Of course, you already know the answer to this. Take your chosen catalogue, find the stamp, check the value, deduct a decