the speediness of airmail and the I once thought that this publicize the battle against il-
third about the importance of including a return address. "Sent by train" marking was literacy (806-11, C153-57). It
was an ongoing problem.
Finally, the handstamp
marking struck on the post-
card shown in Figure 4 is
probably the scarcest of the
bunch. It explains that the pic-
ture postcard was damaged in Drvz
a fire aboard a mail car near Smt:: xef.
the town of Encarnacion de
Diaz, state of Jalisco, March
16, 1956.
Figure 3. An ancillary hand-
The card is obviously dam- stamped marking promot-
aged, but it was repaired and ing a literacy campaign is
ultimately delivered to the ad-
shown here, one of the
dressee in Mexico City. markings on a 1936 cover
A Mexico City machine
sent from San Luis Potosi,
cancel on the face of the card Mexico, to New York.
includes an April 12 date. So
we must assume it took almost these interesting add-on mark-
a month to sort things out, dry ings is that you can collect
the water-soaked correspon- them with little strain on the
dence (the stamp floated off pocketbook. None of the cov-
this card), and arrange for de- ers shown in this column cost
livery. me more than a few dollars.
These are but a few of the I continue searching for un-
ancillary postal markings you usual postal messages struck

C:147i4u4...14 vA .tt+itfi

Pluto:
S("2.-
c8riTos S
h. tet.#1 A IN 0 S moons .
A.6.r Pttv De4PAkctto
jteall,c, OJT.'

Figure 4. The handstamp on the reverse side of this Mexican

picture postcard explains that the card was damaged in a fire
aboard a mail car near Encarnacion de Diaz March 16, 1956.

can find on covers from Mex- or written on covers. I would

ico. Most of them deal with enjoy hearing from collectors
everyday problems in han- who possess what they con-
dling the mails, but a few ad- sider to be uncommon mark-
dress larger issues, such as the ings. Write to Dale Pulver, in
promotion of education. care of Linn's Stamp News,
Perhaps the best thing about Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. •
24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 23, 2001 www.linns.com

Searching for miniature covers of Mexico

For several years I have stamp dealers, who prepared
been hunting for small, or and mailed many covers at the
miniature, covers mailed in time. So, in effect, stamped
Mexico. I define these minia- covers mailed after June 1 are
tures as any cover measuring much scarcer. But many col-
about 21/2 inches by 4 inches lectors are enchanted with
first-day uses and buy them
by choice.
Mexico Why were such small en-
velopes produced and used? Mr s. Helen Van Dykeman
By Dale Pulver
The Figure 1 cover is al- 6834 Oswego P1.
most exactly the size of a SEATTLE 5, 'Wash, , U. S. A,
(65 millimeters by 105mm) or standard business card, so my
smaller. guess is that these small en-
Such items usually are not velopes were used to send
expensive, but they are Figure 1. This cover, measuring only 2 inches by 3% inches, is such cards publicizing one's Figure 3. This cover, sent Dec. 22, 1959, from Mexico to the
scarcer than you might think. a first-day cover of Mexico's 1916 10-centavo Carranza stamp. business or profession. United States, may have contained a small Christmas card.
So far, my entire collection In this instance, the sender
purchased this cover might issue sold out on the first day.
can be counted on the fingers could have been a stamp deal-
have made a strong case for a This issue comprised 190,000
of one hand. er and the addressee a collec-
much higher price had he blue stamps, just like the one
Recently, at my stamp tor, because the franking was
club's annual exhibition and known that fact. However, the affixed to the Figure 1 cover,
excessive and the stamp had
bourse, the Garfield-Perry majority of covers bearing this and its scarcer color variety in
just been issued. The contents
stamp and available in the lilac-brown (10,000 stamps
March Party held March 23- of the envelope are missing,
market are dated June 1. printed).
25 in Cleveland, Ohio, I found so this is just my guess.
This is because the entire Most of the stamps went to
the cover shown in Figure 1. The cover shown in Figure
This cover now holds the 2 is about the same length as
record of being the smallest in the one shown in Figure 1, but Ve. L.Zeq.1- F(2.-tV,P13s0,
my meager collection. It mea- it is about 1/4-inch wider. This -A‘s OWE T
sures only 2 inches by 31/2 would have been about the kl-LoW tc-1C n1.4 1
inches (53mm by 90mm). right size for European-style 1/4-kq 094
Besides being overfranked business cards.
with a 1916• 10-centavo This use is reinforced by ,
Venustiano Carranza com- the fact that it is addressed to
memorative stamp (Scott a Milton Flynn at the
Figure 4. This small Mexican airmail cover bearing a Ken-
574), it possesses other phila- "Princess Hotel, fronting on
nedy stamp was sent from one doctor to another May 8, 1970.
telic charms as well. the Alemeda, on the street of
The datestamp and killer Famous Men, in the city (ciu- rect, paid with a stamp from Figure 3 shows a small cov-
are from one of the branch dad) of Mexico." the Independence issue of er just barely within my di-
post offices in Mexico City, Flynn probably was a visit- 1910 (314). The cancellation mension limits for a miniature
and it is dated the first day ing foreigner, and perhaps the reads Oct. 14, 1921, so we cover. Franked with three 10c
these stamps were available to envelope contained a short have a very late use of this definitive stamps of the peri-
the public, June 1, 1916. So, it note confirming an appoint- stamp. od (858) paying the surface
is a first-day cover as well. Figure 2. Late use of Mexico's 1910 Independence-issue 5- ment. Both small covers described rate, it is addressed to the
The dealer from whom I centavo stamp on a business-card-size cover mailed in 1921. Here, the 5c franking is cor- so far arc handcanceled. United States and is canceled
www.zillionsofstamps.com
Dec. 22, 1959. is just slightly larger (60mm The minimum size for stan-
The date of use suggests by 95mm) than the Figure 1 dard mail in the United States
that this envelope may have cover. is 31/2 inches by 5 inches.
carried a diminutive Christ- Small covers such as these But in the years before
mas card. are probably now considered mechanization played such a
This small cover was ma- nonmailable items. The Unit- dominant role in the handling
chined canceled and went ed States Postal Service levies of mails, miniature envelopes
through the processing step an additional charge for non- were accepted as just another
without mishap. Usually, such standard-size items and some- piece of mail.
small items end up with mis- thing this small could be re- Look for them, and you
aligned cancels or, at worst, fused service today, according may be surprised how few of
damage to the envelope itself. to a clerk at my post office. them are to be found. ■
Figure 4 pictures an airmail
cover sent from Mexico City
May 8, 1970. It is franked
with a 1962 80c airmail stamp
commemorating President
John F. Kennedy's visit to
Mexico (C262).
The cover was processed by
hand. It almost certainly car-
ried a business card, since it is
from one doctor (address on
back flap) to another. Its size
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 28, 2001 www.Iinns.com

Many Mexican stamps honor colonial cities

Mexico reveres its colonial ters square, appear to have
past even though those 300 been very popular among col-
years of Spanish rule were, in lectors.
many respects, harsh and op- Guadalajara, Mexico's sec-
pressive. ond-largest city, reached its
Buildings and architecture 400-year anniversary in 1942 .
It was honored with six
stamps, three surface-mail
Mexico Figure 3. A doubling, or re- stamps and three airmails
(771-73, C120-22), all en-
By Dale Pulver entry, can be found on the
"20c" denomination in the graved. A statue, colonial
lower-right corner of this churches and, once again, the
dating from the colonial era Figure 2. A stylized pirate Mexican airmail stamp salut- coat of arms for the city make
are frequently found pictured ship is pictured on a 1940 ing the city of Guadalajara. up the designs.
on Mexican stamps. One of the Mexican stamp commemo- An interesting printing flaw
ized pirate sailing ship and
most repeated themes of Mex- rating the city of Campeche. is found on the 20c airmail
notable landmarks in the port
ican commemorative stamps is sary of the founding of city of Campeche. Figure 2 stamp shown in Figure 3.
to note the founding dates of Puebla, a city of colonial ori- depicts the 20c stamp. The 20c value imprinted in
Figure 5. Mexico released this 7.40-peso souvenir sheet in
the nation's oldest colonial gins some 80 miles east of These large airmail stamps, the lower-right corner dis-
1996 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Monterrey.
towns and cities. Mexico City. measuring about 40 millime- plays a re-entry (doubling).
Up to 1931, commemora- The stamp (Scott 675), This occurs on one stamp in rather small city in the state of crative revenue stream from
tive stamps were rarely issued shown in Figure 1, is some- the sheet. Guanajuato, and known in re- stamp collectors.
by the Mexican post office. what larger than the definitive Merida also became 400 cent times as a mecca for Most of the stamps would
On May 1, 1931, Mexico re- (regular-issue) stamps of the years old in 1942 and likewise artists, writers and pensioners, never be used, and the hobby
leased a 10-centavo stamp to period. Printed in two colors, received homage with six turned 400 in 1943 and some- was certainly on the rebound
celebrate the 400th anniver- it pictures the coat of arms of stamps, three surface and how rated six stamps honoring after the dark days of World
Puebla. three airmail (768-70, C117- that event (781-83, C129-31). War II with collectors once
This stamp began a long pa- 19). In 1946, the venerable min- again buying aggressively.
cozettEmn ATIVO rade of commemoratives that It's curious that the 40c air- ing center of Zacatecas Following a lull during the
UARTO NANIO BE LA MOM BE
PUEBLA honored the 400th anniver- mail stamp appears to have reached its 400th birthday, late 1940s and 1950s, anniver-
saries of events, participants originally been intended as a and nine stamps were issued sary stamps of founding dates
and architecture of the early surface-mail stamp, because marking that event. resumed their place among
years of the Spanish conquest. the stamp is labeled "Correos The set includes five sur- Mexican new issues with Du-
The next colonial city to re- Mexico." However, there face-mail stamps and four air- rango in 1963 (935), Celaya in
ceive recognition on a Mexi- probably was little demand for mail (820-24, C163-66). 1970 (1029), Monterrey's
can stamp was Campeche. such a high value, so it was Three of the surface-mail 375th anniversary in 1971
Again, the city's coat of overprinted in red "servicio stamps are denominated 1p, (1037), Leon in 1976 (1145),
arms was chosen as the motif aereo," and it became part of 5p and 10p, certainly values Saltillo in 1977 (1154), San
for a 10c bicolor stamp used the airmail set. Figure 4 shows that would rarely be needed Luis Potosi in 1992 (1777)
for the surface-mail letter rate. the overprinted stamp. on ordinary mail. and Monterrey again at its
It was issued Aug. 7, 1940, Figure 4. This 1942 Mexican The stamp exists without Looking at this multiple 400th year in 1996 (1992).
Figure 1. Mexico issued this along with three airmail 40-centavo stamp honoring the overprint (C118a), at about stamp set, I can't help but Figure 5 pictures the 1996
bicolor stamp in 1931 to stamps (763, C111-13). Merida's 400th anniversary three times the catalog value wonder if the postal authori- Monterrey souvenir sheet cre-
honor the 400th anniversary The 20c, 40c and 1-peso was overprinted to indicate for the overprinted stamps. ties had begun to realize that ated and produced by Grupo
of the founding of Puebla. airmail stamps show a styl- that it was for airmail use. San Miguel de Allende, a such issues could provide a lu- Romo, a contract printer used
www.zillionsofstamps.com
by the Mexican postal author-
ities. Mexico's ancient cities — anniversary stamps of founding dates
Stylized multicolor scenes City Year of issue Anniversary Scott numbers
of Monterrey surround a sin- Puebla 1931 400 675
1981 450 1230
gle 7.40p stamp showing what Campeche 1940 400 763; C111-13
the founding group of Span- 1990 450 1664
ish explorers and missionaries Merida 1942 400 768-70; C117-19
1992 450 1716
may have looked like on the Guadalajara 1942 400 771-73; C120-23
day they arrived at the future 1992 450 1720
site of the city. S. Miguel de Allende 1943 400 781-83; C129-31
Zacatecas 1946 400 820-24; C163-66
If you study the Scott 1996 450 1990
stamp catalog closely, you Durango 1963 400 935
will find numerous other Celaya 1970 400 1029
Mexican events and historical Monterrey 1971 375 1037
1996 400 1992
figures commemorated on Aguascalientes 1975 400 1140
their 400th anniversaries. You Leon 1976 400 1145
could easily make a nice Saltillo 1977 400 1154
Queretaro 1981 450 1240
grouping or thematic collec- Oaxaca 1982 450 1273
tion based on these commem- Morelia 1991 450 1715
orative issues. San Luis Potosi 1992 400 1777
Salvatierra 1994 350 1892
The Spanish crown was in- Loreto 1997 300 2063
deed busy in the Mexican area C. Victoria 2000 250 2207
during the 16th century, and
much of the infrastructure it
established and built remains Figure 6. This table lists stamps commemorating Mexican
intact today. The area was towns and cities that were founded under colonial rule.
originally known as Nueva
Espana (New Spain). yet seen, more than 50 Mexi- 1907 set commemorating the
Figure 6 shows a table list- can postage stamps are asso- founding of Jamestown in
ing Mexican towns and cities ciated with the establishment 1607, the 1949 stamp for An-
that were established in the of Mexico's ancient cities. napolis, the 1950 stamp for
16th century and that have Mexico's preoccupation Kansas City and the 1951
been honored with Scott-list- with this theme seems to be a stamp for Detroit.
ed postage stamps commemo- point of national pride. Most of the oldest U.S.
rating their founding dates. The United States does not cities were just getting started
The list is ordered based on usually publicize such events. when those in Mexico were
the date a city first had an an- The only similar U.S. issues I already in their second or
niversary stamp issued. can recall offhand are the third centuries. ■
This practice of issuing
stamps marking founding
dates continues up to this day.
For example, in October
2000, a 3p stamp was issued
to mark the 250th anniversary
of Ciudad Victoria in the
Mexican state of Tamaulipas.
By my count, and this may
not include some of the more
recent emissions I have not
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 25, 2001 www.linns.com

Mexico's photo postcards show stamp subjects

Postcard collecting boasts an cards that show subjects that al- spine of the Sierra Madre
avid following and is really akin so are displayed on Mexican mountain chain, literally grew
to stamp collecting. stamps. One of the earliest pho- out of a peasant's cornfield in
I know several stamp collec- to cards I have, illustrated in the 1940s. It was the object of
tors who pursue this field in a Figure 1, is a bird's-eye view of intense study by geologists and
big way, but because the post- the main plaza of Cuernavaca, vulcanologists at the time.
an area fronted by government In 1956 the event was com-
buildings and the palace of memorated on a 50c airmail
Mexico Cortez, who used this town as
his summer home.
stamp (C235) marking the meet-
ing of the International Geologi-
By Dale Pulver
There is no stamp showing cal Congress in Mexico City.
this particular view, but it does I am certain there are many
card field is so vast, they focus resemble the views used in a other photo cards that could be
their interests on subjects relat- 1938 commemorative series to associated with subjects used in
ed to their stamp specialties. mark the 16th International Con- stamp designs, and I would be
I remain alert for postcards gress of (Urban) Planning and delighted to hear from anyone
myself, since these often com- Housing held in Mexico City. who may have such items.
plement my stamp pursuits. I'm I am interested in this card Figure 3. The front of a photo postcard featuring a night The picture sides of post-
especially partial to photo cards, because it is an early photo view of the Arch of the Revolution in Mexico City.
cards with real black-and-white card, used and mailed in 1922 never completed owing to the was franked with a 4c stamp of
photographs of scenic views, ar- to California. Figure 2. This Mexican post- civil uprisings of 1910 and the the regular issue, a stamp de-
chitectural monuments or in- Figure 2 pictures a postcard ouster of Diaz from power. picting the arch itself. The can-
card depicts the Church of
digenous subjects. showing the Church of San Se- Originally the arch was to celed stamp from the card is
Photo cards appear to have bastian and Santa Prisca in the San Sebastian and Santa
Prisca, also is pictured on have been named in honor of shown in Figure 4.
had their heyday from about Mexican town of Taxco, a the centennial of independence, The Arch design was first
1910 until the early 1950s when quaint village nestled in the Mexican airmail stamps.
silver artisans. but in the final analysis it be- used on the regular issue of
printed color cards essentially mountains of Guerrero state. came a monument to the revolu- 1934, in a large format measur-
took over the market. The area is noted for its silver This church, a spectacular
example of colonial architec- tion of 1910-20. ing 20 millimeters by 26mm. In
Whenever possible, I look for mines and, more recently, its This card, mailed in 1940,
ture in the baroque style, is 1937, for economy measures, the
found on several stamps, most series was redrawn in a smaller
size (17'//mm by 21mm).
notably, the 35-centavo and 2-
The Arch stamp, which paid
peso values of the regular air-
the postcard rate to the United
mail issue of 1950-73 (Scott
States is seen on many souvenir
CI91, C220H and others). cards mailed during that period.
The view on the card is not The arch was used again in
the same as that on the stamp, the design of a 10c stamp issued
but there is no mistaking the in 1939 (746) to commemorate Figure 5. This Mexican post-
identity of the church. the opening of the World's Fair card depicts the Paricutin
Figure 3 depicts a night view in New York City. volcano spewing smoke. A
of the so-called Arch of the Figure 5 features a dramatic 1956 airmail stamp also
Revolution in downtown Mexi- view of the volcano of Paricutin shows the smoking volcano.
co City. Construction on this spewing smoke and ash. The
massive structure began in the cards cannot be considered phi-
Figure 4. The postcard shown photo was taken from a small latelic in nature, but the cards
final years of Porfirio Diaz' village in the Mexican state of
reign. It was to be the keystone in Figure 3 is franked with a do provide interesting acquisi-
4-centavo stamp showing the Michoacan. tions. Also, they are usually
Figure 1.This Mexican photo postcard shows the main plaza of an elaborate complex of gov- This volcano, located on the
of Cuernavaca. This card was mailed in 1922 to California. ernment buildings that were Arch of the Revolution. fairly reasonably priced. ■
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 23, 2001 www.linns.com

Watermark makes Mexican stamp scarce

Just more than 10 years ago granted and to be aware that used on mail and the envelopes held at $35. (Good used ex- tifiable town in the Mexican
(Linn's, May 13, 1991), I changes often lead to the un- bearing them discarded. amples are tough to find.) state of Michoacan, bears the
wrote about an innocent-look- expected. Dealers and collectors The stamp surpassed the date Feb. 12, 1946. The town
ing Mexican definitive, or The story, ferreted out by a aware of the variety were able level it had in the 1988 cata- name was off the stamp.
regular-issue, stamp that es- collector living in Mexico, to find a few by scouring log, and the 2001 Scott cata- When browsing through
caped notice by experienced merits retelling. smaller and out-of-the-way log lists it at $250 mint and boxes of cheap covers, be alert
In 1944, the Mexican print- post offices. $60 used. for covers bearing the 15c
ing plant for stamps intro- Meanwhile, a new 15c Post- Acquiring an unused exam- A113 design stamp post-
Mexico duced a new watermarked pa-
per for its regular stamps. It is
man stamp (825) made its ap-
pearance and was shouldering
ple of this stamp should not be marked in 1946 and from
too difficult. small towns. You might get
By Dale Pulver
designated Scott watermark the burden of 15c frankings. Most auctions of predomi- lucky and find one of these
type 272, and it replaced secu- The large 15c stamp water- nantly Mexican stamps offer gems.
collectors and when discov- rity paper watermark type 156 marked with Scott watermark one or more of this stamp as a The watermark is not hard
ered was almost impossible to that had been in use for 12 type 272 stamp is, in my view, separate lot. to read with the usual methods
find. years. one of the truly scarce Mexi- I think that it is more diffi- for loose stamps, using fluid
The stamp is Scott 795A, Figure 2 shows the new wa- can stamps of the 20th centu- cult to find the stamp used or holding it to light.
the 15-centavo greenish blue termark, which features ea- ry. No one knows for sure how and in good condition than it On cover, the watermark
definitive showing the Inde- gles in circles separated by many were printed and sent is to find an unused one. will offer more challenge, but
pendence Monument in Mexi- "S.H.C.P. MEXICO." out. I searched for many years with strong back lighting it
co City, Scott design A113 of The initials S.H.C.P. stand Figure 2. This watermark When it was originally before locating one, and not a should be discernable.
the 1934 series. The stamp is for Secretaria de Hacienda showing eagles inside circles found, it was estimated that pristine stamp at that, with a Good luck with your
illustrated in Figure I. and Credito PUblica (Secre- and "S.H.C.P. MEXICO" several million went into cir- dated cancel proving it was a search, and please let me
Its discovery was clearly a tary of Treasury and Public was used on Mexican defini- culation, but, if this were the contemporary use. know if you find one, either
lesson not to take anything for Debt). fives issued in 1945 and 1946. case, it would seem that many My stamp, from an uniden- used or on cover. •
In 1945 and 1946, many of fices in the interior, so a print- more should exist. But they
the higher value stamps of the ing on the new paper was have always been elusive.
large-size 1934 series were made and distributed to those The value of the stamp in
printed using this paper and offices needing the stamps. the Scott catalog over the
duly listed in the Scott Stan- This was accomplished years is rather interesting. In
dard Postage Stamp Cata- without fanfare or public an- the mid-1960s when I first fo-
logue. However, two stamps, nouncement. cused on Mexico as a special-
the 15c and 5-peso, values ap- Even the philatelic agency, ty, the stamp cataloged $20
peared to have been skipped on which many collectors and unused and $2.50 used.
in the initial new printings. dealers depended for their As I recall, I purchased my
The 15c denomination ful- new issues, received none of first 795A for about 150p,
filled a common franking, the new printing and was un- which was U.S. $12.
paying the rate for intercity aware of it. Since then, the Scott value
letters and surface mail to the Eventually, the variety was has moved upward rather
United States. At the time, discovered, verified, and as- steadily. By 1988, it had
Figure 1. This 1946 15-cen- ample stocks of the 15c stamp signed Scott No. 795A, so that reached $240 mint and $35
tavo definitive, if printed on (on 156 watermarked paper, it could be placed in the prop- used.
paper with the watermark Scott 713) were on hand in the er sequence in the catalog After the Scott valuing ad-
shown in Figure 2, is one of large city post offices. with the other values. justments in the 1990 catalog,
the scarcer Mexican stamps However, such was not the By this time, virtually all of the unused value was set back
of the 20th century. case for the smaller post of- the new stamps had been sold, to $190, but the used value
22 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 27, 2001 www.linns.com

Ultimate reference source for Mexico Scott 1

Serious collectors of Mexico have been In the opening chapters, Turnburke de- pieces Turnburke did not have himself were lectors willing to tackle the difficult task of
blessed with a number of worthwhile reference scribes the printing process, the three plates made available to him by fellow collectors. plating their stamps.
works in recent years. used and the papers used for this popular I tested his descriptions with the pair of - Chapter 15 presents a matrix where you can
In 1993, Leo Corbett released his encyclo- stamp. stamps illustrated nearby. It was obvious from match up characteristics of a given impression
pedic treatment of The Imperial Eagles of Next comes terminology, definitions and the framelines that the stamps were positions 1 with a plate number and position within that
Maximilian's Mexico. Three years later, Nick framelines. and 2. But what plate were they from? plate. I haven't used this feature yet, but it ap-
With careful comparison to Turnburke's il- pears to be a workable method.

Mexico „ lustrations, I was able to determine this pair

was printed by plate III.
Four appendixes are the second aid. These
consist of tables setting forth the precise up-
By Dale Pulver I'm anxious to see if I can identify positions and-down and side-to-side distances between
and plate numbers for other 1/2r stamps in my impressions on the three plates. Such data will
collection, but that will take more time than I be useful for those owning multiples.
Follansbee's definitive work, The Stamps of the have to spare at the moment. This book is not for everyone, and would no
Mexican Revolution, was published by the Col- Mechanically, the book is produced in loose- doubt be labeled a case of overkill by even
lectors Club of Chicago. An initial edition of leaf format to permit future updates and cor- many serious collectors of Mexico's first issue.
300 sold out almost immediately, forcing a rections. Still, it is remarkable in both scope and detail
reprint of another 300 copies. It is printed from a computer by the author and a fine addition to the literature of Mexican
In 1997, James Bendon published Mexican upon order, so there is little money tied up in philately. Turnburke deserves thanks for
Maritime Mail, an in-depth postal history re- inventory. Desktop computer publishing has recording the results of his personal studies.
view of complex mail-transport systems. This The author of this column used Vernon been a boon to important literature where there For those who would dare to enter this fasci-
work was jointly authored by Karl Schimmer Turnburke's new reference book on Mexi- is only limited demand. nating, but arcane world of plating and plate-
and John Heath. co's first stamp, the 1856 'A-real blue, to The photos in this book are scanned images. flaw study, I can recommend it highly.
Later that same year, Follansbee's superb find out this pair was printed from plate III. Also, almost all are enlargements, showing the You may order it directly from the author,
and eminently useful A Catalogue of the design elements, spots and flaws with surpris- Vernon P. Turnburke Jr., 19111 Vista Bay
Stamps of Mexico, 1856-1900 was published. Turnburke then begins a systematic exami- ing clarity. The illustrations are closely keyed Drive, No. 601, Indian Shores, FL 33785. The
I recently received a review copy of the first nation of a myriad of printing varieties; plate to the text so it's fairly easy to see what the price is $60 postpaid to United States address-
significant work on Mexican philately of the flaws, including multiple transfers, short trans- flaws described look like. es, certainly a great bargain considering the
new millennium. Mexico Plate Varieties of the fers, overlapping ribbons and curls, scratches, The book includes two powerful aids for col- time and labor invested in this project. •
Medio Real, 1856 was published under the and extraneous dots; and other plate-position
aegis of the Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic Soci- characteristics.
ety International. Using enlarged photos of portions of the
This incredibly detailed study by Vernon stamps he studied, Turnburke shows all of the
Turnburke was 15 years in the making and varieties he describes in the text.
comprises 240 pages illustrated with more than He also identifies each specific position in
950 color photos. the three plates. With careful examination, and
The book deals entirely with the stamp it- assuming adequate margins to show the telltale
self, rather than the usage and postal history of marks, you can determine the plate number
an issue that captured the attention of so many and position in that plate.
students in the past. For many this is a far too tedious task, but
Its 16 chapters discuss and illustrate virtual- there are a few collectors who revel in this ap-
ly every imaginable plate variety of Mexico's proach to the hobby.
first stamp, Scott No. 1, a blue 1/2-real value. How was such a meticulous study accom-
The book is truly a gold mine of information plished on a 150-year-old postage stamp? It
for those who love the so-called flyspeck as- was possible because large blocks and full
pects of line-engraved stamps. sheets of this stamp still survive and what
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 1, 2001

One man's junk yields

A few years ago, a local soning is the predominance of The interesting thing about
stamp dealer who didn't have Chicago and Illinois address- this trove is that the covers
long to live because of a se- es. originated from towns and
vere illness, asked me if I There were 100 or so covers cities all over Mexico. It
would buy his sizeable inven- addressed to a Margaret An- proved to be a gold mine for
tory of cheap Mexican covers. derson who, based on notes in postmarks from small and ob-
I had picked through this letter cards, apparently adver- scure towns and villages.

MCPEND7.0 a PUBLICACIONES.
Mexico
By Dale Pulver
"4,-RNFE,
Mr. =An D. ?arsons
4Vertisiig.
group from time to time at lo- North, Michigan lye
Chicago. Illinois.
cal shows. There were perhaps itt4,11270 NFSX.0.1. EX
ANTIROPOLD.4 WitiCFO. Eatadoa Midas.
1,000 covers in all, mostly folOSea NIACTOFM.
common, ordinary material. MOUE:A ,I
MEX.*, C. F.
I could imagine my wife's
comment, "Your stamp room

ainguan
is already jammed with stuff.
How could you want more?"
Feeling sorry for the man, I Figure 3. Stampless cover from the Mexican National Muse-
did buy the lot at a price that um. The franking is provided by the official seal stamped on
was certainly not excessive and the cover to the right of the address.
that seemed to satisfy him.
Once I got the box of covers tised and marketed a cure for Figure 1 shows an airmail
home and could examine them alcoholism. letter mailed June 6, 1931,
at leisure, my purchase be- In the late 1920s and early from Xicotencatl to New York
came much more appealing. 1930s, she operated out of with a Tampico transit hand-
I do not know the complete Hiliburn, N.Y. Then the busi- stamp on the reverse. Xicoten-
story behind this accumula- ness was either bought out or catl had a population of about
tion of mostly 20th-century merged with a similar enter- 5,000 in 1980.
covers. I believe it came from prise called Physicians Co- The time span covered by
a dealer in Chicago who had Operative Association of these letters also provided ex-
milked it for all he could Chicago. There were hundreds amples of some scarce, short-
there. of covers addressed to that lived airmail rates.
My evidence for this rea- firm. Somewhere along the way,
envelopes addressed to R.B.
Evans were incorporated into
the lot.
R.B. "Doc" Evans served as
an officer and auction sales
administrator for the Mexico-

International for many years.

He saved the covers he re-
ceived from society corre-
spondence. I even found one I
had mailed to him from Mex-
ico when I lived there in the
1960s, shown in Figure 2.
This lot yielded numerous
Figure 1. An airmail letter mailed June 6, 1931, from the other fascinating uses.
small town of Xicotencatl to New York. There is a Tampico There was a No. 10-size
transit handstamp on the reverse of the cover (not shown). business envelope addressed
to "The Honorable Secretary
of State" in Washington. It
had a corner card of the U.S.
Foreign Service American
Consulate in Merida, Yucatan.
There is nothing too unusu-
al about that except this enve-
2ane
lope found its way from the
730x 467
La Granoa, Tiliraia 60576
State Department to the White
House in 1940 and is rubber
stamped on the back "From
the Franklin D. Roosevelt col-
lection authenticated by H.R.
Harmer Inc. N.Y." It is a nice
Figure 2. Double-weight cover bearing 1968 Olympic stamps artifact from the golden age of
mailed by the author to Mexico society official "Doc" Evans. stamp collecting.
 Another unusual item that er boxes of show dealers. After I submitted the July
emerged from this hodge- I found one rather rare item Mexico column to Linn's, I
podge is a business-size enve- in this lot of covers. decided to look through this
lope from the U.S. secretary The Mexico column in the box of covers I had. Sure
of foreign relations to the July 23 Linn's, page 14, dis- enough, I found a nondescript
Mexican consulate in Port of cussed Scott 795A, a very envelope addressed to a reli-
Spain, Trinidad. scarce watermarked variety of gious group in California
It is franked with a pair of
10-centavo Cuauhtemoc Mon-
ument stamps, Scott type A85,
overprinted "OFICIAL." Such
stamps were issued to govern-
ment offices to thwart pilfer-
age and unauthorized use by
employees. While loose Offi-
cial stamps are not scarce, they
are seldom found on cover.
In a similar vein, some qua-
si-government agencies such
as museums were authorized
mailing privileges that did not
require the use of stamps. Fig- Figure 4. Cover mailed from Ticul, Yucatan, to Oceanside,
ure 3 shows such a use, a cov- Calif., franked with the rare 15-centavo light greenish blue
er from the National Museum. Independence Monument stamp watermarked "SHCP."
The corner card depicts the a common design and denom- bearing a 15c stamp that
famous Calendar Stone, and ination issued in 1946. looked promising, shown in
the museum's official hand- This stamp paid a common Figure 4. The cover had been
stamp inscribed "Museo Na- rate and, while big city post mailed from Ticul, State of
cional Intendencia" is struck offices had adequate stocks of Yucatan, in May 1947.
to the right of the address. 15c stamps, smaller, out-of- Lifting the stamp from the
The hoard also provided me the-way offices needing to be cover to check the watermark
with numerous examples of resupplied received the rare revealed that it was, indeed,
advertising corner cards, watermarked variety. Mexico Scott 795A. The
some illustrated, and slogan I suggested that the best stamp is hinged back in place.
cancels. None of these items chance to find one of these on So this is the latest of the
are particularly valuable, but cover would be to look for us- treasures to be found in what
they can be interesting and are es from small towns in the in- I originally considered to be a
not often included in the coy- terior. pretty junky lot of covers. ■
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 22, 2001 www.linns.com

New edition of Follansbee's Mexico catalog Anything better would probably have driven tions in the listed values, but one might have
Three and a half years ago (Linn's Feb. 23,
1998), I reviewed in this column a new, com- the cost up, and therefore the price of the book, some difficulty finding them. And, he says he
prehensive catalog of 19th-century stamps of beyond what many collectors would be willing thinks he has found and corrected all of the ed-
Mexico written and published by Nicholas Fol- to pay. itorial mistakes that were present in the first
lansbee. The new volume features more than 400 edition.
In late summer, Follansbee, a well-respected price changes, mostly on the up side. Many are I find this new edition to be first-rate and es-
quite substantial. These are concentrated sential for the libraries of all who love and col-
among the rarer district varieties of the 1856- lect the classic stamps of Mexico. There is so
Mexico 67 and 1872 issues.
Most of these increases can be tied directly
much useful information here that I can't
imagine a serious specialist not wanting a
By Dale Pulver to auction realizations obtained when James copy.
Mazepa's collection, "Mexico: First Issue, And, even if you have the original edition,
dealer and collector, published a second edi- 1856-61," came to the auction block last year. don't hesitate to add this updated version to
tion of this fine reference work, A Catalogue of I, for one, was quite astonished at the prices your bookshelf. The new listings and addition-
the Stamps of Mexico 1856-1900, that is cer- some of that material fetched, although much al information are worth the price.
tain to please dedicated collectors of Mexican of it was admittedly one-of-a-kind, or nearly On the final two pages of the catalog, Fol-
stamps. so. Mazepa's collection won the Champion of lansbee makes a case for collecting Mexico,
The catalog is an 81/2-by-11-inch format, Champions award at the American Philatelic particularly the early classics. He compares the
printed on fairly heavy stock and bound in a Society's Stampshow in Providence, R.I., in quantities issued and catalog values of Scott
card cover. The text and listings of stamps fol- 2000. No. Is for some of the world's most popular
low the chronology of issues from the first Those of us who collect Mexican first issues countries. In a list of 22 stamp issuing-entities
Mexican postage stamp of 1856 up through the were initially shocked at the auctioneer's esti- including the Netherlands, Great Britain,
definitives of 1899-1903. The "OFICIAL' mates, which, in turn, established the level of France, Austria, the United States, Roman
overprints of 1910 on those definitives consti- The new edition of Nicholas Follansbee's A reserves. But most of the better items did sell States, Russia, Poland, and so on, Mexico offers
tutes the final listing in the catalog. Catalogue of the Stamps of Mexico 1856-1900. and at never-seen prices. more rarity for the money than any of them.
Each stamp issue is covered in a separate Counterbalancing the lack of bidding suc- Follansbee's new catalog can be obtained for
recorded. cess many of us experienced was the comfort- $45 postpaid, directly from him: Nicholas Fol-
chapter, with listings, where applicable, of Copious notes and anecdotal information
each of the various postal districts that sold ing feeling that our own collections probably lansbee, Box 3210, Ashland, OR 97520.
make the catalog a truly useful resource, and it enjoyed a boost in market value as a conse- In view of the information crammed into
stamps overprinted with that district's name. is eminently readable.
Color varieties also are specified. quence of those auction results. this modest-size book, and the dedicated effort
The new edition contains 132 pages of text Follansbee notes that there are a few reduc- behind it, I regard it as a real bargain. ■
This breakdown detail goes far beyond the and listings, 10 more than the first edition, rep-
scope of the listings in the Scott Standard resenting new and expanded information. This
Postage Stamp Catalogue. For example, the includes value listings for multiples, such as
complex Eagle issue of 1864-66, Scott 18-24, blocks and strips, that were not covered in the
with its five types (really periods of use) occu- original catalog.
pies 15 pages, with another nine pages devoted Also new are values for some of the sub-
to the Maximilian heads, Scott 26-41, of the principal administrations, often referred to as
same era. suboffices, of the larger districts such as
My field of interest, the 1856-67 first de- Guadalajara. According to Follansbee, the
sign, fills 17 pages. number of new listings is about 175.
Follansbee uses his own numbering system The photographs this time have more con-
(cross-referenced with Scott numbers), and he trast and are clearly better than before. This
assigns values to virtually all of the varieties of was a minor criticism I made in my first re-
the classic issues, including the rare districts view, although illustrations in the first edition
for which only a handful of examples are were certainly good enough for most purposes.
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 24, 2001 www.linns.com

Celebration of Christmas, Jan. 6 in Mexico

Over the years, several col- card represent the three kings
lector friends have prepared Fe&Nvidad bearing their gifts.
and sent me Christmas cards Y:PrOsPem On the morning of Jan. 6,
depicting some facet of their Mexican children would find
stamp-collecting interests. small, homemade gifts in their
This certainly adds a per- beds, brought to them by the
three kings.
7.ceeerst_
s9 Adults rarely participated
Mexico in the gift exchange.
Santa Claus did not become
By Dale Pulver
a part of Mexican culture until
much later.
sonal touch to their greetings, Christmas Day was not ob-
and I enjoy receiving them. Figure 1. Collector Constantine Bulak made this photo served in Mexico as a special
From these, and with the in- Christmas card showing a Wells Fargo postal stationery cov- holiday until early in the 20th
clusion of some Mexican er mailed Christmas Day 1892 from Magdalena to El Paso. century. Stamp collectors oc-
Figure 3. This 1864-66 Mex-
stamps, I have formed a small in the photo, but this cover addressed exclusively to the ican 2-real Eagle stamp casionally encounter items
collection relating to Christ- originated on Christmas Day U.S.,, bears a Dec. 25, 1865, cancel. bearing Dec. 25 postmarks
mas in old Mexico. in Magdalena in the Mexican Another Christmas card confirming that it was busi-
One friend, Constantine state of Sonora and was di- from Bulak is shown in Figure in the postal museum of Mex- ness as usual at the post office Figure 4. Poinsettia blooms
Bulak, now long gone, touted rected to a business firm in El 2. The picture on this card ico City. It is part of what is on that day. are featured on this 1990
his interest in Wells Fargo Paso, Texas. shows a Mexican lady drop- referred to in the Spanish lan- The stamp in Figure 3, an Mexican Christmas stamp.
covers of Mexico. The sender paid a total of ping a letter into the mouth of guage as a buzon, or collec- 1864-66 2-real Eagle (Scott
Figure 1 shows a photo tion box. 23), bears a clear "Dicbre 25" it has come to mean a Christ-
15 centavos (5c stamp and 10c a face cemented into the wall
Christmas card Bulak made, As the use of postal ser- circular town mark applied at mas party.
Wells Fargo fee) for delivery. of a stone building, perhaps
depicting a prize item from vices grew, such boxes were the port of Veracruz. The in- In Mexico, the posada sea-
Beneath the Wells Fargo the local post office.
his collection. dispersed around the larger voice number printed on the son lasts from the middle of
corner card is a handstamped This ornately carved hard-
Wells Fargo operated up cities to facilitate the posting stamp reveals that it was from December until Christmas
inscription in magenta which wood face dates from the 18th
and down the west coast of of letters by the public. a shipment dispatched almost Day, and many take full ad-
translates to "For V4 oz. letters century and is now on display
Mexico, expediting the trans- It might be quaint to think a month earlier, Nov. 28, vantage of this tradition.
fer of both mail and packages. that the lady in the sketch is 1865. Christmas trees and decora-
The firm used postal sta- posting a Christmas card. But Another feature of the Mex- tive lights are relatively new
tionery with a Wells Fargo at the time represented by this ican advent season was the to the Mexican culture, arriv-
Is pees ale eete
corner card and Mexican ,rzor. del eTo de picture, such was probably not traditional posada, a symbolic ing to the country about 1920.
11'420, labrada de
franks. Wells Fargo charged -adore, se tear, the case. In those days, Mexi- procession with two partici- But Mexico had its own floral
.rtra en el 1.b-
an additional handling fee for °to Peetil de Is co did not celebrate Dec. 25 pants playing the roles of Christmas tradition that has
- zudad de Mexico. been adopted with enthusiasm
its services. ewe* as the world does now; it was Joseph and Mary, carrying a
The postal stationery pic- The origirol
-ordrood orifice just another church holiday. small figure of baby Jesus, in our own country.
tured on Bulak's Christmas nf ttie 18:20 More significant was Jan. and seeking a place to spend In olden times, it was cus-
-a !Ibex ray be'
card was used in 1892. It com- ceet it the Pc.- 6, the day of Los Santos Reyes the night. They would be de- tomary in Mexico to decorate
*al ruseur
memorated the 400th anniver- -exioo City. honoring the three kings (also nied entry several times until on Christmas Eve with a
sary of Columbus' landing in called the three wise men or one kindly host tdok them in showy red tropical plant
the Western Hemisphere. the magi), arriving with gifts and a celebration ensued. called flor de noche buena
The postal markings are Figure 2. Another Bulak card pictures a Mexican woman for the newborn Christ child. The word "posada" means (flower of Christmas Eve).
probably too faint to show up dropping letters into a collection box shaped like a face. The three figures on the lodging, but, in recent times, The plant is more common-
_www.zillionsofstamps.com

ly called poinsettia, derived Perhaps you have your own

from the fact that it was dis- little collection of Christmas-
covered and promoted by Joel related material. It's fun to
R. Poinsett, the United States seek out such items.
Minister to Mexico appointed Meanwhile, I extend holi-
by James Monroe in 1823. day greetings to all who read
Figure 4 shows Mexico's this column and who have
700-peso Christmas stamp of written from time to time with
1990 (1674), which features support or questions. I am
the poinsettia. grateful for that. •
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 28, 2002 www.linns.com

Mexico's 1910 high values picture events

In 1910, Mexico issued a series of postage format, about 34 millimeters by 25nun, and Although heavily outnumbered, Riano be-
stamps to honor the 100th anniversary of its were printed in two colors. The black vignettes, lieved he could hold out until reinforcements
war to gain freedom from Spanish rule. or central designs, of these three stamps por- 4om Mexico City arrived.
Known as the Independence issue (Scott tray significant historical moments in that Hidalgo's initial assaults on the fortress were
310-20), this was the last set of postage stamps struggle for independence that began in 1810 ineffective, and many insurgents were killed
authorized by the regime of Porfirio Diaz. Di- and lasted until the early 1820s. trying to batter the stout wooden doors barring
Prior to the time these stamps appeared, access to the fortress.
Mexican stamp designs usually focused on na- Finally, a mine worker, nicknamed El Pepila
Mexico tional heroes, the coat of arms, country scenes (turkey), strapped a paving stone to his back to
By Dale Pulver or, in the case of the Transportation issue of the protect him from the rifle shots raining from
1890s, the means for conveying the mails. above and succeeded in setting fire to the door.
The Independence issue was a first attempt This is the scene depicted in the vignette of the
az was driven from power shortly thereafter. to actually picture significant events. 5p stamp. Pepila is pictured at the upper left
The stamps were printed by the London firm To enjoy these captured moments of Mexi- Figure 2. The 5-peso stamp in Mexico's 1910 with his torch, crouching against the massive
of Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. The well-craft- can history, you need to examine the stamps Independence issue pictures El Pepila setting door to the granary.
ed, cleanly perforated (gauge 14) stamps are with a strong magnifier. Otherwise, the fine fire to the door of the granary at Guanajua- Once the door was breached, the masses
exquisite examples of the engraver's art. details are lost to the unaided eye. to as insurgents battle the Spanish garrison. poured into the building, massacring everyone
The eight lowest values (1 centavo to 20c) The 50c stamp illustrated in Figure 1 records in sight. They then moved into the town, burn-
pay homage to heroes and heroines of that war the Grito, or shout for independence voiced Although Hidalgo offered protection to the ing homes and stores. Riano's prediction was
for independence. For the first time on Mexi- Sept. 16, 1810, by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Spanish townspeople in exchange for their sur- correct: He was killed early in the battle by one
can stamps, two women, Josefa Ortiz and Costilla in the town of Dolores, some 200 render, their leader, Juan Antonio Riano, rea- of Hidalgo's riflemen.
Leona Vicario, were included among those se- miles northwest of Mexico City, soned that Hidalgo could not prevent his forces History is unclear on the true identity of El
lected for commemoration. It was there that Hidalgo's followers, a rag- from killing and plundering.
Pepila. Some sources list him as Jose Barajas,
I'll defer comment on the low values for now tag army of peasants, mine workers and a few Riano therefore moved his small force and
but others record his name as Juan Jose de los
and focus on the three top values, 50c, 1 peso sympathetic middle-class friends, initiated the Spanish population to the Alhondiga de Reyes Martinez. This hero for a day is remem-
and 5p (318-20). their campaign to overthrow a Spanish-domi- Granaditas, the public granary, a massive stone
bered with a statue in the converted granary,
These stamps were designed in a horizontal nated government after nearly three centuries structure situated in the center of town. which is now a museum.
of colonial rule. After Guanajuato, Hidalgo's forces surged
The scene depicts Hidalgo, a priest, standing on toward Valladolid (Morelia), capital of the
before the parish church, surrounded by a few state with the same name, which was captured
turncoat soldiers and townsfolk. easily.
From Dolores, Hidalgo's army moved quick- With an army now numbering 80,000, Hi-
ly to capture San Miguel (de Allende) and then dalgo headed back to the capital by way of
Celaya, on its way to the silver-mining city of Toluca. He caught up with Royalist forces at
Guanajuato, where a major battle took place. Monte de Las Cruces (Mountain of the Cross-
At both San Miguel and Celaya, the undisci- es) Oct. 20. The Spanish forces were outnum-
plined forces sought out and killed as many bered and after a pitched battle were forced to
Spaniards as they could find and pillaged their retreat to Mexico City, some 20 miles distant.
homes and shops. The I p stamp, pictured in Figure 3, depicts a
Chronologically, the next significant mo- Mass held for the insurgents at Monte de las
ment of history is found on the 5p stamp Cruces, presumably after their victorious bat-
Figure 1. The 50-centavo stamp in Mexico's shown in Figure 2. When Hidalgo arrived in Figure 3. The central design for the I p value tle.
1910 Independence issue shows Miguel Hi- Guanajuato Sept. 28, the Spanish intendant of Mexico's Independence issue shows Mass Hidalgo rested his troops on the hills over-
dalgo inciting the Mexicans to war against (town leader) had heard about the depredations being offered for the insurgents at Monte de looking the capital city while he decided what
the Spanish crown Sept. 16, 1810, in Dolores. of the insurgent mob. las Cruces (Mountain of the Crosses). to do next. Had he opted for a decisive attack
www.zillionsofstamps.com FEBRUARY 25, 2002 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 37

Buyer beware: detecting a fabricated cover

Many of the classic issues sheet sent from Mexico City the one on the other town less than a quarter ounce, so They resemble the work of items such as the ones de-
of Mexico have been counter- to Pueblo, is franked with a mark. Neither cancel has in- there was no need for the extra Raoul de Thuin, the famous scribed here would be well ad-
feited or manipulated, mostly single example of the 25-cen- scribed dates, as was custom- 121/2c represented by the bi- Belgian forger who worked vised to insist on certificates
to deceive collectors. tavo 1872 stamp, Scott 101, ary, so I don't have many oth- sected stamp. for many years in Merida, of authenticity signed by reli-
This could dampen the en- plus a vertical bisect of the er points to compare. Another reason to distrust Mexico. able experts.
thusiasm of some people to same stamp, ostensibly to But the cancel tying the bi- this as an original franking is He was famous for taking And it doesn't hurt to ques-
that the main post office in .
Mexico City was always well
Mexico supplied with stamps of all the jic,, '11 r XICS3
By Dale Pulver available denominations.
Fractional stamps repre-
senting legitimate use are usu-
collect Mexico. But if you are ally found in small, out-of-
careful and use the resources the-way post offices where the
available, the danger of get- timely resupply of stamp in- Figure 2. The cover illustrated in Figure 1 is a folded letter
ting taken is minimized. ventories did not occur. sheet with an engraved letterhead from the Bank of London,
Over the years I have accu- If 371/2c had truly been re- Mexico and South America. The letterhead is shown here.
mulated a small collection of quired for this letter, a 12c
bogus items relative to Mexi- stamp, Scott 100, would have cheap, but genuine, covers tion items that seem to be un-
can philately. been paired with the 25c and manipulating them so that reasonable uses and do a little
The cover illustrated in Fig- stamp. That would have paid they appeared to be much research on your own.
ure 1, is one of them, an ex- for a letter weighing 1/2 ounce more desirable and valuable I have found in many in-
ample of when caution is nec- up to 3/4 ounce, three times the than they originally were. stances that odd frankings are
Figure 1. The bisected Mexican 1872 25-centavo stamp on He was very clever, and the first clues to bogus items.
essary. this cover probably was added and canceled long after the weight of this piece.
The cover was given to me I own another cover similar some of the cliches he made I'll be happy to hear from
cover was mailed to make it more desirable and valuable. to apply forged cancellations any readers who have been of-
recently for my reference col- to this one from the previous
lection. It was a returned lot make a rate of 371/2c. sect looks fishy to me. issue, Scott Type A6. were difficult to discern from fered items that seem to be too
from a long-ago auction. The To an unwary postal history I have other reasons to sus- It, too, is a single-weight genuine ones. good to be true or who have
lot never was reclaimed by its collector, this would appear to pect this fabrication. letter bearing a 25c whole But he was known to slip up suffered the annoyance of not
original owner, perhaps be- be a wonderful find, for such The letter is on a beautifully stamp and a bisected 25c. on his postal history from obtaining a good certificate
cause he knew it to be fake. on-cover bisects or "splits" of engraved letterhead of the The weight of that letter did time to time. That often sig- on an item originally thought
The lot sheet bears a pen- the late classic-era stamps are Bank of London, Mexico and not merit the high rate, either. naled his fabrications for what to be genuine. Write to me,
ciled note "bad" and the sig- exceedingly rare. South America, see Figure 2. It But the fabricator tried to they were. Dale Pulver, in care of Linn's,
nature of Herbert Bloch In my view, however, the is a short note confirming a de- make it even more appealing Collectors who encounter Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. ■
(1907-87), one of the hobby's cover is a contrivance. The posit made to the addressee's by adding scarce "Anotado"
most prolific expertizers dur- fractional stamp was added account in a commercial trans- overprints.
ing the middle decades of the and canceled at a time differ- action at Mexico City. This compounded his hoax,
20th century. ent from the date the original There is no indication of because he used as raw materi-
I am in full agreement with letter was canceled. any enclosures to push it to a al a cover that was dated al-
Bloch's assessment, and al- I carefully measured the higher weight category, so it most a year before the "Anota-
though his reasons were not two cancellations, and while was not a heavy letter. do" overprints were autho-
noted, I am sure my analysis they are deceptively similar, The rate at that time for a rized.,
has some-of the same points the inner ring of the one can- single sheet letter up to I do not know who was re-
that led him to his opinion. celing the half stamp is about 'A ounce was 25c. This letter sponsible for these fabrica-
The cover, a folded letter a half millimeter smaller than weighs 5 grams, substantially tions or when they were made.
28 www.linns.corn
• •
LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 25, 2002

Many paper varieties of Tourism definitives

A reader gently chided me
recently for not writing
much about modern Mexican
stamps.
It is true: I find the older
stamps of Mexico more inter-

Mexico
By Dale Pulver

Figure 2. The 2.70-peso Mexico State stamp in Mexico's current definitive regular-issue se-
esting to collect, though not
entirely. ries, Turisticos, also exists with a course printing (left) and with a smooth printing (right).
When the Exporta stamps dicted that the Turisticos two 4.20-peso stamps of Za- nial building on the left is
were current (1975-93), I might eventually rival the Ex- catecas that appear to be quite grayer and the agave plant in
wrote several columns about portas in complexity and col- different, as can be seen in the foreground is a dark, blue-
them and even developed a lector appeal. This appears to Figure 1. green. The building in the
checklist of varieties. Several have been a sound prophecy. The stamp on the left has right-hand stamp is an even-
hundred Linn's readers ob- While there are only 12 de- what many call a coarse, or textured brown and the plant a
tained this list by sending in Figure 1. Course (left) and smooth (right) printings of the signs and no watermark or porous, appearance. Under a truer green.
an addressed, stamped enve- 4.20-peso Zacatecas stamps in Mexico's Turisticos series. perforation varieties, students strong glass, many dots that I have no explanation for
lope. as the name suggests, were is why there are only 12 dif- of the issue, and particularly make up the fields of the var- these differences in appear-
The Exporta issues were re- designed to promote tourism. ferent designs showcasing dealers, have, at last count, ious objects appear to be ance. It could be a screen
placed with a new series Twelve of Mexico's 31 tourist attractions of those 12 defined 17 paper types. missing, giving the overall shift, use of different presses
known as the Turisticos, or states participated in this states. Also there are numerous stamp a blotchy look. or perhaps something on the
Tourism stamps. Whereas the stamp venture with up-front I first wrote about the Turis- printing flaws and color The stamp at right has a surface of the paper.
Exportas promoted Mexican money to pay for original art- ticos stamps in my Linn's col- shades to tempt collectors. much smoother appearance. Obviously, the printer expe-
exports, the Turisticos stamps, work and start-up costs. That umn of Feb. 26, 1996. I pre- My reader friend sent me Also, the color of the colo- rienced some problems main-
www.zillionsofstamps.com MARCH 25, 2002 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 29
stamp, the "N" in plate posi- lenge to the serious stamp several times during the nine
tion 37 was not removed. collector. years these stamps have seen
The result is an instance The biggest variable is pa- service, and that introduces
where a pair of stamps can per. It comes from many still more variables.
show both currency symbols. sources (including leftover All of the designs can be
Figure 3 shows such a pair, Exporta stock), displays var- found with two or more de-
positions 36 and 37 in the ied reactions to longwave ul- nominations.
pane. About 15,000 panes of traviolet light, carries many Even if all you want are the
these stamps had been deliv- different gums and exists in 50-odd face-different vari-
ered and were being sent out different thicknesses. eties listed in Scott, it should
to post offices before the mis- For serious study of these be an interesting, if not daunt-
take was discovered. variables, advanced stamp- ing, search. I hope to explore
Figure 3. A pair of the 3.40-peso Sinaloa stamp in Mexico's Turisticos series showing the er-
In theory, 15,000 examples hobby tools are needed. further aspects of the Turisti-
ror of the "N$" (right) in a pane of stamps with "S." The error occurred in position 37. existed, but how many were Postal rates have changed cos issue in future columns. ■
taining consistent colors. Ac- appearance, most visibly pro- destinations in North America sold or used is not known.
cording to information pub- nounced in the sky and water and Central America, and Dealers have been asking
lished in the Mexican collec- of the lake. The sky and water most of the early printings up to $100 for singles of this
tors journal Mexicana, these in the right-hand stamp are showing these anomalies error and more if in pairs or
4.20p stamps were probably much more evenly colored. were probably used up rather blocks.
printed in late 2000 or March Although these differences quickly. The three examples shown
2001. were noted by collectors early A spectacular error in the with this column demonstrate
An almost identical situa- on, dealers had trouble ob- Turisticos issue was discov- what alert collectors can find
tion occurred early in the is- taining stocks of the varieties, ered during 1996 when the by carefully examining their
sue with the 2.70p Mexico and they have become rather currency symbol "NS" was stamps.
State stamp. pricey. changed back to a simple "$." Although I have not studied
Examples of these varieties This scarcity is understand- For some reason, during the this permanent series as
are shown in Figure 2. The able. The 2.70p stamp was retouching of the printing closely as I did the Exportas,
stamp at left has the porous used for a standard rate for plates for the 3.40p Sinaloa it certainly presents a chal-
20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 22, 2002

De Thuin produced many

In the Mexico column in operated on the fringe of the liberately obtained a few
the Feb. 25 Linn's, page 37, I law and evaded numerous pieces of his work for my ref-
wrote about detecting fabri- fraud orders issued by United erence collection.

sapa#Joj oarxow
cated covers from Mexico and States postal authorities by The stamp illustrated in
showed an example. I ended simply changing his business Figure 1 is probably a de
the column with the sugges- name or relocating it. Thuin creation, and it demon-
strates one aspect of his scam
methods.
Mexico The stamp, the 1856 Hidal-
By Dale Pulver go 2 reales (Scott 3), has no
district name but purports to
have been used in the district
tion that the cover might have of Polotitlan, according to its
been the work of Raoul Ch. de cancellation.
Thuin, as it bore the earmarks If genuine, it would be a
of his modus operandi. very rare item, with a current
Several collector friends value in excess of $1,000.
urged me to expand on the ac- I found it in an odd lot of
tivities of this rogue of the Scott 3s, mostly common dis-
stamp hobby. tricts, that only cost me a few
It has been many years dollars.
since Raoul Charles de Thuin Figure 2. Raoul Ch. de After close inspection and
(pronounced de-TWEEN) Thuin forged both the comparison with a de Thuin
shared headlines in the philat- Yguala district name and cliche, I am fairly well con-
elic media, and many younger the overprint control num- vinced it is a faked cancella-
collectors are probably un- ber on this Mexico 50-centa- tion. But it is dangerously
aware of his impact on the vo Maximilian head stamp. close to the real thing.
hobby. The ink is somewhat gray-
De Thuin was a clever con It was clear at the time of ish, another de Thuinlike fea-
artist who forged and con- the APS buyout that he had ture, and the stamp is a weak
trived all manner of philatelic defrauded hundreds, if not impression. It may have been
material and sold it to unsus- thousands, of collectors over from remainder stock, a fa-
pecting collectors. several decades. vorite raw material source for
He seemed to take great His place of business (in his de Thuin.
pleasure in his ability to evade home) was in Merida, Yu- Figure 2 shows another
attempts by authorities to shut catan, and he was known tin- trick de Thuin would use to
down his deceptive, if not ille- der numerous names: Belgian upgrade a cheap stamp into
gal, trade. Export Co., French Philatelic something seemingly more
The extent of these decep- Agency, Merida Philatelic valuable. It is an engraved
tions was not fully known un- Agency, and perhaps the most 1866 50-centavo Maximilian
til December 1966 when Col. intriguing of all, the Maya head from a rare district,
James De Voss, then executive Shop. Yguala.
secretary of the American Most had one thing in com- The basic stamp itself is
Philatelic Society, and James mon, the same mailing ad-
Beal, noted collector of and genuine, but both the name
dress: Apartado 404, Merida. and the overprint control
expert in Mexican philately, Although de Thuin made numbers have been forged. No
succeeded in purchasing all of spurious material from a host 50c stamps from this district
de Thuin's philatelic parapher- of countries, the one that re- are known.
nalia, thus effectively stop- ceived most of his attention
ping his operations. I am certain it is de Thuin's
was Mexico. work because it came from
Prior to that time, de Thuin
After the APS finished tak- one of his approval sheets of
ing inventory of his tools, they grossly overpriced stamps.
counted more than 1,200 Where did de Thuin get so
cliches (small printing units) many good stamps to work
he had prepared to forge over- with? In this instance, after
prints and cancellations spe- the collapse of the Maximilian
cific to Mexico. empire in 1867, there re-
It is believed he never actu- mained large unused, and un-
ally counterfeited Mexican overprinted stocks of the en-
stamps, but he did make a die graved Maximilian heads (31a
of the first design showing to 34a). These eventually
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla to reached the stamp-hobby mar-
produce printed-on-both-sides ket and could be obtained
varieties. quite cheaply.
Figure 1. A forged cancel on I began specializing in Another clever attempt at
a Mexico 2-real Hidalgo Mexico about the same time deception appears in Figure 3.
stamp with a rare Polotitlan the APS was forcing de The stamp is a not-so-com-
district overprint. The Thuin's hand. Fortunately, I mon lithographed variety of
forgery was probably creat- was never victimized by his the 50c Maximilian head (30)
ed by Raoul Ch. de Thuin. offerings, although I have de- on piece. The invoice/date
 Mexicans generally added a
flourish below their signature.
If you look closely, a couple
of pen strokes from the flour-
ish of this writer's signature
are visible at the right edge of
the letter.
This was probably one of de
Thuin's late creations, as the
handwritten address is a bit
shaky and does not match the
hand of the original writer.
As I noted in the Feb. 25
column, de Thuin loved to
make silk purses out of sow's
Figure 3. Both the cancel and the suboffice number of "26"
ears, and he succeeded to a re-
on this 50-centavo Maximilian head are de Thuin forgeries.
markable degree.
Dozens of collectors were
scammed before he was put
out of business and none, so
far as I know, ever recouped
their losses.
Much of the material he
created has been purged from
the philatelic market, but
items do crop up from time to
time.
One of the provisions of the
APS settlement with de Thuin
was a promise not to re-en-
gage in philatelic manipula-
tion. That promise appears to
have been kept, as his physical
faculties were already in de-
Figure 4. This Mexico 1-real bisect cover is a total con- cline.
trivance created on the inner sheet of an 1868 folded letter. De Thuin retired to Ecuador
overprint, which is probably in half on which the message and died there in 1975.
legitimate, is from Queretaro. was written. It was then re- For those who would delve
However, the suboffice num- folded to approximately 3 further into the work of Raoul
ber "26," and the cancellation inches by 5 inches and sealed de Thuin, I suggest The Yu-
of S(an) Miguel Allende are with wax. The address was catan Affair: The Work of
clearly de Thuin forgeries. written on the clear side. Raoul Ch. de Thuin, Philatelic
The final example I will What de Thuin did here was Counterfeiter, the book pub-
show is another trick de Thuin to take a genuine letter from lished in 1974 by the APS
perpetrated on careless collec- 1868, tear off the outer sheet (and a 1980 reprint) that
tors. The cover shown in Fig, That had the address, and read- chronicles and illustrates the
ure 4 bears a bisect of the 1r dress it, adding the bogus work of this master forger.
thin, watermarked issue of franking and cancellations. The book may provide
1867 (43). This is immediate- The original letter was more information than you
ly suspect, because 'hr is a slightly more than one page, need to know, but there is
rare rate authorized only for with some of the message and some interesting reading. If
circulars. the sender's signature over- you insist on expertizing your
Business letters of this era flowing to the back of the first own stamps, it is a must for
comprised a large sheet folded page near the top. your reference shelf. ■
18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 27, 2002 www.linns.com

Mexican issue of 1914 called Denver Eagles

Collectors of Mexico gath- was canceled because the hor- Constitutionalista" (Constitu-
uted throughout areas con-
ROMPER '94
ered May 17-19 at the rendous problems the airport tional Government). trolled by the Constitutional- Welcomes MEPSI
Rompex show in Denver for was having with the baggage- ist government faction. Their
In specialist circles, this alcalao•Earhursit
Philatelic Seeley Iracrnational
the annual meeting of the handling facilities. 1914 issue is usually referred
use was authorized Aug. 10,
Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic And to add even more dis- to as the Denver Eagles. 1914, in a circular issued by
Society International. I have comfort for the show organiz- Cosme Hinojosa, chief post-
The stamps have a clean,
master for the Constitutional-
ist forces.
Mexico The range of usage can be
deduced from the postmarks
By Dale Pulver on the three stamps illustrated
in Figure 1.
mentioned this fine society in The postmarks include the
the past because it provides west coast port of Mazatlan,
collectors of all levels good the interior plateau city of Figure 3. Cacheted cover for Rompex 94 show, celebrating
value for their annual dues of San Luis Potosi and the the 80th anniversary of Mexico's Denver Eagle stamps.
$20. southeastern city of Merida
Figure 1. These Mexican stamps of 1914 were printed in The message reads: "Hello depicts the cacheted cover.
The society publishes a Denver and are called the Denver Eagles. The stamps shown (stamp shown upside down).
quarterly journal with inter- bear postmarks of Mazatlan, San Luis Potosi and Merida. The vast majority of stamps Son, How is Dady's [Daddy's] The cachet, the illustration on
esting and informative arti- were used in the towns and boy. Your Dady, Frank." the left side of the envelope,
cles dealing with all aspects ers, the show hotel lost power straightforward design and cities of northern Mexico. The card is postmarked commemorates the 80th an-
of Mexican stamps and cov- for more than 12 hours the were lithographed by the The period of heavy use was Dec. 31, 1914. niversary of the issuance of
ers. evening of set-up day. Smith-Brooks Printing Co. from September 1914 until For the truly serious spe- the Denver Eagles.
The group also maintains a Denver has a significant There are eight values, rang- the end of the year. cialist, two trial-color proofs The postmark on the cover
library and operates an exper- place in Mexican philately. ing from 1 centavo to 1 peso. Covers franked by the Den- are available, one in yellow replicates a duplex canceler
tizing service that is recog- One of the regular stamp is- The stamps were printed in ver Eagles are not too diffi- and the other in orange. used on the Ferrocarril Sud
nized worldwide. sues of the Mexican civil war sheets of 200, which were cult to find. Both are imperforate, Pacifico de Mexico (Southern
For more information, era, Scott 386-93, was printed subsequently divided into two Those bearing multiples of =gummed and were printed Pacific Railroad of Mexico),
write to the MEPSI Treasurer, in Denver. panes of 100. The date of the low values to make the on a somewhat rougher paper which ran between Guaymas,
Box 451233, Los Angeles, The design shows the Mex- printing is reported as July normal 5c rate do command a than that used for the regular an important west coast sea-
CA 90045. ican coat of arms of an eagle 31, 1914. premium from specialist col- issue. port, and the border town of
Many MEPSI members re- with a serpent in its beak, and The Denver Eagles appear lectors. There also are imperforate Nogales.
side in California and other it bears the legend "Gobierno to have been widely distrib- The same is true for less examples of the regular Cancelers of this type were
southwestern states, so the common circular rates, regis- stamps, although they were assigned to offices, clerks and
annual meetings and conven- tered items and letters des- never issued. superintendents and used in
tions are usually held in a tined abroad at the 10c Uni- Double perforation vari- the railroad mail cars.
western location in the United versal Postal Union rate. eties exist as well. For anyone with a deeper
States and sometimes in Mex- Figure 2 shows a picture Collectors of postal history interest in the Denver stamps
ico. postcard from my collection should be wary of covers with and the history of that era, I
The 2003 meeting is sched- addressed to Austin, Texas, the 5c rate made up from lc, highly recommend the video-
uled to take place Feb. 28- and mailed in Nueva Laredo. 2c and 3c stamps. tape Mexico, 1914, The Den-
March 2 in the colonial city of The card is franked by a Many exist unaddressed, ver Eagles.
Oaxaca, Mexico. pair of the lc stamps, to meet bearing postmarks dated be- This is a first-rate program
There is always good fun the 2c rate to the United tween Aug. 1 and Aug. 10 that can be borrowed by
and fellowship at these get-to- States. from northern towns. American Philatelic Society
gethers, and I'm sorry I was I showed this card to Ron These are considered to be chapters from the American
unable to attend this year's Mitchell, a Denver collector made-to-order for dealers to Philatelic Research Library,
meeting in Denver. who specializes in the Denver sell. They never passed Box 8000, State College, PA
I recall vividly the last time issue, and he said that post- through the mail. 16803.
the meeting was in Denver in card frankings are quite Going back to Rompex 94, Ron Mitchell, a profession-
1994. The group had arranged Figure 2. Postcard franked with a pair of the 1-centavo Mex- scarce. In fact, he had record- the show committee prepared al television announcer, pro-
a guided tour through the new ican Denver Eagle stamps to pay the 2c postcard rate to the ed only six examples prior to a souvenir for the visiting duced this 35-minute video-
Denver airport, but the tour United States. The card is postmarked Dec. 31, 1914. seeing mine. MEPSI members. Figure 3 tape in 1984. ■
1 2 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 24, 2002 www.linns.corn

1950 Baja California cover took month-long odyssey

A couple of months ago, a of California.
Canadian reader of Linn 's, The next stop was Santa Date (all 1950) Handstamp
Basil Hunter of Vancouver, Rosalia. Then the cover tran- 3 March San Ignacio, B. Cfa.
British Columbia, wrote ask- sited post office 517, the only 4 March Santa Rosalia, B. Cfa.
ing for help in unraveling the postmark I was unable to 7 March Oficina de Correos 517
routing of a Mexican cover he identify. 8 March San Jose Comondu, B. Cfa.
From there, the envelope 13 March La Paz, B. Cfa.
stopped in San Jose Comon- 30 March Merchant's cachet — Enrique
Garayzar (back of letter)
Mexico du, a tiny backwater town
30 March Transp. Aereos Rosalia, S.A. de C.V.,
By Dale Pulver about halfway down the
peninsula on the way to La both front and back
Paz. 30 March Guaymas, Son(ora)
had been given. Five days later, it was post- 1 April Nogales, Son.
The front and back of his marked in La Paz and re- 3 April PAC Greyhound, Tucson, AZ
cover, which made various Figure 1. Front of a cover that traveled around Mexico and mained there for some time.
stops in Mexico and the Unit- the southwestern United States in March and April of 1950. The next marking is a mer- Figure 3. A list of the postmarks and handstamps found on
ed States in March and April chant's marking that seems to the cover pictured in Figure 1 (front) and Figure 2 (reverse).
of 1950, are illustrated in Fig- indicate that the cover trav-
ures 1 and 2, respectively. eled by boat up the Gulf of lands is a town a few miles struck over the U.S. stamps
As can be seen, the cover is California to Santa Rosalia east of Los Angeles. are commercial handstamps,
literally covered with stamps, again. This cover is almost cer- not postal ones. In all cases,
carefully tied with various Ferries do operate in those tainly an interesting souvenir these devices were most likely
postmarks. waters, and a boat ride was of someone's travels in Baja, used to validate travel tickets.
Five Mexican airmail probably more comfortable Calif. The franking of multi- Had the cover been left at
stamps are on the front of the than bouncing along the poor ple stamps, of course, makes the originating post office, it
cover. They are the 1934-35 roads of the territory. Enrique no sense whatsoever. A single probably would have arrived
20-centavo Eagle Man (Scott Garayzar appears to have op- Mexican 25c stamp would at the addressee's door in four,
C68), the 1-peso Eagle Man erated a motor boat named have sufficed to carry the let- or at most, five days. That
and Airplanes (C72), the 1940 Anita between La Paz and ter to its destination. might not happen today, but in
20c Pirate Ship (C111), the Santa Rosalia. I believe the creator of this 1950 postal service out of
1944 25c Symbol of Flight The next leg of the journey curiosity carried the letter Mexico was reasonably fast.
(C141), and the 1934-35 50c was by air, from Rosalia from post office to post office While this item has no real
Allegory of Flight and Pyra- Figure 2. Reverse of the cover pictured in Figure 1.
across the Gulf to Guaymas, along his route to obtain post- value, it is, nevertheless, rep-
mid of the Sun (C71). U.S. mails, but was most like- table in Figure 3. arriving there the same day. marks. Because clerks are of- resentative of what some col-
The reverse of the cover ly an interesting curiosity cre- I then consulted my Guia The cover then headed ten reluctant to handstamp lectors did in the golden age
bears a Mexican 25c special ated for a stamp collector by a Roji, a Mexican gazetteer and north through Hermosillo blank paper, he simply pur- of stamp collecting.
delivery stamp of 1950-51 traveler who sought out favor road atlas. (note faint pencil inscription chased a stamp and had the It would probably be diffi-
(E10), the 1950-52 20c Puebla cancels, or perhaps it was cre- Surprisingly, I found that left of U.S. 20 John Adams clerk cancel it. It was all done cult to duplicate such a cover
Cathedral (860), and a pair of ated by the collector himself. there are four San Ignacios in stamps of the 1938 Presiden- on a handback basis. in today's hectic world.
the United States 20 John The first thing I did was to Baja California. But I'm fair- tial issue) to Nogales on the Three of the handstamps Many post office window
Adams stamps of the 1938 make a list, in chronological ly certain this cover's odyssey U.S. border, receiving a "1 have no postal connection clerks are generally too busy
Presidential issue. order, of the postmarks and began in the one located in the Apr." postmark. whatsoever. The motor boat to play the games. And some-
I immediately suspected other handstamps that appear center of the peninsula about From there the cover went owner's oval, the air transport one trying to do it might
that this cover never was car- on the cover. That resulted in 46 miles west of Santa Ros- to Tucson, turned west and rectangle marking, and the arouse suspicions that could
ried in either the Mexican or the sequence shown in the alia, a port town on the Gulf headed to California. Red- Greyhound box marking prove embarrassing. ■
www.zillionst tmps.com JULY 22, 2002 LINN'S S NEWS 23

Kordich compiles 50-year 'Mexicana' index

The annual meeting of the complicated by the fact that through the fourth issue of listing of the so-called classic words with. numerous entries ever, the issues are available at
Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic the page-numbering system in each year. stamp issues. The first group are: airmails, cancellations, the American -Philatelic Re-
Society International was held the journal has not always In designing the format for is the 1856 issue, the second forgeries, history, maritime, search Library in State Col-
in Denver May 17-19 in con- been uniform. the index, Kordich had to take the 1861s and so on. Entries overprint, papers, plating, lege, Pa.; the Western Postal
junction with Rompex, the In the beginning back in these anomalies into account: in this group also are chrono- provisionals, revolution and History Museum in Tucson,
American Philatelic Society 1952, Mexicana was a series of After consulting with ex- logical. Articles found in the watermarks. Ariz.; the Smithsonian Institu-
perts in the field, Kordich de- Scott-number lists appear here This index section has 99 tion in Washington, D.C.; the
cided to create the index in too. pages, so it is •evident that Royal Philatelic Society in
Mexico three sections.
The first lists all the articles
After the numerical sorting
(by Scott number and issue),
many articles appear several London; and of course, at the
times. MEPSI library.
By Dale Pulver
or items dealing with philate- which occupies 22 pages, the Depending on the section, Many society members do
ly in chronological order, rest of the section proceeds by the column headings include: have long runs of the journal,
national-level stamp show of starting with the first issue of subject wording. subject, year and quarter of is- and nearly half of the page
that city and area. Mexicana (February 1952) up Each article listed was re- sue, title of article, author and volume of articles has ap-
From all reports both the through the October 2001 is- viewed for content and at least page number where it may be peared since 1990. Specifying
meeting and show were suc- sue. This section has 35 pages. one subject or keyword was found. There are no subject the correct title, year and vol-
cessful. In section II, the listing is selected that best describes headings for sections I and II. ume of issue will facilitate li-
An event of special signifi- by author. This is really help- the contents of the article. Since my copy of the index brary loans or ordering photo-
cance to the MEPSI group ful if you remember that a In many instances, more arrived just days before I copies.
was the debut of a 50-year in- specific person wrote about a than one, but not more than wrote this column, I have not The index has 186 pages
dex to its quarterly journal given subject but can't recall six, keywords were chosen, had the opportunity to put the and is printed in an 81/2-inch-
Mexicana. the exact title. This section and the article is listed under index to a severe test, but my by-11-inch format with a card
This project had been The cover of the new index to has 41 pages. each of those keywords. If an initial impression of it is posi- cover.
talked about for several years, MEPSI's Mexicana journal. Finally, section III orga- article was assigned the maxi- tive. It is certainly superior to It is available to both
but it seemed to go nowhere. nizes the listings of articles by mum six keywords, it would anything we have had previ- MEPSI members and the gen-
Previous indexes prepared by mimeographed sheets sent out subject matter. This section appear six times in the index. ously. Also, Kordich explains eral collecting public for $20
former journal editors Fred to members. Pages with news will probably be most useful This feature helps assure that his approach in a well-crafted postpaid from the compiler,
Ingham and Ed Nissen were of members, social events and to students of Mexican a given article can be found introduction. John Kordich, 1014 37th St.,
. Not everyone has a com- San Pedro, CA 90731..
out of Gate, and the- year-end use like were numbered sepa- stamps. -one way or another. -
volume indexes were tedious rately from articles dealing This index has some inter- Some examples of key- plete run of Mexicana. How- I highly recommend it. •
and cumbersome to use. with Mexican stamps and cov- esting features.
John Kordich, past presi- ers. At the beginning, articles
dent of MEPSI (pronounced The articles were called ref- dealing with a single stamp,
MEP-see), decided to tackle erence pages and were num- or predominantly one stamp,
the project a few years back. It bered consecutively up to Oc- are listed by Scott number.
would prove to be an enor- tober 1977, when the page Under the subject heading
mous task. count had reached 831. (first column) No. 0001
I have a complete run of Beginning with the January means Scott 1, the 1856
Mexicana, and the issues oc- 1978 issue, no distinction was 1/2 real; No. 0004 is Scott 4,
cupy almost four lineal feet of made between the news (or the 1856 4r; and so on.
shelf space in my stamp den. I chit-chat pages, as they were This subsection goes on for
haven't made a meticulous called) and reference pages. 14 pages. Articles are listed in
count, but the journal runs to Each year was designated as a order of appearance in the
more than 5,000 pages. volume with consecutive page journal.
Kordich's task was further numbering from the first Kordich then includes a
24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 26, 2002 www.linns.com

Ad covers from turn-of-the-century Mexico

For years I have enjoyed immensely popular among the
searching for business en- &A;AIIEL. gentry in the late 1800s.
velopes bearing pictorial ad- To. Rewuro
PARA
. "k TOD REQVISITO'PARA (ABAILO The first bicycles were im-
vertisements. Originally, I BALLo (A2 A.11 ER rz Y rARRIMJE ported in 1869 from Paris and
touLazar.
sought United States covers GurrawE
Boston. Initially, they were
related to one of my other 1" .• objects of ridicule by the low-
rJtVRM 2.VARFL 7. BALD ERAS
er classes, and it took a while
The Titus Paper Co., for them to catch on. The high
Mexico alleletown„ wheel devices (called "ordi-
naries") were difficult to ride,
By Dale Pulver
and those who tried frequently
suffered painful falls.
hobbies, woodworking. By 1890, so-called safety
Covers picturing hand tools bicycles (those with two
were particularly appealing to Figure 1. This 1897 cover from Mexico advertises riding Figure 2. Reverse of the advertising cover pictured in Figure 1. wheels of equal size) were be-
me, and I accumulated a equipment to meet all needs. It was sent to the United States. The design depicts a stagecoach and two people on bicycles. ing sold in ever-increasing
rather large holding of them. I share a few of my favorites. The cover bears an ornate depicting a diligencia (stage- getting around in the rugged numbers, and the upper class-
For my Mexico collection, I The cover shown front and corner card of Samuel Walker, coach) and two people on bi- country, and horsemanship es were demanding appropri-
did not restrict my interest so back in Figures 1 and 2 is an importer and purveyor of cycles. I found the inclusion among the privileged class ate and stylish clothing to
narrowly, but looked for cov- from the Porfirian era (1897). equipment and furnishings for of bicycles in these designs to was elevated to almost an art wear while pedaling about
ers with especially intricate Send from Mexico to the the upscale carriage trade. be interesting. form. Long standing customs town.
designs and those that might United States, it is franked As pictured in Figure 2, an Mexicans are noted for governed demeanor and attire. Apparently, this is where
have a story connected to with a 5-centavo stamp from elaborate design covers the their riding prowess. Riding But I did some research and Samuel Walker came in, using
those designs. In this column, the 1895 issue (Scott 247). entire back of the envelope, was a predominant means of discovered that bicycles were the Mexican mails to adver-
www.zillionsofstamps.com AUGUST 26, 2002 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 25
tise his outfitting business. design is the name of the firm
The lady pictured on the advertising — Ascorve and
front of the cover wears a Gayosso Co., Box 11B, Mexi-
smart, if somewhat cumber- co City — however, the tele-
some, riding outfit. phone dominates the cachet.
The advertising cover This cover is dated 1907
shown in Figure 3 also is from and is franked with the 1903
the final decade of the 19th 5c orange Coat of Arms
century. (307).
It bears a beautiful engrav- At this time, telephone ser-
ing touting the Felipe Gonza- vice was in its infancy in
lez Drug Co. of Tampico. Mexico. Only the largest
This long-lived firm not cities had phone exchanges,
only imported drugs and med- and service was limited to im- Figure 4. This 1907 Mexican advertising envelope displays an
icines from foreign sources Figure 3. This advertising envelope from the Felipe Gonzalez portant businesses and ornate telephone of the type sold in the early 20th century.
but also exported Mexican Drug Co. of Tampico, Mexico, took five days to reach New wealthy individuals.
usually missing from bourse many possibilities for those
drug products. York by rail. It was sent Sept. 3, 1898, and arrived Sept. 8. The phone set illustrated stocks, price lists and online. who enjoy this area of collect-
I presume the pictured dis- Using such leaves for deco- Laredo. Maritime transport was unquestionably an im- The three covers illustrated ing.
tinguished bearded gentleman ration on envelopes today would have taken longer. ported design the upper-class with this article were found at I have not yet tested the wa-
is Felipe himself, founder of would no doubt arouse suspi- The cover took five days to user would find appealing. stamp show bourses and were ters. But I hope to soon.
the enterprise. cion and perhaps prompt a reach New York by rail, from Note the hand wheel for acquired at reasonable prices. I will be happy to hear from
The leaf fronds intertwined visit from a narcotics agent. Sept. 3, 1898, to Sept. 8 (per cranking up the operator. In the new American Phi- any readers who have found
in the design are those of the This cover has the added at- the backstamp). Locating interesting and at- latelic Society exhibition cat- unusual ad covers from Mexi-
hemp plant, cannabis sativa, traction of a faint supplemen- The cover shown in Figure tractive covers such as these egories, advertising covers co, especially those from the
or marijuana, which many tary marking directing its dis- 4 depicts an elaborate desk can be a refreshing challenge can be shown in national golden age of advertising de-
cultures long ago found use- patch on the Mexican railway model telephone. In very should you tire of searching competition in the illustrated- signs from the end of the 19th
ful for medicinal purposes. by way of Monterrey and small print at the foot of the for the elusive stamps that are mail class. This opens up century. ■
24 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 23, 2002 www.linns.com

Mexico's Madero stamps were never issued

I occassionally receive in- 25 settings (five by five). Four Ciudad Juarez, a Mexican by Cosme Hinojosa, chief tersely "ordered by the Madero Louis, is an obvious con-
quiries about Mexican adhe- passes through the press were town across the Rio Grande postmaster for the state of government but never used." trivance, and it could not have
sives that can't be found in of needed to make a pane of 100. opposite El Paso. By the time Sonora and later postmaster They are illustrated and as- passed through the U.S. mails.
standard stamp catalogs. These This procedure produced the stamps were ready, Villa general of the Constitutional- signed numbers in Stanley U.S. postmasters were alert to
items look like legitimate some interesting se-tenant had battled his way south to ist movement. Many of these Gibbons (1951 edition), but provisional issues that had not
stamps, so what's the story? An color shade combinations. the Mexican capital, located stamps were used legitimately, they are priced only in unused been cleared through the Uni-
ample supplies of stamps and although when Linn pressed
was no longer interested in for a formal order, Hinojosa
Mexico those he had ordered.
Meanwhile, Villa and Venu-
disavowed the stamps he had
used and declared that they
By Dale Pulver
sianno Carranza had had a were counterfeit.
falling out, and the Constitu- The Ellis firm attempted to
example of such an item is il- tionalist government wording recoup some of its expense by
lustrated in Figure I. in the arch above the Madero selling stamps to collectors.
It is known in specialist cir- vignette would have been in- One of the brothers visited the
cles as the so-called Madero appropriate for the Villa fac- El Paso stamp club and sold
issue. These cinderellas, or tion. The Madero stamps were some, but once this tiny market
stamplike labels, have no offi- never taken up nor paid for. was saturated, there appeared
cial status but are collected by This is the second time a to be little further interest in
many specialists of the Mexi- U.S. printer had been stiffed them. Most contemporary col-
can civil war era of 1910-20. on an order for Mexican lectors ignored the Madero
These cinderellas get their Figure 1. This Madero stamp stamps. Earlier, George W. stamps, and some prominent Figure 3. A complete set of the Madero cinderella stamps on
name from the portrait of Fran- was ordered by Pancho Villa Linn, founder of Linn's collectors denounced them. a cover with the preprinted address of a St. Louis stamp
cisco Madero, one of the lead- but was never issued. This ex- Stamps News, had prepared Neither Scott nor Minkus company. This cover did not pass through the U.S. mails.
ers of the movement to over- ample is imperforate. 75,000 stamps, the redrawn acknowledge their existence.
throw the Porfirian dictator- Figure 2 shows a Madero and perforated 5c Transitorio The Celis-Cano catalog (pub- condition. Nicholas Follans- versal Postal Union.
ship. Madero served as the first adhesive next to a Denver stamp, Scott 369. lished in Mexico) assigns them bee devotes a half page to This cover is from the col-
revolutionary president from stamp to show how closely the This order had been placed a number, 391X, and states them in his book The Stamps lection of Carl Le Mar John of
mid-1911 to Feb. 22, 1913, frames match. Some early col- of the Mexican Revolution, Arizona, who sent me a color
when he was assassinated. lectors thought that the stamps 1913-1916, valuing a set at $2. photocopy of it several years
The outer frame duplicates were printed by the same firm Examples of the stamps on ago. The cover has no mark-
the frame of the Transitorio that did the Denver issue: the cover are illegal uses and have ings on the back, and he could
Denver issue, Scott 386-93, Smith-Brooks Printing Co. of been ascribed to attempts by not identify the cancel.
except it is about 1 millimeter Denver, Colo. However, the El- the Ellises to dispose of their Neither can I. The double-
smaller in width and height. lis Bros. Printing Co. of El Pa- worthless stock. Some of these ring datestamp could be a fac-
The Madero issue includes so, Texas, produced them. covers might have moved simile from any Spanish lan-
five values: 1-centavo green, A principal of that company through the mails. Mexican guage country where the word
2c purple, 3c red, 5c blue and reported that Pancho Villa postal agents could often be "CORREOS" (Posts) appears
10c orange. They were printed came to the firm with a sam- persuaded with a small gratuity at the top.
by lithography on white, un- ple of the Denver issue and to overlook such irregularities. I'd love to hear from any
watermarked paper with white asked if it could replicate the Figure 3 shows a cover over- Linn's readers who own cov-
gum and perforations gauging design, substituting a portrait franked with a set of the ers bearing the Madero issue.
11.5 by 12. The Figure 1 ex- of Madero for the Mexican Maderos. This cover, with a Write to me, Dale Pulver, in
ample is imperforate. eagle. At the time, Villa and Figure 2. The frame for the Madero cinderella (left) is almost preprinted address of the C.E. care of Linn's Editor, Box 29,
The lithographic stone had his troops were massing at identical to that of Mexico's Denver issue (right) but smaller. Husman Stamp Co. of St. Sidney, OH 45365. ■
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2002 www.linns.com

Oaxaca's role in history of Mexican philately

In February 2003, the Mex- devoid of franking power. Maximilian's forces never
ico Elmhurst Philatelic Soci- Figure 1 shows a 1-real Hi- held strongly many of the re-
ety International will conduct dalgo stamp from the first is- mote cities, or they were late
Pl- ga° .i.-„ g
its annual meeting in the Mex- sue of 1856 bearing the dis- in consolidating their control. ri i '''
.•.■ .
ican city of Oaxaca (pro- trict name and a portion of a Oaxaca is a good example )14 4 i, Xz,
V ht !
nounced wah-HA-kah), locat- boxed straight-line cancel of this situation. Only the Ea- 1,p
v i_1.-!.,...1;410c.-:,,,,,,,,
used at Oaxaca. gle stamps (Scott 19-25) of , .4.:4,---..Ft-, / •,N
The third letter of the over- the fourth and fifth periods
Mexico print is a "J," representing a are recorded for Oaxaca, and --:--rk.., .6-4E4-t-z-,_.e-,-- \.,
c."—'-'41+-*.Stc.L.i.13V:4L
spelling used in colonial the 8r stamp from the fifth pe-
By Dale Pulver times. In the Spanish lan- riod is especially scarce. ,--7-..=', 9,..." .......„, .o..,......—c...."-._ ,.; tri
guage, the "J" and "X" have Also, only lithographed ll
ed some 290 miles southeast approximately the same Maximilian heads were sent to
of Mexico City. sound. Oaxaca, and uses of that issue
This quaint town, dating Figure 1. Mexican 1856 Several different hand- are likewise elusive.
from before Spanish colonial first-issue stamp with stamps were used over the Fast forward to the civil
times, is situated about a mile "OAJACA" spelling in over- years to apply the district wars and 1915. Two rebel Figure 3. This small cover is franked with the 1-centavo
above sea level. It enjoys a print of district name. name, with different font vari- movements, the Constitution- Oaxaca provisional stamp to pay the drop-letter rate.
wonderful climate and is sur- eties. Also, there is a variety alists and the Conventionalists
rounded by mountains and towns and villages. with the district name en- were locked in a struggle to collectors who attempted to Spaniards' arrival in 1532, but
fertile valleys. During the classic era of
closed in a box. achieve control of the Mexi- sort out a host of varieties and that is the date from which the
The Spanish conquerors Mexican stamps (1856-83), While stamps overprinted can government. printing anomalies. modern name applies.
first arrived in the area in principal offices were obliged and used in Oaxaca from the Oaxaca state officials de- These provisional stamps The Museo de Filatelia de
1532 and found deposits of to overprint the name of the first issue and from the sec- cided to remain neutral, but in saw use in only a small area, Oaxaca (Philatelic Museum of
gold in the mountains. district on stamps to validate
ond issue of 1861 can be so doing they incurred the en- the city of Oaxaca and some of Oaxaca) referred to in previ-
This wealth was the basis them for use. This was a secu- found without too much diffi- mity of the Constitutionalists the nearby towns. Figure 3 ous paragraphs will host some
for rapid development of the rity measure. Nonoverprinted culty, the same is not true for who imposed a siege on the shows my favorite cover that of the events of the MEPSI
city and impressive architec- stamps were presumed to have the period of the French inter- city and the surrounding area. bears a Oaxaca lc provisional meeting.
tural works, many of which been lost or stolen and were vention (1864-67). During this siege, authori- for drop-rate franking. This The museum opened in July
survive. More recently, the ties in Oaxaca ordered stamps small cover probably carried a 1998 with the purpose of en-
area is noted for agriculture. to be printed. These provision- calling card or party invitation. couraging stamp collecting
Oaxaca also is the site of a al stamps, listed in Scott as Unfortunately, thousands of among both adults and chil-
fine philatelic museum, which 414-19, were produced in the remainders found their way dren.
was another drawing card for print shop of an orphanage by into the stamp marketplace, A second building adjacent
holding the MEPSI meeting teenage girls under the super- and some of these have been to the first was subsequently
there. vision of a nun. manipulated to represent gen- acquired and opened in Octo-
At the time Mexico's first They were printed on the uine uses. Buyers should exer- ber 2000, more than doubling
postage stamps were issued in backs of post office forms cise caution and demand cer- the space for temporary ex-
the mid-19th century, Oaxaca from cliches (stereotypes) as- tificates or obtain certifica- hibits, a library, study room
had about 30,000 inhabitants sembled from printer's type, tion for high-priced items. and a permanent collection.
and was the capital of a state rules and ornaments. In 1982, Oaxaca was hon- As would be expected, the
of the same name. It was des- Figure 2 shows the front ored with a 1.60-peso stamp collection features items spe-
ignated a principal postal dis- and back of a 5c stamp. marking the 450th anniver- cific to Oaxaca.
trict, and it held authority over Over the years these rather sary as a city (1273). There is also a boutique that
some 34 subordinate postal Figure 2. Front and back of a Oaxaca provincial stamp print- crude stamps have captured Actually there was a settle- sells new Mexican stamps and
offices in the surrounding ed on post office forms by teenage girls at a local orphanage. the attention of several stamp ment there prior to the other philatelic items. •
20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 25, 2002 www.linns.com

Financial aspects of collecting classic Mexico

Most stamp collectors will These percentages are for ered a good investment, other stamp on piece in the Mazepa ple sold for $105 against an reserves) and much more of it
profess publicly that they col- the major Scott number vari- than an investment in fun. sale conducted by Regency estimate of $200. The stamp found buyers.
lect stamps for the pleasure it eties. A few of the subvarieties But if you have sought out Stamps in December 2001 had a minor corner crease and The Mazepa sale did boost
affords and do not focus on the performed somewhat better. and acquired a respectable ar- brought $800. And yet anoth- was cut close on two sides. the level at which rare first-
financial aspects of their hold- Also, keep in mind that ray of stamps from the scarce er sold a few weeks ago in a Five years later in the and second-issue material is
ings. But if you have devoted Scott values are guides for on- and rare districts (for which a Follansbee auction for $850. Mazepa sale, another Polotit- traded, although this is not yet
More than 2,500 2r stamps Ian 1r brought $400, even reflected in the Scott listings.
were sent to the Cuautitlan of- though its condition was poor- The auction also prompted
Mexico fice and were presumably sold
and used, but few survive,
er. At the most recent Follans-
bee sale, a very fine stamp
some adjustments in Follans-
bee's catalog, A Catalogue of
By Dale Pulver
hence prices nearly 300 times fetched $550, possibly a bar- the Stamps of Mexico, 1856-
Scott value. gain in view of its condition. 1910. This is the best guide
substantial resources to your Shown in Figures 1 and 2 This stamp lists in Scott at $15 for valuing the myriad of vari-
collection, it's hard to escape are two 2r stamps. Figure 1 (no overprint). Similar stories eties in the classic issues of
pondering the financial impli- pictures a common San Luis can be told for many other Mexico, and anyone intent on
cations of the property you Potosi stamp that would sell first- and second-issue rarities. investing serious money in
have accumulated. for less than $5. Figure 2 These examples demon- this field should not be with-
This is especially true if shows a stamp used in Cuauti- strate a number of truths out it.
you have collected for a long tlan that brought $800 in a re- about the economics of stamp Condition is another factor
time and put fair amount of cent auction. collecting. Run-of-the-mill to consider. In the low-to-
money into your collection. Figure 2. This Mexican 1856 High denomination stamps, stamps might not represent a medium-priced material, any-
My favorite area in Mexi- Figure 1. This Mexican 1856 2-real stamp from Cuautit- the 4r and 8r (4-5) are in de- good monetary investment, thing less than very fine
can philately is the classic pe- 2-real stamp from San Luis lan, a rare district, sold for mand, and only those from the but rare varieties can offer op- would be a poor choice. As
riod, especially the issues of Potosi, a common district, $800 in a recent auction. major offices can be acquired portunities for appreciation. rarity increases, condition re-
1856 and 1861. These stamps would sell for less than $5. substantial outlay of real mon- for anything near Scott values. After James Mazepa won mains important, but dimin-
generally bear overprinted ey is usually required), you An 8r from Chihuahua sold the Champion of Champions ishes somewhat as an item ap-
names of the postal districts ly the common, large districts might have enjoyed substan- in the 1995 sale for $490, award with his exhibit of proaches the only-one-copy-
and can occasionally be found that sold and used many tial appreciation in value. A thought to be somewhat high, Mexico 1856-61 issues, Re- known status.
bearing cancels of small stamps. Scott values are of lit- few examples make the point. since Chihuahua was a medi- gency Stamps bought the col- Less than perfect margins
towns and haciendas. tle use to those who collect In 1995, Nicholas Follans- um-size office. Only 1,080 8r lection, broke it down and of- are forgiven when only two or
I'm past the point in my these stamps in depth, includ- bee, a West Coast dealer spe- stamps were sent, and they are fered it at auction. three examples are known.
specialization where Scott ing small districts and the can- cializing in Mexican proper- elusive. The same stamp was Many collectors of Mexico If a monetary return is in the
catalog values mean very cellations from them and oth- ties, conducted an auction of a resold at the recent Follansbee felt the estimates were too back of your mind, it's better to
much, but I thought it might er small offices. beautiful holding of 1856 auction for $1,500. high even though many of the focus on the rarities. A well-
be interesting to see what has For the 1861 issue, the sto- stamps. My final example is the 1r stamps and other items were bought $500 item has a better
happened to the listings for ry is much the same, although This collector had gathered (2) stamp from the tiny office either unique or one of just a chance to appreciate than four
my area in the past 10 years. the value for a nice 4-real together fine specimens from of Polotitlan. Only 360 1r few examples known. $125 items. But you have to be
Comparing the values given stamp (9) unused rose a re- many of the very rare dis- stamps were sent. The stamps Numerous items went un- careful not to spend too extrav-
for Mexico's first issue of spectable 65 percent. tricts. A 2r 1856 stamp (3) were never overprinted with a sold in the original sale, and agantly. Attention to Follans-
1856 (Scott 1-5) for 2002 So, a large, diverse holding from Cuautitlan fetched $440, district name and must be many that did sell did at or bee's values is advisable.
against those listed for 1992, I of stamps from the major dis- plus commission. The basic identified by the cancel used near the reserves. Still, some Still, I'm a sucker for those
found increases from 20 per- trict offices of Mexico proba- used stamp catalogs in Scott to deface them. This hand- lots went for higher than the $10 and $20 1856 lr and 2r
cent to 43 percent for used bly will not have appreciated at $3, a fair value for one from stamp is distinctive and usual- estimates. The unsold material (2-3) that have clear over-
stamps and about 30 percent much in the past 10 years or a big district office. ly well struck. was reoffered at a later auc- prints and cancels that I do not
to 50 percent for unused. so, and it cannot be consid- A similar Cuautitlan 2r In the 1995 sale, an exam- tion with lower estimates (and yet own. Good hunting. ■
18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 23, 2002 www.linns.com

Mexico's Exporta series; trade cards; auctions

As I have done in the past, I of Smyrna, Ga., sent me color
will use this final column of photocopies of several cards he
the year to respond to input I has found over the past couple
received from readers and of- of years. Figure 1 shows the
fer a comment on a holiday- design of one of his cards. Fig- S R ICIO • POST K1-
ure 2 shows the reverse side.
The card pictures Mexican TA RJKTA POSTAL.
Mexico stamps of the Coat of Arms is-
sue of 1899, one in each cor-
By Dale PuRer
ner, with a central scene of a e me act
mule-drawn diligencia (stage-
related item. coach) and the caption "The 0.44 drei
The Mexican definitive Mail in Mexico."
(regular-issue) stamps pictur- Technically, this card is Ate .410 debt oAribiroe in direi:ion,. .
ing Mexican export products what is called a trade card,
and commonly referred to as given as a premium with the
the Exporta issue persists as a purchase of merchandise, a Figure 3. A New Year's greeting sent in December 1896 from
Figure 1. The front side of a Mexican trade card picturing
popular subject with Linn's method of promoting sales of a Mexican stamp dealer in Cuernavaca to Egypt.
Mexico's Coat of Arms stamps of 1899 and a stagecoach.
readers. This is true even commercial products. for unusual covers linked to usual item, even thought it has
addressed, stamped envelope
though this series of 1975-93 by way of Linn's. This adden- DONMEYER, GARDNER CO. I found a card with the the holidays to include in philatelic roots.
PEORIA, ILL
has been gone for nearly 10 dum is in the same format as identical face design in my these year-end reprises. Fig- •
1-(:H GVA(K. F1.01 .11i
years. odds-and-ends shoebox. ure 3 depicts a postal card sent The year 2002 has been
the one in the book, and it can Oar Par
D....”O L. P
PR.
YAW Cahn PA..
The Exporta series offers an be tipped into it to complete RA. takAa P.-, Dovers' card was offered to Egypt by a Mexican stamp good for Mexican philately.
PR. IL_ how
unrivaled challenge for the the story. That offer is still "compliments of the Donmey- dealer residing in Cuernavaca. Buyers of high-ticket items
RE
specialist, both in the stamps open to anyone who has pur-
//../ 116■••■ raIlm. •
er, Garden Co.," a Peoria, Ill., In the elegantly printed were favored with at least two
and postal history. The stamps chased the book and would manufacturer of high-grade message on the reverse, he important auction sales during
were issued during a long, like a copy. Figure 2. Reverse side of the flour, according to the inscrip- wishes the addressee best the last months of the year.
chaotic economic period with Just mail your request to card shown in Figure 1. The tion on the back of the card. wishes for the New Year The Follansbee sale of Oct.
ever-changing postal rates. Dale Pulver, in care of Linn's, card was offered by an Illi- The card I have is different. (1897) and offers his services 26 in Reno, Nev., carried
Many of the inquiries I re- Box 29, Sidney, OH 45356. nois manufacturer of flour. The back of my card was as a buyer and seller of some seldom offered items of
ceived pertain to varieties that Sufficient return postage varieties). Also, one album printed for use as a postcard postage stamps for collectors. the classic era, especially
emerged near the end of the (370) or a stamped return en- maker, Lighthouse, provides and was inscribed "This is one As best as I can determine from the issues of 1856-61.
series. In my book Introduc- velope will be appreciated. preprinted pages with spaces of a series of 48 cards. One from the postmarks on the of On Nov. 20, the Afinsa
tion to the Stamps of Mexico, You can collect the Exporta for these varieties. given with each PULLIAM the card, it was mailed from house, with the collaboration
published by Linn's, I includ- stamps using the Scott catalog • CIGAR." Another distinction Cuernavaca a few days before of Soler y Llach, conducted a
ed a checklist for the Exporta as a guide, but Scott makes on- A while back (Linn S issues between the two cards is that Christmas 1896. It arrived in sale in Barcelona, Spain, with
stamps in an appendix. ly superficial reference to the of Jan. 8 and April 9, 1990), I Dovers' card has rounded cor- Alexandria Jan. 24, 1897. more choice items from the
Unfortunately, that list was subtle paper varieties that ex- wrote about postcards or trade ners, and my card has square, Curiously, the sender used a first issues of Mexico.
incomplete, as further print- ist. There is no mention of the cards depicting Mexican sharp corners. 3-centavo card inscribed for I do not yet have the results
ings of stamps occurred after ultraviolet light properties of stamps. These cards are usual- I suspect there are more ex- domestic service. The Univer- of the later sale, but the prices
the book came out in 1992. the stamps, and gum properties ly colorful and have a high de- amples of this same design sal Postal Union rate to Eu- at Reno were strong for rare
After the series ended, I are ignored, too. gree of eye appeal. They have out there, touting different rope, and presumably to the material in good condition.
compiled an addendum to the Many dealers break down minimal philatelic importance, products. adjacent countries of northern I close with best wishes for
checklist and offered it to any- the issue by the paper charac- but they are fun to collect. • Africa, also was 3c. the holidays to all and thanks
one who would send me an teristics (there are 14 distinct Linn's reader Doug Dovers, I am always on the lookout I find this card a rather un- for your support. •
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 27, 2003 www.linns.com

Tutbor stamps: World Cup, Jules Rimet, more Niov

As I write this column we Americans are in The earliest Mexican soccer related stamp I
the midst of a professional football frenzy. The found in my collection was a stamp issued in
regular season has ended and the surviving 1967 in a series promoting the 1968 Olympics
teams are battling it out to see who will make held in Mexico.
it to the Super Bowl. American football is per- This 5-peso airmail stamp (Scott C331) is
haps the most watched sport on television in part of the so-called silhouette issues because it
shows the athletes in silhouette. These stamps
also feature continuous designs running from
Mexico side to side. They were designed by Lance
Wyman and were quite popular at the time.
By Dale Pulver
The soccer stamp, shown in Figure 1, de-
picts a goalie lunging for the ball.
the United States these days, according to the The soccer stamp also is included in a sou-
Neilson ratings for the past couple of week- venir sheet with the 2p value. These sheets sold
ends. for 9p.
But the rest of the world goes crazy over an- Finding a solo use of a 2p stamp on cover
ther form of football. We call it soccer, and our will be difficult, however, because it did not
Spanish-speaking friends call it futbol. It is match a common rate.
played in almost every civilized country of the Following the Olympics, Mexico was chosen
world, probably because of its simplicity and to host the ninth World Soccer Championship
minimal equipment requirements. games in 1970 for the Jules Rimet Cup. This
An air-filled ball and an open area are the trophy is considered to be the holy grail of soc- Figure 3. First-day cover of Mexico's Aug. 16, 1969, stamps promoting the World Soccer
primary requisites. cer, and the competition for it brings together Cup matches of 1970. A 1970 80-centavo stamp was added almost a year later, on June 6,
The game is so popular in Mexico that nu- the finest soccer players and teams of the The following year an attractive set of five
merous postage stamps have been issued over world. stamps (1439-43), designed after paintings by
the years marking tournaments and other im- In anticipation of this prestigious event and sports artist Angel Zarraga (1886-1946) were
portant soccer events. to promote the games, Mexico issued two air- issued to mark the 1986 World Cup competi-
The topical collector can find ample oppor- mail stamps in August 1969 (C350-51). The tion. The face values of these stamps are 30p,
tunities with the various stamps, special-events graphics employ the stylized Mexico logo 40p, 65p, 70p and 90p.
covers and ordinary uses. adopted for the Olympic publicity. Again, the
Also a souvenir sheet depicting a publicity
stamps were designed by Wyman. poster of seven soccer-related vignettes was is-
The World Cup games opened May 30, sued with a face value of 110p.
1970, and on the following day two more air- In 1992, at the peak of the inflation period, a
mail commemorative stamps were issued.
set of stamps issued for the Barcelona Summer
(C372-73). These stamps, also designed by Olympics contained one soccer-related stamp,
Wyman, show a soccer ball superimposed over with a face value of 1,900p (1746). There
an array of masks. Figure 2 pictures the 80- might be other Mexican stamps that one can tie
centavo and 2p stamps. to soccer, but I ended my search with this one.
A few years ago while browsing through a None of the stamps mentioned here are dif-
box of inexpensive covers, I found the cover il- ficult to find or are expensive. Philatelic cov-
lustrated in Figure 3. ers are common too.
This Aug. 16, 1969, first-day cover of the Figure 4. This souvenir sheet issued for the
Figure 1. This Mexican airmail stamp depict- Sportmex stamp expo held in 1970 in con- However, locating good commercial uses for
two 1969 stamps features a colorful cachet us- a postal history study is a challenge. ■
ing a soccer goalie was issued in 1967 to pro- ing a portion of the Wyman design for the 80c junction with the World Cup championship
mote the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. stamp. There is an added feature, though. It ap- includes the American Philatelic Society logo.
pears that the original owner kept the cover for a serial number. The souvenir sheet pictured in
almost a year and during the period of the Figure 4 bears No. 55511.
games purchased one of the 1970 stamps, Mexico continued to issue stamps honoring
added it to the cover and had it canceled at a soccer. In 1977, two stamps came out com-
Mexico City branch office June 6, 1970. memorating the 50th anniversary of the Mexi-
An additional handstamped marking at the can Soccer Federation (C534-35). In June
cover's lower left indicates that this was the day 1978, a three-stamp set (C565-67), drew atten-
Russia defeated Belgium 4-1. tion to the 11th World Cup Competition sched-
Two days before the 1970 Jules Rimet Cup uled for Argentina during June.
competition ended, a philatelic exposition Even the difficult economic crisis of the
opened in Mexico City devoted to sports - 1980s did not dampen the enthusiasm for soc-
mostly soccer — called Sportmex 70. cer stamps. In 1985, Mexico's two huge soccer
In honor of this gathering, the post office is- stadiums, the University Olympic Stadium and
sued a souvenir sheet containing one imperfo- the Stadium Azteca were commemorated on
rate 2p airmail stamp flanked on two sides with two stamps (1424-25). Monetary inflation
Figure 2. Two Mexican stamps issued for the various philatelic logos including that of the drove the face value of these stamps to 26p and
1970 World Soccer Cup hosted by Mexico. American Philatelic Society. Each sheet bears 45p.
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 24, 2003 www.linns.com

Bull's-eye cancels on early Mexican stamps

For years I have been accumulating stamps with "FRANCO" at the top and the date May the remaining 19th-
with socked-on-the-nose or, as some collectors 25, 1857, is from San Luis Potosi. The town century Mexican
refer to them, bull's-eye strikes. They are fun to name at the bottom of the device missed the stamps because more
search for, and most of the time they do not stamp completely. Still it is nice to have a full and more post of-
carry a price premium. date well centered. fices obtained circu-
So when your stamp budget is a bit tight, The other stamp (shown upside down) bears lar datestamps.
the CDS of Santa Figure 4 shows a
Anna de Tamaulipas, neat CDS of Puebla
Mexico the main city in the
postal district of
struck on a stamp of
the 1868 issue. Sev-
By Dale Pulver Tampico. eral other cities used
Figure 2 shows a devices of this same Figure 5. What looks
you can still indulge yourself in the hobby. stamp on piece that size. like a Veracruz CDS
When Mexico's first adhesive postage originally was vali- An indication of on this 1879-85 stamp
stamps were issued in the summer of 1856, dated for use in Mex- service is included in is not a Mexican post-
most of the devices used to deface the stamps ico City, as evidenced a few late 19th-cen- mark but a French
were holdovers from the prestamp era. by the Mexico name tury postmarks. Reg- packet boat marking.
The devices came in a variety of formats: overprint along the istry marks were
straight-line town names with and without Figure 2. This 1856 right edge. But the large boxed inscriptions that rarely touched the
boxes, ovals, ornate wreaths and many primi- Mexican stamp, shown stamp ended up being stamps. They are seldom seen today.
tive art designs. on piece, was validat- used in Guadalajara, Figure 5 shows a stamp from the so-called
Some of the larger towns and cities used cir- ed for use in Mexico as proven by the Foreign Mail series of 1879-85, which was is-
cular datestamps with moveable type to indi- City, but as the circu- CDS, with that town sued expressly for mail addressed abroad. The
cate the proper dates. I will focus on these lar datestamp indi- name overprinted di- stamp bears a CDS inscribed Veracruz, but it is
CDS markings in this column. Figure 1 shows cates, it was used from rectly on top of the not a Mexican postmark. It is a French packet
two first-issue stamps with CDS cancels that Mexico overprint. Figure 3. Bull's-eye circular datestamps on
Guadaljara instead.
were too large to be accommodated on a single How this came about stamps in Mexico's 1864-67 Eagles series.
stamp. With experience and a postmark hand- is anyone's guess. Perhaps a traveller carried (imprint along left side) was delivered to the
book, they can be readily identified. stamps in a purse on a trip there and a zealous main post office. So what we have is a first-
Both stamps were canceled in 1857, the sec- postmaster applied the extra name overprint at day-of-use cancellation.
ond year of issue. The large double-ring cancel the moment of mailing for good measure. I always check Ea-
Figure 3 shows a similar array of stamps gle stamps against
from the Mexican Eagle series used during the the stamp delivery
French intervention of 1864-67. records (S. Chap-
This group contains a neat CDS from Ver- man's The Postage
acruz; a somewhat larger double-ring date- Stamps of Mexico,
0.,. c., stamp from Huamantla, a small post office 1856 - 68), and I
1-41 1%-y0 Figure 6. This pair of stamps bearing a Tonala
rs
— • 0 "z subordinate to the district office in Puebla; and have found a number
CDS has a plate crack between the stamps.
another Veracruz stamp canceled on Christmas of such first-day us-
[ A rt/ Day, 1865. es. They are scarce
1Q, .5 7. ) The fourth stamp in the group was used in but usually are not boat (paquebot) marking used on mail bound
Mexico April 9, 1865. Usually, this would not expensive. for Europe out of Veracruz. You can see the let-
Figure 1. Two Mexican 1856 first-issue be considered a noteworthy example because Figure 4. This Mexi- Finding bull's-eye ters "PAQ" in the lower-left corner of the
stamps with circular datestamps from San of its rotated datestamp. However, April 9 was can stamp of 1868 cancels becomes stamp. This stamp was a fortuitous find from
Luis Potosi and Santa Anna de Tamaulipas. the day that stamp consignment "60 1865" bears a Puebla CDS. somewhat easier on (Continued on next page)
Mexican markings
(From facing page) sign. These cancels are often
an American Philatelic Soci- called the bridge type because
ety circuit book. of the arched design immedi-
The orange and vermillion ately above and below the
stamps of Mexico's large nu- date-and-time panel.
meral issues of 1885-95 are The Mulita stamps (the
perfect for socked-on-the- Transportation issue of 1895-
nose, collecting because the 98) also are good candidates
postmarks show up well. for socked-on-the-nose can-
Figure 6 pictures a pair of cels, but the colors of common
stamps with a CDS from uses are not as good as those
Tonala in the state of Chiapas. of the Large Numeral stamps.
There is a plate crack between In the next column, I will
the stamps. delve into varieties of the
By this time, Mexico's turn-of-the-20th-century
postal service also had begun postmarks that can be collect-
to standardize canceler de- ed with bull's-eye strikes. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 24, 2003 www.linns.com

Type-of-service cancels easy on stamp budget

In the Mexico column in the Feb. 24 Linn's, ed to date are oval in shape. numeral are seen as 1800s. Letters that
page 28, I discussed the opportunities for col- Covers and stamps bearing these diligencias x-A,434, early as the general formerly went by
lecting stamps with well-centered strikes of cancels are popular with specialists, especially stamp issue of 1874, steamer from Ver-
circular datestamps. These bull's-eye cancels those with the Mexican eagle design, such as which Mexican spe- acruz to the United
can be a lot of fun because they often show in- the cancel on the stamp in Figure 1. cialists refer to as the States could move
teresting facts about a stamp's use and they Figure 2 depicts two stamps originally af- Garbancitos. rapidly on the rail
The stamp pic- lines that connected
tured on the right in Mexico City to the
Mexico Figure 2 again indi-
cates mail that was
U.S. border.
Figures 5 and 6
By Dale Pulver recovered from a let- show stamps that re-
Figure 4. This stamp ter box. The cancel is ceived mail process-
usually will not make a big dent in your pock- bears a "Serv. Intern." from 1915. Figure 5. This stamp ing aboard trains.
etbook. (international service) An expanded mail was processed aboard •The stamp pic-
Most of the examples illustrated in the Feb. circular datestamp. handling system ap- a Mexican train and tured in Figure 5
24 column were of common everyday post- pears to have been bears a cancel from bears a cancel read-
marks used in many post offices throughout instituted in the 1890s with the establishment postal agent No. 6. ing "AG. Post. * 6"
the republic. of several branch post offices in the capital.
Figure 2. The cancels on these two Mexican
In this sequel, I will explore postmarks used These offices had identifying cancelers. One is
stamps indicate that they entered the mail-
during the late 1800s shown on the pair of 10-centavo stamps pic-
stream by way of letter boxes (buzones).
and early 1900s that tured in Figure 3.
indicate the type of fixed to letters that entered the mgilstream by The inscription at the top of the cancel,
mail service ren- way of letter boxes (buzones). "Sucursal F," means branch office F. These
dered. In my experi- Letter boxes for depositing mail were locat- CDSs are fairly common. Note this one also
ence, these are some- ed in various neighborhoods of Mexico City has the time noted at the end of the cancel's
what more elusive, and at least eight different devices are record- date belt, "4 P.M."
although, again, not ed. The "B-8" handstamp, shown on the stamp Soon after Mexico joined the Universal
apt to carry high on the left in Figure 1, is the most common. Postal Union in 1879, the Mexican post office
price tags. The small circles surrounding the "B" plus a issued a special series of stamps for franking
Figure 1 shows a foreign-bound mail. These stamps are referred Figure 6. The cancel on this pair of Mexican
stamp with a well- to as the Foreign Mail, or Juarez, issue. It has stamps is from the Mexican National Rail-
centered and neat long been felt that the main reason for the sep- way (Ferrocarriles National de Mexico).
Figure 1. This Mexican strike of a cancel arate issue was for accounting purposes. (Do-
stamp bears a well- used at the office of mestic mail rates were higher.) Also, the dis- (agente postal), postal agent No. 6.
centered oval, eagle- Diligencias Gen- tinctive stamps helped clerks sort mail. In the lower quadrant of the cancel on the
design cancel from the erales (the stage- Post offices also used special devices to can- stamp pair shown in Figure .6 are the letters
Diligencias Generales coach lines) in Mexi- cel foreign mail. An example is shown in Fig- "F.C.N de M." (Ferrocarriles National de Mex-
stagecoach office. co City. This compa- ure 4. The inscription at the top of the CDS ico), the Mexican national railway.
ny carried passengers reads "Serv. Intern." (international service). Postal agents were authorized to accept
and mail between many of the larger towns and The cancels can be found on both the Foreign properly franked mail at the various stops
cities in central Mexico. Mail issue and contemporary domestic issues. along a route, and the stamps shown in Figures
Stagecoach offices were provided with both Another earlier variety is inscribed "Union 5 and 6 bear the types of markings such mail
postage stamps and cancelers and would ac- Figure 3. A circular datestamp from Sucur- Postal." received.
cept last-minute postings up to departure time. sal F, Mexico City's branch office F, was Railroads played an ever-increasing role in The bull's-eye strikes on the stamps pictured
All of the diligencia canceling devices record- used to cancel this pair of 10c stamps. handling the mails in Mexico during the late in Figure 7 depict another type oftwatmark
www.zillionsofstamps.com
found on. Mexican stamps of this period. These elusive. I could not locate any in the several
CDSs are inscribed "Paquete .Postal," which hundred socked-on-the-nose stamps I have in
stands for "parcel post." my collection.
As evidenced by the examples shown, you As I concluded in the Feb. 24 column, this is
would expect to find these markings on high- a collecting field that you can pursue when
denominated stamps. The stamp on the left is a your stamp budget is stressed and there isn't
15c Mulita (Transportation issue of 1895), and much relief in sight.
the stamp bn the right is the 50c denomination I would be happy to hear from anyone who
from the Independence issue of 1910. has found some unusual Mexican socked-on-
Figure 7. Two examples of Mexican "Paque-
Other classes of service should provide the-nose cancels.
te postal," or parcel post, postmarks.
bull's-eye cancels. Karl Schimmer's compila- Contact me by way of Linn's Stamp News,
tion, The Postmarks of Mexico 1874-1900, in- used on second-, third- and fourth-class mail. Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365. I promise to ac-
cludes a number of CDS devices that were Examples of such CDSs appear to be fairly knowledge all letters. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 28, 2003 www.linns.com

The tale of Tijuana and the Red Flag Revolt

Five years ago (Linn's, Jan. But the more I thought and Tijuana. na postmaster fled to the Unit-
26, 1998), I wrote a Mexico about it, the less likely these This ragtag army comprised ed States he very likely took
column about a postcard explanations made sense. Anglo-American radicals, his principal postmarking de-
mailed from Tijuana, Mexico, Thanks to information sent Wobblies (Industrial Workers vices with him. There is am-
during the summer of 1911. by Nicholas Follansbee, a of the World), socialists and ple precedence for such action
That card reported progress West Coast auctioneer and anarchists. in Mexico.
And for the brief time the
Liberal Party of Mexico was
Mexico in control, the post office ap-
pears to have been used as its
By Dale Pulver
headquarters.
After the rebels were ousted
of a 100,000-mile endurance and the postal operations re-
run by an Abbott-Detroit auto- sumed, the only handstamps
mobile. Since I lacked infor- on hand appear to have been
mation about such an endeav- the black-blot killer and the
or, I asked Linn's readers for Figure 2. Picture side of a 1913 postcard showing a scene of
oval datestamp for marking
help. Tijuana, including the post office (Oficina de Correos).
packages (bultos postales).
They responded splendidly, As a result of my first col- that wary. mailed postcards as souvenirs.
and with their knowledge pro- umn on the subject, I was in- Another question is The postcard pictured in
vided enough background for formed of three or four simi- whether any mail was handled Figure 2 dates from 1913 and
a second column (Linn's, lar items by Mexico collec- during the period of the Liber- shows a scene of Tijuana, in-
April 27, 1998). tors. Since then, I have infor- al Party of Mexico's occupa- cluding the post office (Ofici-
Another intriguing question Figure 1. Address side of postcard with black-blot killer and mation on two more, includ- tion, from May 10 to Junel 1, na de Correos). The post of-
posed by that card was the un- package (hullos) canceler used after 1911 Red Flag Revolt. ing one that I found while 1911. fice can be seen behind the
usual nature of the cancella- student of Mexican philately, Under a red flag embla- browsing cover boxes at a lo- A collector friend who spe- horses.
tion and postmark. It consist- the mystery surrounding these zoned with the slogan "Land cal stamp show. cializes in picture postcards I suspect there are dozens
ed of a round black blot defac- marks seems to be largely re- and Liberty," they soundly de- My curiosity is now tells me that many cards de- of postcards bearing this com-
ing the stamp and a red or solved. feated the small Mexican fed- aroused to learn how long this picting scenes of Tijuana were bination of postal markings.
pink oval handstamp usually In the catalog for his Oct. eral garrison at Tijuana. provisional marking system being published and sold dur- I will be interested to hear
reserved for large bundles or 26, 2002, auction, Follansbee Meanwhile, the 100 or so was used until regular hand- ing the time in question. from readers in this regard to
packages (bultos postales) illustrated a similar item and civilian residents of Tijuana stamps were again available. I Postcards were especially see what time limits can be es-
that ties the stamp to the card. described it as an artifact of slipped across the U.S. border am hopeful that Linn 's readers popular with tourists who tablished for the use of the
Figure 1 shows another the "red flag revolt." I wrote and took up temporary resi- will again show their willing- would make the short drive bultos oval. Contact me by
postcard with a similar black- to him for further particulars. dence in what today is San ness to help with this task. from San Diego to the Mexi- way of Linn's Editor, Box 29,
blot killer marking and a bul- He supplied the following Ysidro. This all took place in The earliest use of the hul- can border for an afternoon's Sidney, OH 45365. I will ac-
tos postales handstamp. background information. early May 1911. los postales datestamp I am outing. They often bought and knowledge all responses. ■
A couple of readers sug- In a largely forgotten The Liberal Party of Mexi- aware of is July 15, and the
gested that the blot could have episode of the Mexican Revo- co's occupation of the town latest is Aug. 7.
been some sort of precancel, lution, partisans of the Liberal was short-lived. On June 11, Since the town was retaken
and the oval a favor cancella- Party of Mexico under the Mexican federal troops recap- by federal forces June 11, it
tion applied by the postmaster leadership of Ricardo Flores tured the town, ending the so- would seem that normal
on behalf of the many tourists Magon, a Mexican firebrand called Red Flag Revolt. postal handling could have re-
who visited the town from the and political activist, took Although we can't be ab- sumed shortly thereafter, but
United States. over Mexicali and then Tecate solutely sure, when the Tijua- obviously it did not happen
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 26, 2003 www.Iinns.com

Postcard announced birth of a stamp club

Ottmar Zieher of Munich, printings, characterized by message typed on the face of Before he passed away in do Aguirre and the first in- er in the decade (1935).
Bavaria, printed and promoted subtle differences in color the card. 1987, Jim Beal (a collector of stallment of an interesting re- The journal also lists the
postcards picturing stamps in shades, marginal inscriptions Under the heading "Mexi- Mexican classics and postal buttal by Aguirre to the book founding members, plus those
the early 1900s. The Mexico and ruling on the backs. can Philatelic Association," it history) gave me a shoebox by Walter Clarke Bellows on who joined after the initial
column in the Jan. 8, 1990, I will not go into detail translates briefly: "You [the full of various Mexican stamp the stamps of Campeche. meeting. At the time the first
society publications. issue was published, the asso-
Sure enough, among that ciation had 59 members.
Mexico hodgepodge, I found a small
Ammo' flI/IIIICA 1111.1(14
Gustavo Struck, to whom
the card was addressed, is not
By Dale Pulver stack of journals of the Aso- 4
)
2
I5
.........—...
ciacion Filatelica Mexicana on the list, and apparently he
(Mexican Philatelic Associa- elected not to join.
Linn's discussed these color- tion) including issue No. I Among the advertisers, I
1MXICANA. published in the group's first found other names that might
ful postcards. Tenemos el honor
The cards are collected ovitor a Ud. al Lunch- year. be familiar to longtime collec-
avidly by many serious collec- ' CwmPa5at ^116 00p motivo de Its front cover, illustrated in tors of Mexico.
a infp.mleios. dei-local de 1
tors. 1*,,1-1 la Coicilica- Figure 2, shows a picture of In addition to those already
Zieher began selling his 24 Desp. La Mexicana), the main post office in Mexi- mentioned, there is Alfonso
stamp postcards about 1903, teprini. lupar ,t1 sabado 15 del corrJept, co. The header contains the Ruidiaz, whose name often
a laa 8 p.m. appears as a guarantee mark
and his so-called first series El Presidents, statement that the group was
had almost 100 different de- Guillermo Fuento. founded Nov. 15, 1930. on many Mexican airmail
signs. The magazine is well done stamps. Julio Fabian is anoth-
The cards were of a stan- Figure 1. This, picture postcard showing Mexican stamps was and on coated paper. It runs to er dealer old-time collectors
dard size, 51/2 inches by 31/2 sent Nov. 13,1930, to announce the formation of a stamp club. 28 pages, including about five might recall. The back cover
inches. Each colorful design pages of ads by various local Figure 2. Cover of the first of the magazine has a full-
illustrated a selection of about these here, because they addressee] are invited to a stamp dealers. issue of the Mexican Philat- page ad of noted French deal-
postage stamps from a given are of interest primarily to champagne lunch for the pur- A photograph of 30 men elic Association's magazine. er Theodore Champion.
country. The designs were those who wish to specialize. pose of inaugurating a local who attended the initial meet- I do not know how long the
numbered. My article of 1990 has more [stamp collecting] association ing is shown in the magazine's Aguirre claimed that there Mexican Philatelic Associa-
The cards showing Mexican information in this regard. at such and such address, to page 3. are many errors of fact in Bel- tion lasted under that name or
stamps were Nos. 30 and 94. When browsing through take place Saturday evening, One lady is listed as a mem- low's book, and he was right. whether it eventually reorga-
The card illustrated in Figure dealer stocks at stamp shows, the 15th [November 1930] at ber of the society's official In the magazine, a section nized as one of the groups that
1 is a No. 30. It shows a mix I always take a moment to 8 p.m. President, Guillermo family and of the publication on new issues written by an- exists today.
of the Coat of Arms issues of check for any Mexican Zieher Fuentes, Secretary, Miguel J. committee, but she is not in- other Mexican dealer, Teofilo It was still going strong in
1899 and 1903 and a shield cards. Coarasa." cluded in the photograph. Guerrero, occupies several 1937, which is the last year
bearing an eagle. The card is Such cards mailed from the The card was addressed to (She is pictured with the offi- pages. In addition, the maga- for which journals exist in the
embossed with simulated per- country whose stamps are de- Gustavo Struck, Atenas No. cers in the second issue of zine includes a list of airmail hoard bequeathed to me. Per-
forations around the stamps, picted are desirable, and I 63, City (Mexico, D.F.) journal.) rarities of the world. haps some Linn's readers can
and the Mexican eagle is in have accumulated a fair num- The card is postmarked The lady authored the open- The United States 240 In- help in this regard.
relief. ber addressed to the United Nov. 13, so the sender must ing editorial in the first issue verted Jenny airmail stamp of Once again we have an ex-
The No. 94 card design is States, mostly from tourists. have had every confidence it that concludes with the asso- 1918 is included in this list, ample of how an innocent find
similar, but it also has a few What caught my attention would reach the addressee pri- ciation's motto of "One for all, but there are no stamps from can lead to an interesting sto-
stamps from the classic era with the card illustrated in Fig- or to the time of the meeting. and all for one!" Mexico. ry. How appropriate that,,AL
and an outline map of Mexico ure 1 was that it was mailed in I immediately wondered if There also is an article on The rare and pricey Amelia invitation to join a new stamp
at the lower right. Mexico to a local address. this endeavor ever got off the specialization by the noted Earhart stamp with the good- club was extended on a post-
Both designs had various Also of interest was the ground. Mexican stamp dealer Eduar- will-flight overprint came lat- card depicting stamps. •
44 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 30, 2003 www.linns.com

Mexico's special delivery service and stamps

Mexico's earliest attempts disruptive effects of the local marked paper (E2). termine the exact time en
at expedited mail delivery oc- civil wars, the Mexican post Figure 1 shows a 1922 cov- route. I assume that the cover
curred in the 1840s. office issued its first special er from my collection bearing did receive special handling
Under the auspices of the delivery stamp: a 20-centavo the first-design special deliv- because a straightline "EN- CLUB DE LEONES DE SAUCILLO
British legation, a fast mail bicolor stamp (red frame, ery stamp (E 1). The cover TREGA INMEDIATA" (im- CD. SAUCILLO, CHIN.
service operated between black vignette) depicting a originated in Irapuato and was mediate delivery) is struck on
both the front and back of the
ASOCIACION INTERNACIONAL DE CLUNES CE LEONES
cover. 209 North Michigan Avenue
Mexico . ,to rN The next special delivery Chicag6 1, Illinois.

By Dale Pulver stamp design appeared in

1934 (E3). According to the
Scott Standard Postage Stamp
Mexico City and the gulf port Catalogue, it shows a Toltec
of Veracruz. messenger with a quipu.
The service was established A quipu was a system of Figure 2. This cover was mailed July 1, 1958, by the Lions
to convey inbound letters knotted strings used by the Club of Saucillo, Mexico, to Chicago. No regular postage
brought by foreign ships to 0.0e' 64-d.‘uy
Aztecs to send messages. The was needed because the club had a special franking privi-
na.1 (=•,/ c,',9
the Mexican capital and to re- runners were supposed to car- lege, as explained in the upper right of the cover. The cover
lay answers to those letters ry these messages in all haste bears only a 35-centavo special delivery stamp of 1956.
back in time to catch the same and not stop until they
vessels prior to departure. reached their final destina- can special delivery stamps ers, and that presents quite a
The turnaround was four to tion. through World War II. bit more of a challenge.
five days, remarkably fast for It is rumored that tardy From 1950 until the last Some of the used values in
those times. Postage was messengers with especially Mexican special delivery Scott are printed in italics.
charged at double the normal bad news were sometimes ex- stamp was issued in 1976, That means such stamps are
rates. ecuted. five more designs were used. traded so infrequently that a
Surviving letters that re- A second design from 1934 Counting colors, different good value can not be estab-
ceived this service usually can Figure 1. This 1922 Mexican cover, sent from Irapuato to (E4) depicts an Indian archer values and redrawn varieties, lished. It also means that
be identified. They bear a Mexico City, bears Mexico's first special delivery stamp and shooting an arrow with an at- Scott comes up with 27 list- while such stamps were issued
handwritten endorsement "por straightline "ENTREGA INMEDIATA" (immediate deliv- tached message to the next ings. Except for Scott El and for legitimate rates, correctly
extraordinario." ery) handstamps on both the front and the reverse. man in a relay system. I can- E12, which will put a moder- used examples are scarce.
Examples of domestic mail not imagine how this system ate dent in your wallet, the For example, I have never
carried between major cities postal carrier mounted on a addressed to Mexico City. could have worked very well. complete series of special de- seen a proper franking using
along the route are known, but motorcycle with sidecar em- There is a smudged receiv- But perhaps the bowmen were livery stamps can be assem- the 1976 2-peso Clock stamp
most usage was between Mex- blazoned with the Mexican ing mark on the reverse, but more skillful than I imagine. bled easily for just a few dol- that paid the domestic special
ico City and Veracruz. coat of arms (Scott El). neither the cancels on the These three designs, with lars. delivery fee (Scott E27).
Fast forward to 1919. In A new printing of the stamp front nor the receiver on the some minor design enhance- But I like to collect legiti- In my search for interesting
that year, despite the lingering was issued in 1923 on water- back are clear enough to de- ments, account for all Mexi- mately used stamps and cov- special delivery uses, howev-
www.zillionsofstamps.com
station at 6:30 p.m.
07 FTr -
owarnn /n/ A,drop 11.
It then moved to the Madi-
...pp, PAW./ C son Square special delivery
station and was handstamped
there at 10 p.m.
.45 p4.-A The third and final hand-
Reivi71$(1,/, yrex;,e
I p stamp appears to indicate it
went out for delivery at 10
, e ;e a=DeaE11` a.m. the following day, Aug. -
12.
E XPRESS So in this case, we have
USE Y COLECC1ONE ESTARFILLAS POSTALES OYMPiCAS
*TRE.GA proof that the letter did re-
w. 000■1 urn w. VALOR ADZIONAL DE $010 ceive special delivery han-
dling at the destination.
Figure 3. This 1968 cover bearing a 1962 Mexican special Considering the round-
delivery stamp was mailed from Panuco to Mexico City and about routing of this example,
then forwarded to New York City. The cover bears three the seven-day time lapse
backstamps, two applied Aug. 11, 1969, and one on Aug. 12. seems reasonable.
I often wonder whether
er, I have had some luck. it reached Chicago. Mexican special delivery
Figure 2 shows an illustrat- Figure 3 illustrates a 1968 franking was respected at the
ed cover from the Lions Club cover originally mailed from destination end of a letter's
of Saucillo to the home office Panuco, Veracruz, to a Mexi- journey. At prevailing ex-
in Chicago. In this example, co City address. change rates, the 50c special
the Mexican organization en- The sender used a 40c delivery fee on the Figure 3
joyed a special franking privi- stamped envelope bearing a covers works out to 40. Not
lege, which is explained in the slogan urging the purchase of much for extra service.
box at the upper right of the Olympic commemorative Because of the cheapness
cover, so no stamp for regular postage stamps. A 1962 50c of Mexican special delivery
postage was needed. special delivery stamp (El 8) stamps, many merchants and
The special delivery fee was added. businessmen bought the ser-
was satisfied by a 1956 red- The cover entered the Mex- vice as a matter of course.
lilac 35c stamp (E16), used ican mails Aug. 5. In Mexico As a result, business en-
frequently on mail of that era. City, it was forwarded to New velopes bearing special deliv-
The letter was posted July York City, headquarters of the ery franking from the 1950s
1, 1958. A special delivery la- radio station to which it was and 1960s are fairly plentiful.
bel appears at the cover's low- originally addressed. Collecting special delivery
er left. This cover bears three in- covers of Mexico offers an in-
There is no receiving back- teresting backstamps. The teresting challenge, especially
stamp so it remains a mystery first, dated Aug. 11, indicates covers bearing stamps having
whether the letter enjoyed it was received at the Grand limited use. Let me know
special delivery service once Central special delivery mail what you find. •
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 22, 2003 www.linns.com

Huge revenue document bears 3,219 stamps

Collector George J. Kramer, ries. Also included is a 10c was issued in seven denomi- It occupies a full frame and
recently crowned Champion Renta Interior (Internal Rev- nations varying from 5c to always prompts a double take
of Champions exhibitor for enue) stamp, a possible mis- 500p, so it would have been by those show attendees who
his exhibit "United States Do- use of that stamp. There was easy to pay this tax with fewer spend time looking at ex-
mestic Mails 1776-1869," no 10c denomination in the stamps. But in doing what he hibits.
pursues an unlikely sideline to Hilaza y Tejidos series, but did, a long forgotten tax agent It is truly a monster docu-
two 5c stamps could have accomplished two results: he ment.
been used. used up his remaining inven- A catalog of Mexican rev-
Mexico The Durango handstamp
defacing the stamps is dated
tory of old revenue stamps
and he created a most remark-
enue stamps, Richard
Stevens' The Revenue Stamps
By Dale Pulver of Mexico, was published in
Oct. 31, 1898. able artifact for a hobbyist of
Normally, the 1897-98 rev- a future generation. 1979. It is still available from
his eclectic philatelic tastes. enues by that time would have The lavish use of little-used the Mexico Elmhurst Philatel-
He collects the revenue given way to those dated values of revenue stamps on ic Society International. For
stamps of Mexico. 1898-99, but the tax agent ev- documents is not all that un- more details, write to Carl
I have touted Mexican rev- idently saw a way to clean out usual. But in this instance, it LeMar John, Publications
enues over the years as fun to his stock of old stamps and was clearly carried to the ex- Manger, 5063 E. North Re-
collect for a number of rea- save himself the trouble of treme. gency Circle, Tucson, AZ
sons. having to return them to head- Kramer displays this un- 85711.
First, there are more vari- quarters. wieldy document in his exhib- My thanks to Kramer for al-
eties than regular postage Unfortunately, the business it by folding it back on itself lowing me to share this story
stamps. section of the document has several times. with Linn's readers. ■
Taxes were imposed on cer- been lost so we cannot be sure
tain products and business what the transaction really
transactions with appropriate was.
revenue stamps issued for We do know that the total
each category. tax represented by the stamps
The revenue stamps used as was 414.10p, a rather hand-
proof of taxes paid were valid some sum in those days.
for only the fiscal year in This long tail attached to
which they were issued, so the original document was
new series appeared on a year- This monster revenue document from Mexico is more than 19 made up of sheets of paper
ly basis. feet long. It bears 3,219 revenue stamps totaling 414.10 pesos. pasted end to end and com-
Another plus factor is that usage. It's like collecting so-called Hilaza y Tejidos pletely covered on both sides
revenue stamps are not in stamps on cover to show (Yarns and Fabrics) revenue with the 3,219 stamps.
tremendous demand and will postal history. stamps of 1897-99. Rates of taxation on goods
usually not put a big dent in Both Kramer and I have The size and contents of the and transactions varied from
your pocketbook. The high shown Mexican revenues in document boggle the mind. 0.25 percent to 25 percent. We
values are sometimes a bit ex- competition, but these ex- It is a strip of paper 19 feet, do not know what rate applied
pensive, though. hibits usually do not com- 1 inch long to which are af- here, but if it were on the high
Most Mexican revenue col- mand the top awards. fixed 1,790 5-centavo stamps, end, we are talking about a
lectors who intend to exhibit One of the most spectacular 1,420 20c and four 10-peso transaction worth perhaps as
their revenues also try to find items in Kramer's collection is revenue stamps of the 1897- much as $1,500 more than
full documents with revenue illustrated nearby. 98 series, plus two 5c and two 100 years ago.
stamps affixed to demonstrate It is a document bearing the 20c stamps of the 1898-99 se- The Hilaza y Tejidos series
 18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 27, 2003 wWW.IlnriOt

Market strong for early stamps of Mexico

Nicholas Follansbee, a West keen eye for rare stamps at $275,000, close to $100,000 Saltillo overprint, shown in the recent availability of good if you're not ere.
Oast auctioneer who special- bargain prices enabled him to more than Follansbee's pre- Figure 1. In his catalog, Fol- literature on the subject. But I wil cherish th
ties in Mexican stamps, con- acquire outstanding pieces sale estimate. lansbee values it at $2,000. Even the airmail section of lots I did w' as metrigi„
,dueted his 15th auction Sept. when Mexican stamps and As expected, the classic This item went quickly to the sale sold out, although an old and ood
20. at the Reno Hilton Hotel, covers were neglected fields. material from prestamp $3,000, where it was ham- typically, many auctions end It might eem from r
in Reno, Nev. Follansbee aver- The sale was an outstanding through the 1885 issue did ex- mered down. with unsold lots in this field. amples I c' ed above
ceptionally well. Follansbee told me that he sale was or rich co
Stamps from the so-called was truly surprised by the only.
Mexico rare districts of Cuautitlan,
Polotitlan and Sultepec, for
strength of the demand for
Mexican stamps across the
Not so. There were;;:
of lots that sold well
By Dale Pulver
example, were very strong, of- board. reach of collectors of
ten fetching more than the He reported that the floor ate means.
Agoi:cee or two sales per year generous estimates Follansbee bidding was vigorous and The results from
":?-,111*sales are eagerly antici- assigned to them. sometimes intense. tion indicate that th
OW by a loyal band of The large lots of classic-era Many collectors who en- for good Mexican
'clients not only as opportuni- stamps from the more com-
Figure 2. The %-real Chiapas trusted bids to agents and set healthy and definit
ties to acquire key pieces for mon districts also showed sur- conservative limits were dis- ing value appreciati
provisional of 1866 brought
their collections ,but also as prising strength. appointed. A few failed to win In my view, Fot
$5,000 in Nicholas Follans-
social gatherings. His latest Follansbee had purposely a single lot. sales are a much ml
bee's Sept. 20 auction.
auction was no exception. grouped good material in this I sent about a dozen bids by rate gauge of wherei
Although more than 20 manner, and it paid off. Another rarity offered in way of an agent and succeed- ket truly stands tha
consignors were represented Collectors and dealers are the sale was an unused Chia- ed on only two lots. the recent offerin
in 944 lots, the bulk of mater- Figure 1. This 1864 1-peso enamored with lots containing pas'/-real provisional of 1866
Jaurez stamp with the Sal- One stamp I really wanted larger houses.
ial came from the estate of multiple stamps. Such lots (1), that Scott values at and for which I bid nearly Flashy offerings
Charles Brock of Fort Worth, tillo district name was ham- provide material to fill in $2,000. This brought $5,000,
mered down for $3,000 in a twice the estimate failed by high estimates mi
Texas. holes in collections, and du- even though it had a minor
recent auction of Mexico. two or three increments. wealthy buyer willin
Brock collected Mexico se- plicates can be resold to offset area of gum soak visible on
But such is life, and not be- for them, but muc4
riously for almost 65 years. the original cost. the face of the stamp. The pro-
ing in attendance is a hin- type of material re
He joined the Mexico Elm- success. There were 33 active Spirited bidding often sent visional stamp is pictured in
drance too. You cannot judge sold until reserves
hurst Philatelic Society Inter- bidders on the floor, repre- these lots to near their total Figure 2.
the mood of the floor bidders ed to reasonable ley,
national (member No. 127) senting themselves or acting catalog valuations, and the Another choice item, a
shortly after the club was as agents for 32 other would- values used were from Fol- 1770 registered front from the
formed in the 1940s. be buyers. lansbee's own specialized colonial era and possibly the
Although Brock had his fa- Additionally, there were 92 Mexican catalog. earliest Mexican registered
vorite areas of specialization, mail bidders in the book, of This catalog, A Catalogue item, soared to $8,000, well
such as stampless covers, air- which 54 won one or more of the Stamps of Mexico 1856- beyond the $3,000-to-$5,000
mails and the 1856 issue, he lots. 1900, values stamps by dis- estimate.
built a huge holding that cov- Virtually all of the lots sold, trict according to rarity. (Scott Late 19th-century stamps
ered all periods of Mexican because Follansbee often re- catalog values are for only the did reasonably well, as did
postage. fuses to accept material with most common districts. They stamps and covers from the
Most of the collection was unreasonably high reserves. are meaningless in the realm civil wars of the early 20th
carefully mounted and anno- When the last lot was ham- of district specialization.) century.
tated. mered down after about five Brock had an unused exam- Postal history of this era is
Brock was not a wealthy hours of action, the gross real- ple of the 1-peso Juarez stamp receiving more and more at-
man. But knowledge and a ization was slightly more than of 1864 (Scott 17) bearing the tention, owing in large part to
52 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 24, 2003 www.linns.co.

Tourist postcards show many Exporta rates

Basil Hunter, a Canadian All of the cards are from from U.S. 80 to less than gan in the late 1970s present-
correspondent in Vancouver, Canadian tourists, or "snow 0.030. ed problems for both the post
British Columbia, sent me a birds," Canadians who spend Postage rates soared, at office and mailers. Rates were
stack of picture postcards re- their winters south of the bor- least numerically. For exam- established that were not easi-
cently. der, mostly along Mexico's ple, in 1974, an airmail letter ly matched to available
Hunter reads my Mexico west coast. to the United States or Canada stamps. And when a single
stamp was available to pay the
POSTAL rate, inefficient distribution
Mexico ACOLOR"
n Mexico
often created shortages in
many post offices.
By Dale PulVer As a general rule, two or
• PRANOtint more stamps were required to
Figure 3. This postcard is overfranked by 50 pesos. No sin-
gle stamps were available to pay the correct '750p rate.
column in Linn's, and we had make the correct rates.
CDRRBDS
corresponded previously on This did not cause too much
several Mexican philatelic of a problem with large busi-
matters. ness envelopes. But a small
I wrote him that I was al- postcard had little room for
ways on the lookout for for- more than one or two of the AARfiLl-
Figure 2. This postcard mailed from Mexico to Canada short- large-format Exporta stamps. MART1L
eign-bound covers bearing COSRE
Exporta stamps, and apparent-
ly after a rate change was underfranked by at least 20 pesos. The card shown graphically MARTILLAr.)0
filRrIT!t_t
74011
cropped in Figure 1 shows nu. J C7C"
ly he took the challenge to For fun, I decided to see required 1.60p in postage. By r-)E1FIE L Co
heart. how many rate periods were 1992, it took 2,000p. how mailers usually solved comitie SVIA11.1-LAC30
riT41..1.1,00 COEIF-1E ro,e,RT
that problem. IVIAPinu_Apo
The stack he sent me con- represented in the lot. After I finished sorting the -Ir• - 7 ^ATt • t.r•
tains about 150 postcards. By way of review, from De- postcards, I found that all but Four stamps totaling the
They span the years from just cember 1975 when the first two rate periods were repre- correct rate of 13p were over-
before the Exporta stamps Exporta stamps were issued sented. This was an excellent lapped so that only the numer-
were issued in 1975 up to the up to the last issues in 1992, sampling because some of the als of the denominations
mid-1990s when the Mexican 20 postal rate changes oc- rate periods lasted for only show.
peso had been revalued but curred. three months. Other mailers would wrap
Figure 4. This postal card sent from Mexico to Canada at
old inventories of Exporta For most of that period, it I also discovered some in- the stamps around the edge of
the 1,500-peso rate bears a registry handstamp from Rincon
stamps were still being used was a time of financial crisis teresting uses brought about the card to save space for their
de Guayabitos, although it was not sent by registered mail.
to frank mail. in Mexico. The peso sank by the rapidly changing rates. messages.
The first rate period of the Another problem was lack Figure 2 depicts a postcard For 1988, the postcard and
Exporta era lasted more than of stamps for correct combi- that is at least 20p underpaid. letter rate to Canada was
four years. Most of the post- nation frankings. The postal According to the datestamp, it 750p. Of the six cards in the
cards from this period are rates changed so rapidly that was mailed 10 days after a group from that period, only
franked with the 1.60p Bicy- post offices were forced to use rate change. one is correctly franked. It
cle stamp or two of the 80- whatever stamps they had on The deficiency was caught bears a 400p, a 300p and a
centavo Cattle stamps. hand. in the Mexican postal system 50p stamp.
At the time, a 1.50p sur- This usually resulted in and noted by the rectangular All the rest of the cards,
face-rate for postcards was in cards and letters that were handstamp to the left of the from various towns, bear 800p
effect, but this rate is seldom overfranked, although occa- stamp. franking, 50p more than nec-
Figure 1. Four stamps totaling 13 pesos in postage are over- seen and was not present in sionally an underfranked But many more instances of essary. The cards often are
lapped on this postcard (shown cropped) so that they would this group. piece made it though without overfranking exist than under- franked with two 400p Elec-
all fit. Figures 2, 3 and 4 also are postcards shown cropped. The severe inflation that be- penalty. franking tronics stamps. Figure 3 pic-
www.zillionsofstamps.com
tures one of these cards. time, postcard rates, which Guayabitos in Nayarit state.
An Exporta stamp with a for six years had been pegged Obviously, the card was not
750p denomination was not at the same level as letters, meant to be registered mail. It
issued until 1989, so no single were reduced. just became the target of a
stamp was available to match The postcard rate was handy handstamp.
the rate. 1,000p from February to De- The card was mailed just 14
This problem seems to have cember 1990, when it was days prior to the postal decree
persisted into the next year. raised to 1,500p, a rate that invoking the use of the new
On Jan. 1, 1989, the card persisted until the end of the peso (N$), which was equiva-
and letter rates rose to 1,100p. Exporta era. lent to 1,000 of the old pesos.
This was the first time a Even so, the confusion con- Postal rates remained the
franking this high was re- tinued on the part of mailers same, but the decree ushered
quired for a single-weight who occasionally affixed in a new era of stamp usage
piece. more postage than was neces- denominated in both the new
Early in the year, combina- sary or who might have re- and old pesos.
tion frankings were the norm, ceived bad advice from hotel I don't know where my
but by midyear a 1,100p Min- clerks or perhaps even a friend Hunter found this
erals stamp was issued to sat- postal agent at the post office. cache of cards, perhaps at a
isfy the rate. Figure 4 shows an interest- postcard collectors' show.
In 1990, the zone system ing example of a 1,500p-rate But I use this as an example
for international mail was postcard. of how a collector can spend a
simplified, and letter rates It bears a neatly struck reg- pleasant evening with the
again were increased rather istry handstamp from the hobby for what had to be a
dramatically. At the same small town of Rincon de modest cash outlay. ■
1 2 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 22, 2003 www.linns.com

Remnants from an early Mexico collection

Many years ago, when I be- Another time, I was suc- mounted stamp. The Guanajuato stamps W T Wilson's Postmarks of tacular. In the early 1930s, he
gan specializing in the first cessful on a couple of lots de- Various tiny handstamps, were judged to be five times Mexico, 1856-1872 (pub- collaborated with knowledge-
stamps of Mexico, I would bid scribed by the auctioneer (a including abbreviations for scarcer than overprinted lished in 1927), the only such able Belgian collector Paul de
on auction lots containing mul- large New York City firm) as French philatelic terms, were stamps of the Mexico (City) reference available at the time Smeth on an authoritative
tiple stamps. These lots rarely remainders from the Fayolle used to identify the character- district, which were the most the marquis was mounting his study of Mexico's first issues,
had any of the scarce district collection, a name probably istics that were inserted by common of all and had a coef- collection. Les Premieres Emissions du
This work, though a re- Mexique, 1856-1872. It was
....10,...«,,,, « ..... markable effort for the time, published by Yvert and Tellier
Mexico 0
.
"4"*".7"""`-'s,st
,
, . ••, was completely supplanted in
1983 by The Cancellations
in 1935 in an edition of 200.
Unfortunately, it was print-
By Dale Pulver
: .3tlf
-, - - of Mexico, 1856-1874, by ed on soft paper and bound
Schatzkes and Schimmer. with card covers, so most
overprints, but at the time it . Although Wilson did not copies are a bit worse for
.7.1
was a good and relatively eco- ., . number his postmark repro- wear. But if you can handle
nomical way to obtain material ..0= A.1.1.-i' ^ -I ductions, "W 4," for example, the French language, it re-
in... S_., JOS RF ALL' '',WIE010 REAL DOS„,.., .
to flesh out my growing, but .,,,,,,,■ _ .....„--,.., would mean the fourth mark mains a useful reference to
still rather puny, collection. in the Wilson listing for the have on your library shelf.
Often the stamps in these N• :59 corrr,(5) 40 144 caertr ois.i.s • ma 8414 CONFF. z,e,
Burch-18),f . /..-cs .s.: Li r 0h• .8A2 ar. /-• ,..- I. uroh. 410:514 town or city in question. It's a pity it was never trans-
lots were left mounted on the PI . ." Lir All of the cards in my lots, lated into English, although it
original owner's album pages 'AL. WA PL. 1 "L',. w3 OBL. bEIL W 4 including larger ones for pairs recently was translated into
with a hole here and there These stamp cards bear first-issue Mexican stamps and include notations by the Marquis de and strips, bear hinge remnants Spanish.
where better stamps had been on the back. This indicates that I missed out on Fayolle lots
Fayolle, who assembled an extensive collection of classic Mexico in the early 20th century.
removed and lotted up as sin- they were once mounted in containing 4r and 8r stamps in
gle items. not familiar to newcomers to hand:In the upper-left corner ficient of one. some sort of album. that long-ago auction. I often
I recall being successful on Mexican stamps. The Marquis of the small box is a number. I The inscription "Surch." This mounting scheme was wonder if the successful bid-
several such lots in the sale of de Fayolle was a wealthy have a notion that the marquis (surcharge) refers to the name an ingenious way to save wear der kept any of the pieces on
the Byron Stevens collection Frenchman who became infat- might have assigned a number overprint, and its dimensions and tear on the stamps them- their original mounts, or
in 1971. Stevens was one of uated with the Mexican clas- to each stamp in his collec- were written on the cards. selves. They could be moved whether they have all been
the original founders of the sics and built an extensive tion. In the case of the Guanaju- around without any danger of pulled off and the card mounts
Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic collection of them in the early If his Mexico first-issue ato stamps, "ay. Points" (avec causing thins by repeated discarded. Perhaps some
Society International and an 20th century. stamps were mounted in al- Points, or "with points") was hinging. Linn's reader can answer that
avid collector of the first is- He had money, a keen eye phabetical order of the dis- added to the entry, indicating Although I didn't obtain question.
sues. for stamps and even a chateau tricts, this numbering would there were stops (periods) be- any great rarities in the lots I Since this is the last Mexico
Stevens and I first met in on the Dordogne. seem to be sequential. fore and after the name. purchased, I was pleased to column for 2003, I'll take the
Mexico City at the big stamp My purchases from this sale The two Guanajuato stamps The abbreviation "PL." des- have this historical link with opportunity to wish everyone
show held after the Summer arrived loose in auction sheet (on the left) bear Nos. 159 and ignates the printing plate, one of the early and truly a happy holiday season and a
Olympic Games of 1968. pouches. Each stamp was 161. The Veracruz 1/2 real when known. great collectors of Mexican great new year. And I thank all
From the old school, he used carefully mounted on a small (third from left) has No. 536 The first Guanajuato stamp classic stamps. who have written in response
large Godden albums with card, as illustrated nearby. and the 2r 1861 from Puebla is labeled a "PL 1 (?)." We The Marquis de Fayolle col- to the articles — the feedback
gilt-edge leaves. These cards, measuring (right) has No. 844. now know it is actually an ex- lection must have been spec- is much appreciated. •
I removed the stamps from about 1 inch by 11/2 inches, To the right of a number is ample from plate No. 2.
the lot, placing some in the have a border surrounding two "Coeff." (coefficient). This Finally, "OBL. (oblitera-
exhibit I was building, while adjoining boxes, a large one refers to a relative rarity scale tion) W" identifies the post-
the rest went into my stock for the stamp and a smaller Fayolle used — the higher the mark that was used to cancel
book of duplicates. box for recording data on the number, the scarcer the stamp. the stamp. The "W" refers to
44 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 2, 2004 www.linns.com

Mexico's 1864-66 Eagles can be addictive

I have reached the age pean prince as head of state. cuted in June 1867. 1864, bear only the district
where I'm about to dispose of The monarchy was short- Several improvements in name overprints.
some collections that really lived. As soon as the French post office procedures oc- During the second period,
aren't going forward anymore. occupation troops were with- curred during the tenure of the from July 7 until Sept. 19,
One of these areas is a mod- drawn, the empire collapsed. Eagle stamps and that is what 1864, stamps received an in-
est holding of the stamps Maximilian and two of his makes them so interesting. voice number and year date in
First issued in May 1864, a large type.
the stamps display the Mexi- From Sept. 20 until the end
of 1864, the third period, the
Mexico can coat of arms motif, an ea-
gle perched on a cactus with a invoice number and year date
By Dale Pulver serpent in its mouth. is overprinted in small Roman
The stamps were engraved type.
called the Mexican Eagles, and printed in sheets of 100. Fourth-period stamps have
Scott 18-25. They come in an array of 1865 as the year-date imprint,
Early in my collecting ca- attractive colors with quite a and fifth-period stamps have
reer, I became thoroughly fas- few subtle shades, especially 1866.
Figure 2. Mexican Eagle stamps from Durango and Cordova. These control numbers, to-
cinated with this issue. Had I of the 1/2-real and Ir denomi-
not gotten hooked on the first- nations. to receive the handstamped control number overprints gether with the district name
design stamps of 1856-61, I Initially, there were five de- name of the district to validate were changed several times. overprints, combined to pro-
probably would have devel- nominations: 1/2r, Ir, 2r, 4r and them for use at point of sale. For classification purposes, duce literally hundreds of va-
oped the Eagles much further 8r. A 3-centavo stamp was Later, in 1864, accounting specialists and catalogers have rieties. This is one of the
than I did. added in 1866 to cover a local control was further enhanced divided the Eagle stamps into things that intrigues special-
The Eagles were a product rate in Mexico City. Figure 1 by the addition of an invoice five use periods, although the ists in this issue.
of the ill-fated Maximilian Figure 1. Non-overprinted shows a fairly clear, early number and year date to the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Figure 2 shows typical ex-
monarchy of 1864-67, that tu- 1-real Mexican Eagle stamp. printing of the 1r stamp. stamps. This overprint was ap- Catalogue refers to them as amples of stamps bearing dis-
multuous era when Mexican supporting generals were cap- As was the case with their plied at the main post office types. trict names and control over-
conservative factions attempt- tured by Republican forces predecessors, stamps dis- prior to shipping. Stamps issued in the first prints.
ed to install a Catholic Euro- under Benito Juarez and exe- patched to district offices had The size and format of these period, from May 8 to July 7, The stamps were used in the
www.zillionsofstamps.com FEBRUARY 2, 2004 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 45
stances the dispatches were This work, reprinted by hundred were issued. those dates can be considered
handstamped with a suboffice Quarterman in 1976, is still But many others are well a first-day of use.
number of one or two digits useful with its summaries of within reach of the collector Over the years, I have
representing an identity code stamps sent to, and returned with a moderate stamp bud- found several such stamps. I
for the smaller office. from, the various districts. get. And it is still possible to consider them scarce, but
In a few instances, a sub- Another excellent reference find worthwhile stamps in they were not expensive, be-
office also would apply its is A Catalogue of the Stamps American Philatelic Society ing priced as ordinary stamps.
name to the stamps it re- of Mexico, 1856-1910 by circuit books and job lots. Figure 4 shows one of these
ceived. Stamps with the sub- Nicholas Follansbee. He ex- For example, I always first-day uses I plucked out of
office numbers (or names) are plains many of the intricacies check Eagle stamps with an APS circuit book. This
scarcer than the regular of the Eagle stamps and gives clear, dated cancellations stamp with a Mexico district
stamps from the district and price estimates of most of the from the Mexico district. overprint was used Nov. 16,
fetch higher prices. varieties known to exist. He al- Chapman's data records the 1864.
Figure 3 shows an example so tabulates the invoice num- dates these stamps were trans- If you are looking for an
of a stamp with a suboffice Figure 4. A Mexican Eagle bers for the various districts. ferred from the headquarters area of classic stamps to ease
number. This Puebla stamp stamp with a Mexico district But the definitive work on account to the main post of- into, you might want to con-
was sent to the Huajuapam overprint used Nov. 16, 1864, the Eagle issue was published fice for sale to the public. sider the Eagles. One can be-
Figure 3. A Mexican Eagle
stamp sent from Puebla to suboffice. the first day it was available in 1993 by Leo Corbett: The Stamps sold and canceled on come addicted to them. ■
The distribution and use of at post offices. Imperial Eagles of Maximil-
the Huajuapam suboffice.
the Eagle stamps of the plex, but challenging situa- ian's Mexico. This monumen-
cities of Durango and Cordova. monarchy was limited to tion for would-be specialists tal 400-page work not only
There were further aspects areas firmly in control of the of the Eagle issue. lists virtually all known Eagle
of the postal system that royalists. Fortunately, the Mexican varieties with price range esti-
yielded collectible varieties of At times, some of the towns post offices kept good mates but also provides a his-
the Eagle stamps. in northern Mexico loyal to records, and many records torical backdrop to postal af-
Large district offices usual- the Juarez movement did not survive. Samuel Chapman fairs in the various districts at
ly had administrative control receive or use Eagle stamps. was the first to examine the the time they were in use.
over post offices in smaller Later, as the royalist sphere of records, and he gave guidance As you might expect, many
towns near them. influence shrank, other towns to serious collectors with The rare Eagle varieties are quite
These subordinate offices ceased to use the Eagle Postage Stamps of Mexico, expensive, such as the 3c
received their stamps from the stamps. 1856-1868, published in brown stamps issued in 1865
larger office, and in many in- This all adds up to a corn- 1926. and 1866, of which only a few
36 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 23, 2004 www.linns.com

Mexico's short-lived Maximilians of 1866-67

The previous Mexico col- recess line-engraving. In the dates were printed on each are square. They appear sim- six used examples he deemed heads, or stamps with only the
umn (Linn's, Feb. 2, page 44) Figure 1 illustration, the 50- stamp when they left the main ply as dots on the litho- to be genuine. control overprints, are so
discussed the Mexican Eagle centavo on the left was pro- post office, and they received graphed stamps. While some individual clas- prevalent. Even the 7c stamp
stamps, relics of the early duced by lithography, and the overprinted district names at Another difference is that sic Mexican stamps can be can be had at a low cost.
years of the monarchy of 13c on the right by engraving. the point of sale. the year date overprints on en- considered extremely rare by Figure 3 shows a pair of the
Maximilian. Near the end of The stamps were printed in Because royalist control graved stamps are abbreviated virtue of district overprint and nonoverprinted 7c stamp from
sheets of 70 (seven by 10) and to three digits, either 866 or
came in four denominations: 867.
Mexico 7c, 13c, 25c and 50c.
At the time of issue in
This also holds true for all
lithographed stamps with in-
By Dale Pulver 1866. the Mexican monetary voice No. 107 or higher.
system had converted to a These were among the last
his short-lived reign, the post decimal basis, putting to rest stamp shipments made by the
office managed to issue the awkward system of reales monarchy.
stamps portraying the young (or bits). The engraved series em-
emperor. The new denominations braces one of the rarest
It seems surprising that corresponded roughly to the stamps of Mexican philately:
such stamps were not pressed previous fractions of the peso the 7c value used.
into service sooner, but there as follows: 7c was 1/2r (6.5c); This stamp paid the rate for
appears to have been delays in 13c was lr (12.5c); 25 was 2r; Figure 2. This Maximilian business circulars or prices
agreeing on a suitable design. and 50c was 4r. stamp with a district name current, items usually discard-
Several essays of unadopted The lithographed series of "Mexico" but no invoice ed. That explains why so few
designs exist, notably a frontal (Scott 26-30) went on sale to number was given in ex- survive.
Figure 3. Pair of engraved Mexican 7-centavo Maximilian
rendering by a Belgian en- the public in August 1866. change for an Eagle stamp. Genuine used 7c litho-
stamps from remainder stock sold to collectors and dealers.
graver named Delpierre. But Because of poor color con- graphed stamps are quite
the young monarch disliked trol, the stamps are found in a was shrinking at the time, scarce, but genuine uses of the cancellation, this major Scott- that stock of leftovers. This
full-face likenesses. wide array of shades, espe- however, fewer districts re- engraved 7c stamps are out- listed variety certainly ranks pair has neither a control
The image ultimately cho- cially the 7c and 25c values. ceived Maximilian stamps right rarities. as one of the rarest. numbers nor a district name.
sen and illustrated on the two For collectors fond of print- than those that were supplied Only 3,400 7c stamps were The monarchy fell apart While these remainders
stamps shown in Figure 1, ing flaws, the 13c and 25c with the Eagle stamps. Subof- distributed for use, and it ap- rather quickly during the win- permit hundreds of collectors
features a bearded portrait of stamps offer abundant possi- fice varieties exist but are pears that most were never ter and early months of 1867. to fill spaces in their albums
scarce. used and were returned or As a result, usage of the Max- with genuine stamps, they al-
A Maximilian stamp that lost. imilian-head stamps was not so have provided unscrupu-
has the district name "Mexi- A genuine unused 7c is eas- as widespread as the earlier lous manipulators with a
co" but lacks an invoice num- ier to come by, but the used Eagle issues. cheap supply of raw material
ber is occasionally found. ones are rarely seen at auc- Postmasters in those towns with which to deceive collec-
These, too, are scarce items tion. under control of the Juarez tors.
and represent stamps that Two used 7c stamps sold in forces would not think of us- The notorious Raoul de
were exchanged for the then- 1995 at the Sotheby's sale of ing stamps bearing the image Thuin (died 1975) created hun-
obsolete Eagle stamps. the Erich Koenig collection. of the emperor. And as soon as dreds of Maximilian stamps
Figure 2 illustrates one of One stamp sold for slightly Maximilian was captured, with bogus control numbers
these varieties. This 25c litho- more than $4,000; the other, their use ceased altogether in and fake cancellations. They
graphed stamp was given in which had some minor thins, favor of provisional stamp is- still crop up in the marketplace
exchange for an Eagle stamp went for just under $3,000. sues, limited stocks of old from time to time.
four days after the Maximilian John Bash, an eminent phi- pre-monarchy stamps and pre- This era of the monarchy is
Figure 1. Lithographed (left) and engraved (right) stamps stamps were placed on sale. latelist and student of the stamp-era handstamps indi- a most interesting one from a
from Mexico's Maximilian issue of August 1866 to June 1867. The engraved version of the Mexican classics, wrote an ar- cating postage paid. stamp-collecting standpoint
Maximilian heads (31-34) ticle about the 7c engraved A sizeable inventory of the and offers great opportunities
Maximilian facing left in a bilities. Several of these are first appeared Oct. 16, 1866. stamp for the January 1963 is- engraved stamps remained af- for serious collectors. But you
central oval. The design mea- noted in Nicholas Follansbee's These stamps are easily differ- sue of the journal Mexicana. ter usage was discontinued. need to be careful and make
sures approximately 18 mil- A Catalogue of the Stamps of entiated from the lithographed He explained the history of Most of this stock eventual- sure that high-priced purchas-
limeters by 21mm. Mexico, 1856-1910. stamps by the stops (periods) this stamp and why it is so ly found its way into the phi- es either come with appropri-
Two printing methods were As with their predecessors, on either side of the value in- scarce. In an informal survey latelic market, and that is why ate certificates or are allowed
used: stone lithography and invoice numbers and year serted below the oval. They at the time, he accounted for nonoverprinted Maximilian to be sent for expertization. ■
30 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 22, 2004 www.linns.com

Watermarks on 19th-century Mexican stamps

In his interesting column on right in Figure 1, the water- marks were large letters in firm's name spelled out "LA erly aligned in the press. There
stitch watermarks in the mark runs vertically just in- script "R P S" (Renta Papel CROIX FRERES" in a water- are no premium varieties in
March 1 issue of Linn's, editor side the left edge. Sellado) arrayed across the mark consisting of large let- this group. Figure 3 shows ex-
Michael Schreiber does not The watermarks are quite middle of the paper. ters in two lines exists, and in- amples of this watermark.
list Mexico as a primary faint and could be easily They are easily visible variably it was used for The issue that followed, the
source of this anomaly. Per- missed if you weren't looking when the stamp is viewed stamps year dated "77." These so-called Mail Transportation
for them. against a strong light source.
A variety of papers were Portions of the watermark
Mexico used in the printing of these
early stamps. Both stamps il-
can appear on only about half
the stamps in a sheet. The Fig-
By Dale Pulver lustrated in Figure 1 are on ure 2 stamp shows some of
what specialists call wove pa- this watermark.
haps it is among the "others" per, where a mesh, or grain Watermarks also are found
he refers to, but Mexico does pattern imparted by the woven on the issue of 1872, when
have classic stamps with wire dewatering belt is visi- revenue paper was used once
Figure 2. The letters "RPS"
stitch watermarks. ble. This fact leads me to be- again. This revenue paper
are watermarked on Mexi-
Illustrated in Figure 1 are lieve that stitch watermarks bore a string of watermarked
co's 1867 emergency issue.
two examples from my collec- are probably found only on letters that spell "PAPEL
tion. The 1-real stamp, shown this type of paper. I have nev- repaired or where its ends SELLADO" (security paper),
on the left, is from the 1856 er seen them on the smoother, were joined together with wire impressed only once across a
issue, and the watermark runs more opaque papers. or heavy thread. sheet. No more than 14 stamps
horizontally along the bottom Stitch watermarks were ac- Normal watermarks occur from a sheet will show por-
edge. cidental, occurring where the when wire or thin metal de- tions of the watermark, so such Figure 3. Mexico's Large Numeral issue has a watermark
On the 1/2r stamp from the paper came off the wire belt at signs are deliberately soldered specimens are priced consider- with the 10 large letters spelling "CORREOS ELM."
1861 series, pictured on the the point where the belt was to the mesh web or the dandy ably higher than stamps with-
roll of a paper machine. out the watermark. stamps were distributed to issue, or Mulitas as they are
Mexican stamps showing A second watermark also many districts. known to specialists, is a differ-
stitch watermarks must be appears on this issue. All watermarked stamps of ent story.
very scarce. These are the on- It consists of large characters this issue carry premiums. Four separate papers, three
ly ones I have encountered in "LA+F.". This stands for La Those from scarce districts with different watermarks,
all my years of collecting. Croix Freres, the French firm can be especially pricey. were used: the aforementioned
Nicholas Follansbee in A that made the paper. The next Mexican stamps "CORREOS EUM," an inter-
Catalogue of the Stamps of Once again, only a small with watermarks are the late laced script "RM" (Republic de
Mexico, 1856-1910 says they number of stamps will show printings of the Large Numer- Mexico), and block letters
are worth a premium of $100 the watermark, so they, too, al issue, Scott Type A18. (The "RM" surmounted by the eagle
over their normal value. carry premium pricing. early printings of this type are coat of arms.
The next Mexican stamps A similar situation prevails not watermarked.) A smooth, unwatermarked
with watermarks were the for the definitive issue of The watermark pattern was wove paper was used in the fi-
emergency issue of 1867 fol- 1874-80. Revenue paper with a string of 10 rather large nal printings of this stamp.
lowing the fall of Maximilian the "PAPEL SELLADO" wa- letters forming the letters The "CORREOS EUM"
(Scott 42-45). termark was used for a few "CORREOS EUM (Estados stamps are straightforward
Figure 1. Two examples of stitch watermarks on early Mexi- These four stamps were stamps, most of which are Unidos Mexicanos)," arranged and carry no premiums when
can stamps. On the 1856 1-real stamp on the left, the water- printed on a thin, grayish overprinted with the year in rows so that one letter would the letters are upright.
mark runs horizontally along the bottom edge. On the 1861 wove paper normally used for dates of "76" and "77." fall on each stamp in the sheet, Sometimes paper was fed to
%r stamp on the right, it runs vertically inside the left edge. revenue forms. The water- French paper with the assuming the paper was prop- the presses so the watermarks
www.zillionsofstamps.com
are sideways. Varieties with Buyers should be alert to this The watermarked varieties
these sideways watermarks possible substitution. of 19th-century Mexican
carry modest premiums. But The watermarked 10c stamps offer a special chal-
little-used denominations, the stamp (284) is on medium lenge for collectors. Most of
1-peso brown stamp, for ex- thick, wove paper with hori- the watermarks I have de-
ample, will fetch several hun- zontal grain or mesh pattern, scribed are strongly im-
dred dollars when offered. while the watermarked stamp pressed on the papers used in
As noted earlier, each (248) is on thin wove paper printing and can be discerned
stamp printed on "CORREOS with vertical grain. by holding stamps up to a
EUM" watermarked paper Many interlaced "RM" wa- light or placing them face
will normally have one water- termarked stamps and the ea- down on a black surface. I use
mark letter if the paper was gle and "RM" watermarked fluid as a last resort.
properly aligned during the stamps are quite scarce and In the next Mexico column,
printing operation. Some- carry high price tags. I will look at some water-
times the sheets were shifted One of the great Mexican marked Mexican stamps of
so that stamps along the sheet rarities is the Sp stamp with the 20th century.
margin evaded the watermark. eagle and "RM" watermark. I highly recommend Fol-
Most of the time this is not Only a handful of these are lansbee's A Catalogue of the
a problem. However, the un- recorded, suggesting that only Stamps of Mexico, 1856-1910
watermarked 10-centavo stamp one or two sheets were printed. if you are serious about hunt-
(284) has a high catalog val- In his catalog, Follansbee ing for watermark varieties,
ue. Often sheet-margin exam- values this stamp at $20,000. I especially with the Mulitas.
ples of this stamp are offered cannot recall one changing His valuing will help in your
as the unwatermarked variety. hands in recent years. acquisition efforts. ■
46 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 26, 2004 www.linns.com

Some 20th-century stamps on wrong paper

Last month's Mexico col- each row was displaced about pressed diagonally in echelon.
umn on watermarks of 19th- one character width in such a Figure 2 shows the arrange- Rare 20th-century Mexican stamps, watermark varieties
century Mexican stamps manner that when a sheet of ment of the letters in that wa- Scott Year Scott Catalog value
(Linn's, March 22, page 30) stamps was viewed, the water- termark. No. printed wmk. type Denomination, design description unused used
concluded with the Trans- mark could be read in two di- Papers with the two afore- 727A 1936 248 10c brown-lake Cuauhtemoc statue $2,500 $ 650
portation issue of 1895-98. rections 90 degrees apart. mentioned watermark patterns 733B 1937 260 5c olive-brown Tower of Los Remedios 1,250 200
735A 1937 260 2c scarlet Salta de Aqua 4,000
Technically, this was not the As shown across the strip of were used extensively for
735B 1937 260 10c brown-lake, Cuauhtemoc statue -
postage stamps during the 736 1937 260 10c claret Cuauhtemoc statue (rouletted) 3,000 140
first three and a half decades C76A 1936 260 20c lake Eagle Man airmail 4,500 60
Mexico S
of the 20th century, although
provisional issues during the
C76B 1936 260 20c scarlet Madero airmail 12,500

0 c‘.
By Dale Pulver Figure 3. Mexican stamps of the 20th-century printed on the wrong watermarked paper.
0 0 CI' 0 N. Mexican civil wars of 1910-
7., 20 generally appeared on un-
o 0 Cry1-
Q- 0 ‘"N4, $
final watermarked Mexican watermarked paper. deliveries. The occurrences of bought for his own collection, 1934 Pro-Universidad issue
S
stamp issue of the 19th centu- ,YPE, No rare watermark varieties this were during the Depres- while he searched for more (706) exists on unwater-
ry. Figure 2. Arrangement of are known on the early 20th- sion years and World War II. examples of the error. marked paper.
That honor goes to the 1899 the letters in the "CORRE- century watermarked issues. Paper was a critical wartime He eventually arranged to One sheet of this stamp on
Coat of Arms issue printed by OS MEXICO" watermark Some of the most interesting material and sometimes was examine a huge stock of 2c unwatermarked paper was
the London firm of Bradbury first used on the Indepen- Mexican 20th-century water- in short supply. stamps (estimated at 4,000) printed, and an unwater-
Wilkinson and Co. The dence-issue stamps of 1910. mark varieties, however, have One of the most celebrated with a Mexican dealer. In the marked stamp has a catalog
stamps saw most of their us- roots in the 1930s. paper misuses involves a stock he found nine more. value of $3,250.
age during the 20th century. three stamps pictured in Fig- The general government 2-centavo stamp from the Furthermore, Havemeyer The 15c greenish-blue In-
This well-executed series of ure 1, this watermark is easy printing office was responsi- 1923 definitive issue (Scott was successful in getting the dependence Monument stamp
stamps was printed on wove to see when the stamps are ble for not only postage design A79). The stamp shows Scott catalog to list the variety of 1934 (design A113) was
paper with a long watermark face down on a dark surface. stamps but also revenue the public fountain of El Salto as 735A. printed again in 1946 on rev-
reading "SERVICIO POSTAL The Centennial of Indepen- stamps and forms. Ideally, it de Aqua. The table in Figure 3 lists enue-watermarked paper
DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS dence stamp issue of 1910 would use distinctive papers This inexpensive, much- details for this and other rare (type 272).
MEXICANOS" (Scott water- (Scott 294-309) was printed for each of these categories. used denomination had been stamps of that era that were is- Several months went by be-
mark type 155). on paper with a new water- The papers with watermark printed several time since its sued on the so-called wrong fore collectors and dealers
This watermark was im- mark reading "CORREOS types 155 and 156 and, much introduction on unwater- paper, including their Scott took note of this anomaly. A
pressed on the paper diagonal- MEXICANOS" (type 156). later, types 279, 300 and 350, marked paper, Scott 634. catalog values. few unused examples were
ly in echelon, meaning that This watermark also was im- were designated to be for Later printings were on wa- For most of the stamps in found, but most of the stamps
postage stamps. Those with termarked paper (type 156) this table, considerable time had been used and discarded.
watermark types 248, 260 and and had various perforations. elapsed before they were Scott assigns No. 795A to
272 were supposed to be re- In 1953, noted Mexican found and properly identified. this variety, and it catalogs
served for revenue stamps and specialist John Havemeyer re- By then, it was too late to $250 mint, never-hinged and
paper. ceived a 2c stamp for exami- search for them in post office $60 used.
There were several occa- nation, one that the owner stocks. It took almost 20 years A similar thing happened to
sions when revenue stamp pa- could not find in the then-cur- for the 2c El Salto de Aqua the 50c airmail stamp of the
per was inadvertently used to rent catalogs. It had the wrong stamp to be identified. 1950 issue. At the time, this
print postage stamps. watermark, Scott type 260, In a number of other in- stamp paid the airmail rate
The reasons for this are not reading "SECRETARIA DE stances, the watermark makes within Mexico, to the United
clear, but they could involve HACIENDA" between lines. a big difference in the rarity States and to the Caribbean is-
Figure 1. Long watermark on strip of three Mexican stamps accidental use, temporary The submitter had a second and value of a stamp. lands.
from Bradbury Wilkinson Coat of Arms issue of 1899. shortages or untimely paper stamp like it that Havemeyer The 10-peso stamp of the Being a high-usage denom-
www.zillionsofstamps.com
ination, the stamp was printed can make a big difference in
numerous times to meet de- its scarcity and value.
mand. Many of the stamps cited in
In 1953, a new water- this and the previous column
marked paper was introduced were not discovered until long
(type 300). While most of the after they came into exis-
airmail values were printed on tence. They came to light as
this paper with the watermark the result of the careful and
oriented horizontally, only a perhaps tedious examination
limited number of sheets of of hundreds of stamps.
the 50c value were printed It is not too likely, but it is
and sent out. still possible to find rare
Collectors and dealers alike stamps similar to those de-
thought that because this scribed in these columns. Not
stamp paid a common rate, it too long ago while browsing
would be readily available for through a box of cheap cov-
a long time. No one laid aside ers, I found a cover bearing a
any substantial quantity for 15c Independence Monument
stock. stamp on revenue-water-
The government printers marked paper (795A).
moved this value to a different When I first saw it, I could
press, however, where the pa- not be certain that it was the
per was fed with the watermark scarce variety. I had to buy the
running vertically. Another cover, take it home and lift the
scarce variety was born. Scott stamp to be sure. The result
lists it as C212, and it has a cat- was thrilling.
alog value of $250 mint, never- Good luck in your search.
hinged and $150 used. If you ever find one of these
These instances demon- rarities drop me a note in care
strate how a watermark, of Linn's Stamp News, Box
which is almost a latent char- 29, Sidney, OH 45365, and let
acteristic of a postage stamp, me share in your elation. ■
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 31, 2004 www.linns.com

Eppens designed Agriculture Conference set

Mexico hosted the second Figure 2 shows the three II CONFERENCIA INTERAMERICAKA DE
• —
Interamerican Conference on surface-mail stamps in the AGRICULTURA del 6 0116 de Jute <3.1942 .....°'''''',....--
... I
Smell Cutermia
Agriculture in Mexico City in Isteramerican de 1942 set, and Figure 3 depicts :14418/tea7 ....p
1942. In honor of that event, ActIEELTEIA the airmail stamps. «d^ Ctois'..**.-.... 90
.0.••• -•- ,re".".
six postage stamps (three sur- The originality and clever -,=...
face mail and three airmail) symbolism of designs of the GENT CONFEEE ., ,••
stamps fascinate me. I consid- , \.
RITE
DE'AGEIC 1
er them to be true gems of • 0E0 6 A,1.+ 16 DE /1
Mexico graphic artistry. li CONFERENCLA INTERAMERICANA DE
JUI..104DE1941
CO IREOS
By Dale Pulver They are the creations of ACRICUCTURA del 6 d114 de de1942 10
one of Mexico's preeminent CORREOS MEXICO 2 Cent CORREOS - MEXICO MEXICO CENT
— —......—
and respected artists, Francis-
were issued (Scott 777-79 and co Eppens Helguera. Figure 2. The three surface-mail stamps in Mexico's 1942 Interamerican Conference on
C126-28). Agriculture set. Francisco Eppens created the symbolic designs for these commemoratives.
Eppens worked as a design-
The folder shown in Figure er for the Secretaria of the Ha-
1 contains the six stamps. lithography in six vivid and if awaiting the peasant sowers. rying forward a flaming torch.
cienda in the government appealing colors, with each The theme is carried further These iconographic render-
Such folders are known in Figure 1. The cover of the printing plant, and he is cred- stamp featuring a different de- in the 5c stamps picturing a ings are typical of Eppens'
the stamp hobby as presenta- presentation booklet for ited with dozens of stamp de- sign. Similar jumbo stamps of female figure casting seeds style, a style evident in the di-
tion booklets. Mexico's 1942 Interameri- signs during the 1930s, 1940s that era were often patterned into furrows flowing from her verse themes of other stamp
During the 1930s and 1940s can Conference on Agricul- and 1950s. around a single design, with lower garments. designs he created.
when Mexico was trying to ture in Mexico City stamps. These stamps are jumbo only the colors and denomina- A head of a wheat plant ap- The three airmail stamps
promote its image as a stable would then 'prepare folders size, measuring 37.5 millime- tions varying. pears below her left knee. This represent a departure from ab-
and progressive country, the containing the stamps as sou- ters by 37.5mm. They are The 2-centavo surface mail design is reminiscent of the stract symbolism and depict
postal authorities would venirs for the attending dele- printed on watermarked paper stamp depicts a reclining French Sower stamps of 1903- three agricultural products
sometimes order a special is- gates. reading "CORREOS MEXI- Mother Earth clutching a 38. important to the Mexican
sue of stamps to mark a note- Many of these folders even- CO," Scott type 156, and are sheaf of wheat in her left hand The 10c stamp shows hands economy.
worthy international meeting tually found their way into the perforated gauge 12 by 13. and a tractor in her right hand. emanating from the two The 20c denomination de-
being held in Mexico. They philatelic market. The stamps were printed by Her hair flows into furrows as American continents and car- picts two hands holding an ear
www.zillionsofstamps.com MAY 31, 2004 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 15
catalog for stamps issued be- have Mexican stamp designs collection or an exhibit built
tween 1938 and 1960, and enjoyed such worldwide ac- around the stamp designs cre-
20 UN you will see what I mean. claim. ated by Eppens would, in my
CENT PESO Eppens' designs include the As I suggested in the afore- view, be a worthy project for
2"colinkn1c.14 2.<011FEDINCIA
Planning and Housing issue mentioned 1995 column, a some ambitious collector. ■
INTEDAMEDICANA NTERAMERKA/LA
DE ACAPKULTURA DE AO/MEM (740-45, C85-90), the Helms-
DR 6 AL 16 DI DEL 6 Al I6 DE
JULIO DE 1942 JULIO DE 1942 man stamps (764-66, C114-
16), the Literacy issue (806-11,
CORREO C153-57) and the United Na-
AEREO tions issue (813-18, C158-62).
MEXICO He also designed the 50c
Bas-relief (C193) and 1p
Figure 3. The three airmail stamps in Mexico's 1942 Interamerican Conference on Agricul- Dance of the Half Moon
ture set. The designs feature three agricultural products: corn, coffee and bananas. (C195) airmail stamps of the
of corn, or maize, Mexico's 40c and 100,000 for the 1p. Mexico, in 1913. Architecture and Monuments
most important food staple. I could not find numbers He trained at the Mexican series of 1950.
The 40c stamp shows a for the surface-mail stamps, School of Painting and at age In the Mexico column in
hand picking coffee beans. It but it was customary to print 22 joined the art staff at the Linn s issue of Jan. 30, 1995, I
is the only stamp of the three 3 million, 2 million and 10 government printing office. went into more detail on Ep-
that identifies the product in million, respectively of the He is credited with designs pens' contributions to Mexican
the design. 2c, 5c and 10c denominations of 150 postage and revenue stamp design.
The 1-peso high value pic- of that period. stamps and more than 250 On the Internet, you also can
tures a farm worker wrestling Used stamps from this set original sketches. find more about the broad
a full stem of bananas against are plentiful, but I have had Most of his work, at least scope of his artistry.
a backdrop of banana plant little luck finding covers with stamp designs, bears his He was truly one of the
fronds. franked with them. A com- signature, a neat cursive usu- most talented artists of that
Coffee and bananas were plete unused set catalogs ally found along the bottom era and did much to make
two important Mexican ex- about $13. edge of the design panel. But Mexican stamps of the period
port products of that era. Eppens was a renowned his style is so recognizable attractive to collectors.
Printing totals for the air- graphic designer, muralist, that it becomes easy to identi- Not until Rafael Davidson
mail stamps were 1 million painter and sculptor. He was fy his creations. came to the forefront with his
for the 20c, 150,000 for the born in San Louis Potosi, Check your Scott stamp designs for the Exporta series
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 28, 2004 www.linns.com

Women patriots of the revolution, revisited

Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez pathizers for the indepen- vents, as was the custom for was young, leaving her a con-
and Leona Vicario appear on dence movement. upper-class women. Eventual- siderable fortune. She fell in
the first two stamps in Mexi- In the months before the de- ly, near the end of the inde- love with another indepen-
co's 100th Independence An- claration of independence pendence struggle, her hus- dence sympathizer, Quintana
niversary issue of 1910. (known as the "grito") by the band secured her freedom, Roo, a young lawyer who
A few years after I began Rev. Miguel Hidalgo, the and they were able to enjoy worked in partnership with
Vicario's guardian, who him-
self was a staunch royalist.
Figure 4. Leona Vicario,
Mexico When Roo's request for her
hand was refused, he left heroine of the War of Inde-
By Dale Pulver pendence is remembered on
Mexico City and joined the
insurgents at Queretaro. He this 1985, stamp marking the
20 20
writing this column for Linn's and Vicario continued to cor- 175th anniversary of the war.
in 1983, I wrote an article respond with each other, and multicolor stamp (1182)
about these two women patri- she began diverting some of Figure 3. This 1923 Mexican marking the 150th anniver-
ots of the Mexican War of In- her wealth to support the inde- stamp shows a monument to sary of her death. In my view,
dependence of 1810 (Linn's, pendence movement. Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez, it is a rather unflattering ren-
Feb. 10, 1986). Their story Unfortunately, this diver- mayor of Queretaro. dition.
bears retelling because they sion was discovered when roy- In 1985, on the 175th an-
to the easternmost state of the
reappeared on more recent alist agents intercepted her niversary of the War of Inde-
republic, an area bordered by
stamps of Mexico. letters. She was arrested and Yucatan, Campeche and the pendence, Vicario was one of
The 1-centavo stamp of the Figure 1. A 1910 Mexico Figure 2. Dona Leona Vic- detained in the convent of Be-
Caribbean Sea. five patriots selected for re-
1910 issue depicts a profile stamp honors Josefa Ortiz ario, shown on this 1910 len College.
By a decree dated Nov. 5, membrance of that struggle.
portrait of Dominguez, and de Dominguez, who spied Mexico stamp, used her con- Freed in a daring rescue op-
1827, the village of Saltillo The 36-peso stamp (1401) is
the 2c stamp pictures Vicario for the insurgents during the siderable wealth to aid the eration by three insurgents, pictured in Figure 4.
in a similar pose (Scott 310- 1810 War of Independence. insurgency 100 years earlier. she rejoined and married Roo officially changed its name to Vicario was honored again
11). The stamps are shown in in Queretaro and became di- Leona Vicario. as a heroine of the indepen-
Figures 1 and 2. Dominguezes, capitalizing on life under local Mexican rule. rectly involved in the move- For about three years be-
dence movement on a 450p
Both women played crucial their official connections, A statue of Josefa, usually ment. tween 1835 and 1838, a rec- stamp (1610) in 1989, during
roles in the domestic uprising provided useful information referred to as "La Corregidor- This action caused her to be tangular boxed handstamp in- a period of severe inflation.
that eventually led to the over- to the insurgents concerning ra," since she, too, served as declared a traitor by the royal- scribed with the name The poses for the 1910
throw of 300 years of rule by the activities of the royalist mayor of Queretaro, stands in ists who confiscated all her "LEONA VICARIO" and a stamps and the modern
the Spanish crown. garrison at Queretaro. one of the plazas of that city. remaining assets, forcing her date was used to mark letters stamps appear to use the same
Ortiz was the wife of After the Sept. 16, 1810, in- This statue is depicted on to suffer the same hardships emanating from that city. All early portraits for reference.
Miguel Dominguez, who was dependence declaration, the the 20c value of the Monu- as her compatriots. recorded examples are struck
Dominguez faces right, on the
the corregidor (mayor) of the Dominguezes were arrested ments and Public Structures When the • movement in red. in 1910 and 1979 issues. Vic-
city of Queretaro. Both she on suspicion, correctly as it issue of 1923 (640), shown in reached its successful conclu- It is unusual that these two ario faces left on the 1910 and
and her husband were strong turned out, of complicity with Figure 3. sion, she was compensated remarkable women would be 1989 issues but was flipped
supporters of the cause for in- the insurgents. When suffi- Vicario was the daughter of with a hacienda in the state of memorialized on stamps so for the 1985 stamp. •
dependence, even though cient evidence could not be a wealthy Spanish couple Hidalgo and with 80,000 pe- early in what has always been
Dominguez relied on the found by the royalist agents, from Mexico City and early sos in repayment of her seized a male-dominated society.
crown for his power and liveli- they were set free. on became a champion of the properties. They have been pictured on
hood. Josefa was rearrested in cause for Mexican indepen- Her husband, Quintana additional stamps as well.
And in those days, Quere- 1813 and was detained under dence. Roo, was forever memorial- In 1979, Dominguez was
taro was a stronghold of sym- house arrest in several con- Her parents died when she ized when his name was given commemorated on an 80c
42 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 26, 2004 www.linns.com

Several stamps honor Mexico's 1968 Games

From Aug. 13 to Aug. 29, amazed at the number of hold a bat as if to strike a ball. tion against a colored back- Once again, souvenir sheets mail stamp featuring logos,
athletes from all over the stamps the Mexican postal of- The set also includes two ground. The designs are re- containing the issued stamps and Figure 5 depicts one of
world will convene in Athens, ficials authorized to promote souvenir sheets issued without peated from side to side, with were made available, two for the souvenir sheets.
Greece, for the 28th Olympiad and commemorate the Games. gum (C310a-11a). parts of the images straddling the regular stamps and two for The sheet sold for 5p more
of the modern era. It doesn't If my count is correct, Scott Ten months later, a second the stamps' perforations. the airmails. than the 15p face value of the
seem possible that it has been lists 56 Mexican stamp items set of promotional stamps was These stamps also promi- Although Olympics mania stamps it contained.
issued (974-75, C318-20). Fa-
mous Mexican artist Diego
Mexico Rivera created the designs for
these stamps, showing outline
By Dale Pulver figures of athletes competing
AIM

in various events. Figure 2 de-

$5
nearly 40 years since the Sum- picts the 20c stamp picturing
runners and a jumper.
LUICIPP
mer Games were hosted by
Mexico, in 1968. Figure 2. Diego Rivera de- Curiously, the 2.25-peso M FIN
I was living in Mexico at signed this Mexican stamp airmail stamp shows men 91ii Dfl
the time on what would turn
out to be a five-year foreign
assignment with my employer.
for the 1968 Summer Games.

directly associated with the

playing the American form of
football, which was not an
Olympic event.
3
3 LI
a
ma
This assignment spanned 1968 Summer Olympics. This Again, two souvenir sheets
the years 1964-69, during includes 21 surface-mail were issued (975a, C320a).
which elaborate preparations stamps, 19 airmail stamps and A year later, in October Figure 4. Logos for various
were being made prior to the 16 souvenir sheets. 1967, a third set of stamps sports are shown on this air-
actual competitions scheduled Such philatelic attention for came out (981-85, C328-31). mail stamp issued Oct. 12,
for Oct. 12-27, 1968. one national event was un- Vance Wyman's designs for Figure 5. This Mexican 1968 Summer Games souvenir sheet
1968, the opening day of the sold for 5 pesos more than the 15p face v alue of the stamps.
As a stamp collector, I was precedented. But Mexico was these stamps depict the indi- Summer Games in Mexico.
determined to put the best face vidual competitive Olympic
on an undertaking many sports. nently display the official reached a fever pitch during Although the stamps in the
thought to be impossible, if not Figure 3 pictures the 20c Mexican logo "MEXICO 68" the summer of 1968, this sec- souvenir sheets lacked perfo-
wasteful of national resources. Canoeing stamp. This stamp, at the top of the designs. ond issue was not as evident rations and the early sheets
The first stamps issued to like the others in the set, The set includes five on my office mail as the first were without gum, the stamps
promote the Games appeared shows silhouette figures in ac- stamps and two souvenir stamps of this design. were still valid for postage.
in December 1965, almost sheets for the surface-mail is- Finally, on the day the I think that a specialized
three years before the Games sues and four stamps and two Olympic Games opened, Oct. stamp collection or an exhibit
were to take place. Five stamps souvenir sheets for the airmail 12, 1968, a new and different of the 1968 Mexican Summer
comprise the set, two for regu- ones (981-85, C328-31). style of stamps commemorat- Olympics would be a fun pro-
lar mail and three for airmail These stamps appeared to ing the Summer Games came ject to undertake.
(Scott 965-66, C309-11). be popular with the general out. These stamps, in both I even began to acquire
The designs depict clay fig- public. Whether this had influ- large and small formats, show some of the many, many
ures from prehispanic times in ence on future issues I do not some of the various venues stamps other countries issued
poses thought to be of ancient Figure 3. Silhouette figures know, but five months later, in used for the Games, Olympic in honor of the Mexican
Figure 1. Mexico issued this athletic events. Figure 1 canoeing are pictured on March 1968, 10 more stamps symbolism and logos for the Games. Shortly after the
and four other stamps in shows the 40-centavo surface- this 20-centavo stamp also in the same format, six regular various sporting events (996- Games ended, however, I
1965 to promote the Sum- mail stamp, printed in a large bearing the logo of the Mex- and four airmail stamps, were 1001, C340-44). found out that I would be re-
mer Olympics of 1968. format. The subject appears to ico 1968 Summer Games. issued (990-95, C335-38). Figure 4 shows the 5p air- turning to the United States
www.zillionsofstamps.com
the following year and had would be a real challenge.
other obligations to fill my Mexico also had a number
spare time. of machines that applied
Virtually all of the Mexican Olympic slogan cancels.
stamps were issued in denom- These would add spice to any
inations to meet specific showing. Some of these con-
postal rates in effect at the tinued to be used long after
time. For example, cards and the Games ended.
letters mailed domestically I would be happy to hear
called for the 20c and 40c from anyone who has tackled
stamps. Airmail letters to the the Mexico Summer Olym-
United States needed 80c, and pics as a collecting specialty.
airmail to Europe 2p, I be- Write to me, Dale Pulver, in
lieve. care of Lirm's Editor, Box 29,
To find commercial or pri- Sidney, OH 45365. There is
vate envelopes using all of the certainly ample material for a
various values available most interesting display. ■
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 27, 2004 www.linns.com

Mexican perfins flourished at turn of the century

Perfins are stamps that stamps without holes. It is not known for sure and French firms also were tern of initials punched into shown in Figure 1 are from
have been perforated with ini- Stamps with perfins exist who sold the perforating de- active in the field. them. well-known businesses of that
tials, monograms or logos. from many countries, includ- vices used in Mexico, but a Cummings touted the abili- Sometimes the name of the era: Mosier Safe Co. and
Business, government and ing Mexico. United States firm, B.F. Cum- ty of its machines to accom- user is fairly obvious. On the Roberto Boker & Co. (a hard-
commercial establishments They have captured the at- ming of Chicago, and its suc- modate single stamps or com- stamp on the left, "DUN" ware dealer).
used this practice to discour- tention of some serious col- cessor, the American Perforat- plete rows of stamps in stacks stands for R.G. Dun & Co., a In examples when the user
lectors and occasionally have ing Co., aggressively market- up to several sheets. credit reporter in Mexico is less well known, the task of
been the subject of published ed perforators during the time Figure 1 shows three typi- City. identification is more diffi-
Mexico studies. in question. English, German cal perfin stamps with a pat- The other two perfins cult.
By Dale Pulver Most of the Mexican The best way to identify the
perfins I have in my collec- perfin user is to find a cover
tion date from the early years with a company corner card
age unauthorized use of of the 20th century. Usage ap- (return address) bearing one
stamps from the office inven- pears to have peaked during of the perfins in question.
tories. the so-called Coat of Arms is- Over the years, members of
The word perfin is an ab- sues of 1899 and 1903 and the the Mexico Elmhurst Philatel-
breviation of "perforated ini- Centennial of Independence ic Society International have
tials." issue of 1910. collaborated in identifying
An old friend who collect- Perforated initials were most of the Mexican perfins
ed perfins avidly referred to produced by punching into that have come to light.
them as "holey" stamps and stamps an array of small holes After I wrote about perfins
often bargained with dealers in the shape of the desired let- in a 1986 Linn's article (May
claiming that such stamps ter or symbol. These holes are 12, page 37), there was a
were damaged and should be about 1/2 millim'eter in diame- Figure 1. These typical perfin stamps of Mexico include patterns of punched initials. The resurgence of interest in the
sold for a discount from ter. stamps were for, left to right, R.G. Dun & Co., Mosler Safe Co. and Roberto Boker & Co. subject, and many of the un-
www.zillionsofstamps.com SEPTEMBER 27, 2004 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 41
known perfins I presented in care of Linn's Editor, Box 29, This perfin invariably is was often too large to fit on a used at the office of Laredo.
that article were quickly iden- Sidney, OH 45365, and I will found on stamps with a high single stamp. The larger office names are
tified. send you a photocopy of the face value. The reason for its The word "PAGADO" not hard to come by. The chal-
A good summary article article's table listing the com- use remained somewhat of a (paid) is recorded punched on lenge arises with the smaller,
was published in the July mercial perfins in the study. mystery until a MEPSI mem- postage stamps, as is the word less-busy transfer points, such
1987 issue of MEPSI's jour- Up to now I have discussed ber called attention to a foot- "ANULADO" (annulled). as Isla del Carmen (Yucatan)
nal Mexicana. In that article, perfins assigned to business note in the German-language Perfins of entire words also and Sta Rosalia (Baja Califor-
more than 20 perfins are list- firms. Figure 2 shows two Michel catalog that said the are found on revenue stamps nia).
ed, and most are identified. stamps with perforations of a perfin was used for adminis- used to confirm payment of These "holey" stamps do
If you cannot gain access to single character. trative purposes. customs duties. not appeal to everyone, but
this article through the Amer- The 50-centavo stamp in By whom? The post office? Between 1885 and 1895, 11 it's another small niche in
ican Philatelic Society library the Coat of Arms issue shows I am not certain, but wrappers series of customs-duty rev- Mexican philately where you
or other sources, send an ad- a perfin in the shape of a from the Bank of London in Figure 3. This Mexican cus- enue stamps (aduanas) were can have a lot of fun chasing
dressed, stamped No. 10 en- horseshoe, or as it was later Mexico bear stamps with this toms-duty revenue stamp issued. stamps and not spend a lot of
velope, to me, Dale Pulver, in called, the "Omega" perfin. perfin. has the name of the city of The full name of the trans- money.
The perfin often was "Laredo" punched into it. fer city was punched after the And I have found that most
punched twice on the large- stamp was affixed to the bill sellers do not ask for premi-
format stamps, and a few in- be used on second-class mail. of lading or other transfer um pricing, even though the
stances of triple punching are This was reported in a short document. In effect, the perfins are much less com-
known. article in Mexicana, and when punched name tied the stamp mon than the nonperfinned
Another mystery was the I re-examined my stamp, the to the document. varieties.
perfin "5," as punched into one shown in Figure 2, I Most customs stamps were Look for them on the turn-
the 1-peso stamp shown on found that it bears a cancel of ample size to accommo- of-the-20th century issues.
the right in Figure 2. used only on second-class date the full name of the vari- For whatever reason, the prac-
Based on empirical evi- mail. ous towns and cities designat- tice of using perfins seems to
Figure 2. The 50-centavo Mexican Coat of Arms stamp on dence, it is concluded that this Complete words were occa- ed as import or export points. have disappeared during
the left has a perfin shaped like a horseshoe, and the 1-peso perfin was used by the post sionally punched into stamps, Figure 3 shows a 5p cus- 1910-20, the years of Mexi-
stamp on the right has the number "5" punched into it. office to designate stamps to although the punch pattern toms stamp of the 1887 series co's civil wars. ■
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 25, 2004 www.linns.com

Stamps show tourist sites of Mexico City

The season is approaching center of town to the upscale on a 1945 3c violet-blue tary academy. When it was be- Scott 731. This 4c stamp saw These enormous structures
when many northerners con- residential section of Lomas stamp, Scott 805, shown on sieged by the invading United extensive use on domestic were first pictured on a 3c
template escape from the de Chapultepec. If you have a the left in Figure 2. States forces in 1847, the cas- mail and postcards during the stamp issued in 1923, Scott
snow and cold to warmer cli- front room at the Maria Isabel At the intersection of Re- tle was one of the last bastions 1940s and 1950s. 635 and 651. They are pic-
mates. Perhaps, you are plan- Sheraton, you will look out forma and Insurgentes stands used in defense of the city. The arch, ordered by Diaz tured again on the 30c airmail
ning a winter vacation to upon the traffic circle contain- the statue of Cuautemoc, the Six young Mexican cadets as the initial step toward new stamp of the 1934 University
leaped to their deaths from parliament buildings, was all
this fortress rather than be that was ever built for the pro-
Mexico captured by the Americans.
The cadets and the battles
ject.
Among other landmarks
By Dale Pulver fought during the invasion are worthy of attention is the Salto
commemorated on a set of de Agua Fountain.
Mexico, the land of sunshine stamps issued in 1947, Scott This remarkable example of
and hospitality, as one of the 830-34 and C180-84. Spanish colonial stone work is
slogan cancels in my collec- Monuments in the park re- shown on 1923 2c stamp, Scott
tion advertises. member the young cadets as 834. Figure 5. This 1934 airmail
Figure 2. These stamps depict the Fountain of Diana, the
While the beaches and Los Ninos Heroes (the boy he- In 1985, the Mexican post stamp depicts the pyramids
statue of Aztec emperor Cuautemoc and the Arch of the
coastal towns are powerful roes). office issued a set of stamps at Teotihuacan, a short dis-
Revolution. All three monuments are located in Mexico City.
magnets, cities in the interior Archduke Maximilian and calling attention to other land- tance from Mexico City.
can be interesting too. ing the Monument to the Inde- last of the Aztec emperors, Carlota converted the castle to marks of Mexico City, again,
If you are planning a stop in pendence. who was murdered by the a palatial residence during prime examples of Spanish set, Scott C55, depicted in
Mexico City, your stamp col- This monument is pictured Spaniards in 1525. their short tenure in Mexico. Colonial era architecture, Figure 5. Much archaeologi-
lection on several Mexican stamps, He was first commemorat- cal restoration work has been
can alert including the 15-centavo val- ed on the 5c stamp of the 1895 done at the site over the inter-
you to ue of the 1934-40 issue, Scott Transportation series, Scott vening years.
some of 713; the two 1938 20c 16th 247, pictured in the center in On the way to or from the
the at- International Congress of Figure 2. pyramids, you could make a
tractive Planning and Housing stamps, If you were to walk several short stop at San Augustin
tourist Scott 744-45; and the 1960 blocks west from your hotel, Acolman.
sights of 1-peso 150th Anniversary of you would encounter Chapul- This 16th-century church
XV. CONGOESO 'PP Er that city. Mexican Independence com- tepec Park, a favorite gather- and former convent in the
NACIO'■ Al
CACION ,HAINIPC ■ Ct. Also, if memorative, Scott 911. ing spot on Sunday afternoons plataresque style is featured
you are This tall shaft surmounted for the Mexican residents of Figure 3. Chapultepec Cas- Figure 4. A 1916 5-peso on a colorful set of airmail
not actu- with a gold covered, semi- the city. tle is pictured on this 4-cen- stamp features the main stamps issued in 1980, Scott
Figure 1. This ally going nude female human figure At the crest of a steep hill tavo stamp issued in 1923. post office in Mexico City. C627-31, depicting architec-
stamp shows the to Mexi- with wings is affectionately overlooking the park is Cha- tural jewels of that era.
Monument to co, look- referred to locally as "the an- pultepec Castle, another fa- It subsequently housed the Scott 1427-30. Many other attractive build-
Independence in ing at the gel." vorite spot for tourists. It ap- Mexican presidents up to You would probably need a ings and monuments in Mexi-
Mexico City. stamps Figure 1 shows the 1938 pears on several stamps, in- 1940. resourceful cab driver and a co City are featured on
can help 20c brown-lake stamp. cluding the 1923 4c green Stamp collectors should cer- good map to find these sites: stamps. A sampling of mod-
you imagine what it is like to A short distance away at an- shown in Figure 3, Scott 636, tainly visit the main post of- the College of the Vizcainas, ern Mexican architecture is
be there. other somewhat smaller traf- and on the 1947 1p airmail, fice, an ornate building in the the Palace of the Courts of pictured on the definitive se-
Let's say you book a hotel fic circle stands another mon- C183. renaissance revival style. It Heras and Soto, the Palace of ries of 1950, Scott 856-67 and
on the Paseo de la Reforma, ument, the Fountain of Diana, In the early 1800s, this cas- was erected during the regime the Courts of Calimaya, and C186-98.
the boulevard connecting the the huntress. This is depicted tle served as a Mexican mili- of Porfirio Diaz to celebrate the San Carlos Academy. And These stamps are not fully
the centennial of independence I do not know if these build- identified in the Scott Stan-
in 1910. ings are open to tourists. dard Postage Stamp Cata-
The post office is pictured With its Tiffany glass cur- logue, and the sites present a
on several stamps, including tain, the Palacio de Bellas challenge to those who would
the 1916 5p, Scott 514, depict- Artes (Palace of Fine Arts), seek them out.
ed in Figure 4 and a 1982 4p, found on the 1923 1p stamp, A trip to your local library to
Scott 1266. Scott 649, and other, newer is- consult books on modern Mex-
Make sure to visit the postal sues, is certainly worth visit- ican architecture and detailed
museum on the second floor ing. travel guides will be helpful.
of this building. And you would be well re- Tourism is important to
Another relic of the inde- warded to attend a performance Mexico's economy, and recent
pendence celebration is the of the Ballet Folklorico there. series of stamps continue to
Arch of the Revolution, fea- Many tourists take the short promote the industry.
tured on the 1934-40 4c trip out of the city to visit the In a future Mexico column,
carmine, Scott 709, shown on pyramids at Teotihuacan, I plan to continue the stamps
the right in Figure 2, and the monuments to a lost civiliza- and tourism theme beyond the
redrawn version of 1937, tion. borders of Mexico City. ■
50 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 29, 2004 www.linns.com

Auction confirms strength of Mexican market

Nicholas Follansbee, an more than $300,000. That is ceptions, all of the prestamp lieved to be a unique survivor the fancy Liberty-cap-in- multiple stamps or covers did
Oregon stamp dealer, con- an impressive number consid- material and classic issues of that office, was divided wreath cancel used at Irapuato well too. Dealers and begin-
ducted his 16th Mexico auc- ering there were only 1,100 brought good, solid prices, many years ago. in the district of Guanajuato. ning specialists eagerly seek
tion Oct. 23 in Reno, Nev. His lots. with many of the rarest items The stamp fetched $5,500, Figure 2 shows the cancel. out these large lots because
catalog arrived a bit late at my About 120 people compet- breaking previous records. more than twice the valuation The cap of Liberty sur- they provide material to break
address, so I didn't have a ed in the sale, most through A cover from Zacatecas, assigned to it in the Follans- rounded by rays was a symbol down and sell, to trade or to
the mail. About 25 to 30 peo- bee catalog. build collections around.
ple attended the auction, many Through an agent, I had bid The literature section con-
Mexico carrying bids for others who
could not or chose not to at-
on several lots in the auction.
Even though I had given him
tained one big surprise. A
copy of Leo Corbett's The Im-
By Dale Pulver
tend. some flexibility to increase perial Eagles of Maximilian:s
The auction material my limits if the floor (people Mexico sold for $600.
chance to write about it an spanned a range of interests attending the auction) began to This 413-page book, first
earlier column in Linn's. but was strongest in the clas- bid strongly, I was surprised to published in 1993, is an ency-
Follansbee has a loyal fol- sic and other 19th century. learn that none of my bids was clopedic treatment of the two
lowing, and I'm sure most The sale contained 121 lots successful, and on only two stamp issues of the monarchy.
Figure 1. The stagecoach It is a must-have for the col-
Mexican specialists were of stampless covers, including lots was I the underbidder.
cancel is found on 1856 I was particularly interested lectors of those issues. It was
aware of the event. 30 from the Spanish colonial
stamps from Toluca, Mexico. in two stamps with fancy can- published in an edition of 200
I look forward to Follans- period and a rare, specialized Figure 2. This Mexican fan-
bee's infrequent sales because holding of covers from the Mexico, to France bearing two cellations. The first was an cy cancel shows a cap of Lib- and has long been out of print.
they serve as a good barome- Mexican state of Sonora. 1856 2-real stamps and a 4r 1856 1r stamp (Scott 2) used erty surrounded by rays. The book has traded in re-
ter of the market for Mexican Mexico's 1856 issue, my with the district name in man- at Toluca with a well-centered cent years for about $300, but
stamps and postal history. specialty, was represented by uscript, brought $7,500, the strike of the famous Toluca of the independence move- no one expected it would go
He deals exclusively in 56 lots, including some ex- most paid for any item in this stagecoach cancel. The cancel ment of the early 1800s. double that so soon.
Mexico, and the material he ceptionally rare items. group. The presale estimate is shown in Figure 1. Only a handful of complete Follansbee was pleased with
offers usually runs the gamut The 1861 issue filled 142 was $5,000 to $7,000. This The basic stamp has a Scott strikes of this cancel are the results, even though some
from old to modern. He lots, one of the best and choice piece would be a high- standard catalog value of known, and the auctioneer lots of the modern era did not
knows the material, and his largest offerings to be seen in light of any specialized show- $3.50 ($5 in Follansbee's Cat- correctly placed a high esti- sell. Buyers seemed reason-
catalogs are well crafted, with recent years. ing of the first design. alogue of the Stamps of Mexi- mate of $500 to $600 on the ably pleased with their acquisi-
complete and accurate de- The Imperial Eagles of A second blockbuster item co, 1856-1910), although the item. The lot drew fierce bid- tions, particularly the classics
scriptions of the items of- 1864-66 comprised 57 lots was an nonoverprinted 1856 lr cancel makes the stamp more ding and was finally ham- collectors who have too few
fered. They become useful and, like the 1856 issue, con- stamp used in Zitacuaro, a valuable. mered down at $725, far, far buying opportunities.
reference sources. tained some outstanding small town that received a I felt safe in bidding 60 per- beyond my bid limit. If you are interested in the
I did not attend this sale but pieces. shipment of lr stamps from the cent more than the auctioneer's These two examples classic stamps of Mexico and
sent a handful of bids by way An unusually large group of main post office in 1859. The estimate of $100, but it wasn't demonstrate the strength of not already on Follansbee's
of an agent. 164 lots of Maximilian Heads location of use has to be deter- nearly enough. The stamp sold today's market for fine mater- mailing list, you should sign
In a brief phone interview of 1866-67 featured a used mined by the cancellation. for 210 percent of estimate, not ial and why Scott catalog val- up for his auctions (Nicholas
with Follansbee after the sale, 7-centavo engraved stamp, This stamp (Scott 2c), including buyer's premium. uations for used stamps apply Follansbee, Box 3210, Ash-
he gave me some interesting one of six known of this rarity which has a catalog value of a That's 60 times greater than only to the basic cancels. land, OR 97520-0307), and
insights. First, this was his to be in private hands. few dollars in the Scott Stan- the Scott valuation. Follansbee told me that the you should obtain a copy of
biggest sale ever, topping his The rest of the 19th-century dard Postage Stamp Cata- The second stamp was a bidding was exceptionally his Catalogue of the Stamps of
last sale, held in September issues were well represented, logue, was originally part of a similar item from the 1861 is- strong for classic material, Mexico, 1856-1910. It is a
2003, by almost 10 percent. especially the foreign mail is- horizontal pair that was can- sue. This 2r stamp (Scott 8) with a few exceptions. The Ea- gold mine of information and
Gross realization, not in- sue of 1879-83, with 75 lots. celed "FRANCO EN ZITA- valued at $3.25, was on a small gles are especially hot in to- an excellent aid (most of the
cluding buyers' fees, was just With only one or two ex- CUARO." Sadly, the pair, be- piece with a complete strike of day's market. Large lots with time) for bidding. •
38 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 27, 2004 www.linns.com

Champion of champions; Olympics; perfins

As has been my custom ing came from Ray Soldan of chased, Soldan created an ar- one or two of these cards. Ap- column, I offered photocopies once and that the pins did not
from time to time in the past, I Oklahoma City. Soldan, as a ray of commemorative covers parently a whole series with of an earlier, more compre- penetrate the entire stack.
am devoting the last column sports reporter for Oklahoma for his thematic collection 20 or more cards was created. hensive summary of perfins Arce asked if other exam-
of the year to events and feed- City's Daily Oklahoman, was dealing with the Olympics. Soldan's articles also alert- from Mexicana, the journal of ples had shown up in special-
back I have received during sent to Mexico City in 1968 to In 1999, he wrote two arti- ed me to a machine cancella- the Mexico Elmhurst Philatel- ists' hands. I was of no help,
the past 12 months. It gives cover side events having Ok- cles for the Sports Philatelists tion with two nearly square ic Society International. but perhaps if you have en-
International's Journal of killers used on the opening
Sports Philately on what he days of certain sporting
Mexico euphemistically calls the "ole
Olympics."
events. Figure 3 shows one of
these cancels, cropped from a
By Dale Pulver
The first article dealt with cover I recently purchased at a
the stamps, souvenir sheets local stamp bourse. This
me the opportunity to recog- and cancellations used during marking was prepared for the
nize some of my loyal readers the lead-up to the Games. The cycling competitions.
and to comment on happen- second focused on the journey For the ambitious collector,
ings that, in themselves, are of the Olympic torch from Pi- there is plenty of material to
insufficient for a full column. raeus, Greece, to Athens, create a comprehensive and Figure 3. A postal marking prepared for a cycling competi-
Mexican philately got an- through Spain, across the At- interesting exhibit of the ole tion at the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City.
other shot in the arm when lantic Ocean and the final trek Olympics. About a dozen readers took countered such items, write to
Omar Rodriguez' spectacular from Veracruz to Mexico City. My Sept. 27 column on advantage of this offer, in- me, Dale Pulver, in care of
collection of the first issues of Figure 1 shows the 1968 perfins also generated a fair cluding one collector who Linn's Editor, Box 29, Sidney,
Mexico won the Champion of 10-peso stamp issued for the amount of response. In the said his local club was inter- OH 45365.
Champions award at the Mexican leg of this long jour- ested in delving into the sub- The big question is: are
American Philatelic Society's ney (Scott 1001). Because of ject further. they real or bogus?
Stampshow in Sacramento, its high value (approximately Joe Arce, a MEPSI mem- In the Mexico column in the
Calif., in August. U.S. 800), it saw little use. ber, wrote that he has discov- Nov. 29 Linn's, I reviewed the
This is the fourth time an Figure 1. This 1968 10-peso A flame also was flown to ered perfins that appear to Follansbee auction of Mexican
exhibit of Mexico's classic Mexican stamps honors the Acapulco where the yachting have been used to invalidate stamps and postal history. This
stamps has captured this cov- arrival of the Olympic torch events were staged. sheets of Exporta stamps that highlight event for Mexican
eted philatelic honor. Previous for the Summer Games. I highly recommend both of went into the Mexican postal specialists gave convincing ev-
winners competing with Mex- Soldan's articles, which are archives. He did not explain idence that the market for fine
ican collections were Edward lahoma connections and fea- entertaining and instructional. how he came by these two material remains strong.
Dormer, Robert Paliafito and ture items not reported by the Soldan sent photocopies of sheets, one a 700-peso Film I have since heard from oth-
James Mazepa. major news services. some of his cachets and sever- stamp (Scott 1498) and the er Mexican collectors who at-
Mazepa's award came in As a result of this assign- al of the whimsical postcards other a 1,600p Steel Tubing tended the auction that even
2000. Within a year his collec- ment, he became intensely in- supplied to the press corps. stamp (1595). the so-called middle-grade
tion was on the auction block terested in the broad support These cards, depicting a The sheets were punched re- stamps showed surprising
to be dispersed among other provided by Mexican postal portly Mexican with an over- peatedly with the word strength, another good sign.
would-be champions, includ- authorities to the Games. sized Groucho Marx mustache "MUESTRA," meaning "sam- Finally, I take this opportu-
ing Rodriguez. Mexico issued some 40 and sometimes a huge charro ple" or "specimen." nity to extend to all best wish-
My column in the July 26 stamps and 16 souvenir sheets sombrero, spoof various sport- Some had clean, complete es for a peaceful and most joy-
Linn's, on the 1968 Olympics over a four-year span to publi- ing and cultural events. The perforations. Others had chad ous holiday season.
stamps issued by Mexico, cize the event. card shown in Figure 2 spoofs Figure 2. This spoof postcard remaining in the holes. This I appreciate the friendly and
drew a few responses from From material he received in the pistol marksmanship event. was created for the Mexico suggests that several sheets supportive feedback I receive
readers, but the most interest- a press kit and stamps he pur- I had previously seen only City Olympics of 1968. were fed to the perforator at from Linn's readers. ■
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 31, 2005 www.linns.com

New resource for Mexico 1868 specialists

Santa Claus came a few of nine years work by two sea- much about that complicated graphic plates with their vari- useful accounts dealing with
days early this past Christmas. soned collectors: John Heath, set of stamps as anyone living. ous settings; retouches and the 1868 stamps by other au-
Mexico
Just a week or so before the a retired British diplomat, and The 1868 issue features a types; errors and varieties; thors, including a translation
The 1868 Issue
holiday, a package arrived in Doug Stout, the owner of a full-face portrait of Miguel A Np......,list 1101,11,, proofs, essays and color trials; from the French of the chapter
my mailbox that turned out to California software company. Hidalgo, the leader of the methods of stamp separation; on the 1868 issue from Les
Mexican independence move- and paper varieties and ink. Premieres Emissions du Mex-
ment, and specialists refer to The middle section of the ique 1856-74.
Mexico the stamps as the full-face Hi-
dalgos. Figure 1 depicts the
book includes a brief account
of the great postal fraud, where
This book, published in
1935 and coauthored by Paul
By Dale Pulver
25-centavo stamp. employees of the post office de Smeth and the Marquis de
The book comprises 262 contrived to secretly print Fayolle, is quite scarce. It
be one of the most interesting pages broken down into 10 stamps using the original plates. gives early specialists a first
items I received. chapters and seven annexes. The employees sold the glimpse of how complex this
The package contained a re- While there is much origi- stamps to volume users for stamp issue really is.
view copy of the just pub- nal material, the authors have their own personal gain. This It is perhaps ironic that this
lished Mexico — The 1868 Is- gathered together a broad ar- problem also is dealt with at chapter, until now available
sue, A Specialist Handbook. ray of disparate records not length in an annex. only in the French language,
easily accessed by newcomers Figure 2. The dust jacket for Chapter 10 assigns estimat- was largely based on the work
I knew this book was in the
Mexico — The 1868 Issue, A ed rarity values to stamps of a British stamp dealer, L.
works. I just wasn't sure when to the field.
The 63 pages in Chapter 1 Specialist Handbook by John from the various districts. As M. Josling.
it would appear. It joins a
are devoted to the shipments Heath and Doug Stout. expected, these rarity values Other notable annexes in-
number of first-rate books on
Mexican philately published of stamps both to the main Also included in the listings are high for the small offices clude details of the fraudu-
Figure 1. A ,new handbook lently produced stamps known
in recent years. post office in Mexico City and are the suboffices that are that received and sold few
was published in 2004 on to specialists as the type of
I haven't read it word for from there to the various prin- known to have reported to, stamps, but they also reflect
Mexico's 1868 issue. The 25- the authors' long experience Mexico stamps, or tipos.
word, but it is the sort of book cipal district post offices in and received stamps from, the
centavo 1868 stamp is shown. These nonofficial printings,
you use as a reference, not as the outlying population cen- larger district offices. in the acquisition of stamps
a entertaining read in front of Both are long-time special- ters. The data was discovered Subsequent chapters deal for their own specialized col- together with stamps recalled
an open fire on a cold night. ists of the Mexico 1868 issue, in official government ar- with cancels and the "sello ne- lections. from other districts led, to the
The book is a culmination and they probably know as chives during the 1980s. gros" (handstamps); the litho- The annexes include several the "Anotado" (which means
www.zillionsofstamps.com JANUARY 31, 2005 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 15
noted or accounted four) stamp varieties and several in- an edition of 300 by James
overprints of 1872, a measure teresting usages on cover. Bendon of Limassol, Cyprus,
undertaken to revalidate The dust jacket, shown in and is priced at $60, plus $4
postage stamps in inventory at Figure 2, depicts a serape- for postage and handling.
the main post office. clad horseman astride a pony That's a bargain considering
"Anotado" overprints delib- at full gallop. I couldn't de- the information it contains.
erately faked to deceive col- cide whether this represented Its availability here in the
lectors also are discussed and a mounted mail carrier fleeing United States is unclear at this
illustrated. from highwaymen or one of time because Bendon is trans-
Another annex contains the bandits that preyed on the ferring distribution rights.
translated post office regula- mails during that era. Anyone seriously interested
tions that were distributed in As the title states, this is in procuring a copy can con-
postal circulars, giving fur- truly a handbook for this tact the U.S. author, Doug
ther insight to the difficulties complicated issue, and I rec- Stout at 2021 Sperry Ave.,
faced by postal authorities at ommend it without reserva- Suite 20, Ventura, CA 93003,
that time. tion. Everything you need to e-mail doug@mepsi.org. He
The final annex, a work know about the 1868 stamps expects to have the situation
still in progress, is a checklist is there. clarified by the time this issue
of known uses of 1868 stamps The book was published in of Linn 's is published. ■
by location and cancel.
This census of postal uses
that have been found and
identified, in the collections
of various individuals, runs to
some 22 pages.
Readers of the book are
challenged to examine their
holdings for new discoveries
to add to these listings.
The book is hardbound,
printed on good quality paper
and profusely illustrated. Eight
color plates show the major
54 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 28, 2005 www.linns.com

Mexico society to meet at show in Cleveland

Every few years I make a offered opportunities and fjell and Franco Vanottti, to the Garfield-Perry Stamp support such a group. Of the
point of promoting the Mexico challenges for research, and a mention but a few of those Club's annual March Party, to 10 chapters now active, five
Elmhurst Philatelic Society In- government stamp-issuing early members. take place March 11-13 at are located in Mexico, one in
ternational, or MEPSI for policy not predicated on In 1970, the society the Holiday Inn Lakeside, Europe and four in the United
short, a collectors' society gouging the collector but changed its name to the Mex- 1111 Lakeside at E. 12th States, mostly in the West.
whose members specialize in based on providing for legiti- ico Elmhurst Philatelic Soci- Street, Cleveland, Ohio. This The Southern California
mate postal needs. ety International to more ac- is the first time the group has chapter, for example, meets
As the Elmhurst group curately reflect the breadth of come this far East. monthly. Each meeting fea-
Mexico prospered and its focus be- its membership. While I didn't have any- tures speakers or programs of
By Dale Pulver came better known, it opened The old guard had mostly thing to do with this decision, interest to its members. This
its membership to serious retired. Many had moved to I am proud that my home chapter will be well repre-
collectors of Mexico, wher- retirement colonies in stamp club is hosting this get- sented at the annual meeting
the stamps of Mexico. ever they lived. warmer climates. Younger together. in Cleveland.
The society logo is shown in Many of those early members became more active The location ought to at- My membership in MEPSI
Figure 1. Elmhurst collectors are still and took over the administra- tract some of the many mem- is approaching 40 years, and I
MEPSI has a long and rich remembered for their contri- tion of society affairs. Figure 2. Byron Stevens, the bers that live in the North- consider it one of the
history. It all began in 1935 in butions to the field, including The society's quarterly pe- founding member of the eastern states and along the smartest moves I made when
Elmhurst, Ill., when a group founding member Byron riodical Mexicana, founded Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic
Atlantic seaboard. I started collecting Mexico.
of collectors formed the Stevens, shown in Figure 2, in 1952, continues to publish Society International. Apart from the obvious
In my role as the exhibits
Elmhurst Philatelic Society. his son Richard Stevens, Otto informative articles on Mexi- buy and sell duplicates. This chairman for the March Par- utility of the quarterly jour-
They met in members' homes Yag, Langdon Longwell and can philately by members is no longer active, but mem- ty, I am happy to report that nal, access to a first-rate ex-
on a monthly basis. Duncan Ferguson. who are experts in their ber auctions are conducted 35 percent of the exhibit pertizing service and the op-
After a few years, some Outside of Elmhurst there fields. from time to time. space in the show will be portunity to acquire good ref-
members suggested their was John Bash, James Beal, This journal provides a The society also maintains filled with Mexican material. erence books, the best part
time together might be more Charles Brock, Abraham Od- broad spectrum of useful in- an excellent library. The subject matter ranges has been the contacts and
interesting if, as a group, they formation and keeps getting Each year, MEPSI mem- from the early classics into friends I have made over the
would specialize in one coun- better every year. bers gather for an annual the modern era, including years.
trY. The society also has an ex- meeting. Because the current metered mail. I have found these people
A committee was appoint- pert committee that examines membership is heavily con- The Meter Stamp Society to be generous with their time
ed to consider possibilities. and certifies rare and ques- centrated in the Southwest is also meeting in Cleveland. and whatever information
The committee's first choice, tionable items. and the West Coast, the sites It should be an interesting they have, and many have be-
the Dominican Republic, was The expert committee can chosen for the meeting are show. come fast friends. And so I
rejected. help collectors be sure that usually the American Philat- I always encourage collec- say once again, if you have a
The second choice, Mexi- rare gems are the real thing. elic Society national-level tors who want to test the wa- serious interest in Mexican
co, was accepted. Fakes and forgeries have al- shows in those areas. ters of specialization in Mex- philately, and are not a mem-
This choice was based on a ways cast a shadow over Every five years or so, the ican philately to join MEPSI. ber of MEPSI, join now.
review of Scott catalog list- Mexican classics but should meeting crosses the border The services it provides to For information, visit the
ings for the following charac- not with the help that is avail- into Mexico, in deference to a members make collecting society's web site at
teristics: a wide range and Figure 1. Mexico Elmhurst able through MEPSI. large number of members much more enjoyable. www.mepsi.org or write to
abundant varieties of classic- Philatelic Society Interna- At one time, MEPSI even who reside there. MEPSI also has chartered the secretary, Peter Taylor,
era stamps that were not over- tional logo. Its members col- operated a circuit book sys- This year, the meeting will chapters in areas where there 1441 Abernathy Creek Road,
ly expensive, many areas that lect the stamps of Mexico. tem where members could be held in conjunction with are sufficient members to Longview, WA 98632. •
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 25, 2005 www.linns.com

New Mexican TB seals show cowboy lifestyle

A few weeks ago 1 received The labels generally are is- For example, the 1999- in a highly ornamented charro steer or horse by its front legs TB seals from time to time.
several sheets of Mexican tu- sued in sheets of 50, each la- 2000 sheet depicts an array of outfit, and the other picturing requires great skill on the part Mexican post offices sell
berculosis seals from my bel having a face value of 50 fruits and vegetables native to a woman clothed in an elabo- of a rider with a highly trained the seals as an adjunct to their
Mexican friend Alejandro centavos, or a little less than and grown in Mexico. rate dress. Both outfits would mount. regular services. Postal clerks
Grossmann, who was an ap- U.S. 50. The batch I recently The 2000-01 sheet com- be worn at classy public In another popular charro are awarded 20 percent of the
prentice judge at the Garfield- received included labels is- memorates Cantinflas, the events, such as a parade or event, the coleada (tail twist- proceeds from the sales they
Mexican comic actor known make, which provides incen-
to millions of Spanish-speak- tive for promoting the seals.
Mexico ing movie fans.
The 2001-02 seals illustrate
When stamps are paid for
with large bills, buyers are
By Dale Pulver 25 traditional Mexican toys, urged to take their change in
each seal appearing twice. TB seals.
Perry March Party stamp The 2002-03 sheet deals Although the TB seals have
show held March 11-13 in with Mexican numismatics, no franking power, they look
Cleveland. again with 50 different designs so much like stamps that con-
I wrote about the seals in depicting the metal coinage of fused tourists often try to use
two previous Mexico column Mexico over the years: them in lieu of regular stamps.
in Linn 's, the most recent being Figure 1. These Mexican TB The 2003-04 sheet honors This sometimes works.
in the Sept. 28, 1994, issue. seals show a man and a woman the Franz Mayer Museum of Figure 3. Roping is featured on these four Mexican TB seals. Since the advent of e-mail,
In Mexico, TB seals help in fancy outfits for a charro Mexican cultural art and fo- I do not receive as much regu-
fund the Comite Nacional de (cowboy) parade or ball. cuses on Mexican ceramic art. fancy ball, but not by partici- ing), a young steer is released lar surface mail from Mexico
Lucha Contra la Tuberculosis y The sheet I found most in- pants in the rough-and-tumble from a chute as a mounted rid- as I once did. But in earlier
Enfermedades del Aparato sued since 1999. teresting is the latest, issued contests of the charreada. er gallops alongside. Leaning times, especially near the
Respiratorio. This translates Earlier seals feature a sin- for 2005-06. It deals with Ordinary and less elaborate down and away from his year-end holidays, TB seals
roughly to the National Com- gle design repeated 50 times. charreria, or Mexican horse- working outfits are illustrated horse, he grabs the animal by often were added to envelopes
mittee in the Battle Against Tu- More recent designs portray a manship. In some Hispanic on other seals in the sheet. its tail (cola) and spurs his franked with regular postage
berculosis and Respiratory variety of objects. This would circles, the word "charro" has The se-tenant pair of labels horse to veer sideways. If the stamps. These stamplike la-
Diseases. The committee is encourage purchase of full negative connotations, but in shown in Figure 2 pictures a rider hangs on, this move bels not only added color but
similar to its sister agency in sheets or large blocks to ob- Mexico it means horseman, or elaborate saddle used by Mex- causes the steer to lose its bal- also gave interesting glimpses
the United States, the Ameri- tain a complete set of seals. cowboy. ican charros. Some of these ance and tumble to the into Mexican culture.
can Lung Association. Most of the sheets 1 received Men and women gather at monturas, as they are called in ground. But sometimes it's the If you would like to begin
Grossmann serves the com- have 50 different seals. charro clubs to practice and Spanish, display intricate rider who is unhorsed. or add to a collection of Mex-
mittee as director for the seal hone their horsemanship skills leather tooling and are en- This event and others are ican TB seals, I recommend
program. His duties include and participate in the tradi- crusted with silver decora- pictured as part of the TB visiting the web site located at
theme selection, design and tional activities of Mexican tions. Such saddles can sell charreria sheet. www. tb seal smexi c o .org or
production. cowboys and ranch hands. The for thousands of dollars. The 2005-06 sheet would writing directly to Comite Na-
Since 1943, the committee clubs often stage public events Three other saddles are illus- be an ideal memento for a cional de Lucha Contra Tuber-
has issued and sold .stamplike called charreadas, which are trated on the sheet. rodeo lover or someone inter- culosis y Infermedades del
labels or seals to support its similar to American rodeos. At charreadas, the charros ested in horsemanship. Aparato Respiratorio, Alvaro
work. These seals feature his- The charros wear distinc- show off their abilities in nu- This year's sheet was print- Obregon No. 74 Desp. 108,
torical, cultural or everyday tive clothing: tight-fitting merous events, such as rope ed by Grupo Grafico Romo, a Colonia Roma, CP 06700
objects of Mexican life. trousers, short jackets and twirling, lassoing and difficult firm that also prints many of Mexico, D.F. Mexico. Except
Each seal bears a red Lor- Figure 2. An elaborate sad- huge sombreros. riding tricks. Figure 3 pictures Mexico's postage stamps. The for a few rare varieties, the
raine cross, a longtime sym- dle is pictured on this Mexi- Figure 1 depicts two 2005- four se-tenant stamps featur- government printing office, committee has nearly all seals
bol of TB charities. can TB seal for 2005-06. 06 labels, one showing a man ing roping. Roping a running TIEV, also has produced the in stock back to 1943. II
50 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 23, 2005 www.linns.com

Mexico's early airmail service of the 1920s

Mexico issued its last air- had improved and regular air- auguration of airmail service form of U.S. FAM (Foreign
mail stamp more than 20 mail service was established between Mexico City and Air Mail) route 8. It linked the
years ago, ending an era of between Mexico and towns on Matamoros and to the result- United States and Mexico
60-some years when letters the Texan border. ing possibility of 24-hour through Brownsville, Texas,
designated for air transport Figure 1 shows a private postal communication with and Matamoros and Tampico
were franked with stamps is- letter envelope sent from the New York City. in Mexico to Mexico City.
The initiation of this ser-

r
•••
vice was highly publicized,
Mexico and first-day flight covers
from it are plentiful.
By Dale Pulver 14019 AS
Figure 2 shows a south-
M A TA M OROS. bound first-flight cover ser- PAIZST Carl t; -
sued especially for that pur- viced March 9 in Brownsville INTL:RW.1' ithlA 5 A.M. •
pose. and addressed to the postmas- FV0W4741.:014:0%; car
Attempts to establish air- L C ter of Mexico City. The cover
mail service in Mexico began bears a U.S. 50 Aeronautics
in the early 1920s. These ear- 0 Jam,, I - (-tit-A Pa-tp-K Conference commemorative Figure 2. First-flight cover from Brownsville, Texas, to Mex-
ly attempts were met with lit- of 1928 (Scott 650). ico City franked with a 50 Aeronautics Conference stamp.
tle public acceptance and were A blue crayon was used to
eventually abandoned. cross out the Mexico address
A few early flights carried and redirect the letter (with an
mail, but most envelopes bore 0 (1 arrow) to its original sender in
no special markings. Almost Washington, D.C.
no mail has survived from The cover was backstamped
these flights. with the usual airmail cancel
Mexico's first airmail adhe- Figure 1. This cover from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City used in Mexico the following
sive stamp was issued in 1922. was flown on the Mexico-Nueva Laredo route in 1929. The ca- day (March 10) for the return
The 50-centavo bicolor stamp chet at the upper left announces a new route via Matamoros. flight to Matamoros.
shows an eagle flying over the United States Embassy in The cancel indicates the let- I have no explanation why
valley of Mexico (Scott Cl). Mexico City to Cleveland in ter entered the Mexican mail two cancels were used at
It was intended to pay the do- February 1929. It traveled by system Feb. 12. Brownsville, a duplex hand-
mestic airmail rate, but it ar- way of Nueva Laredo, Mexi- Backstamps note that it cancel and a machine cancel,
rived too late to be used on co, and Laredo, Texas. reached Nueva Laredo Feb. 13 but I have seen many other
those early pioneer flights. Service from Mexico to and that it entered the U.S. covers like it. Figure 3. A possible survivor of the lost mailbags incident
A planned 1923 flight from Nueva Laredo had been estab- mail at Laredo, Texas, on the Col. Charles A. Lindbergh from Charles Lindbergh's first flight on FAM route 8.
Mexico City to Tepic that was lished the previous October. next day. piloted the plane carrying the
to carry letters franked with At the time, the airmail rate Routing and carriage to mail on the first FAM route 8 chet for the Mexico City- lies the mystery.
this stamp never materialized. was 35c, but since there were Cleveland is unknown, but a flight, no doubt one of the Matamoros flight and the usu- Why would a letter that no
These souvenir covers, each no 35c airmail stamps avail- connection with U.S. CAM main reasons for the populari- al airmail cancels dated doubt reached the U.S. border
bearing a 50c stamp, often ap- able, the cover was franked (Contract Air Mail) route 22 ty of this flight. March 10. on March 10 or March 11 -4
pear in the pioneer section of with a 25c airmail stamp and a in Laredo is likely. The cover shown in Figure The cover is overfranked by need almost three weeks to
Mexican airmail exhibits, but regular 10c postage stamp. The airmail service hinted 3 has an air of mystery about 3c, but that should not have make it to its destination in a
they never were flown, instead A cachet in the upper-left at on the cover shown in Fig- it. It appears to have had typi- mattered. It is backstamped Western border state?
making the trip by train. corner of the envelope calls ure 1 did get underway in ear- cal first-flight handing at received at Albuquerque, Several bags of mail stowed
By 1928 and 1929, matters attention to the upcoming in- ly March 1929. It took the Mexico City. It bears the ca- N.M., March 30, and therein in the wing of Lindbergh's
plane apparently were over- acruz, San Geronimo, and
looked on his initial flight into Tapachula. It reached into
Mexico City. The bags were Guatemala, El Salvador and
discovered some time later Honduras eventually joining
when the plane made its inter- FAM route 5 that terminated in
mediate stop at Tampico. Panama Later, the two routes
So as not to diminish the were combined, keeping the
collector value of the covers in FAM route 5 designation.
the bags, they were returned to The patient and persistent
Mexico City where they re- searcher should be able to find
ceived the March 10, 1929, covers postmarked at the other
cancellation. cities on this route, but the
Could the cover shown in search won't be easy.
Figure 3 be one of those de- Still, such a search could be
layed-mail covers? Although an interesting and rewarding
there is no way to prove it, the challenge. Let me know of any
evidence does point that way. unusual finds.
FAM route 8 did not termi- Write to me, Dale Pulver, in
nate at Mexico City but contin- care of Linn's Editor, Box 29,
ued south, with stops at Ver- Sidney, OH 45356. ■
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 27, 2005 www.linns.com

Mexico's definitives offer many challenges

Mexican definitive (regular-issue) stamps 2002. They were produced in a horizontal for-
provide many opportunities for testing your mat (40 millimeters by 24mm) in panes of 50.
stamp-hobby skills, including identifying wa- The initial printing included 22 designs on
termarks, probing the subtleties of paper dif- American paper.
ferences and distinguishing responses to ultra- A continuous repeating design runs across a
violet light. These challenges began with the row of stamps, beginning about 4mm inside
the left selvage and ending about the same dis-
tance inside the right selvage.
Mexico This pattern can be seen on the stamp shown
in Figure 1, a margin example of the 50-centa-
EXICO
oncPrva
By Dale Pulver vo stamp picturing a mangrove habitat (Scott
2253).
Monuments and Architecture stamps of the The stamps also feature invisible ink over- Figure 3. Two perforation varieties of the Mexican Conserva definitive stamps. The 5-peso
1950s, 1960s and 1970s. . prints for security purposes. Pre-Columbian Rivers stamp (left) was printed by TIEV and is perforated gauge 14 by 141/4. The 10.50p Cats
Next, came the Exporta stamps in 1975, my glyphs or pictographs are printed on the face of stamp (right) was produced by Grupo Grafico Romo and is perforated gauge 13% by 131/4.
personal favorites, for their strong, simple de- the stamps. These images are not visible look- signs, which were executed with the aid of Paper varieties and the reaction to UV light
signs featuring Mexican exports and for their ing at the stamp straight on, but the transparent computers. Some of the designs are striking, pose the greatest challenges for the serious
hundreds of collectible varieties. overlays are easily seen under long-wave UV although the subject matter at times appears collector of the Conserva definitives. The sub-
crowded. tle differences might be more than what the av-
The stamp designs were chosen to show typ- erage collector wants to deal with, but for the
ical ecosystems, such as rivers, forests, deserts, brave and hearty souls who love a difficult
tropical jungles, lakes and lagoons. Groupings chase, it is there.
also were made for certain animal families, A major paper change occurred in 2003 with
such as cats, reptiles and eagles. One of these printings on a rather thick matte paper with
groups depicts butterflies, including the bright semigloss gum. New printings of 18 de-
monarch butterfly. nominations were made on this paper. These
Figure 1. A margin copy of the 50-centavo This amazing insect, featured on the 6p stamps are perforated 13 by 131/4.
Figure 2. The monarch butterfly is featured stamp shown in Figure 2, migrates annually Many minor flaws and mistakes occurred
Mexican Conserva definitive showing the flo-
on this Mexican Conserva definitive stamp. from the United States and Canada to breed in during this printing. They include mismatches
ra and fauna found in a mangrove habitat.
light or by holding the stamp so that low-angle the high-altitude forests of the state of Mexico. of the invisible ink overprints, spots, scratches
The Exportas were followed in 1993 by an incident light reflects off its surface. It is considered moderately endangered. and so forth, all strongly indicative of careless-
eight-year run of Tourist stamps, that like the Microprinting, very small printing visible Although prohibited by the government, ness at the printing office.
Exportas before them, rely on paper differ- with strong magnification, was applied above people harvest for firewood the trees the mon- In 2004, both the government printing office
ences for their many varieties. each design as an additional security measure. archs used for resting and breeding. (TIEV) and Grupo Grafico Romo (a private
The Tourist stamps also 'marked the conver- The perforating operation was done sepa- I recently read that the authorities have had contractor) were given orders to print stamps
sion to a revalued peso that had sunk so low rately and involved two machines: a Gammer- some success convincing local residents that to replenish declining inventories.
during the Exporta era. ler perforator of Spanish manufacture and a they can make more money guiding tourists to Grupo Grafico Romo also received the order
The current Mexican definitive stamps are Maschinenbau perforator from Germany. This the butterfly trees than they could by cutting to print panes of 36 stamps arranged in two
called the Conserva series (Spanish) or the resulted in two perforation varieties: gauge 14 them down. Conservationists hope this ap- large blocks of 18 stamps (six by three) sepa-
Conservation series. Collectors refer to the by 141/4 for the Spanish perforator and 13 by proach can continue. rated by a large gutter. These panes were then
stamps as the Conservas. 131/4 for the German one. The ocelot, included on the 10.50p Cat broken into blocks of six and made up as book-
The designs on these colorful stamps focus Early surveys of large stamp inventories re- stamp shown on the right in Figure 3, once was lets. Only two denominations, $8.50 Sea Mam-
on flora and fauna, especially natural environ- veal that nearly all values and designs exist abundant in Mexico. Its diminished numbers mals and $10.50 Cats, were made into book-
ments that deserve conservation attention. with both perforations. are a direct result of poaching and loss of habi- lets.
The Conservas first appeared in February Four different artists collaborated in the de- tat. In 2004, TIEV produced three different
printings of the definitives: a
first printing with 12 denomi-
nations, a second printing
with eight, and a third with
24, for a total of 44 new vari-
eties.
Figure 3 shows stamps
printed by the two printers.
The 5p Rivers stamp on the
left was printed by TIEV. It is
perforated gauge 14 by 14%.
The 10.50p Cat stamp on the
right, printed by Grupo Grafi-
co Rome, is perforated gauge
131/4 by 131/4.
I have intentionally avoided
getting into too many details
in this column, mostly be-
cause such coverage would re-
quire several installments. But
I hope this overview con-
vinces you of the collecting
possibilities for the current
definitive issue of Mexico.
Mexico has settled down fi-
nancially, so the wild inflation
of the Exporta era is not ex-
pected. No doubt more values
in the Conserva series will be
added from time to time as re-
quired by new postage rates.
The series has been out
long enough that new-issue
dealers, both in the United
States and in Mexico, have de-
veloped some logical organi-
zation to their price lists for
the Conserva stamps.
I think it would probably
pay to shop around. I have
seen some rather significant
differences in pricing from
one dealer to the next.
Certainly, you can plunge
as deeply into this new area as
your pocketbook will permit.
Some of the so-called errors
already carry price tags in the
high two to three figures.
Whether stamps actually
change hands at these prices I
cannot say.
Still, many moderately
priced and attractive stamps
are available in this series, and
some of them will appeal to
topical collectors who special-
ize in plants and animals. ■
12 LINN'S S1imv1P NEWS JULY 25, 2005 diw.linns.com

Is there a connection between quantity and price?

At the end of June, Mexico have a face value of about $3. role in the sale of Mexican of 1934. These stamps were ular and have appreciated sub- In previous Mexico col-
issued a set of five stamps A price of $125 is an in- postage stamps. deliberately issued to raise stantially over the years. umns in Linn's, I have dis-
commemorating a cartoon stance of mob psychology In 1935, Amelia Earhart funds for the National Univer- Prices peaked during the spec- cussed postal issues printed
character named Memin Pin- overriding basic economics made a goodwill airplane sity of Mexico. ulative run-up of the early by mistake or by accident on
guin. and common sense. flight to Mexico. Stamps The top denominations in 1980s but have since subsided paper normally reserved for
Memin is a black child with I expect to obtain my set specifically commemorating the surface- and airmail-rate somewhat.
the flight were not issued, but Again, the key stamps in
the existing 20-centavo Alle- the set are scarce but not rare.
Mexico gory of Flight airmail stamp
was overprinted in honor of
They are offered in most large
Mexican sales, and you can
By Dale Pulver
the flight (Scott C74). The buy them if you have the mon-
stamp is shown in Figure 2. ey to compete.
exaggerated features who ap- The issue, which consisted Quantity and price are fair-
pears in a popular comic book of only 300 overprinted ly closely tied in the classic
that has been around Mexico stamps, was manipulated by era of Mexican stamps. Col-
for almost 60 years. Figure 1 Earhart's husband, George Figure 2. Few of the stamps lectors of these stamps tend to
shows one of the new 6.50-pe- Putnam, and only a token few overprinted for Amelia Ear- be more measured and serious
so stamps. were made available to the hart's 1935 goodwill flight to in their approach to the hobby.
United States activists de- general public. Mexico were made available Nonetheless, a stamp can
cried the issue as racist, and Mexican stamp dealers to the general public. change hands at multiples of
newspaper stories sprang up were furious and raised so Scott catalog value that aston-
Figure 3. The 10-peso 1934
in the United States like dan- Lo ((loco turo many objections that the over- series were intentionally lim- ish the uninitiated.
Pro-Universidad stamp was
delions in a spring lawn. Ef- printed variety was not offi- ited in quantity to make them First-issue stamps of 1856
forts to have the issue with- en Mexico cially recognized for several desirable for collectors. The from postal districts where
, of 1,000.
issued in a quantity
drawn were not successful. years. Still, the first of these 10p surface-rate stamp was is- only a handful are recorded
Even though 150,000 stamps to reach the philatelic sued in a quantity of 1,000, routinely bring prices in the revenue stamps. Examples in-
stamps were printed of each of Figure 1. Mexico issued this market sold for high prices. and the 20p airmail stamp in a high three to four figures. clude the 10c Monument
five designs in the set, the is- and four other stamps in late Prices continued to climb quantity of 1,500. Figure 3 The only recorded example stamp (Scott 727A), the 5c
sue sold out within days. June showing the comic book because collector demand was shows the 10p stamp. of the 1856 2-real yellow- olive-brown of the 1934-40 is-
Obviously, many of the character Memin Pinguin. strong, and the supply was rel- One sheet of the 10p stamp green Miguel Hidalgo stamp sue (733B) and the 10c violet
buyers were collectors and atively small. was printed on unwater- (Scott 3) from the postal dis- of the same issue (735A).
dealers, but it appears there from a new-issue dealer, and The Scott Standard Postage marked paper (Scott 706a), so trict of Baja California is ru- These rare varieties were
was a hoard of speculators because of all of the hubbub I Stamp Catalogue values the it is the scarcest variety. mored to have changed hands found by patient and meticu-
who believed the flurry of might have to pay a bit more overprinted stamp at $3,250 The high-denomination at more than 2,000 times its lous stamp collectors some
publicity would drive up than usual. for unused, hinged and at stamps sold out the first day Scott catalog value. time after the stamps were is-
prices for the set as a desir- But I cannot believe that $4,000 for used. they were on sale, according Here is a clear instance of a sued.
able, if not controversial, col- with a printing of 150,000 sets It cannot be considered a to reports. Again, some deal- willing, well-heeled buyer re- The 15c light greenish-blue
lectible. there won't be enough stamps rare stamp. Scarce, yes, but it ers were upset that more were alizing he might have only from the same issue, but is-
One newspaper article I to satisfy all requirements, in- is generally available in the not available. But 10p and 20p one opportunity in his lifetime sued in 1946 on paper water-
read reported that people were cluding the nonstamp collect- larger auctions of Mexican was a lot of money in those of acquiring this stamp. marked "S.H.C.P. MEXICO"
bidding more than $125 in ing community. The Memin material. All you need is a ro- Depression years, and many Other instances of the quan- with an eagle in a circle (Scott
eBay auctions for the stamps. Pinguin stamps will never be bust checking account bal- collectors could not afford tity-price ratio at work arise 795A), falls into this after-
This is absu1d. The face rare or even scarce. ance. such an indulgence. from the discovery of stamps the-fact category.
value of the stamps is 6.50p This is not the first time ad- A similar situation exists The 1934 Pro-Universidad that are different from what It is probable that several
each, or about 600, so the five verse publicity has played a for the Pro-Universidad issue stamps have proven to be pop- they are supposed to be. thousand examples of this va-
,,. .vw.zillionsofstamps.coM
riety were printed. As soon as United States philately is the rarity. I could not find the
it was identified, collectors 240 Inverted Jenny airmail of price realized, but 1 would
and dealers scrambled to 1918 (Scott C3a). This error judge it was well into the four
check inventories in post of- happened because it was a bi- figures.
fices likely to have been sup- color printing, and the vi- A number of printing flaws
plied with the variety, but few gnette is upside down with re- and minor mistakes in mod-
were found. spect to the frame. ern issues bring premium
That is why the $325 Scott The same thing occurred prices in the market depend-
catalog value for a mint, nev- with a few Mexican stamps. ing on the perceived impor-
er-hinged stamp is so much The 1915-16 1p and 5p bicol- tance of the error.
greater than the $60 value for or stamps are both known In many cases, the scarcity
a used stamp. with inverted centers (Scott of an item cannot be accurate-
The 50c Head in Profile 513a-14a). It could be argUed ly established, and early high
green airmail of 1953 (Scott that these varieties were not prices might not hold. There
C212) is another example of a completely accidental be- is always the possibility that
scarce variety that was totally cause Mexican postal offi- new examples will surface.
unexpected. cials were fully aware of the Savvy dealers often hold
The 50c stamp paid a com- quirky desires of stamp col- back on sales of items when
mon airmail rate. Inventory lectors. they have several to see where
stocks were adequate from the But there is a fully legiti- the market levels off.
issue of 1950-52, so when the mate invert in the 1921 10c Going back to my first ex--
initial printings of the 5c, 10c, bicolor stamp commemorat- ample of Memin Pinguin, I ex-
30c, 40c, 80c, 1p, 5p, 10p and ing the 1821 meeting of Au- pect that early speculators
20p stamps (Scott C208-11, gustin de Iturbide and Vin- might try to take their gains and
C213-17) were reordered and cente Guerrero during Mexi- run. If so, the reported prices
printed on paper with the co's struggle for indepen- on eBay will sink rapidly.
multiple "MEX"-and-eagle- dence (Scott 632a). The Scott The serious collector might
in-circle watermark oriented catalog values the stamp at want to secure cleanly can-
horizontally, the 50c denomi- $25,000. The value is listed in celed examples of the Memin
nation was not among them. italics, however, meaning that Pinguin stamps on or off cov-
the stamp is seldom on the er. Covers would be desirable
How the 50c value of 1953
market. to future postal historians.
came to be printed remains a
I can recall only one in- They are probably not what
mystery, but a few sheets were
stance of this stamp changing the average speculator would
produced and distributed to a
hands publicly, so it is truly a think of creating. III
few post offices.
The 50c watermark varier)/
was discovered by a collector
who never imagined that it
would be scarce because of its
common usage.
Once the word got around,
virtually all of the stamps had
been sold and used. Another
rarity was born.
Finally, there are the print-
ing mistakes that create desir-
able and collectible varieties.
The most famous error in
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 22, 2005 www.linns.com

Foreign leaders honored on Mexican stamps

Topical collectors focus on tion, but I am reasonably sure 1990 (Scott 1646), a 700p de- other countries, mostly on the
what stamps picture or what you could find ample materi- nomination marking the occasion of state visits. Ap-
or who they honor rather than al to pursue such a collection 150th anniversary of the Pen- parently Mexico, unlike the
technical aspects of stamps of stamps from a number of ny Black. United States, had no rule
and their usage. countries. In June 1947, the interna- against showing living people
Nearly every country has In 1940, Mexico issued two tional stamp convention on stamps.
named Cipex was held in New In April 1962, a 40c stamp
York City. This coincided was issued to mark a state vis-
Mexico with the 100th anniversary of it to Mexico of Brazil's presi- Figure 4. Two Mexican stamps honor President Kennedy.
By Dale Pulver the first United States postage dent Joao Goulart (Scott 921). office when the Chamizal surface-mail stamp (940) for
stamps. To honor the event, In December 1962, Jorge Treaty was ratified. his visit in November.
Mexico issued five stamps, Allesandri Rodriguez, presi- The Chamizal, a small The year 1964 brought still
postage stamps that appeal to two surface mail (Scott 826- dent of Chile, was similarly
this approach. chunk of land that was isolat- more Mexican stamps depict-
27) and three airmail (C167- honored on a 20c stamp
ed politically from Mexico ing foreign dignitaries. In
In browsing through the Figure 2. President Roo- 69). (Scott 927), as was Romulo
Scott Standard Postage Stamp when the Rio Grande changed February, a 80c airmail stamp
sevelt is shown on this 1947 Three of the stamps include Betancourt of Venezuela in course and was developed as honoring the 15th anniversary
Catalogue, I noted that Mexi- Mexican stamp honoring an image of President February 1963 (932). part of El Paso, Texas, was the of the Declaration of Human
co has issued a number of the 1947 Cipex stamp show. Franklin Roosevelt. The 25c Figure 3 depicts the stamps
subject of a century-long dis- Rights (Scott C280) bore a
stamps portraying political surface-mail stamp is pic- commemorating the three
pute between Mexico and the portrait of Eleanor Roosevelt,
leaders of other nations. sets of stamps, five surface tured in Figure 2. state visits. United States. long associated with the aims
I do not know if this is le- mail (Scott 754-58) and five Roosevelt was well known In the meantime, President Under terms of the treaty, a and objectives of the civil
gitimate for a topical collec- airmail (C103-07), featuring as a stamp collector. Because John F. Kennedy, visited Mex-
parcel of this land was for- rights movement.
Queen Victoria, of England. of his foreign policies, he also ico in June 1962, and his visit
mally returned to Mexico. In March, a 2p airmail
The stamps commemorate the was revered as a good friend was commemorated with an The ceremony was attended stamp was issued for the visit
100th anniversary of the of Mexico and other Latin 80c airmail stamp (Scott by President Kennedy and of French President Charles
world's first adhesive postage American countries. 262).
President Lopez Mateo of de Gaulle (Scott C281). In
stamp, the Penny Black of In the 1960s, Mexico is- Kennedy also banked fur- Mexico. May, Queen Juliana of the
Great Britain. sued numerous stamps por- ther political capital with the
An 80c airmail stamp Netherlands visited Mexico
The 20-centavo airmail traying world leaders from Mexicans as the president in
(Scott C282), issued April 11, and was honored on an 80c
stamp is shown in Figure 1. 1964, after Kennedy's un- airmail stamp (C283), shown
These stamps were aimed at — VISITA DEL PttOOINTI Or' VISITE. OIL P211110INIE DI
timely death, shows the hand- in Figure 5.
LA RIPUSLICA DI CHILI LA alEUELICA DI VINIZUILA
the stamp-collecting commu- shake between Kennedy and
JORGE ALESSANDRI Royalty again took center
nity, and the 5p high values of Lopez Mateo sealing the deal. stage in 1965 when King
both sets were printed in The two Kennedy stamps, Bauduin and Queen Fabiolo
quantities of only 10,000 are illustrated in Figure 4. of Belgium traveled to Mexi-
each. Mexico honored two more co. Their visit was marked
The 5p stamp would be re- foreign leaders on stamps is- with a 2p airmail stamp (Scott
quired only on heavy parcels sued in 1963. C306).
or registered valuables. Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia In 1966, United Nations
Still, the stamps were popu- visited in October and was Secretary General U Thant
lar, and the lower values 20
R 1 •. r CI

MEXICO
R 1.2 F
honored on a 2p airmail visited Mexico and was com-
MEXICO
Figure 1. This Mexican found wide usage within stamp (Scott C275), and Vic- memorated on an 80c airmail
stamp pictures Queen Victo- Mexico. tor Paz Estenssoro of Bolivia stamp (Scott C3I6).
ria and honors the 100th an- Queen Victoria appears Figure 3. Three Mexican stamps from the early 1960s honor was commemorated on a 40c Why were there so many
niversary of the first stamp. again on a Mexican stamp in state visits of the leaders of Brazil, Chile and Venezuela.
www.zillionsofstamps.com AUGUST 22, 2005 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 29
Mexican stamps honoring for- of diplomatic relations with
eign dignitaries at that time? I Spain.
can think of two reasons. Figure 6 shows the 4.30p
First, Mexico was -about to stamp (Scott C5379), featur-
host the Olympic Games in ing President Jose Lopez Por-
1968, and great efforts were tillo of Mexico and King Juan
being made to burnish its im- Carlos of Spain. Both leaders
age as an emerging nation ca- were alive at the time, and
pable of undertaking that Figure 5. Mexico issued this King Juan Carlos is still liv-
huge and demanding project. 80-centavo airmail stamp ing today.
The idea of hosting such a for the 1964 visit of Queen Finally, the head of state of
complicated, elaborate and Juliana of the Netherlands. Vatican City, Pope John Paul
expensive international event II, visited Mexico in 1990 and
had many local detractors, es- was honored on a 700p multi-
pecially among university stu- color stamp (Scott 1648).
dents and underprivileged If you want to delve into
classes who felt the money this topic further, acquiring
could be better spent improv- the basic stamps will not be
ing the plight of Mexico's difficult and, with the excep-
poor. tion of the more-expensive
The second reason is that Penny Black stamp, will not
Figure 6. A 1977 Mexican
one of the advisors to postal stamp honoring the resump- drain your pocketbook.
authorities that selected stamp tion of diplomatic relations I was able to find the
subjects favored stamp col- with Spain shows Mexico's stamps used to illustrate this
lecting, and he felt that the article in a recent circuit book
president and Spain's king.
more commemorative issues from the American Philatelic
the better. visits all but disappeared from Society, and they cost less
He argued that sales to col- the Mexican postal scene. than $8.
lectors represented substantial Had the rules changed regard- What may prove to be a
revenue for which service ing foreign dignitaries? I do challenge, however, is finding
would never be required. not know. contemporary covers with the
After the busy 1960s However, in 1977, a set was stamps paying correct rates.
decade, stamps marking state issued to mark the resumption That's where the fun begins. ■
12 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 26, 2005 www.linns.com

Collector association produces fine journal

Stamp collecting appears to be alive and used, the perforation gauge, the quantity is- Serrane was most active during the first to English-only readers. But if you collect
well in Mexico. Every three months, I receive sued, the date of issue and a short description three decades of the 20th century, and his ob- Mexican stamps seriously, it would be a good
a beautifully produced publication from the of the subject matter. servations and sketches outlining the differ- opportunity to improve your skills with that
Asociacion Mexicana de Filatelia AC, also The April-June issue also contains longer ar- ences between genuine stamps and forgeries language. Besides, philatelic terms and words
known as Amexfil. This group is probably the ticles, mostly on Mexican stamps. One article are valid even today, especially on the early are virtually the same in both languages.
closest Mexican counterpart to the American discusses the perforation varieties of the 1966 classics. Finally, the journal arrived in my mailbox in

Mexico -: A A. .—.
--,--7-
.. ;.-
AAA;
_ A A ,''.
By Dale Pulver ,
't A. .A '2.,:1■4-.'-',--; ,-; —
AA° N30. Tome XL and 411. 6117kr. *ha . I. inIkM. 7 / a *down US
DITORI•L
Philatelic Society in the United States. orrroborron•..61...1.
I have been a member of Amexfil for about H...._........_..............
........ , .., .... •••••••, •.•

20 years, almost from the time it was founded. ......,611... **M. ■•■••■•■••
■• rm. ... •• won 1••• de •••• .• ••
••• • I••••• •■•• •• •••••••••
Annual dues for a foreign membership are :J..* a.m. .. ••••• ••• ••••••
• l• limo min 16 pal. • um* • do ••• •

not cheap ($40), but because I write a regular '

.. "'0....."..""r
1'..'..t.:X"'''....'"
....a • r••• • ••••r. '''.
''.... "'...'...... 70.".r" ...."•:::"'.-
• la 111•11. • •••••

column for Linn's about Mexican stamps, I feel AIL

••■•••••••••••••••••••••
•••••• cd•leco••• • ••••■••• •■•••• • •••••
Oa. •••• do* ••■• ••• .0**

it is important to keep abreast of the stamp • In•• =

d.•••• *ode,
.••••• ■••• • ■•••••••...

scene south of the Rio Grande. Also, the asso- L.' ...... •••• (••••••• ••• • i••• ea r••• ••• •••••• •
...ma ••■•••••• 0,*

ciation's quarterly journal is quite informative; :

I
' ...' .— .......4.1.....,.................
Oa • Plom • • ■•••■■ 4••••••• • t• •••••

■ 4.1..
...'^' .."."‘'
.
with good articles, interesting news and often .4.40 A . ad
Ay:r If+
"""'....-'"'"""*"..
Oh* v ,.......... Ada••■■•4 •••
.. dee •••••• ••••••, • ■•• ma. Figure 2. Stamps on a brown kraft envelope that contained a copy of the Mexican associa-
provocative opinions by its writers and editors. :-.
.C,O,

.•• • MR az." ••■••••••••••••.•

•.....7..-,
.7q. Z.

......r
•••• •,..,......4
NO...
-7_,..

.... —g...r- P.... • ••••••• d, tion of philately's journal, shown graphically cropped. The envelope was sent to the United
Figure 1 pictures the cover of a recent issue Al* ......Fro.. 61.. ...ram. • •■•• woo . 0••••■•• • C••••••■ an States bearing four 6.50-peso and a pair of 2.30p stamps in the Tourist series.
(April-June). Amexfil 's logo, shown at the top 4....... a ...kor r .. r .. yr... r■ ............rer morrow.
or*. row um rim to ...row •••• ■••• ta •••• ...Ow • Yam un ■• k•••••••■ •yan
•••••••••••■ •••
••••
of the page, reproduces an old postal marking
••••• a* Is
1••••• • ••••• •••• • Ado 4, ,.••• Ay. ••••41 ...or •• 410. OW. of ••••• • kw
•••••••
Another article especially appealing to me a brown kraft envelope franked with stamps of
A• ...dd....0.P. •.•••■••••••= .
•••1 ....IA [•••• ...wow... a.. •• coo..
showing a galloping horse with a wind-blown deals with the blue 1/2-real stamp of 1856 (Scott the Tourist issue. It was mailed Aug. 10 at
banner streaming from its mouth. The words R.. dt 1•
entrOl . •11
iCiii“
1•01.11
De
... .
I
.8111,
MARCO'
. 10.000.•
1). While that stamp was assigned the first num- Tlanepantla, a suburb of Mexico City, and
on the banner are too small to read clearly, but ber in the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Cata- reached me Aug. 24, not very fast for some-
I believe they tout the Mexican postal service. logue, there is no proof that it was the first Mex- thing marked "AIR MAIL." This, incidentally,
The cover page of the April-June issue fea- Figure 1. The cover of the spring 2005 issue ican stamp printed or sold. Four other denomi- is a class of domestic service no longer recog-
tures a short editorial on the opposing politics of the quarterly journal of the Mexican as- nations were issued at the same time. It was the nized in either Mexico or the United States.
of the Mexican postal system (Sepomex) and sociation of philately, known as Amexfil. lowest value so it took its place as first in line. The franking consisted of a neat block of
participants in the stamp hobby. 80-centavo UNESCO airmail stamp (Scott The magazine is a high quality, slick-paper four of the 6.50-peso Queretaro Tourist stamp
Two rather interesting covers are illustrated C321), and another treats in considerable detail publication in color produced by Grupo Grafi- and a vertical pair of the 2.30p Chiapas Tourist
in the journal: an 1871 official letter carried by the so-called Tourist definitive (regular-issue) co Romo, the same firm that frequently prints stamp, as shown in Figure 2. The stamps are
small boat from Progresso to La Laguna, both series of 1993. postage stamps for the Mexican post office. shown graphically cropped from the envelope.
seaports on the Gulf of Mexico, and an 1899 The later article includes text of the official Lately, the issues of the journal have been The franking total of 33.60p is roughly equiv-
registered commercial letter with a rather elab- directive authorizing those stamps. The article running to 24 pages, not including a loose alent to U.S,$3.85, so postage for the four is-
orate merchants cachet. also lists the 78 face-different stamps and pro- bonus supplement with stories about some of sues each year consumes a substantial part of
A regular feature of the Amexfil journal is a vides descriptions of the 12 distinct papers that Mexico's rarities or enigmatic issues. These the membership fee.
review of new issues. These thumbnail sketch- were used in their printings. engaging stories are published in three lan- If you are interestined in joining this associa-
es, complete with color photos, are useful to Another useful piece is a translation of the guages: Spanish, French and English. tion, drop a note to me, Dale Pulver, in care of
collectors of modern stamps. The listings give notes on Mexican forgeries by Belgian expert Otherwise, the balance of the magazine is Linn's Editor, Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365, and I
the format of the stamp, the printing process Fernand Serrane. published in Spanish. This might be a deterrent will send more information. •
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 24, 2005 www.linns.com

Pleasant search through Mexican cover box

Stamp collectors in north- After exchanging pleas- such as the covers pictured in The reduced rate remained in
eastern Ohio where I live are antries, I asked Leszak if he Figures 1, 2 and 4. effect for only about a year CLUB DE LEDNES
blessed with an abundance of had any covers from Mexico. The Figure 1 cover originat- during 1927.
stamp shows and dealer And to my surprise, he set be- ed in 1927 in Teziutlan, a The reason for this reduc-
bourses (sales areas) virtually fore me a long box from behind small town in the Mexican tion remains elusive. It is ru- APART. 00 Ma. II
year round. his table and said "have fun." state of Puebla. mored it had something to do NACOp SON,. MEX.
Even in the summer months, Generally I do not find too What first caught my eye with encouraging airmail ser-
vice, which was then just get- LION INMENATIONAL
350 Mccormik 332 6. :dell. Avenue,
ting started. 6hieaKoa
Mexico JOIkk O CADALUPIC TAPIA
•••RT11.00 NOY 10
How this reduction was
supposed to help escapes me.
By Dale Pulver TEZIUTLAN. PUE. MET
And it appears it didn't help
LA HACIENDA CNY.
the postal service either, be-
when we are catching rays with cause the 10c rate was re-
visits to the beaches and parks pemIcilio conocido.
stored in early 1928. Figure 2. This stampless cover was sent from the Lions Club
along Lake Erie, dealers orga- NUEVA YORK.,E. U. A. The cover is addressed to of Naco, Mexico, to the Lions headquarters in Chicago.
nize bourses to satisfy the "La Hacienda CNY, Domicilio time had millions of valid ad- Mexico, to the Lions interna-
ever-present longing for new conocida, NUEVA YORK, dresses. I must assume that tional headquarters in Chica-
acquisitions. E.U.A." My rough translation someone at the main post of- go. It bears no stamp. But at
I visited one of these sum- is "The Treasury, C(ity of) fice was fluent in Spanish and its upper right is an imprint
mer bourses a month or so N(ew) Y(ork), at a known ad- figured out that it probably that reads, "Franquicia Postal
ago, mostly to meet John 1
dress, New York, USA." was intended for someone at por Decreto Presidencial pub-
Leszak, who edits Mekeels & Figure 1. This 1927 cover from Teziutlan, Mexico, is simply The address includes no city hall. licado en el Diario Oficial
Stamps magazine and whose addressed to the treasury of the city of New York. street number, post office box, Would such a briefly ad- 7/8/48." A close-up of the im-
lively weekly editorials I al- many things to add to my seri- was the 8-centavo franking borough or other detail to fa- dressed letter find its way to print is shown in Figure 3.
ways find interesting. Leszak ous collections from such as- using a 1926 Benito Juarez cilitate its delivery. its recipient today? I doubt it. This inscription indicates
also is a stamp dealer, operat- sortments. But I occasionally stamp (Scott 666). This stamp The envelope gives every The cover shown in Figure that special postal privileges
ing Cover Connection out of do find unusual items to share represents a first-class rate indication that it was duly de- 2 was sent from the Lions were extended to service clubs,
his home in Buffalo, N.Y. through my column in Linn's, that was reduced from 10c. livered in a city that at the Club of Naco, Sonora state, universities and the like for
www.zillionsofstamps.com

aunt. ;:sr th.rvice.

VfA York .'*!M ,krtford
New *.-!oven 6, Conn.
U..A.

Figure 3. The imprint on the

cover shown in Figure 2 in-
dicates that special postal
Figure 4. The cancellation on this cover sent from Mexico to
privileges were given to ser-
New Haven, Conn., reads "DISTRIBUDORA 2." The cover
vice clubs and universities.
is franked with the 1-centavo and 4c 1937 definitive stamps.
their official correspondence.
In many years of browsing vice for the New York, New But what intrigued me on
through cover boxes, I've only Haven and Hartford Railroad the cover shown in Figure 4
encountered a few of these in New Haven, Conn. was the neatly struck cancel-
covers. Because they don't This envelope probably lation. This "DISTRIBUDO-
bear stamps, dealers probably contained a locator slip advis- RA 2" marking was applied at
feel there will be little interest ing the home office of the the Mexican main post office.
in them. However, such cov- whereabouts of a car owned This marking is new to me.
ers are part of the postal his- by the railroad. I would guess that it was used
tory of a country, and in the The unsealed cover has an in an office that sorted for-
case of Mexico, fairly scarce attractive bicolor franking of eign mail by country or major
and worth looking for. the lc orange and 4c carmine destinations.
The envelope depicted in stamps of the 1937 small de- These three covers are a
Figure 4 was sent from the na- finitives (Scott 729 and 731). sampling of a pleasant search
tional railways of Mexico to I saw several covers similar to through several hundred mod-
the superintendent of car ser- this one in Leszak's box. erately priced covers. ■
58 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 28, 2005 www.linns.com

Market for quality Mexican stamps thrives

Nicholas Follansbee's pub- ting estimates of what he stamps from that era. The offering of the 1868 is- tify a listing as a single lot. The buyers of job lots are
lic auction Oct. 15 in Reno, thought the lots should bring. I was able to secure a few sue was large and provided Obviously, there's no problem often dealers who break them
Nev., showed market strength And when the sale was com- choice items for my own col- collectors of this issue oppor- with stamps that will bring, down further and offer them
for quality Mexican stamps plete and the prices tallied up, lection of these stamps but tunities to acquire many say $100 or more. But the to their customers. It's a tick-
and covers. the total realization came was outbid on several other scarce to rare stamps for their economics of catalog produc- lish game because one has to
As far as I know, Follansbee comfortably within the range items I had my sights set on. collections. tion and distribution do not be careful not to spend too
Early Mexican stamps re- Among highlights were full much so the individual items
ceived overprinted district sheets of 50 of the 6-centavo can be priced to sell quickly
Mexico names at the point of sale, and
many of the rare districts sold
thin figure from stone A,
probably the only example
and not tie up capital by lan-
guishing in inventory.
By Dale Pulver at or above Follansbee's esti- known, and a full sheet of the Savvy collectors often buy
mates (or at the values in his 12c, also from stone A. job lots to pick over for items
is the only auctioneer in the own specialized catalog). Individual stamps and mul- to enhance their own collec-
United States who restricts his Good examples would be an tiples, which made up the bulk tions. They then plow what
sales exclusively to Mexican 1856 2-real Polotitlan ham- of this section, brought good they don't need back into the
philatelic material. mered down for $2,200, just a prices. market by way of circuit
The frequency of his auc- bit less than the $2,500- The balance of the sale con- 14 BR 130 L books, dealers or future auc-
tions depends on the material $3,000 estimate. Prices cited tained small but select groups tions.
consigned to him, but recently do not include buyer's com- of the later 19th-century is- This was a tactic used by
he has averaged about one mission of 10 percent. sues and a smattering of better John Bash, who endeavored to
Figure 2. This Mexican 50-
sale per year. Two Sultepec stamps, the items from the 20th century. amass as many of the thou-
centavo Victory at Torreon
I have touted Follansbee's 1856 Y2r and 1 r went for Most of these modem-era sands of varieties of Eagle
Figure 1. This 1856 2-real overprint on piece sold for
auctions several times in pre- $1,700 and $1,250, respec- stamps are no longer hot and stamps as he possibly could.
Mexican stamp from the dis- about a third of catalog val-
vious columns. tively, handily exceeding the can be acquired at substantial Many of his duplicates came
trict of Yguala caused a bid- ue at an Oct. 15 auction.
His catalogs, although lack- presale top estimates of discounts from the valuations to me in trades.
ing the color and gloss of ding war at the Oct. 15 Fol- $1,000 and $800. in the Scott Standard Postage permit a stamp expected to In summary, what did this
some of the bigger houses, are lansbee auction. It was ham- A 2r Yguala with name ig- Stamp Catalogue. fetch $10, no matter how fine auction tell us?
carefully crafted. They con- mered down for $1,700. nited a floor fight, with the The key values of the 1914 or beautiful, to have its own First, the market for rare,
tain accurate descriptions of estimates he provided. winner paying $1,700 against Victory at Torreon overprints, line in the auction catalog. top-grade Mexican stamps
with a great deal of anecdotal Follansbee had assured me the estimate of $1,200. the 20c and 50c, canceled on This problem is solved by and covers is as strong as ever.
text that renders them valu- that this year was an excellent This stamp is shown in Fig- piece sold for $800 and grouping stamps or covers in- Collectors who have made
able reference material in time to dispose of stampless ure 1. It is rarely offered for $1,000, respectively, about to single lots, sometimes steady purchases of higher-
their own right. material because the market sale and demonstrates what one-third of their catalog val- called job lots. The skill the priced Mexican items over the
Follansbee has a loyal fol- for it was hot and there were serious buyers will do to own ues. Figure 2 shows the 50c auctioneer uses to form such years will find that their col-
lowing, and he consistently many eager buyers. His pre- a stamp of which only a hand- stamp. lots has a large bearing on the lections have probably appre-
achieves good returns for his diction was right on the mark. ful are known. The 1934 Pro-University results obtained. ciated in value quite nicely.
clients. The• sale also contained A 2r stamp from a common sets went for less than half Follansbee does an out- Also, there continues to be
This sale, his 17th, was es- properties of other owners, district would trade at be- catalog. standing job at this, and the a eager group of buyers will-
pecially significant for me. In with material spanning the tween $2 and $5. Every collection offered for results show it. ing to open their wallets to ac-
March of this year, I con- years right up into the late Prices realized for the Ea- sale at auction contains hun- Many of the stampless cov- quire such material.
signed my prestamp cover col- 20th century. gles and Maximilian stamps dreds of stamps of low to er groups in the sale brought And finally, there is plenty
lection and exhibit to Follans- Prices for the 1856-61 first- were not nearly as robust, medium value that do not far more than I expected they of less expensive material
bee for his next sale. design issues were especially although the small collection merit individual listing. would. The same can be said moving in the market for
He did an outstanding job strong, reflected in some out- I consigned for this sale Auctioneers usually set a of the lots containing several those collectors on more mod-
of lotting the material and set- standing examples of rare brought a satisfactory sum. value that must be met to jus- stamps, covers or both. est budgets. ■
42 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 26, 2005
www.linns.com

Mexican airmails; Memin stamps; butterflies

I generally use the Decem- which I am aware is a regret- the matter seemed to subside ly high prices should be ig-
ber Mexico column to make table weakness for stamps." almost as quickly as it arose. nored as an ample quantity
brief comments on the state of Weddell also states that he I received several letters had been printed for the needs
lvicxhatii Ai:tart. "..A +1. va, -:«11 I— the 41-
47.10-S*Y— '- JulaC-AVUeelen:---- -
spond to letters from Linn 's "first airmail out of Mexico to from local newspapers. I received my set of Memin
readers who were kind enough the U.S." Pinquin stamps from a new-
He added that as a result of issue dealer for just under two
four years of residing in Mex- times face value in U.S. dol-
ico he harbors some skepti- lars.
Mexico cism whether the event will •
By Dale Pulver take place as scheduled on Collectors who search for
Oct. 1. But it must have come better classic material for
to write. I appreciate input close because there are back- their collections were well
from readers because it often stamps confirming transit at served in 2005.
gives me ideas and back- the border Oct. 3 and receipt Figure 2. Monarch butter- I mentioned Nicholas Fol-
in Washington Oct. 6. flies are shown on this Mexi- lansbee's October auction in
ground for future columns.
• can joint issue with Canada. the column in the Nov. 28
In response to my column Figure 1. Mexico's Memin Pinquin stamps initially caused
in the May 23 Linn 's, page 50, In midsummer, Mexico is- Linn 's, page 58.
controversy and long lines at Mexico's post offices. The con- sued a set of five stamps com- Some of the photos with the David Feldman, a 'European
on Mexican airmail, a long- troversy and demand for the stamps soon quieted down.
time Linn's reader sent me a memorating the cartoon char- news reports, such as the pho- auction house, conducted a
color photocopy of a first- advance publicity, and covers Arthur Poillon at the Depart- acter Memin Pinquin. This to shown in Figure 1, pictured sale May 21-25 with some
flight cover. from this flight are not rare. ment of War in Washington, caused an uproar in activist people waiting in line at post outstanding classic Mexican
This cover, dated Oct. I, What made this one so inter- D.C. circles focused on human offices in Mexico to purchase stamps and covers.
1928, marked the inaugura- esting was the enclosed letter. Poillon was a stamp collec- rights and race issues. the stamps. I have not bid in an overseas
tion of airmail service from It was written by Alexander tor, and the first line of the let- Appeals to Mexican Presi- I noted in the Mexico col- auction recently, because of
Mexico City to the United Weddell, American consul ter reads, "Your only depar- dent Vicente Fox to order the umn in the July 25 Linn 's, the complexities of bidding
States via Nuevo Laredo. general at the U.S. embassy in ture from normality and com- withdrawal of the stamps fell page 12, that eBay offerings through agents and settling
The event received a lot of Mexico City, to Lt. Col. plete sanity and serenity of on deaf ears, and eventually of these stamps at outrageous- accounts by foreign exchange,
and I feel that you must bid authorities have tried to con- The previous Scott catalog I
more money in foreign auc- vince local peasants to quit owned was the 2000 edition.
tions to be successful. cutting the trees the monarchs The new 2006 catalog is in
San Francisco auctioneer use for roosting and instead color on coated paper and
Schuyler Rumsey offered a cater to the many tourists who weighs a ton. It has 1,430
small group of spectacular come to view them. pages, 69 of which are devot-
classic Mexican stamps in a These marvels of nature ed to Mexico.
Dec. 2-4 sale. It is rumored have been pictured on several The volume is too limber to
that this property was assem- Mexican postage stamps, in- stand by itself in the bookcase
bled more than 40 years ago cluding a 1998 set (Scott — it has to be sandwiched be-
and has laid dormant since 1559-62) and a 1995 joint is- tween other books or stored
that time. sue with Canada (1924). The on its side. But I am glad to
• 1995 2.70-peso stamp is see the color, despite certain
A recent Associated Press shown in Figure 2. shortcomings, which will help
report noted that 200 million • collectors of the modern is-
monarch butterflies are ex- I finally broke down and sues especially.
pected to return to Mexico gave myself an early Christ- I haven't had a chance to
this year for their winter so- mas present in the form of a study it carefully, but I will
journ. 2006 Vol. 4 of the Scott Stan- and plan to make comments
This is in contrast to the dard Postage Stamp Cata- in a future column.
some 23 million monarch but- logue. This volume includes My sincere best wishes to
terflies that succeeded in Mexico. all for the holidays and a great
making the trip last year. Ad- I don't do this very often. new year. ■
verse weather and other caus-
es kept the numbers down.
These remarkable insects
migrate from throughout the
United States and southern
Canada to a small area in the
mountains west of Mexico
City near the town of An-
gangueo. For years, Mexican
48 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 30, 2006 www.linns.com

Revolutionary-era overprints of 1913-16 provide many challenges

One of the most difficult Not only is there a mul- and the book could be a sues: the large "GCM" the cities where the over-
areas of specialization for titude of puzzling emir- 04511-1' %tr. t bit difficult to find. But overprints on the Indepen- prints were applied. The
the collector of Mexico is sions to confound the av- philatelic book specialists, dence issue of 1910 (Scott Hermosillo monogram is
the civil war era of 1913- erage collector, but there such as Jim Lee and Leon- 370-85). the slightly larger of the
16. A quick scan of the seems to have been a good and Hartmann, should be "GCM" refers to the two. This difference is
measure of philatelic mis- able to locate a copy given Mexican constitutionalist mentioned in the Scott
chief going on as well. some time. government, one of sev- standard catalog, but the
Mexico Fortunately, about 10 I recommend this book eral validating overprints would-be specialist needs
By Dale Pulver years ago, Nicholas Fol- highly and consider it to used by constitutionalist to know more.
lansbee wrote the book be an essential companion forces led by Venustiano Scott does make a point
Mexico section in Vol. 4 The Stamps of the Mexi- for those brave souls who Carranza. in the footnote follow-
of the Scott Standard can Revolution, 1913 - would collect and study Figure 1 shows a clear ing No. 385: "Counter-
Postage Stamp Catalogue 1916. It deals with this era these stamps seriously. example on the 5-centavo feits abound," referring
shows why. in meticulous detail. Figure 1. A genuine "GCM" I cannot cover the whole stamp. to the overprints. In fact,
This era was a veritable The Collectors Club overprint on the 5-centavo field of the revolution- Two varieties of the so many counterfeits of
morass of provisional is- of Chicago published the Mexican Independence stamp. ary issues in one article, overprint exist: the Her- this overprint exist that
sues, local printings and book in two printings to- "GCM" refers to the Mexican so I will focus on one of mosillo type and the Ve- it is sometimes difficult
confusing overprints. taling an edition of 600, constitutionalist government the early overprinted is- racruz type, referring to to find genuine examples
www.zillIonsofstamps.com JANUARY 30, 2006 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 49
of even the most common to determine whether it is surely items made to order the good, the bad and the
values. good or bad. These shape for collectors. ugly.
One of the quick tests characteristics are fully de- Collectors, especially But be sure to buy or
for genuineness is to scribed in the Follansbee those in the United States, borrow a copy of the Fol-
check them using cir- book, another good reason have shown a lot of inter- lansbee book. The pages
cles inscribed on a clear for owning the reference. est in the civil war stamps he devotes to these over-
plastic overlay. The Her- The Hermosillo over- of Mexico. Among them prints will be of great
mosillo overprint will fit print, first authorized May was George W. Linn, the help. And he also displays
perfectly inside a 20-mi1- 27, 1914, is found in four founder of Linn's Stamp a group of fake overprints
limeter circle, and the colors: violet, magenta, News. to assist in that area.
Veracruz overprint fits green and black. So if you've made a Unfortunately, the over-
in a 19mm circle. Figure The Veracruz overprint, Figure 2. A genuine Hermosillo overprint is shown on the left 2006 New Year's resolution print specimen illustrated
2 shows a genuine Her- first issued in December Inside a 20-millimeter circle. A forgery is pictured on the right. to try something different, in the Scott catalog is not
mosillo overprint on the 1914, when the Carranza this group of stamps pro- sharply defined, and I feel
left and a crudely forged movement used that city overprint are invariably sideways, pairs with one vides a good challenge. that it probably wouldn't
overprint on the right. as its capital, is found those of the Hermosillo monogram upside down The common values are pass muster as the real
The monogram was of- only in violet. All other type. with respect to the other cheap enough so you can thing.
ten poorly struck, and be- colors should be looked A rather broad assort- and more), can be found. put together an array of I plan to look at some
cause of this it will defy upon with suspicion. ment of so-called errors These stamps, if the bad overprints without too of the other Mexican civil
comparison with other as- The postage due stamps (stamps with double over- monograms pass the tests much expense and learn war stamps in future Mex-
pects of the overprint used with the large "GCM" prints, overprints printed for genuineness, are most to distinguish between ico columns. ■
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 6, 2006 www.linns.com

Markings reveal treatment of Mexican wartime cover from the 1940s

At first glance, the cover The envelope was frank- frank. It states the postage was applied in black at the
shown in Figure 1 does not ed with a Universal Postal (adjustable), the machine main post office. It calls
appear to be anything too Frankers type B meter number and the permit attention to, and presum-
unusual. While not a rare stamp. Although the sec- number under which the ably validates, the meter
item, it does bear an abun- ond digit is barely visible, machine was authorized. franking as legitimate.
Similar markings appear
on much of the metered
Mexico mail out of Mexico City.
By Dale Pulver The markings on the re-
verse of the cover reveal
dance of postal markings. quite a bit about how the
First to catch my eye letter was handled. It en-
was the band along the left tered the Mexican mail-
edge indicating that the stream at a Mexico City Figure 2. The reverse of the cover pictured in Figure 1.
envelope was opened and post office Oct. 17, one
examined by a censor. day after the meter date. on the reverse, dated Oct. words "SPANISH COR-
This window envelope Two sunburst registry 30, is the registry date- RESPONDENCE" in red.
was sent from the National seals were applied across stamp of the Church Street This marking might have
Bank of Mexico in 1944, Figure 1. The front of a metered and censored cover sent Oct. 16, the closure and were tied post office in New York been applied at the Mexi-
during wartime, and virtu- 1944, from the National Bank of Mexico to New York City. with four strikes of a regis- City. The Oct. 30 date can post office because the
ally all foreign mail enter- try handstamp in blue. probably represents the day red ink appears similar to
ing Mexico received this the postage applied was 42 The double-ring mark- A double oval New the letter was delivered. that of the certified hand-
treatment. centayos (12c for the sur- ing, partially obscured on York, N.Y., registry office A faint mark overlaps stamp.
The words "EXAM- face-mail rate and 30c for the cover, is known as the datestamp is dated Oct. 29. the censor tape. It was A six-digit number was
INED BY" are followed the registration fee). town mark. It gives the I assume that most of the applied at the censorship written in red pencil on the
on the cover's reverse by Registration is further location and date that the 12-day interval between the office by the agent who reverse of the cover under
a number designating who confirmed by the label par- meter stamp was applied. time the cover left Mexico examined the letter. the New York registry oval.
did the examining. The lo- tially obscuring the meter Often found to the left City and its arrival at New Much censor tape had I suspect that this was the
cation also could be deter- town mark and the word of the town mark is a logo York City was spent in the a cellophane surface layer, line item number in the
mined from this number. "Certificado" in large red or slogan of the mailing hands of the censors. and the adhesive has dried registry log book.
The reverse of the cover is letters above the window. entity. Although probably Although airmail service up in many cases and the This analysis show that
pictured in Figure 2. Meter stamps consist of too faint to read in the Fig- was probably available, over- cellophane has fallen off. even a mundane commer-
I also can deduce from two, and sometimes three, ure 1 illustration, the mes- land service by train was Two other inscriptions cial window envelope can
markings on the reverse elements. In this example, sage touts the bank. fairly quick too, taking at the round out this examination. have an interesting story to
that the cover was ad- the box in the upper-right The round marking on most four or five days. Beneath the window on the tell. Thanks to Walter Bush
dressed to New York City. corner is known as the the upper left of the cover The magenta handstamp face of the cover are the for sharing the cover. ■
46 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 3, 2006 www.linns.com

Good deal found in recent offer of 250 mint Mexican stamps for $5
A few weeks ago, Mys- I mailed my check on Jan. Scott-listed varieties were Only one more airmail of holes in the time frame cellent value. Part of the
tic Stamp Co. ran an adver- 5, and the stamps arrived on present up through 1982. stamp was issued by Mex- spanned by this mixture. company's purpose was to
tisement in Linn's offering Jan. 20, Of the airmails, the first ico before this class of ser- I was intrigued by the fact entice collectors to accept
"250 Mint Mexico Stamps I took inventory, sorting Scott-listed stamp included vice was abandoned. that the bulk of this mix- approval offerings. The ap-
- Just $5/Special Of- the stamps chronologically was the 1971 2-peso stamp I did not run a tape on ture was concentrated in the provals I. received were all
by Scott number. It is fortu- the total Scott value of the
nate that Mexico prints the stamps, but it would have FILATELIA PAItA LA PAZ
Mexico year of issue in the lower- been substantial. Most of
By Dale Pulver right corner of each stamp. the stamps had Scott cata-
This helped a great deal in log minimum value (200),
fer — Save over 65%." identifying the stamps. but many items were valued 1111111'1/ 11 tillrill IIIILtA'70

A quick mental calcula- All 247 stamps (three at more than $1.
tion told me that the average short of the promised num- For example, the souvenir
cost per stamp would be 20, ber) were mint, never sheet shown in Figure 3, has
so how could I go wrong? hinged. There were 94 a catalog value of $3.50. It
airmail stamps, 153 com- was issued in 1985 to mark lIVILINC71 0111M114 UPLI

memorative or special- the Mexfil stamp show in

event stamps and three Mexico (Scott 1385). A ,i0a-
souvenir sheets included 1974 airmail souvenir sheet
in the mixture. There were Figure 2. This 1980 Mexican for the Exfilmex stamp show .t..L.ox sri9,E
A RE9
no definitive stamps. 1.60-peso airmail stamp bears (C434), also has a hefty cat-
Figure 1 shows the earli- an anti-smoking message. alog value of $3.50. Figure 3. This Mexican souvenir sheet has a catalog value of $3.50.
est commemorative stamp The most expensive item
included, a 1974 40-cen- commemorating the bicen- was a Colonial Monuments years just before the Mexi- for United States stamps,
tavo Pointing Hand stamp tennial of the birth in 1770 strip of four stamps with can peso began its free fall which I no longer collect.
promoting exports (Scott of Mariano Matamoros, a label, issued in 1982 (Scott in the middle 1980s. I thanked the company
revered Mexican patriot 1303-06), which has a cata- I would like to know the
11 --11%.1.mm-1 1051). The _Stamp can be _ log of $15. source of the stock that al-
but added that unless it
had good classic Mexican
considered the precursor to (Scott C388).
the long-running Exporta The airmails included So from the -standpoint -lowed Mystic to wake This -stamps, I was not a good
stamp series that began in in the offer ended in 1980 of value, the headline tout offer. Could it have been candidate for approvals.
1976. with the stamp shown in "Save over 65% (off retail the postal service itself? If this deal nudged a few
CORREOS MEXICO There was a smattering of Figure 2. This 1.65p Skel- price)" was not an exagger- The stamps were virtually collectors to begin collect-
stamps from the late 1970s. eton Smoking stamp (Scott ation. This offer would cer- useless for franking pur- ing Mexico, I am thankful
Figure 1. This 1974 Mexican Beginning with the stamps C635) admonishes against tainly please any collectors poses after 1984. and give Mystic a thumbs
stamp promotes exports. of 1980, nearly all of the using tobacco products. whose albums have a lot This offer provided ex- up for doing so. •
46 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 1, 2006 www.linns.com

Dealer Eduardo Aguirre created various 1928 Mexican first-flight covers

The postal card illus- flight was the inauguration where mail was dropped Mail Catalogue in a sec-
trated in Figure 1 was in- of airmail service from off and picked up. tion about Mexican first
cluded among a stack of Veracruz to Merida, with The datestamp, applied flights authored by Mari-
airmail covers sent to me intermediate stops in cit- in Mexico City Oct. 14, ano Riosa and Robert J.
by a Linn's reader. ies along the Gulf Coast 1928, cancels the imprint- Wilcsek.
The card immediately of Mexico. The flight oc- ed and embossed 4-cen- These two men are rec-
caught my eye because it curred Oct. 15, 1928. tavo stamp of the postal ognized authorities on the
At that time, the roads in card and the 25c adhesive airmails of Mexico, and
that part of Mexico were stamp added for airmail anyone contemplating col-
Mexico poorly maintained, and service. lecting in this area would
By Dale Pulver overland mail delivery was The card is addressed be well advised to obtain
slow and arduous. to the postmaster in Cam- the catalog and study the
is unusual to see a postal The large rectangular peche, one of the towns en authors' reports.
card with first-flight mark- rubber handstamp cachet route. A Campeche back- Figure 2. This postal stationery envelope was carried from Ciu- Except for souvenirs
ings. But the message it (design added to an enve- stamp, dated Oct. 16, ap- dad del Carmen on the return leg of the 1928 first flight. from the earliest experi-
bore was even more inter- lope) on the front of the pears on the message side. mental flights, Mexican
esting. card shows a map of the The gist of the message Figure 2 shows an em- known to specialists as first-flight covers are not
The occasion of this route covered and the cities is that Eduardo Aguirre, a bossed postal stationery R. A. C. (Spanish initials outrageously expensive,
well-known and respected envelope flown from Ciu- for airmail contract route, and they offer an interest-
Mexican stamp dealer, has dad del Carmen on the re- Ruta Aereo Contratada) ing challenge to the seri-
sent in the same mailing an turn leg of the Vera Cruz- No. 2. It was operated by ous collector.
additional five envelopes Merida route. Cia. Mexicana de Avia- Dealer-serviced covers
bearing first-flight mark- It seems to confirm that cion using two Fairchild can be found quite readily.
ings. He is asking the post- Aguirre prepared many FC-2 planes, one to carry Commercial covers sent
master that the first-flight covers to be carried on this outbound mails, while the from businesses are pre-
covers be returned to him flight, some to and from other was returning with ferred by specialists, but
in Mexico City. He notes the terminal cities as well inbound mail. such items are difficult to
that they are for "filatelis- as the towns in between. This route was tempo- find.
tas" (stamp collectors). This cover also bears an rarily suspended in spring Airmail was all the rage
The postmaster obvious- additional 25c stamp. 1929 because of a civil up- in the late 1920s and early
ly complied with Aguirre's Mail prepared for this rising in Veracruz state. 1930s, and it lured many
request, and as an extra bo- flight in Mexico City trav- Fortunately for airmail collectors into the stamp
nus, he folded and returned eled on the overnight train collectors, information hobby.
Figure 1. This postal card was carried on a 1928 first flight the original postal card that operated between for this and other Mexi- My thanks to Robert
between Veracruz and Merida, Mexico. The reverse of the card along with the five covers Mexico City and Veracruz. can first flights is covered Reynolds of Arizona for
bears a message from stamp dealer Eduardo Aguirre. sent to his attention. This airmail route is nicely in the American Air providing these covers. ■
www.zillionsofstamps.com JUNE 5, 2006 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 57

Doi.Jr-sign overprint used on stamps during Mexico's 1913-16 revolution

The stamps of the Mexi- and 5p stamps (431-33). letter "G" substituted for on all stamps in the last might be a bit harder to I also recommend that
can revolution can be a dif- On the high denomina- the first letter of "Consti- column of the sheet. find. serious students acquire
ficult field for collectors. tions, the words are sepa- tutionalista." Stamps with this over- Covers also are worth the book The Stamps of
There are a large number rated by a "v." As the footnote in Vol. print started to circulate in looking for. They will in- the Mexican Revolution,
of confusing overprints, Contemporary postage 4 of the Scott Standard early September of 1914. variably be from towns 1913-1916, by Nicholas
and many of the overprints due stamps also were over- Postage Stamp Catalogue I do not know the date and cities under consti- Follansbee and published
and location of its earli- tutionalist control at the by the Collectors Club of
est use. time the covers entered Chicago in 1996.
Mexico Cosme Hinojosa, direc- the mailstream. Not only does Follans-
By Dale Pulver tor general of post for the I urge anyone interest- bee tell you all you need to
constitutionalist govern- ed in collecting this field know about the dollar sign
have been deliberately ment, did not publish the to be careful, to read as overprints, he also offers
forged. order authorizing the over- much as you can about a comprehensive summary
The Mexico column in print until Oct. 7, 1914. these markings and to of the political events of
the Jan. 30 Linn's, page Hinojosa was attuned to insist on certificates for that period and their sig-
38, dealt with the large the desires of stamp col- high-priced varieties. nificance for collectors. •
"GCM" overprint that was lectors.
applied by rebel forces to He arranged to have
captured stocks of federal limited printings of certain
postage stamps during the stamps prepared, which he
Mexican civil uprisings of Two examples of Mexico's dollar-sign overprint used by constitu- advertised to collectors at
1913-16. tionalist forces. The used stamp bears a San Luis Potosi cancel. inflated prices.
"GCM" refers to the printed (Scott 434-38). points out, this variety Some collectors refused
Mexican constitutionalist Two values from the occurs four times in one his overtures, but others
government. 1899-1903 issues were plate setting and is found succumbed to these rare
The two stamps illus- similarly overprinted, but on 12 stamps in the other. varieties, which is proba-
trated nearby bear what is these creations might have In the first setting, the bly why some of the high-
known to specialists as the had philatelic inspiration. "G" variety is found on priced Scott listings exist
"dollar sign overprint." The same can be said for the third stamps in rows today.
This overprint was used other abnormal overprint four and nine and on the Legitimate uses of
to validate stamps to be orientations. last stamps in rows five overprinted stamps exist
circulated in areas con- The overprints were and 10. in ample quantity for the
trolled by the so-called applied to full sheets of In the second setting, commonly used denomi-
constitutionalist forces stamps by at least two the "G" variety is found nations.
under Venustiano Car- electrotype plates, and this on the same stamps in Some of the higher
ranza. This would have gave rise to some varieties the second column and values in used condition
included most of northern that have attracted the at-
Mexico. tention of specialists.
The used example The dollar sign is found
shown on the right bears printed normally or in-
a cancel of San Luis Po- verted in the overprint.
tosi, a city controlled by The inverted dollar sign
Carranza's forces. is, by far, the most com-
The marking derives mon.
its name from the words In normal orientation,
"Gobierno Constitution- the two fine lines that cut
alista" (Constitutional through the body of the
Government) in two lines dollar sign extend fur-
separated by a dollar sign ther below the "S" of the
($). marking than above.
It was applied vertically When the sign is invert-
on the 1-centavo to 20c ed, the longer extension
denominations of the In- is on top, such as on the
dependence issue of 1910 overprints on the stamps
(Scott 423-30) and hori- shown here.
zontally on the 50c, 1 peso Another variety is the
42 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 3, 2006 www.linns.com

Items resurface from Jim Beal collection stolen three decades ago
■••■■■=111111111M111■111141.41
A few stamps and covers crammed with stamps so the theft represented a provenance revealed only
from the Jim Beal collec- and covers. total loss. that it was from the estate
tion of Mexican classics Beal died in 1987. In Further, he did not have of a man long deceased.
seem to have surfaced in my tribute to him (Linn 's, a complete photographic re- The collection con-
2005, almost 30 years af- Sept. 14, 1987), I noted cord of his major collections tained some outstanding
ter the collection was sto- that his extensive collec- — photocopying was not as exhibition-grade items
tion remained unrecov- easy then as it is today. but none that were imme-
ered despite his vigorous He did prepare collag- diately recognized by the
Mexico efforts as American Phil- es of important pieces he close fraternity of collec-
By Dale Pulver atelic Society theft com- owned from sale catalog tors of Mexican classics.
mittee chairman to find it. clippings, but the images It was not until after the
len in January 1977 from In the weeks immediate- were only fair. auction that Doug Stout,
Beal's home in Warren, ly following the theft, Beal In December 2005, expert committee adminis-
Ohio. reconstructed a detailed Schuyler J. Rumsey con- trator for the Mexico Elm-
The thief or thieves inventory list of his losses ducted an auction that in- hurst Philatelic Society In-
bypassed an elaborate for the authorities and cir- cluded a significant sec- ternational and I compared
security system, peeled culated it among collector tion of Mexican classics. the items to the inventory
a large cabinet safe, and friends and dealers. The owner of this mate- This pair of Mexican 1856 4-real stamps overprinted for Morelia lists Beal prepared almost
made off with several Unfortunately, Beal had rial was not identified, and bears a cancel from La Piedad. The pair is believed to have been 30 years ago.
dozen three-ring binders not insured his collection, inquiries concerning its cut from a strip of five stolen in 1977 from the Jim Beal collection. A number of items were
www.zillionsofstamps.com JULY 3, 2006 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 43

easily recognized as orig- The cuttings obviously their offering in the Rum- tified about the items. A further problem is rate box specific to that
inally part of the Beal's were deliberate, and they sey auction, the stamps As I write this column, that much of the mate- purpose. As new mate-
stolen collection. reduced the philatelic value were soaked off the piece I am unaware of any ac- rial has been dispersed, rial is added, this should
After further study, of the stamps enormously. to further obscure their tion on the part of these making it difficult to as- be recorded, photocopied
we discovered that some Another example is a identification. Once again agencies or their inter- semble evidence. and added to the original
items had been altered to small cover fragment bear- philatelic value was seri- est in following the in- There are some painful records.
disguise their appearance. ing two of the 1/2r (Scott ously diminished. formation. Investigations lessons in this episode. Insure your collection.
For example, Beal 1), plus a 2r (3) with the Stout talked with Rum- such as this tend to move Perhaps the first and I was appalled to learn
owned a beautiful strip Zacatecas district name in sey by telephone, discuss- slowly, and it is a 30-year most important is that that Beal did not have
of five of the 1856 4-real manuscript. The 1/2r with ing other items in the auc- cold case. you should keep photo insurance on his stamps.
first-issue stamp (Scott 4) the manuscript district tion that might have been Another problem is one records of all important Coverage is easily avail-
used at La Piedad in the name is rare, with fewer part of Beal's collection. of ownership. Beal died pieces, if not entire col- able from at least two
district of Morelia. This than a dozen recorded. Stout said that items intestate, leaving no direct lections, in a safe and ac- firms specializing in col-
strip had been cut into a This piece was illustrat- for which Beal had no heirs. His estate was pro- cessible place. lectibles and at reason-
pair and other pieces of ed in MEPSI's Mexicana images were tough to pin- bated and divided among If you keep your col- able rates.
unknown size. The facing in an article on the hand- point as being part of the cousins living in Indiana. lections in a bank vault, Finally, curb your desire
page shows the illustration' written name overprints collection. The cousins have legal you might want to make to brag about how much
from the auction catalog. by Otto Yag in the 1960s. Law-enforcement au- claim to any of the estate's two copies of your mate- your collection is worth.
A strip of three of the Yag later sold this cover thorities, including the property that proves to be rial, one to play with at Your close associates usu-
8r stamp (Scott 5) from fragment to Beal. Warren police department, stolen. Their interest in the home, and another to file ally can assess the depth
the same post office was From the time the the FBI and the APS theft matter, if they know any- with the collection, or of your holdings without
similarly mutilated. stamps were stolen to committee, have been no- thing about it, is unknown. better yet, keep in a sepa- being told. ■
28 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 7, 2006 www.linns.com

Aviator Sarabia's 1939 nonstop flight to New York carried souvenir covers
Mexico reveres its heroes. 48 minutes, beating by sev- A GeeBee plane is pictured
Many postage stamps are is- eral hours an earlier record on a 320 United States stamp
sued to commemorate anni- set by Amelia Earhart. (Scott 3142i) issued in 1997
versaries of the birth or death Sarabia's flight was high- as part of the Classic Ameri-
of these men and women. In ly publicized, and his wife can Aircraft pane of 20.
2000, Mexico issued a 3-peso and children had traveled The plane Sarabia used
to New York earlier to await was somewhat larger than the
his arrival. earlier versions and had been
Mexico But the flight was not an
easy one. Sarabia had to
raced unsuccessfully during
the mid to late 1930s.
By Dale Pulver fight headwinds and heavy The plane's original name
weather the entire trip, was Q.E.D., but after Sarabia
which delayed his predicted purchased it second hand, he
stamp (Scott 2222) celebrat- arrival time. When he finally gave it the Spanish name
ing the centennial of the Figure 2. This cover was carried by Francisco Sarabia on his
did land, he found he had less Conquistador del Cielo 1939 record-breaking flight from Mexico City to New York City.
birth of Francisco Sarabia, than a gallon of fuel left in ("Conqueror of the Sky).
a pioneer Mexican aviator. his tanks. In preparation for his flight across the top "Sarabia" and were sold by lottery.
Figure 1 shows the stamp. Sarabia's plane was what to New York, Mexican postal down the right "Vuelo Mexico This manner of distribu-
Sarabia is not remembered enthusiasts called a GeeBee, authorities issued an airmail - Nueva York." tion caused the editors of
much outside of Mexico, but Figure 1. Mexico issued this
a class of aircraft designed stamp in a small printing of The limited printing in- the Scott Standard Postage
for a brief moment in 1939 stamp In 2000 to celebrate
for racing. It was the last of 2,100 (Scott C93A). furiated collectors. Of the Stamp Catalogue to with-
he was the toast of the town, seven such planes built by the the 100th birth anniversary of The stamp was patterned 2,100 stamps issued, 1,000 hold listing the stamp as an
not only in Mexico but also Granville Brothers of Madi- aviator Francisco Suable. after the 20-centavo stamp went to Sarabia for his per- official issue until a listing
in New York City. son, N.H. "Hornet," and normally ac- issued to honor the opening sonal use; 400 went to the was later inserted (the reason
On May 24, 1939, Sarabia The planes had short, commodated only the pilot. of the New York World's Fair Universal Postal Union in its catalog number bears an
flew nonstop from Mexico stubby wings, carried a huge They were fiendishly difficult (Scott C91). Bern, Switzerland; 300 to A suffix).
City to New York City. 675-horsepower Pratt and to fly, and several pilots lost The overprint on the stamp Mexico's philatelic agency Sarabia is reported to
It took him 10 hours and Whitney engine called the their lives racing in them. for Sarabia's flight reads for advance orders; and 400 have carried 400 covers,
www.zillionsofstamps.com

each franked with the spe- featured at the dedication of if he could have put the plane
cial stamp and bearing a the Mexican pavilion at the down in an open field. But
rubber-stamp cachet mark- World's Fair. the nonretracting landing
ing the event. After New York, Sarabia gear caught the water, flip-
Figure 2 shows one of flew to Washington, D.C., ping the plane over on its
the covers. The cover was where he was guest of honor back where it sank quickly in
prepared and entered the at the White House. He met about 15 feet of water.
Mexican mails May 23, ac- with President Roosevelt, Frantic efforts by bystand-
cording to the postmarks. an avid stamp collector, and ers and crews from a nearby
The New York backstamps gave him a block of four of naval base could not pull the
are dated May 25. the stamp. pilot from his cockpit before
The stamp department at This story has an unhappy he drowned.
Macy's somehow acquired ending. On June 7, Sarabia President Roosevelt sent
about 100 unused stamps prepared for his flight home . official condolences to
and offered them at $29.50 to Mexico City. He took off Sarabia's widow and Mexi-
each, an unheard of price for from Bolling Field outside can President Cardenas.
a stamp with a face value of of Washington, headed for The United States arranged
about 100. his hometown in the state for an Army Air Corps
Despite the high price, of Durango. plane to fly the body back
Macy's sold out of the stamp After a smooth take-off, to Mexico.
in a matter of days. when he was about 100 feet The Conquistador even-
The stamp now has a off the ground, his engine tually was salvaged and
Scott value of $450 unused, stopped. was returned to Mexico.
hinged and $400 used. He glided towards the The plane is housed in a
Sarabia and his family Potomac River and would museum in Ciudad Lerdo,
were feted in New York and probably have landed safely Sarabia's hometown. ■
www.zillionsofstamps.com SEPTEMBER 4, 2006 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 15

Mexico issued its first postage stamps 150 years ago on Aug. 11 1856
Mexico issued its first ad- Beyond that distance, a quired either the equiva- original 1/2r stamp of 1856.
hesive postage stamps 150 letter needed lr postage. lent of 61/40 or 121/20, de- The fancy scrollwork sur-
years ago, on Aug. 1, 1856. More postage was re- pending on distance. rounding the facsimile
Although the 1/2-real blue quired for each quarter After less than five months, stamp in brown touts the
stamp illustrated in Figure ounce of added weight. Mexican postal authorities stamp exposition.
1 is considered to be Mex- The 8r stamp paid the found that postal revenues The facsimile stamp
did not cover the costs of does not have a district
operating the system, and a name overprint, so it rep-
1.21xposicio,
Mexico new postal tariff went into
effect Dec. 20, 1856.
FILATEIICA
iNTERNACIONAt
resents stamp inventory
not yet distributed or vali-
By Dale Pulver The new tariffs doubled dated for use.
the previous rates and re- Figure 2 shows the
duced the distance break- stamp affixed to a folded
ico's first adhesive and is point from 30 leagues to sheet, a souvenir from the
designated Scott No. 1, 16 leagues. This effectively event, with illustrations of
four other stamps were is- threw the bulk of letters into the Mexico City post of-
sued at the same time: a 1r, the 2r category, or 250. fice of 1856 and the cur-
2r, 4r and 8r. That was quite a lot of Figure 2. A souvenir from Exmex, a 1956 stamp show celebrating rent central post office.
The designs are the money in those days, so the 100th anniversary of Mexico's first stamp. The folded sheet The stamp is tied at its
same. Only the colors and it is easy to see why most bears a 30-centavo stamp marking the show and anniversary. lower-right corner with a
value tablets vary. Figure 1. Mexico's first-issue early Mexican letters were cancellation patterned af-
Each stamp shows a por- 34-real blue stamp of 1856. limited to important busi- district offices, they were This stamp show, Ex- ter a double-ring device in
trait of Miguel Hidalgo y ness matters. overprinted with that dis- mex, attracted collectors use in 1856.
Costillo, a priest who led registration fee. This de- The interest and charm - trict's name to validate and dealers from a wide Airmail stamps and a sou-
the 1810 rebellion against nomination also covered of Mexico's first adhesives them for use. area. In commemoration of venir sheet (Scott C229-34a)
Spain for Mexican inde- the postage if the letter lies with the overprints and That is why nearly all the event, Mexico issued also were issued for the anni-
pendence. He is consid- weighed less than '/2 ounce. cancellations they bear. first-issue • stamps bear stamps. versary. The airmails depict
ered to be the father of the Compared to the con- As part of a security names of towns or states in A 30-centavo surface- early indigenous objects and
Mexican Republic. temporaneous rates of the scheme (bandits and high- addition to cancellations. mail stamp (Scott 897) items associated with Mexi-
At that time, Mexican United States and Canada, waymen preyed on inter- Some name overprints and was issued Aug. 1, 1956. can history and culture.
postal rates were based on the Mexican rates were city transport), stamps usages are rare. This large stamp measures I do not know if Mexico's
weight and distance. quite high. were dispatched from the In 1956, on the 100th an- approximately 40 millime- postal service, Sepomex,
A letter weighing less A Mexican peso (8r) main post office in Mexico niversary of the first post- ters by 48mm. has any stamps planned
than 1/2 ounce traveling up to at that time was roughly City to the outlying district age stamp, a large stamp The stamp is printed in for this year's 150th an-
30 leagues (about 70 miles) equivalent to U.S. $1, so post offices. bourse and exhibition was two colors. The central de- niversary, but I would be
could be sent for 1/2r. a single-weight letter re- Once received at the organized in Mexico City. sign, in blue, replicates the surprised if it doesn't. •
16 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 2, 2006 www.linns.com

Ham radio cards can provide an inexpensive opportunity to have fun

About 15 years ago, I back of the card are shown. ment, the letters "XE" Central Standard Time. In ham language, "73's" the day after.
acquired several dozen While many QSL cards were reserved for stations Below the data is a means "best wishes." Some purists may scoff
postcards from the estate were 'hand-drawn and broadcasting from Mexi- string of letters in Morse Rolfe Schell used the at the idea that QSL cards
of an elderly gentleman hand-lettered, this card co. code, with "PIE/QSL/OT" nickname "Bunny," which represent collectible postal
named Jack Siringer. He was printed commercially. Two cactus stems make on the first line and "TNX/ explains the little figure of history, but I find them at-
had been a ham radio op- The card confirms a ra- up the "X," the "2" is a FOR/QSO" on the second. a rabbit between his first tractive and interesting.
and last names. What a thrill it must
Mexico fIVIEMBRf.,5 55UR MUNTERREY N.LMEXICU The message side reads have been to Siringer to
ti simply: "Tnx (thanks) for make contact with not only
By Dale Pulver ,,,,,,ed/1"--, contact. Feliz Navidad! many Mexican ham radio
ees'
.i;x (Merry Christmas) Bun- . operators but also a naval
erator for most of his adult ny." officer stationed in Man-
life. The card is franked with churia, China, and a Royal
Shortwave radio fans &ail/de/VW
sk, s-.R Si q f4elosiyeR`i ‘2,4.,...7,
the 1940 6-centavo de- Canadian mounted po-
exchange postcards con- FECHR ./..7 :if 190.- -7' .3 ' finitive stamp (Scott 759),, liceman on Baffin Island,
magi...sr:cc sr a tm,4, C leveia. 4
firming radio contact with ._. . . :2
,,,"7- 0 1•1 .:.c, 4-4 which was equivalent to Northwest Territory. QSL
i
each other. These cards are • . about U.S. 20. cards in the lot confirmed
known as QSL cards. In Mexico, QSL cards both contacts.
Cards in the lot I pur- Both sides of a 1948 ham radio card sent from Monterrey, Mexico. The picture side depicts a map also could be mailed for The card from Manchu-
chased spanned the years of Mexico and a portrait of the ham radio operator. The card is franked with a 6-centavo stamp. 2c, a third-class rate au- ria came out of China in a
from 1937 to the early thorized for shortwave op- diplomatic pouch by way
1970s, and they originated dio contact Siringer had snake wearing a sombrero I am not sure about the erators. Both amateurs and of a U.S. fleet post office
from locations throughout with an operator named and the "J" is a palm tree first half, but the second commercial stations with in San Francisco.
the world. Rolfe Schell in Monter- with coconuts piled at its line is a thank you for the numerous requests availed Among the other cards
Of particular interest to rey, an industrial city in base. Logs comprise the contact. themselves of this lower in the lot were contact con-
me were the cards mailed Mexico located not too far two "Es." Ham operators have rate. firmations on international
from Mexico. south of the border with Data concerning the their own jargon and com- Most of the cards I have reply cards and govern-
There were many such Texas. contact is entered into munication acronyms. from this era bear the 2c ment postal cards.
cards, and they were post- The card shows a map coded spaces at the lower If anyone can help me franking. I occasionally see QSL
marked from towns both of Mexico and a small por- left of the card. decipher the first line, write Mail service to the Unit- cards for sale in dealer
big and small. But most trait of the operator. His The "W8AJW" repre- to me, Dale Pulver, in care ed States in those days was boxes at stamp shows.
came from the larger cities address is at the top, and sents Siringer's call let- of Linn's Editor, Box 29, pretty good. If you are looking for
in Mexico. his call letters, "XE2JE," ters. Sidney, OH 45365. The card was mailed something new to collect,
One of the more color- are in large, whimsical The date and time of the In the lower-right corner Dec. 21, and Siringer prob- the cards could provide an
ful examples is illustrated characters. contact was Dec. 19, 1948, of the card is the inscrip- ably received it the day be- inexpensive opportunity to
nearby. Both the front and By international agree- at 16:55 hours (4:55 p.m.) tion "73's Rolfe Schell." fore Christmas or perhaps have some fun. •
14 LINN'S STAMP NEWS NOVEMBER 6, 2006 www.linns.com

New edition of Follansbee catalog for 19th-century Mexican stamps

When Nicholas Follans- additions. The catalog's He has probed various no distinction between the Also within the realm of Transportation issues (Mu-
bee, an Oregon stamp auc- cover is shown nearby. sources, many of which value of stamps from the overprinted stamps, the 'A- litas) of the 1890s.
tioneer, first published A Most ofthe pricing move- are scarce and not gener- various districts, while this real Eagle stamps of the There are many chang-
Catalogue of the Stamps ments are upward, reflect- ally available to the average is where the Follensbee first and second periods es, mostly for the better,
of Mexico 1856-1910, in ing realizations achieved in collector. He also has the catalog excels. (Scott 19) have shown sol- in the so-called "close to-
1999, I wrote that it should recent auctions. But there first-hand advantage of as- He attempts to place a id price appreciation. gether at the bottom" in-
sessing the market for such value on all varieties that This is a scarce stamp voice numbers on the 1878
items through his regular have traded in the market- to begin with, having been issue. This is another area
Mexico auctions. His most recent place in recent years. used only on printed circu- that seems to be attracting
By Dale Pulver A CATALOGUE OF THZ auction was conducted Oct. It would be impos- lars or on in-city deliveries. more collector attention.
STAMPS OF MEXICO 28 at the Grand Sierra Re- sible for me to undertake Multiples occasionally were In the back-of-the-book
ILY41910
become an indispensable sort Hotel in Reno, Nev. a detailed review of price used to satisfy higher rates. area, many changes are re-
companion for serious The Follansbee catalog movements in the new In the Eagle section of corded for the overprinted
collectors of 19th-century goes way beyond the pric- catalog in the space I have the catalog, Follansbee in- Official stamps of 1895-
Mexican stamps. ing in the Scott catalog. available, so I will make cludes a new useful table 1910. These stamps are
Because Follansbee was In the classic era of some general observations listing the rare Mexico identical to the regular is-
catering to a relatively Mexican stamps, hundreds about what has happened (City) consignments. sues but are overprinted
small audience compared of varieties arose from the in the five years since his This table covers small "OFICIAL,' for use in gov-
to that of the Scott Stan- post office's practice of last edition. consignments that were ernment offices.
dard Postage Stamp Cat- overprinting information As might be expected, issued in their entirety to The new catalog is simi-
alogue, which covers the on the stamps that iden- most of the stamps from the individuals, usually busi- lar to its predeccessors,
New edition of Nicholas Fol- tifies where stamps were scarce or rare districts have nessmen, or foreign enti- printed on sturdy 8-inch-
stamps of the entire world,
lansbee's A Catalogue of the sent, sold and used. This seen healthy increases. ties — the Prussian Con- by-11-inch stock with a
I wondered how well he
would be able to keep his Stamps of Mexico 1856-1910. procedure lasted for about These increases spread sul, for example. Examples softcover. The new edition
Mexican catalog up to are a few downward revi- 30 years. across most all of the from these consignments runs to 136 pages.
date. He has convincingly sions too. The country was divided stamp issues that bear are exceedingly rare. It can be ordered from
dispelled that fear with the What makes this work so into postal districts. Accu- name and invoice over- Another new feature is a Follansbee, Box 3210,
recently published third useful besides the detailed mulating examples from prints. This would include listing of 1883-issue stamps Ashland, OR 97520 at $52
edition of the catalog. The pricing is the wealth of an- most or all of the various stamps from 1856 up to on thin paper overprinted postpaid to addresses in
second edition came out ecdotal information on the districts has long been the the 1880s. with only the district name the United States.
in 2001. various stamp issues. goal of many collectors. It appears that more and no invoice numbers. This may seem like a lot
The latest edition is Follansbee, a student of Many districts received and more collectors have Most of the water- for a softcover book.
more comprehensive and the stamps of Mexico for and sold only a handful of caught the bug on classic marked paper varieties of But I can assure you that
better than ever. Follansbee many years, has amassed a stamps, and examples from Mexico and are willing to the 1872 issue increase in if you use it as much as I
incorporates more than mountain of knowledge on them can be quite pricey. open their wallets to sat- value, as did some of the do, it will seem like a bar-
3,500 price changes and the subject. The Scott catalog makes isfy their wants. watermarked stamps in the gain after a while. ■
22 LINN'S STAMP NEWS DECEMBER 4, 2006 www.Iinns.com

Morse code on shortwave radio card deciphered; goodwill flight film

The Mexico column would qualify as accept- ing the time to write. Best of local attention because bearing a cameo portrait of Carranza was again
of Oct. 2 discussed QSL able amateur radio talk for of all, some of the replies members of the Mexican Carranza on the left and a memorialized in 1947 on
cards, which are postcards either "old timer" or "old were on QSL cards, so I diplomatic corps and rela- picture of his plane Mexico the 10-peso bicolor air-
exchanged by shortwave man." have more items to add to tives of Carranza usually Excelsior on the right. mail stamp (Scott C178)
radio fans to confirm radio Nearly everyone else my collection. attend. The plane's name was shown in Figure 2. This
• This year, Linn's readers derived from Excelsior, the high-denomination stamp
A couple of years ago Gene Fricks and Richard Mexico City daily news- is seldom seen on letters,
Mexico r.....1111S•At 1..0,4,51.71,141,

(Linn's, July 28, 2003), I Zatorski, both of nearby paper that subsidized his but it was used often on
By Dale Pulver highlighted a flight made towns in New Jersey, sent flight. heavy packets and packag-
by Capt. Emilio Carranza, clippings from the Phila- Figure 1 shows the 20- es. Both used and unused
contact with each other. a Mexican pioneer aviator. delphia Inquirer reporting centavo stamp from the examples are plentiful.
In that column, I asked He flew to Washington, on the story of the Carran- set.
for help deciphering a D.C., in 1928 on a good- za flight and his demise. Overprinted versions Specialists in Mexican
Morse code message on Figure 1. This Mexican airmail will mission to improve This time there was a of the Carranza airmail stamps enjoyed two oppor-
a card. I thought that the stamp was issued June 19, relations between the two new twist. A young film- stamps were issued in 1930 tunities to acquire scarce
message was "PIE/QSL/ 1929, in memory of aviator countries. maker, Robert Emmons, and 1932 (Scott C29-36, items for their collections
OT." Almost 20 collectors Capt. Emilio Carranza. He was abruptly ordered is working on a documen- C40-44), adding up to a to- this fall.
responded. to return to Mexico by tary of the Carranza flight. tal of 19 different stamps. On Sept. 9, dealer Fer-
Dave Popkin replied who wrote provided the his commanding officer Called Goodwill, the film nando Perez Maldonado of
first. He explained that the same or similar explana- and crashed during a vio- is expected to be ready for Monterrey, Mexico, con-
"PIE" was probably meant tion. lent thunderstorm in the previewing this winter. I ducted an auction sale in
to be "PSE" for "please." I was amazed to discov- Pinelands of New Jersey. will be anxious to see this Guadalajara, Mexico, in
An "I" is two dots in Morse er the number of people His body was recovered film. conjunction with Expojal-
code while a "S" is three. who share both hobbies: by members of a nearby It also was reported that fil, a well-regarded Mexi-
If the message starts amateur radio and stamp Legion Post and shipped other producers are inter- can stamp show.
with "PSE," it translates collecting. One gentleman, back to Mexico. ested in making a film of The auction comprised
to "Please send QSL [ac- obviously in his 80s or 90s, Subsequently, money the story. Figure 2. A 1947 10-peso Mex- more than 1,300 lots and
knowledgement] of our wrote that he had been col- was raised, in large part by Although Carranza's ican airmail stamp pictures covered the period from
contact." lecting stamps and talking Mexican schoolchildren, legacy seems to have fad- aviator Capt. Emilio Carranza. prestamp times to the pres-
Popkin questioned to his far-flung friends by to erect a monument at the ed in his own homeland, I have seen many phila- ent. About half of the lots
whether the last two let- radio for almost 70 years. spot where his body was his memory is indelibly telic covers bearing these did not sell, probably be-
ters were "OT" or "OM" There is not space to found. etched on Mexican stamps. stamps, but few commer- cause consigners insisted on
because a missing dash name all of those who Each July, a memorial On June 19, 1929, the first cial envelopes. This could reserves that were too high.
would make the difference replied, but I do want to service is held in remem- anniversary of his death, a offer a challenging field I obtained a couple of
between a "T" and an "M." sincerely thank each and trance of his fatal flight. set of six airmail stamps for an ambitious collector items for my own collec-
But either combination every respondent for tak- These services attract a lot (Scott C5-10) were-issued to pursue. (Please turn to page 24)
www.linns.com

Mexican stamps in sales in Monterey and Reno

(Continued from page 22) always, this sale attracted a rarity of the material. spirited bidding.
tion and offered bids below good floor, including a col- According to a friend
the reserves on two others. lector/dealer who flew in who acted as my agent, the In closing, I wish all the
The consigner would not from Tasmania, Australia, bidding was lively on all of best for the upcoming holi-
accept them and wanted his and who bought heavily. the choice items. days and I hope at least one
material returned unsold. Again, I was lucky to He said that the Imperial or two of your presents will
A second sale was con- capture three items for my Eagles, which comprised a provide further pleasure and
ducted in Reno, Nev., Oct. collection at prices I felt large share of the sale, were enjoyment of the wonderful
28 by Nick Follansbee. As were fair considering the especially hot and drew hobby that we share. ■
32 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JANUARY 1, 2007 www.linns.com

Two-volume book illustrates the postmarks of. Mexico's colonial era

Linn 's readers sometimes suggest nearby. The various postmarks are repro- An interesting one-frame exhibit could
topics they would like to read about in duced in their colors of use. The illustra- be mounted by tracking, with stamps and
this column. For example, Ben Beede tions were made from careful tracings of covers, postmarks from the Spanish colo-
asked, "How about a discussion of cata- actual postmarks. nial era that persisted in use from the late
logs for prephilatelic covers from both Listed at the left are dates or time spans 1700s well into the 19th century.
recorded for the postmark's usage, and at Only 1,000 copies were printed of
the right are estimates of the value of the Prefilatelia Espanola. When I purchased
Mexico mark, invariably on cover. my copies in the mid-70s, the book was
By Dale Pulver The values are given in pesetas, as priced at $25.
INTENDENCIA DE ZACATECAS
of 1971. Current valuations would be a.MIB /00 ESEN90. Aggeratien. y boolea. Where can you get the book now? I
the Spanish and Mexican eras?" much higher. When a stampless cover recommend searching on the Internet or
Fortunately, there is a book that match- collection was sold at auction in 2005, contacting a dealer who specializes in
es that request. In 1971, two eminent clear markings from the Spanish colonial stamp-hobby books.
Spanish stamp collectors, Jorge Guin- period fetched bids in the low to middle The American Philatelic Research Li-
ovart and Manuel Tizon, collaborated on three figures. brary at Bellefonte, Pa., has a copy of
the two-volume Prefilatelia Espanola. Some of the earliest markings would the work. If you want to do research only
The subtitle, A study of the postal command even higher realizations, espe- on the New World area, this might be an
markings of Spain and her dominions of cially from the correo mayor era, when option. The markings from this region are
the Indies in the 18th and 19th centuries, mails were handled by individuals who contained in fewer than 100 pages, and
clearly defines the scope of the work. purchased the monopoly to do so from a few hours should suffice to glean the
More than 5,000 postmarks are illus- the Spanish crown. needed information.
trated in the two volumes. The book is In the book, usage dates for Mexico A similar study, The Prestamp Postal
written in Spanish, but this should not be end in 1821, when Mexico succeeded in Markings of Mexico, was published in 1965
too much of a problem for a serious col- wresting its independence from Spain. by MEPSI, the Mexico Elmhurst Philatelic
lector with a Spanish-English dictionary. Many of the devices used to mark mail Society International. Compiled by Otto
Vol. I and much of Vol. II deal with in colonial times continued to be used A page from a book on 18th- and 19th-century Yag and John Bash, this work includes
the postal markings used at post offices well beyond that date. Stampless covers postmarks of Spain and its colonies. most of the relevant markings that appear
M. Spain. About half of Vol. II examines from between 1820 and 1856 bear post- in the. Guinovart and Tizon study.
the rest of Spain's vast colonial empire. In marks from the colonial period. These by Spain included the northern provinces The MEPSI book also is out of print, but
the colonial part, Mexico is included in a markings also are found on stamped let- (parts of which now lie within the states again, given time, a philatelic book special-
section on the "Dominions of the Indies" ters, especially from small towns that of California, Arizona, New Mexico and ist could probably find a copy. It, too, is
under the vice royalty of New Spain. handled limited amounts of mail. Texas) and parts of the so-called Captain- available at the APRL, and it resides in the
The sections are grouped according to About 35 pages of the book feature cy of Guatemala, which governed most MEPSI library for loan to members.
the hierarchies of the colonial empire as postmarks from the area of New Spain, of what is now the Mexican state of Chi- Spanish colonial markings from Mex-
they existed at the end of the 18th century. which encompassed the central part of apas. Many attractive markings emanated ico offers a real challenge, but one with
A typical page from the book is shown modern Mexico. Other areas administered from the Chiapas area. interesting and rewarding dividends. ■
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS FEBRUARY 5, 2007 www.linns.com

Mexico issues pane of 33 to commemorate 150th anniversary of stamps

In my tribute to the 150th was canceled by Sepomex each of the 9p, 10.50p and the right side of the pane In might appeal to the serious
anniversary of Mexican at the last minute. 13p. the fourth row. It shows a collector is that the names
stamps in Linn's, (Sept. 5, Finally, on Oct. 9, 2006, a Each stamp represents partial portrait of Hidalgo. of the 52 districts that com-
2006, page 15), I wondered pane of 33 stamps commem- one of Mexico's 32 states, The lower denominations prised the postal network in
if Mexico's postal service, orating the 150th anniversa- with the state's name in- correspond to common 1856 are printed iii security
Sepomex, might do some- ry of Mexico's first stamps scribed below the portrait. rates and supplementary ink in the marginal selvage
was issued in a ceremony at Text that explains what fees. The large 50p stamp outside of the stamps. This
Mexico City's postal palace. the stamp commemorates would find use only on a ink is visible only under
Mexico Thirty-two stamps in the appears above the portrait. package that weighed a lot
Figure 2. The designs of Mex-
ultraviolet light.
By Dale Pulver ico's commemoratives shown
pane of 33 show a full-face The country name and de- or was heavily insured. The appropriate state
in Figure 1 are based on the
portrait of Miguel Hidalgo nomination are to the left, The stamps were printed seals also are overprinted
portrait from this 1952 stamp.
thing special to mark this y Castillo, father of the and the years "1856-2006" in the government print in security ink on the indi-
milestone. It did, albeit a Mexican struggle for in- are to the right. shop, TIEV. In the recent about $32 and represents a vidual stamps.
couple of months late. dependence and almost the Shown on the left past, most Mexican stamps hefty chunk of money for I'll be interested to learn
Mexican stamp col- exclusive honoree on 19th- in Figure 1 is the 6.50p were produced by contract the average collector. if these stamps enjoy wide
lectors had hoped to or- century Mexican stamps. stamp with the state name printers, but TIEV has re- The printing quantity of use on everyday mail. If you
ganize an international Each stamp measures about "Aguascalientes." sumed printing stamps. 200,000 panes is more than have some information on
stamp show in Mexico, but 1-inch square. Pictured on the right in °The design for the por- adequate for collector de- this, write to me, Dale Pul-
botched planning and local The portraits are in five Figure 1 is the 33rd stamp trait appears to have come mand, as well as for those ver, in care of Linn's Editor,
politics got in the way. colors, one for each of five in the pane. This large 50p from the TIEV archives. postal patrons who prefer Box 29, Sidney, OH 45365.
A Mexico City ceremony denominations. There are stamp is three times the Figure 2 shows a 10p commemorative stamps for I think that it would be
scheduled for Aug. 1, 2006, seven each of the 6.50 peso width of the smaller stamps. airmail stamp issued in their mail. quite a challenge to assem-
the exact anniversary date, and 7.50p stamps, and six This stamp is located on 1952 in Mexico's Monu- The presence of so many ble a collection of stamps
ments and Architecture se- different denominations, from all 32 states legiti-
ries (Scott C197). Ricardo however, especially 50p, mately used on regular or
Venegas, the designer of could discourage sales of full commercial mail.
the new commemoratives, panes to the average user. A new-issue dealer is of-
-150--
1856.2006
used that same head de-
sign cropped slightly for
As hinted in some
stamp-hobby circles, this
fering the pane to his regular
subscribers at $57.95, slight-
the small-size stamps. pane could have been cre- ly less than twice the face
WilDOS MEMCW:C,, Venegas flipped the por- ated specifically for the value. He speculates that the
trait horizontally and cropped philatelic market. The size Scott catalog editors will
it further for the 50p. is such, 7.7 inches by 8.6 probably assign the pane a
Figure 1. Mexico honored the 150th anniversary of its first stamps with a pane of 33 issued Oct 9, The total face value of inches, that it will fit hand- valuation of 'about $65. So
2006. The small stamp at left is denominated 6.50 pesos; the large stamp at right is denominated the pane is a whopping ily on most album pages. far, he has sensed no great
50p. The stamps show Miguel Hidaglo y Castillo, the father of Mexico's struggle for independence. 343p. That is equivalent to Another feature that demand for the pane. ■
48 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MARCH 5, 2007 www.linns.com

Mexican revenue stamped paper book compiles 20 years of research

The new book The Revenue Stamped Collectors of the classic stamps of Mex- and the watermarks this paper bears. To stamped paper. The example shown to
Paper of Mexico, 1821-1876, by Donald ico encounter renta papel sellado early give some idea of the scope of coverage, the right of Sternad's name includes an
Scott and Frank Sternad, deals with a on with the emergency first-design issue 91 pages illustrate imprint designs, 63 oval with an inscription that translates to
subject that has long puzzled serious col- of 1867 printed on a thin, grayish paper pages are devoted to catalog listings, and "Counterfeiting papel sellado is punish-
there are 166 watermark illustrations. able by death, noting same on this very
The whole system of taxation is thor- same paper." They did not fool around in
Mexico /. -'1e0kit.4

• oughly discussed, using clear, easy-to- those days.

By Dale Pulver PC111111A understand tables showing the classes of The black-and-white edition is $50 to
tit' document and their values. any address in the United States, and
lectors and for which little literature in I feel that the chapter titled "Papel the deluxe edition is $85. Write to Frank
the English language exists. The Sellado: Its Place in History," the Span- Sternad, Box 560, Fulton, CA 95439 or
The book represents more than 20 years ish-English vocabulary, the glossary and e-mail fsternad@sonic.net.
Revenue
of research, organizing and writing. the list of abbreviations would be useful I received the cheaper of the two edi-
What is stamped paper? Basically, it Stamped Paper to all serious students of Mexican postal tions as a review copy and find it fully
was a system of taxation. For more than of Mexico history. Even if you do not collect or adequate for my use, which I expect will
200 years in Mexico, documents con- 1821-1876 plan to collect Mexican revenue stamped be substantial, since I have a bundle of
cerned with the transfer of money, such paper, these sections are almost worth the unsorted documents to organize.
as deeds, contracts, bills of lading, bills price of the book. How many people collect the revenue
of exchange and wills, had to be. recorded Also included is a conversion list for stamped paper of Mexico? I don't know,
on paper imprinted with a government E Sy, collectors who have used the Richard but I would think it must be a small
seal to be considered legal and binding. Byron Stevens revenue stamp catalog to market. This leads to a second question,
(UMW
Such paper was purchased from the classify their material. This catalog, The how can a book of this scope and size be
PE liCSISAVICINES.
tax authorities with the cost (tax) de- Revenue Stamps of Mexico, last updated published at this price for such a small
ITA DO pin Ad IP* de mil imImplinimi *arm, p
pendent on the nature of the transaction. Ommi. m•inmp
Ptisrcipl
la ley Pa I. Vlimm
Pipel &P.M
o Ito
Milan
in 1979, today is woefully out-of-date and market? The answer is that it is published
Big sheets were for large, complicated Clappilino incomplete. through a print-on-demand service.
transactions. Small ones were for lesser The Revenue Stamped Paper of Mex- With print-on-demand, there is no large
deals. Cover of The Revenue Stamped Paper of Mexico, ico, 1821-1876 is available in two edi- up-front investment, only the authors' time
This means of taxation was devised in 1821-1876 by Donald Scott and Frank Sternad. tions: one with all black-and-white pages and effort. Orders can be filled as they
Spain in 1636 (in Holland in 1624) and except the color softcover and a deluxe come in. In fact, one of the authors told me
installed in the colonies. watermarked "R.RS." (Scott 42-45) and edition with 100 pages of high-resolution that the printer can print and ship directly
Scott and Sternad confine their study again on some of the papers used for the illustrations and several interior color to the buyer.
to the period from the time of Mexican Hidalgo stamps of 1872 (81-86, 87-92). pages. I have no hesitation in giving this book
independence up to 1876 when the first The book is large, filling 367 pages. Both editions are in an 81/2-by-11-inch a resounding thumbs up. It will be of
adhesive revenue stamps were issued. The various government imprints (seals) format, perfectbound with a softcover. great value to those who collect revenue
In Spanish, the paper is known as "renta are pictured and discussed, as are the The book's cover is shown nearby. stamped paper and even to those who do
papel sellado" (revenue stamped paper). manufacture of paper, the papermakers The design features a collage of revenue not but would like to know more. •
26 LINN'S STAMP NEWS APRIL 2, 2007 www.linns.com

Mexicana Airlines first-flight covers franked with commemoratives

A few weeks ago, a At the time the covers the case, I would conclude solo flight across the Atlan- stamp of 1980 (1200). I wonder how the un-
friend who is also .a stamp were mailed, the address- that the quantity was in tic Ocean (Scott 1710). I wrote about Carranza, derpayment was satisfied:
dealer gave me a batch of ee was a director of and the low hundreds. All the covers were one of the early Mexican Was cash paid at the post
covers commemorating the a writer for the American All of the covers bear carefully struck with can- hero aviators, in the Mex- office where the envelopes
inauguration of new ser- Air Mail Society and its cachets and attractive cellations made especially ico column in the Dec. 4, were posted?
for the occasion. 2006, Linn's. Backstamps on both
Mexico AL The cover shown nearby
marks' the inaugural flight
It seems amazing that
stocks of a 36-year old
covers confirm that they
were handled in the Mexi-
By Dale Pulver mE>ac-answ lR from Mexico City to Phil- stamp could be found at can mail, so it does not
VUELO INAUGURAL
adelphia, with a stop in that late date for a mass seem plausible that it was
vice flights by Mexicana MEXICO CAN - CUN FILADELFIA Cancun, the tourist mecca mailing such as this. a case of a postal clerk
Airlines. on the Yucatan peninsula. My new friend went on overlooking the shortfall.
He wondered if I was The flight took place to lament that first-flight Another reason might
HA
interested in them, either April 24, 1983. At that cover collecting has fallen be that appropriate stamps
to purchase or to write time, the airmail postage on hard time, although it for a single-stamp franking
Mr. Harlan Radford Jr.
about in Linn's. 1607 Mars Avenue from Mexico to the United was a hot specialty years were not available, and the
Lakewood, Ohio 44107
The lot comprised 32 CAN -CUN
U.S.A. States was 13 pesos. The ago. He did say that Eu- Mexicana Airlines officials
covers spanning a time period of severe inflation in ropean collectors still ac- did not want to clutter the
frame from December 24 - IV - 1983 Mexico was in full swing. tively pursue first-flight cover with several stamps.
1974 to November 1985. . ,afeee dewwee 1611..Wt
CAM* V4” V-14.5 The person in charge of collecting. If you have an explana-
It was fairly obvious preparing the covers must The two most recent tion for this anomaly, write
from the enclosures that This 1983 Mexicana Airlines Mexico City-Philadephia first-flight have had some knowledge covers chronologically in to me, Dale Pulver, in care
the envelopes were meant cover bears a 10-peso Mexican airmail stamp issued in 1947. of Mexican stamp history the batch pose an interest- of Linn's Editor, Box 29,
to call attention to addi- because the postage was ing question. Both were Sidney, OH 45365.
tional service on various Airpost Journal. Mexican commemorative paid with the 10p Emilio mailed in 1985 but bear I also would be , inter-
routes between Mexican The addressee could not stamps, usually relevant Carranza stamp of 1947 only 80c franking. At that ested in knowing if many
cities with many connec- remember how he came to to aviation or to the cities (Scott C178), plus the time, a letter to the United of these flight covers are in
tions to the United States. be on the Mexicana Air- involved in the routes. 3p 10th National Census States cost 35p. collector hands. •
I do not recall previous- lines mailing list, but he For example, the ear-I
ly encountering any cov- thought it might have had liest cover in the group,
ers quite like these when something to do with his announcing the inaugu-
I was browsing through position in the society. ral flight from Mexico to
dealer boxes. He could give no esti- Kansas City, Mo., bears
The covers measure mate of how many covers the 1974 80-centavo dia-
about 63/4 inches by 43/4 were prepared for these mond-shaped airmail
inches (European jumbo flights or whether or not stamp celebrating the 50th
size), much larger than the they were available to the anniversary of Mexican
No. 6% envelopes used for general public or the col- airlines (Scott C430).
commemorative covers in lecting public. Some of the covers bear
the United States. From the tone of the U.S. stamps. The cover for
Through my dealer enclosures, I suspect that the first flight from Los
friend, I was able to contact the covers were meant Angeles to San Jose del
the gentleman to whom primarily as souvenirs Cabo, Baja California, is
the covers were addressed, for airline bigwigs and franked with the 1977 US.
hoping to learn more back- as promotional pieces to 130 stamp commemorating
ground about them. travel agencies. If this is Charles Lindbergh's nonstop
18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS MAY 7, 2007 www.linns.com

Postmark collecting on late 19th-century Mexican stamps fun at low cost

The other day I stumbled From the standpoint of rarities of that first issue, used in Altotonga in the
across a small glassine en- postal history, a canceled and collectors are lucky if state of Veracruz.
velope containing about a stamp is not quite as good they can find one. The double-oval post-
dozen loose stamps. Ap- as a complete cover, but There was no district mark that translates to
parently, I had plucked most canceled stamps do name overprint for Tepeji "Postage Paid at Altotonga"
them from circuit books have a story to tell. They del Rio used on the 1856 on this 25c stamp suggests
also have done their duty. stamps, so any stamp must that it might have been used
I find it relaxing to study be identified by the cancel on a parcel or heavy let-
Mexico the various bits of infor- it bears. Some Tepeji del ter. This small double oval
By Dale Pulver mation they contain. Rio stamps have the Mexi- pattern was used at many
Figure 1 shows a 15-cen- co name overprint. small offices.
and had not gotten around tavo Mail Coach stamp of While the stamp shown As the 19th century
to merging them into my the 19th century. It bears in Figure 1 is not rare, it came to a close, mail han-
various collections. the upper half of a clearly Figure 1. This Mexican Mail reminds me of one that is. dling and processing in
Most of the stamps had struck double-ring date- Coach stamp bears a double- I also find it fun to Mexico became more sys- Figure 2. This Mexican stamp
what some call socked-on- stamp reading "Tepeji," ring datestamp of Tepeji del search for stamps canceled tematic and sophisticated. bears a double-ring oval can-
the-nose cancellations. for Tepeji del Rio, a town Rio, a town north of Mexico City. at small, obscure towns Attempts were made to cel indicating that postage
I am rather partial to located not too far north of 1856, Tepeji del Rio re- that did not handle a great standardize postmarking was paid at Altotonga.
such cancels and buy Mexico City. ceived small direct ship- deal of mail. That's prob- devices to include more Illustrated in Figure 3,
them whenever I have the When Mexico's first ments. Used stamps from ably why I chose the stamp information than just the left, is a stamp bearing a
chance. stamps were issued in this town are among the pictured in Figure 2. It was town and state of origin. neatly struck double-ring

www.zillionsofstamps.com MAY 7, 2007 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 19

the stamp shown in Figure hour. It generally is indi- books that I receive.
3, right, is inscribed "Cor- cated in even hours. Over the years, I have
respa. Ofl." which means A challenge is to see built up a nice showing.
that it was used on a gov- how many different times Usually, no premium
ernment-business, or Of- yqu can find. Daylight is asked for well-struck,
ficial, cover. hours from 6 a.m. to well-centered postmarks
A faint "OFICIAL" 6 p.m. are not too tough. on Mexican stamps, so
overprint is on the stamp. Nighttime is another you can form a decent col-
Other service-designat- story, although the other lection without spending a
ing inscriptions found on day I found one marked lot of money.
bridge postmarks identify at 2 a.m. I suspect that the Unfortunately, finding_
international mail, pack- night clerk was process- good canceled Mexican
ages, branch post offices ing a last-minute collec- stamps issued in the past
Figure 3. Two stamps postmarked with location (or service) and and mail handled on rail- Figure 4. This Mexican stamp tion for a mail sack to go 20 years or so is difficult.
roads by route agents. was canceled at 11:30 a.m. aboard the night train. Although much mail is still
date and time: from Teziutlan (left) and one on government- Nov. 6, 1999. The half-hour
business mail (right) bearing Mexico's bridge-type postmark Another small collec- Collecting clear, com- processed by hand, post-
tion I started focuses on designation is unusual. plete postmarks on Mexi- marks are carelessly applied,
postmark of Teziutlan in Such standardized post- the time inscribed in date- The stamped time is can stamps issued near the often with smudgy inks.
the state of Puebla. marks are often referred stamps. 11:30 a.m., the hour the end of the 19th century and Clear strikes are the excep-
The postmark contains to as the "bridge" type, in Figure 4 shows a stamp clerk began processing into the first half of the 20th tion rather than the rule.
not only the basic data but reference to the designs processed Nov. 6, 1899, letters to be put into the century is not as difficult But if you are a patient,
also the day, month, year above and below the cen- at branch office A. The main mailstream. It is a as it might seem. I always strong-willed collector,
and time the mailpiece en- tral panel. branch is named in the bit unusual to find the find a few in the American this could be the challenge
tered the mailstream. A similar postmark on base of the postmark. time designated to the half Philatelic Society circuit you need. ■
20 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JUNE 4, 2007 www.linns.com

Cover bearing pair of Mexico's first-issue stamps found in sales circuit

I recently stumbled upon by 15 inches were folded in Gurza and the writer, Jose Also, mail probably was
a cover that was too attrac- half, and the message was Maria Arispe y Ramon. dispatched two or three times
tive to pass up. The cover is written on the outside of The letter appears to have a week, not on a daily basis.
shown nearby. the doubled paper. been written or dictated by Saltillo is one of the
It came to me a few The doubled paper then Arispe's daughter, although early postal districts that
months ago by way of an was folded further into a the signature (in a different is not considered too diffi-
cover measuring about 3 hand) is probably by Arispe cult or rare, but first-design
inches by 6 inches, and one himself. stamps from that office are
MeXICO end was tucked into the oth- Many merchants of that rather elusive.
By Dale Pulver er and was sealed with wax. era used scribes or secretar- I had been searching for a
Such a message would ies for their correspondences, finer example of the first-de-
American Philatelic Soci- be considered a single-rate and that could explain why sign 2r stamp from Saltillo
ety circuit book. I knew im- letter. If there were enclo- The author of this column found this Mexican cover in a sales the handwriting on the letter to replace one in my exhibit,
circuit The cover bears a pair of 2-real first-design stamps. is so perfectly uniform. and I had not had much luck.
mediately that it belonged sures or additional sheets,
with good company in extra postage was charged. nor age spots, the cover is ican covers, and the Gurza Close examination of the Even recent specialized auc-
my collection of Mexico's This cover bears a pair of in immaculate condition. archive is well known to postmark reveals that the tions did not include that
stamps of the first design. the black-on-green 1-real It is addressed in a clear, specialists of stamps of the inscribed date reads Jan. stamp from Saltillo.
The cover actually is a stamps of the 1861 issue. cursive hand to Francisco mid-19th century. 26, (1863), but the letter This cover would prob-
folded letter. Before enve- The stamps pay the single- Gurza, a well-known mer- I have other Gurza covers itself is dated Jan. 27. This ably not rate listing as an in-
lopes came into widespread weight letter rate from chant of that city. in my collection. suggests that the clerk in dividual lot in a dealer's auc-
use, sheets of writing paper Saltillo to Durango. Business files are the The stamps on the cover the post office neglected to tion. Nick Follansbee's latest
measuring about 11 inches Despite a couple of mi- source of most classic Mex- are neatly canceled and tied change the date slug in the A Catalogue of the Stamps
with an oval postmark that postmarking device or the of Mexico 1856-1910 values
translates to "Principal Ad- letter itself was misdated. the stamp alone at $15.
ministration of the Post Of- According to docket- Even if you applied a
fice Saltillo." ing on the flap of the letter, small premium for the pair
The inner half sheets of Gurza received it Feb. 2 and of stamps on cover, the cov-
many early Mexican folded answered it two weeks later. er is unlikely to fetch $100,
letters have been torn off Durango and Saltillo are which many auction houses
and discarded, but this is about 330 miles apart, with use as a bare minimum esti-
a complete letter, and the some difficult stretches of mate for a separate, single-
completeness enhances fur- mountain roads to negoti- lot listing.
ther its desirability. ate, so the five- or six-day Still, I consider the cover
The contents, although delivery time is not unrea- to be a good find, and I am
faded, deal with some busi- sonable. In fact, it is quite happy to add it to my first-
ness transactions between remarkable. design collection. •
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS JULY 2, 2007 www.linns.com

Almost 4,600 covers carried on Mexican regular airmail service first flight
After a number of fits can Air Mail Catalogue, The covers arrived nessmen were reluctant to
r/ssT AIR MAIL PLIGHT
and starts during the late published by the American MAXIM TO A,O. at Nuevo Laredo Oct. 2 use early airmail.
1920s, government author- Air Mail Society, that first because delays en route For the substantially
ities inaugurated Mexico's Mexican flight carried al- EMIG°
forced an overnight stop at higher postage, there was
,-,N1//1/i/
first regular airmail service most 4,600 pieces of mail 0-/ San Luis Potosi. no assurance the mail
Oct. 1, 1928. Op,
of which only 552 were V/////iir The Laredo, Texas, would move faster, and
The service originated addressed to Mexican des- backstamps are dated mail trains traveled both
tinations. Oct. 3, indicating that it day and night.
Mr. X. L. ids she.= ,
With airmail philately a took another day to cross Postal authorities, how-
Mexico red hot field in the 1920s 4148 N. Ashland Ask; , the border. The Chicago- ever, touted airmail as a
By Dale Pulver and 1930s, I assume that Chicago. Ill,, U.S.A. bound cover arrived there time-saver. Slogan cancels
most of the mail was col- Oct. 4 and presumably was to this effect were used in
in Mexico City, flew north lector inspired. delivered the same day. Nuevo Laredo as receiving
(with intermediate stops) The covers illustrated in The New Hampshire marks on both covers. Fig-
Figure 1. This souvenir cover was carried Oct. 1, 1928, on the ure 2 shows one.
to Nuevo Laredo on the Figures 1 and 2 are typical cover went by way of
first flight of Mexico's first regular airmail service.
United States border, of the philatelic mail car- Cleveland (Oct. 4) and Another curious aspect
where the mail could con- ried on this flight. enges, is addressed to New its upper left. Boston (Oct. 5) and prob- of the two covers is the 60-
nect with surface or air- The Figure 1 cover (a Hampshire. Figure 2 shows Backstamps track the ably did not reach the ad- centavo franking.
mail service in the United plain envelope) is ad- both the front and back of routing the covers took dressee until Oct. 6. Airmail postal rates to
States on CAM 22 (con- dressed to Chicago. The the cover. and the times they reached The delivery times dem- the United States were up
tract airmail route). Figure 2 cover, with red Each cover is stamped transfer points along the onstrated by these two cov- and down during 1928
According to the Ameri- and blue perimeter loz- with an official cachet at way. ers give a hint why busi- depending on service and
www.ziliionsofstamps.com JULY 2, 2007 LINK'S STAMP NEWS 41
The other stamp on the Air Mail Catalogue, would
covers is the ordinary 10c make an interesting and
Cuahtemoc Monument challenging topic for an
stamp (Scott 655) in gen- ambitious collector..
eral use during the 1920s. At its inception, the
Difficulties in maintain- route served as the conduit
ing schedules and other for airmail destined for
problems caused routing the United States, Canada,
changes. Great Britain, Europe and
The Queretaro stop was even South America.
Cfr discontinued early on but Covers such as the two
133-(1 was restored March 1, featured in this column are
1929, the same day that plentiful and reasonably
Saltillo was designated as priced. Covers to over-
Figure 2. Front and back of another souvenir cover sent from Mexico to New Hampshire on the Oct 1, 1928, first flight of Mexico's the route terminus. Mail seas countries are scarcer
first regular airmail service. The cover reached its destination Oct 6. The Nuevo Laredo slogan-cancel receiving mark, at the was transferred by over- but can be found. Covers
lower left on the cover's reverse, promotes the use of airmail to save time. The cover was routed through Cleveland and Boston. night train from there to mailed and delivered with-
the border without delay- in Mexico can be difficult
routing. The rate from the airmail portion to 25c. they are scarcer than those first airmail design issued ing the transfer to the U.S. to locate.
June 1 to Sept. 30 was es- It seems that the two cov- shown with this column. in 1922. The stamp was postal system. I would be interested to
tablished at 60c (10c for a ers were prepared ahead of The airmail stamp printed in a quantity of The route was discontin- hear from any fans of this
first-class letter plus 50c time with the expectation used on these covers ap- 200,000, which some be- ued in September 1929 and route. Write to me, Dale
for air service). that the rate would still pears to be the 1927 50c lieve was for an airmail not revived until 1932. Pulver, in care of Linn's
On Oct. 1, a new rate be 60c. Covers exist with Eagle (Scott C2), the wa- service that never materi- This airmail route, MEX Editor, Box 29, Sidney,
went into effect, reducing the correct 35c rate, but termarked version of the alized. 8, as listed in the American OH 45365. ■
40 LINN'S STAMP NEWS AUGUST 6, 2007 www.linns.com

Mexican stamps, postal history offer

many ideas for one-frame exhibits
Over the many years I a job lot of "Anotado" coaster ride airmail rates
have collected Mexico, I overprinted stamps. Items took during the first few
have enjoyed mounting from this lot form the years that airmail service
and entering several me- core of my exhibit. Later, struggled to establish it-
dium-to-large-size exhibits I added a few pieces to self in Mexico.
This exhibit contains
covers demonstrating the
Mexico ups and downs of sur-
By Dale Pulver charges for airmail han-
dling while the post of-
in stamp show competi- fice tried to find the right
tions. combination of rates that
Recently, I shifted my would induce more people
focus to one-frame exhib- to use the service.
its. This category of exhib- About four years ago, I
iting has seen a tremen- prepared a one-frame ex-
dous growth in popularity hibit for a local show on
in the past 20 years. the 2r green Hidalgo stamp
One-frame exhibits not of 1856 (Scott 3).
only appeal to seasoned Figure 1. An 1856 2-real green The 2r stamp paid the
exhibitors but also are use- stamp used at the district office most common postal rate
ful to those who are creat- of Puebla. The author of this in effect at the time. It
ing their first exhibits for column created a one-frame was printed in the larg-
competition. exhibit of 2r green stamps. est quantity of any stamp
At the American Phila- in Mexico's first se-
telic Society's Ameri- round it out. ries, slightly more than
stamp Expo show in Riv- A favorite one-frame 1,600,000.
erside, Calif., in February, exhibit of mine is called The exhibit shows the
52 one-frame exhibits "Making the 2-reales Rate, production of the stamp,
vied for the single-frame 1856-67." In this exhibit, examples from the three
champion of champions. I use covers to show the plates that were used, vari-
More than 80 exhibits many ways the 2r frank-
were entered in the spe- ing was satisfied with
cial competition for one- either multiples of lower-
frame exhibits. - denomination stamps or
I feel that Mexico offers fractional parts (splits)
many opportunities for ap- of the higher denomina-
propriate one-frame treat- tions, a practice that was
ment. permitted by the postal Figure 2. The author thinks
One of my first one- authorities when the cor- that Mexico's Exporta defini-
frame exhibits was a study rect denomination was not tive series would make a good
of Mexico's 1872 "Anota- available. one-frame exhibit. The stamps
do" overprints on the Hi- Both the aforemen- show Mexican exports, such as
dalgo issue of 1868. tioned exhibits scored well tequila on the 10-peso stamp.
The exhibit deals with in one-frame competitions
a fraud perpetrated by at local and national stamp ous plate flaws and the
employees of the post of- shows. validating postal district
fice who printed and sold When the American name overprints. Figure 1
stamps to large users for Air Mail Society came shows a 2r green stamp
personal gain. This chap- to the March Party stamp used at the district office
ter in Mexico's postal show in Cleveland some of Puebla.
history is aptly suited for years back, I worked up The greatest challenge
one-frame treatment. another one-frame ex- is finding examples from
Years ago, I acquired hibit showing the roller- the so-called rare postal
www.zillionsofstamps.com
districts that received few element of the material or would fit nicely in a 16-
2r stamps from the main by a theme or topic related page one-frame display.
post office. to the color blue." The Tourist and the Con-
I have collected Mexi- While most of my at- servation definitive series
can first-issue stamps for tention so far has been di- are similar candidates for
more than 35 years, so I rected to older material, I one-frame studies.
had a large number of the believe there are good op- There are many other
common to scarce districts portunities for one-frame possibilities. Remember,
in my duplicate stock. exhibits among the more that in one-frame exhibit-
I also had to borrow modern Mexican stamps. ing it is important to chose
stamps from my main ex- For example, the Expor- a subject or area that can
hibit to put in this one- ta definitive (regular-issue) be conveniently covered
frame display. stamps spring to mind. and not underdeveloped in
My ultimate goal is to Figure 2 depicts the 10- a single frame.
obtain the best stamps I peso Exporta stamp tour- If you have never exhib-
can find and afford from ing the Mexican product ited competitively before,
as many districts as pos- of tequila. one-frame exhibits might
sible. But it won't be an A large, multiframe ex- be more economical, will
easy task. hibit emphasizing Exporta not require as much work
Everyone wants the stamps and uses could be and will give you a sense
scarce stamps, and at auc- assembled. But a small- of pride in accomplish-
tions, where such items er study showing the 28 ment.
appear from time to time, face-different designs, Perhaps best of all, if
bidding sometimes be- the 13 papers used in the you enter an APS-accredit-
comes brutal. printings, various errors ed national show, you will
My latest one-frame and the reuse of designs receive a written critique
project is a study of the in new denominations of your exhibit that usu-
blue stamps issued by to match rates in a soar- ally contains suggestions
Mexico during the 19th ing inflationary climate for improvement. ■
century. I call it "Mexico:
The 19th Century Blues."
With the exception of
the first-design stamps is-
sued in 1861, every other
regular issue had one or
more blue stamps.
The exhibit contains not
only individual stamps but
also proofs, provisionals,
postal stationery and cov-
ers bearing blue stamps.
This exhibit has not
fared too well with the
judges who have criticized
its unorthodox approach,
but I had a lot of fun put-
ting it together.
I will be showing it
again at the Greater Hous-
ton Stamp Show Sept. 14-
16 in Humble, Texas. The
show will feature a spe-
cial one-frame blue-theme
competition.
The show prospectus
said: " 'Blue' exhibits
must be based in some way
on the color blue, whether
by the actual color of some
50 LINN'S STAMP NEWS SEPTEMBER 3, 2007 www.linns.com

Gutter pairs can spice up album pages, collections of Mexican stamps

Some years ago a fellow commemorates the 400th and fiscal paper, these gut- The earliest stamps on Where did all these gutter ton (1923-95) was in
Mexico collector sent me anniversary of printing in ters served as cutting lanes my specialist friend's list pieces originate? I feel that business as Bill Shelton
a list of Mexican stamps Mexico. The design shows for subdividing the large are the 1913-16 Sonora most of them entered the Philatelics, he published a
that exist as gutter pairs a portrait of Antonio de sheets into smaller, more locals, with 44 varieties market through the phila- price list in 1988 that con-
and blocks. Mendoza, the viceroy of easily handled panes. (Scott 321-413). telic window at the main tained the most complete
I was amazed to learn New Spain who was re- You normally would To some collectors, post office in Mexico City. listing of gutter material I
calling these items gutter Huge quantities of ob- had found up to that time.
pairs might be stretching solete stamps were trans- He also had many of the
Mexico CORREOS MEXICO'
10 CENTAVOS: CORREOS MEXICO the definition a bit because ferred from the main items in stock. His list-
By Dale Pulver • 1.0 CENTAVOS
• • the locals were printed on vaults to the philatelic of- ings agreed closely with
• • small sheets with one or fice, and this stock could my friend's list.
that there are more than 250 • two rows of stamps along have been in uncut sheets. The pricing of gut-
•
varieties of such multiples. • • one edge, after which the It would have been rea- ter material is varied, but
•
I am not sure how many • • sheet was reversed and the sonable for dealers to con-
people collect gutter vari- • process repeated. vince the philatelic win-
eties, but I still see them • . Gutter pairs from the So- dow supervisor to separate
•
offered in circuit books. • nora sheets are tete-beche,
They were once a popular meaning that one design
ntatioh,Vadator •
collecting sideline. 1539 CONMEMORATIVO 1939 • •
b Venrie.V
in the pair is inverted with
1539 CONMEMORATIVO 1939
A gutter piece is a pair or IV Centeaarfo de la liapreala en • IV Centenarie de la Inprento en
respect to the other.
larger block of stamps with lexieuttera en America Beginning with the
unprinted selvage between regular issues of 1923-
the stamps. This selvage Figure 1. Horizontal gutter pair of 10-centavb stamp issued in 34, a host of stamps are
can vary in width depend- 1939 to mark the 400th anniversary of printing in Mexico. available as gutter items.
ing on the layout and for- More than 100 varieties
mat of the stamps on the sponsible for bringing the not be able to find gutter are recorded. Even airmail
printing plate. The selvage first printing press to Mex- pieces at your neighbor- stamps and back-of-the-
can be either horizontal or ico. The stamp was issued hood post office. But if book material are avail-
vertical. Sept. 1, 1939 (Scott 750). you had access to uncut able as gutter pieces.
Figure 1 shows a typi- In the days when large sheets, they could be di- The vertical pairs of
cal horizontal gutter pair. flat-bed or rotary presses vided so that the gutter the 1929 series 35c and
The 10-centavo stamp were used to print stamps remained intact. 50c airmail stamps (Scott
C 11 and C19) illustrated
in Figure 2 clearly demon-
strate the different gutter
Figure 2. The 50-centavo Mexican airmail gutter pair on the left
widths encountered.
The 50c pair shown on has 15-millimeter spacing. The 35c pair on the right has 28mm.
the left has 15-millimeter the sheets in a manner that many items can be pur-
spacing, while the 35c would appeal to and en- chased for a few dollars.
shown on the right has hance sales to collectors. The items illustrated with
28mm spacing. Other gut- After all, such sales rep- this column cost me less
ter widths exist too. resented pure profit to the than $5, but that was quite
The wide 28mm spacing post office because it is a few years ago.
implies an inherent danger. unlikely they would ever I do not recommend
Such material could be the be used on letters. spending a lot of money on
source of mischief on the Is there one source that gutter material, but if you
part of would-be counter- lists them all? Unfortu- focus on the Scott-listed
feiters. On some 22mm- nately, I know of none, nor varieties, you might find
and 25mm-width gutters do I know of any dealer that spicing up your album
I've seen, an extra row of in Mexican stamps that pages with a few gutter
perforations was punched stocks them. pieces will add some inter-
in the imprinted selvage. When dealer Bill Shel- est to your collection. •
18 LINN'S STAMP NEWS OCTOBER 8, 2007 www.linns.com

19th-century Mexican postal cards: good, inexpensive field to collect

Mexican postal statio- scriptions and ratings for Mexicano" inscription is Texas (see inscription at
nery is an economical and either domestic or interna- the typical background top), eventually reaching REPUBLECA f4 CANA- RIPUBLIQUE MEXICAINI
challenging area to explore. tional service. used for many of the cards Mexico City 16 days after TARJET A POSTAL
The fastidious collector The 3-centavo imprint- of the era. it was mailed. ESPUr.9TA PAC...ot
STALE AVEC REPONSE PAYEE
can find dozens of variet- ed stamp of the card il- Mexico's postal service The fancy design em-
ies, and the field is not yet lustrated in Figure 1, for also provided double cards, bellishments on Mexican
CY‘te.:4
-,.- postal cards ceased with
the Coat of Arms issue.
Mexico It and subsequent issues
-
croli"-"Lyvv (4,Weed

By Dale Pulver ... ..4.... , vv.....,p--,

--
have simple, plainly writ-
i-tx lc ten headings and service
sER yr'
,b, •
crowded with spend-thrift C 0 • POSTT Al,
•77,---..,,,:...._-,.. -• ;1—'4''' ,-
,__••
..„,...„,--iG inscriptions. 43 •
buyers. Also, useful litera- TAR./ ETA POSTAL.-GA I2TE POST 1 g9". I can only guess how Inr,7 9.([11•••00 ■• D.A..“••1••• .1/1•V‘ST• T.11.11.17.■

ture exists. much the public used post- cl”( Aat Itt• 6.n.,{...• • CAME IST N.Et& oimoona

Mexico's first postal 2/ : c/le- , :- 4 al cards, although I think

. ... Figure 2. This prepaid reply half of a double Mexican postal card
cards were issued in 1882, they were popular. Postal
i embossed with a 3c imprinted stamp was sent from Germany.
three years after Mexico . rates were such that a mail-
joined the Universal Postal ,
er could save a centavo or lists, offers of merchandise such cards are elusive and
Union. ic mut Joao ailo delta v.., iL■ rye la dlAval•Sa , 77, two by using a card. Draw- and advices of shipment. dealers think they deserve
e ///e7," f rei, backs included the limited I also have several cards high prices.
The early cards are ornate,
with engraved imprinted length of the message and from stamp dealers. In 1968, the Elmhurst
stamps based on contempo- F'gure 1. This ornate Mexican postal card is imprinted with an a lack of privacy. Some of my most in- Philatelic Society, now
raneous stamp designs. engraved 3-centavo stamp. The card is addressed to Germany. If you want to study all teresting cards were sent MEPSI (Mexico-Elmhurst
Benito Juarez is pictured the minor variations in from one stamp collector Philatelic Society Inter-
in the imprinted stamp on example, uses the design with a prepaid reply half. background designs, and to another offering or re- national), published a se-
the first cards. Subsequent of the 3c Transportation- Figure 2 shows an example there are many, unused questing to trade stamps. ries of looseleaf catalogs
cards show Hidalgo me- issue stamp of 1895. of a reply half mailed back cards are probably best. Most of these cards about Mexican postal sta-
dallion heads, large nu- The 3c denomination to Mexico, from the Coat I am partial to stationery were exchanged between tionery called Catalog of
merals and eventually the paid the UPU rate to Eu- of Arms series issued at that has done its duty, so Mexico, the United States Mexico Postal Stationery.
so-called Mulitas or Trans- rope. The card was sent the end of the 19th centu- I actively search for it in and Europe, but I found The catalog is still avail-
portation issue designs. from Mexico City to Ger- ry. Its 3c imprinted stamp dealer stocks. one addressed to the Dutch able from the society. For
The designs of the cards many. It appears to have is embossed. In my modest collection East Indies and another to information, contact Tim
for the Numeral and Mu- reached its destination in The card was mailed of cards, a large number South America. Carroll, MEPS1 Publica-
litas series are less ornate about 14 days. from Hamburg, Germany, fall into the business or I am always hunting for tions Manager, 5454 Allott
than the design of the first The Mexican eagle and directed by way of New commercial category: re- cards mailed to exotic for- Ave., Sherman Oaks, CA
issue. The cards bear in- the wavy "Servicio Postal York City and Laredo, quests for catalogs or price eign destinations, although 91401-5219. • '
www.zillio4otstamps.com NOVEMBER 5, 2007 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 19

How to form a collection of a single Mexican postal district of the mid 1800s
When stamps were first issued in Mex- enough material to form an extensive with half of the oval cancel inscribed
ico in 1856, they were distributed and postal history exhibit or collection. "TECAMA CHALCO" for Tecama-
sold through a network of postal district The district of Puebla is a good ex- chalco, a smaller and somewhat scarcer
offices. Many districts included a large Puebla suboffice.
The overprints were not confined to a
single stamp issue. This opens the field
Mexico for searching significantly, and it adds to
By Dale Pulver the variety of postmarks that are possible
to find.
city or town, although a few did not. New postmarks were added to the mail
Examples of the large offices include clerk's drawer after the volume of mail Figure 3. Two Mexican stamps, each with half a
the cities of Durango, Guadalajara, Gua- increased and older validating devices cancel from the small suboffice Tecamachalco.
najuato, Morelia, Puebla, Queretaro, Ve- wore out. Some devices, especially those
racruz and Zacatecas. from the small suboffices, were used for terial in cheap job lots and American
For administrative purposes, the large long periods of time and their markings Philatelic Society circuit books.
Figure 1. Mexican stamps of 1861 bearing
offices were responsible for distributing can be found on stamps and covers from Quite a few suboffices are truly scarce,
markings of the Pueblo district office.
stamps to smaller nearby towns within several issues. and there are some from which no ex-
their districts. These towns were called ample. The city lies about 80 miles east Assembling a showing of the common amples have been reported. This presents
suboffices. of Mexico City on the road to Veracruz. postmarks on the regularly used stamps an opportunity for discovery.
The name of the main district of- Pueblo was an important commercial from large districts should be relatively If you choose to venture down the
fice was overprinted on the stamps to center in the mid-1800s. easy, especially for Guadalajara, Mo- road of a district office postmark collec-
validate them for sale and as a secu- Between 1856 and 1885, the main post relia, Puebla and Veracruz. Also, many tion, some guidance is needed. I highly
rity measure to thwart and discourage office used approximately 20 different of their suboffices would be fairly easy recommend Cancellations of Mexico,
the theft of stamps. Without the name devices to cancel stamps and mark letters to find. 1856-1874, by Joseph Schatzkes, origi-
overprints, the stamps had no franking bearing the name-overprinted stamps. I have had good luck finding such ma- nally published in 1964 by Robson Lowe,
value. The system did not always work, Figure 1 shows two stamps of 1861 bear- and revised and updated by Karl Schim-
and legally used stamps without district ing examples of the devices used at the mer and republished by Bill Shelton in
names exist. main office. 1983. The Schatzkes book lists oinces
Over the years, I have viewed many The Puebla district office oversaw and illustrates postmarks for the years
Mexican exhibits where the scope was about 54 suboffices, and each suboffice covered.
limited to a single postal district. This used one or more marking devices. Both editions are long out of print but
provides an interesting approach to form- Figure 2 shows stamps from the subof- often show up at auction. Your favorite
ing a collection or an exhibit. fice of Tehuacan. This suboffice handled philatelic book dealer also might have
Many large districts had numerous sub- a fair amount of mail, so stamps canceled it.
offices. Abundant material, both stamps there are not difficult to find. Figure 2. Two Mexican stamps canceled at Te- Get the later edition, if possible. It has
and covers, exists for these large districts, Figure 3 pictures two stamps, each huacan, a suboffice in the Puebla district. much more information than the first. •
I MEXICO BY DALE PULVER
Auction results reveal Mexican market remains strong; updates
Nicolas Follansbee con- offered back-of-the-book prices. They ordered sheets, stamp is shown nearby.
ducted his 19th auction Oct. lots (Official and revenue knowing that most Mexican Bert Woodruff wrote to
20 in Reno, Nev. Follansbee stamps) brought strong stamps were printed in sheets tell me about his fascination
specializes in Mexican stamps bids. I am not well versed of 60 or 100 stamps consist- with the Exporta definitive
and covers, and averages in these areas, but I did see ing of two panes of 30 or 50 (regular-issue) stamps. His
about one auction per year. items that were new to me. separated by a gutter, so they interest was kindled after
I have not heard how the • could separate the stamps reading about them in my
sale fared from the stand- I like to end each year The Scott catalog values this into gutter pairs or blocks book, Introduction to the
point of attendance or the with a column that shares Mexican 15-centavo carmine and sell them at a premium. Stamps of Mexico published
number of active bidders. responses from readers. airmail stamp mint, never-hinged Hart added that certain by Linn's in 1993.
But from the prices realized One reader confirmed at $1.35. The same stamp with a stamp dealers were given Woodruff wanted the ad-
report I received, it appears that the Mexicana Airlines "SERVICIO OFFICIAL" overprint first opportunity to go dendum to the table of Ex-
the overall market for Mexi- souvenir covers I wrote has a catalog value of $350. through the material. Bill porta varieties that appears
can material is still reason- about in the April 2 Linn's, moted the sale of surplus Shelton (1923-95) found in the book as an appendix. I
ably strong. page 26, were indeed avail- stamps in the early 1980s. some rather pricey material, was happy to oblige because
As usual, the better items able to collectors who re- In 1981 and again in 1984, including a sheet of the 1932 I have touted the Exportas
drew strong bidding. Al- quested them. No one has the post office published a 15-centavo `SERVICIO OFI- as a rewarding challenge for
though some lots did not yet commented on their list of obsolete stamp stock CIAL" overprinted airmail a serious collector.
reach the presale estimates, abundance or scarcity. available at face value (or Official stamp (Scott CO21). After the series ended in
other lots surpassed them. In the Sept. 3 column, with a slight premium) in The Scott Standard Postage 1995, I compiled the adden-
A large lot of the 1856 is- page 50, about Mexican Mexican currency. This pe- Stamp Catalogue values if dum with the help of informa-
sue (my favorite) contain- gutter pairs, I suggested riod was the beginning of mint, never-hinged at $350. tion published by Sepomex,
ing almost 1,200 stamps that the main source of this Mexico's rampant inflation. The overprint is on the the Mexican postal service. If
brought $8,000. Including material probably was the The United States dollar 1929-34 15c carmine air- you want a copy, send an ad-
dealer's commission, this philatelic window at the eventually became equiva- mail stamp showing an air- dressed, stamped envelope to
works out to about $7.50 main post office in Mexico lent to hundreds of pesos. plane and Mexico's coat of me, Dale Pulver, Linn's, Box
per stamp, not bad for a City. Mike Hart wrote to Hart and a friend placed arms (Scott C12). It has a 29, Sidney, OH 45356.
well mixed lot with presum- tell me my supposition was substantial orders and were catalog value of $1.35 for a I wish you a happy holi-
ably heavy duplication. correct. In his letter, he also able to secure huge quan- mint, never-hinged stamp, day season and a rewarding
Some very fine, seldom- described how Mexico pro- tities of stamps at cheap and 20(1 for used. The New Year. ■

www.zillionsofstamps.com December 3, 2007 LINN'S STAMP NEWS 15

MEXICO BY DALE PULVER

Mexican postage due stamps rarely used for that purpose

Mexico issued its first and The postal card shown Stamp Catalogue below the
only postage due stamps nearby bears a 2c postage listing of the postage dues,
100 years ago in 1908. The due stamp used for its in- you will find the catalog num-
London firm of Bradbury & tended purpose in 1908. bers of postage dues that were
Wilkinson Co. designed and It confirms payment of a overprinted so they could be
printed the postage dues. franking shortage on a drop used as regular postage. Vari-
The same firm also printed card mailed at Mexico City. ous overprints were applied
Mexico's 1899 definitive Close examination pro- to the postage dues to vali-
(regular-issue) stamps. vides clues to the mecha- date them for postage during
The design of the postage nism used to collect postage the reigns of whichever gen-
dues consists of elaborate due on underpaid items. eral held the upper hand in
machine work with a central The shortage was noted the Mexican government.
oval containing one of five at the main post office, and Genuine examples of the
denominations: 1 centavo, 2c, the card was marked with overprinted postage due
4c, 5c and 10c, all in a deep a rectangular box with the stamps fetch good prices.
blue hue and printed on wa- letter "T" and space for a A 2-centavo blue Mexican postage due stamp used on an underpaid Be warned that many coun-
termarked paper (Scott J1-5). handwritten number show- drop-rate postal card mailed in 1908 at Mexico City. terfeits of the overprints
Unused stamps are plentiful, ing the amount due. due stamp and canceled it paid envelopes. Perhaps the exist. In-period usage is im-
selling for a $1 or less each. The postage due stamp, on the spot. postmasters felt that keep- portant for used stamps.
Legitimately used ex- which partially obscures the In my many years of ing the necessary accounts In 1916, at the start of a
amples are somewhat more name of the addressee, is browsing through cover was too cumbersome and period of rapid inflation in
elusive, usually fetching $2- tied with a double-ring ma- boxes at bourses and perus- time-consuming. Mexico, the postage due
$5 each. The catch is that genta postmark. The post- ing auction catalogs, I have The postage due stamps stamps were overprinted with
unless the stamp bears a mark is inscribed "Cartero encountered few such cov- were widely distributed and surcharges to match soaring
dated postmark of 1908-13, (letter carrier) Mexico, D.F." ers. Because of this, I be- eventually were pressed postal rates (Scott 593-607).
you cannot be sure whether with the carrier's registry lieve they are quite scarce. into service during the civil Keep an eye out for legiti-
it was used as a postage due number, 122, in the center. I do not know why the war when stocks of regular mate postage due uses on
stamp or as a substitute for This suggests that the carri- postage dues were not more stamps ran out. cover. They might be lurking
regular postage during the er collected the 2c due upon widely used as receipts for If you look at the footnote in the cheap cover boxes at
1913-15 civil war period. delivery, affixed the postage postage collected on short- in the Scott Standard Postage your local dealer or show. ■
MEXICO BY DALE PULVER
Provisional uses of Mexican postage dues as postage stamps
Mexican postage due 1 shows the overprint on the is known as the Carranza Thumbing through auc-
stamps sometimes were 1908 2-centavo postage due overprint. tion catalogs of Mexican
used in place of regular (Scott 435). In the final months of material, I found only a half
postage stamps during the Figure 2 pictures the 5c 1916, Mexico's treasury dozen or so lots of provi-
civil war period of 1913-15. postage due with the so- was depleted, and inflation sional uses of the surcharged
In my Mexico column in called Villa monogram set in. Postage rates began postage dues stamps.
the Jan. 7 Linn's, page 34, I (Scott 469). The monogram to rise sharply, and new In Nicholas Follansbee's
might have implied that such features the Gothic letters stamps were needed. Again, Oct. 20, 2007, auction, one
provisional uses of postage "G C M" (Constitutional postage due stamps were lot contained two covers
due stamps could be easier Mexican Government). hauled out of the post office with the surcharged post-
to find than true postage due Many deceptive forgeries of vaults and surcharged to age dues paying the short-
letters. Such is not the case. the Villa monogram exist. match the new rates. lived 5p rate. One cover was
Legitimate provisional uses A smaller cursive mono- The first surcharge used franked with five 1p-on-4c
are scarce too. gram with the same letters is known as the barril (Span- postage dues (Scott 600). Figure 2. Mexico's 5-centavo
The situation is further ish for barrel) overprint. The other bore two 2.50p- postage due stamp with the
complicated by the array The overprint was applied on-lc postage dues (603). so-called Villa overprint with a
of overprints that appeared in different colors and de- Follansbee suggested that Gothic-letter Constitutional Mex-
during the period. nominations on postage due the two covers, although ican Government monogram.
The overprints can be stamps (Scott 593-602). rare, were probably phila- Sidney, OH 45356.
broadly classified into two A second overprint of 2.50 telically inspired. The lot, If you are thinking about
groups: overprints applied to pesos (printed as "$2.50" on received spirited bidding entering the perilous waters
validate the stamps for postal the stamps) was applied to and was hammered down at of Mexican revolutionary
use in an area and overprints postage due stamps in 1916 $380 against an estimated war philately, I recommend
applied to modify the frank- (Scott 603-07). price range of $200 to $250. securing Follansbee's book
ing value of the stamps. Few of the surcharged If you have Mexican post- The Stamps of the Mexi-
Included in the first group stamps were actually used. age due stamps on cover, I can Revolution, 1913-1916,
is the so-called dollar sign Most experts feel that many would be happy to hear your published by the Collectors
overprint reading "Gobierno Figure 1. The so-called dollar of the uses that do survive opinions about these covers. Club of Chicago in 1996.
$ Constitutionalista" printed sign overprint on Mexico's 1908 were probably made for or Write to me, Dale Pulver, in However, the book may be
vertically on stamps. Figure 2-centavo postage due stamp. by stamp collectors. care of Linn's Editor, Box 29, hard to find. ■
11/20/13 Linn's Stamp News ©2013 Amos Publishing

MEXICO BY DALE PULVER

Many Mexican stamps honor stamp shows and conventions

Stamp collecting has nev- The overprint translates to [--- The Herfilex 83 show was
er been pursued by large
CEOrf
' "in honor of collectors of FEXSON
PO ICI dedicated to the stamps of
numbers of Mexican citi- Mexican postage stamps:' 1201 L ATE LICA the Mexican revolution of
zens, but there have been The Scott Standard Post- INTERNACIO A 1913-16. One of the show
avid collectors there since age Stamp Catalogue gives promoters, Carlos Lucero,
the 19th century. r a valuation of $100 mint 0
;LI designed the 6p stamp
The early collectors trad and $75 used for the over- promoting the show (Scott
ed stamps with each other printed 10p stamp and $100 0
1311).
and also generated enough both mint and used for the MEnm PE AL
Three stamps were is-
business to spawn a cadre 17•23 DE JUNIO DEI9351
20p airmail. sued for Mexfil 85 (Scott
of dealers. Lt.-12 MEXICOLF-Lf rit The American Philatelic 1382-85). The 22p low
As time passed and col- Society presented its 77th value features a stamp-on-
letting became more so- Figure 1. This stamplike labe annual convention in Mex- stamp design of the 1856
phisticated, stamp shows was created for a 1935 stamp ico in October 1963, and a Figure 2. This 1956 Mexican 8-reis stamp (5). The design
and exhibitions were staged exhibition held in Mexico. commemorative stamp was commemorative honors a stamp shows the 8r stamp perfo-
in Mexico. issued depicting, in much exhibition and the 100th anni-
versary of Mexico's first stamp.
rated, although it was only
Figure 1 shows a label set shows President Frank- reduced size, the 1956 issued imperforate.
touting a stamp exhibition lin Roosevelt, a well-known stamp for the 100th anni This is not a complete list

1m
held in 1935. The label looks stamp collector. The corn- versary of Mexican stamps. - MEXICO ELMHURST PHILATELIC of Mexican issues honoring
SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL"
like a stamp depicting tradi- memorative also includes a It's a curious example of a 1. the stamp hobby. However,
tional Mexican subject mat- stamp-on-stamp design of stamp-on-stamp-on-stamp the aforementioned stamps
ter. It is well executed, well Mexico's first stamp. design (Scott 937). give an idea of the willing-
printed and has full gum. Mexican postal authori- Mexican commemorative ness of Mexican postal au-
Such labels and stickers ties issued another stamp- stamps issued during the thorities to print stamps
were popular in the mid- on-stamp design in 1956 to 1970s and 1980s recognized promoting philately.
20th century and were cre- mark the 100th anniversary numerous shows and exhi- i xi( II Al RI.° 011
I think that you could as-
ated for many stamp shows. of Mexican stamps. Figure bitions. semble a nice one-frame
As the hobby became 2 shows this 30c commem- Most of these shows are Figure 3. A 1.60-peso airmail exhibit of such stamps dis-
stamp honors a 1979 MEPSI meet-
better known and large orative (Scott 897), which known by acronyms, such ing. The stamp shows an 1880
playing both stamps and
shows and exhibitions were also promotes a stamp exhi- as Venezuela's Exfilca 70 registered letter sent to Rome.
covers.
staged, governments would bition held in Mexico City. (Scott C385); Peru's Exfili- Many collectors who at-
often mark these events In 1960, the Mexico Elm- ma 70 (C391), Mexico's Ex- stamp issued in 1979 for tended the stamp shows
with special stamp issues. hurst Philatelic Society filmex 74 (1065, C429) and Mepsipex 79, another MEPSI prepared covers using the
Mexico was no exception. International, known as the United States' Interphil annual meeting (Scott C605). stamps, and some dealers
Five stamps were issued MEPSI, held a convention 76 (C521). The Interphil The stamp shows an 1880 prepared cachets for the
by Mexico in 1947 to recog- in Mexico City, and the post stamp shows a clever design registered letter sent from shows. It might be a chal-
nize Cipex, the international office overprinted a 10-peso of a perforation gauge by R. Mexico to Rome. Yet another lenge to find some of these
show held in New York City surface mail stamp and 20p Davidson, designer of the MEPSI meeting, Mepserrey stamps used on cover, but I
(Scott 826-27,C167-69). The airmail stamp (Scott 909, Exporta series. 88, was honored on a set of think you could have a lot of
10-centavo low-value of the C249) in limited quantities. Figure 3 depicts a 1.60p three in 1988 (1545-47). fun chasing them down. •

36 LINN S STAMP NEWS March 3, 2008 www.linns.com

ed i ti ons . amos publ i s hi ng .com/LIN N/pri nt. as p)Od= 20080303&s= 36&e= 36&r= 150 1/1
11/20/13 Linn's Stamp News ©2013 Amos Publishing

MEXICO BY DALE PULVER

'Mexicana' takes a look at fancy postmarks of mining towns

Most serious collectors of The January issue of tion of officers. A dozen originally was a hacienda
Mexico belong to the Mex-
ico-Elmhurst Philatelic So-
ciety International, known
Mexicana arrived the other
day and that, in part, is what
prompts this column.
members provided fresh
bits of research or commen-
tary on a variety of Mexican
that raised mules for the
early stagecoach line. Figure
1 shows a postmark used at
GUANACEIT.
as MEPSI. My membership The table of contents lists subjects. the hacienda. Figure 2. One of the three record
stretches back more than 40 27 items ranging from com- An article by Jaime Bena- Muleros was renamed Vi- ed fancy postmarks for the Mex-
ican mining town Guanacevi.
years, and the society has vides on three early mining cente Guerrero in 1920.
been of enormous benefit towns in the state of Duran- Guanacevi, located high colors: red, blue, green and
to me. go caught my interest. The in the Sierra Madre Oc- black.
The society provides a towns, Muleros, Guanacevi cidental, was the source of Guanacevi is still small,
wide array of services to its and Guichapa, are noted for ores rich in silver, gold, lead, with only about 10,000 in-
many members. Perhaps large, fanciful postmarks copper and zinc. habitants.
the most important is the Figure 1. This fancy postmark fo used on mail from the Figure 2 shows one of Guichapa (1-luichapa),
quarterly journal Mexicana, Muleros, Mexico, was used in the middle of the 19th century. three postmarks recorded also a hacienda, is located
which provides news, re- middle of the 19th century. The postmarks are eagerly for the town. In my collec- roughly in the center of the
search and a forum for the sought by collectors. tion of stampless covers, I state of Durango. The town
exchange of knowledge and ments by the editor to the Muleros is Spanish for had examples of this mark- saw some important min-
ideas. results of the recent elec- "mule drivers:" The town ing struck in four brilliant ing in the early days, but

34 LINN'S STAMP NEWS April 7, 2008 www.linns.com

ed i ti ons.amos publ i s hi ng .com/LIN N/pri nt.as p)Od= 20080407&s= 34&e= 35&r= 150 1/2
the ore deposits are now existence of vertical multi- cult area to collect. Mexican philately, conducts
exhausted. Minor agricul- ples from the plate has long Mexicana received a gold auctions and operates a cir-
ture is carried out in the flat thwarted attempts to fix its award in the literature class cuit-book service.
areas of the region. location. at the Monterrey show Perhaps, best of all, join-
Specialists search for the Anderson has found evi- in November 2007. Mike ing MEPSI connects you to
large cursive Guichapa post- dence to place the flaw be- Roberts, who took over the a worldwide fraternity of se-
mark shown in Figure 3. It is tween positions No. 24 and editor's position a couple of rious collectors who stand
especially desirable on cover. No. 30 in the right-hand years ago, has done a won- willing to help and answer
Another interesting arti- column of the 60-subject derful job in improving the Figure 3. This large cursive post the many questions newcom-
mark of Guichapa, Mexico, is es
cle in the January Mexicana (six by 10) plate. journal. ers to the field usually have.
pecially desirable on cover.
deals with the 1856 2-real Among the other articles Membership in MEPSI Collectors meet and so-
stamp, my favorite Mexican in Mexicana were correc- has further rewards. they bear are genuine. Since cialize at the society's an-
stamp. tions by Nick Follansbee to The society has an expert forged items abound for nual meetings.
Jesper Anderson attempts his book The Stamps of the committee that is well-rec- Mexican classic issues, cer- Have I convinced you
to solve the mystery of Mexican Revolution; de- ognized in the stamp world. tification of rare and high- to join? If so, write to Pete
where the small plate crack tails of a new Exporta find; For modest fees, the com- priced items is a must. Taylor, Secretary, 1440
of plate I of the 2r is located. and an update by Salomon mittee can assist members in The society also main- Abernathy Creek Road,
This flaw has been known Rosenthal on the Porte de determining whether stamps tains a library, has an inven- Longview, WA 98632, for
for a long time, but the non- Mar stamps, a rather diffi- are real, and if the postmarks tory of books for sale on an application. ■
 Linn's @ April 2008

Dale R. Pulver, 1929-2008

Dale R. Pulver, a promi- unravel the Exporta series year assignment in Mexico, tine and parents Arthur and
nent philatelic researcher of modern Mexican defini- from 1964-69, where he Inez Gertrude (Stamp).
and authority on the stamps tives that he did so much to moved with his family, and He is survived by daugh-
and postal history of Mexi- popularize." it was there that his interest ters Emilie Grace Pulver
co, died March 26 in Cleve- Mr. Pulver was born June in the philately of Mexico of Chicago, Ill., and Clara
land, Ohio. He was 78. 18, 1929, in Rochester, N.Y., was kindled. (Brian) Wilson of Elyria,
Mr. Pulver originated and started his education in a He wrote a series of articles Ohio, and son Dale A. Pul-
the Mexico column in the one-room stone schoolhouse in 1978 for the U.S. Philatelic ver of University Heights,
May 9, 1983, issue of Linn's in Spencerport, N.Y. His in- Classic Society's The Chron- Ohio; grandchildren Maria,
Stamp News and had writ- terest in stamps began at age icle of the LIS. Classic Postal Elizabeth, Evan, Timothy
ten the monthly column 8 (in 1937) when he received Issues on the postal history of and Stephen Wilson; sisters
continuously for 25 years. a stamp album as a Christ- the Mexican-American War, Joyce Bennett of Lyndonville,
His final column appeared mas gift from his aunt. winning the Ashbrook cup. N.Y., and Marylou (Charles)
in the issue of April 5. He attained a bachelor's Some of his many exhibits Stage of Spencerport, N.Y;
Mr. Pulver also wrote Intro- degree in chemical engineer- were shown internationally, and brother Merle (Margot)
duction to the Stamps of Mex- ing at Cornell University, and won awards at Israphil Pulver of Whitehall, Mich.
ico, published in the Linn's Dale R. Pulver where he was a member of 85 and Ameripex 86. Memorial services were
Handbook series in 1992. ral writer leaving an editor the Big Red marching band. His article on "The Anal- held April 1 at Advent Lu-
In the introduction to Mr. like me with very little to do. Mr. Pulver was a United ysis of Postal Markings on theran Church in Mentor,
Pulver's book, Linn's then- "He was an award-winning States Army veteran who Pre-Stamp Covers of Mexi- Ohio, with inurnment at
editor-publisher Michael exhibitor who was always served a 17-month tour in co" in The Congress Book of Mentor Cemetery.
Laurence recalled that a willing to take the time to Korea. After his service, he 1987 won the McCoy award The family suggests con-
reader once wrote: "I've explain the fine points of any was employed as a chemical for the best article in the an- tributions be made to the
never collected Mexico, but subject in stampdom, with engineer at the former Dia- nual publication. Advent Lutheran Church
I always read Dale Pulver's a humble, genial manner mond Alkali Co. in Paines- In addition to his love of Memorial Fund, 7985 Mun-
column because it's so in- that belied his great depth of ville, Ohio, for 34 years, re- philately, Mr. Pulver was a son Road, Mentor, OH
teresting. I learn something knowledge and expertise. tiring in 1986. lifelong fan of woodwork- 44060; or to the American
new every time:' "As such, he was a superb He and his wife of 50 ing and carpentry. He also Philatelic Research Library
Fred Baumann, Mr. Pul- choice to explain the bewil- years, Christine, met at a devoted time to community for acquisition of Mexican
ver's editor at Linn's during dering complexities of 19th- church social group. They volunteer work. philatelic research material,
the 1980s and 1990s, de- century Mexican philately had three children. Mr. Pulver was preceded 100 Match Factory Place,
scribed Mr. Pulver as "a natu- and postal history, and to His career included a five- in death by his wife Chris- Bellefonte, PA 16823. ■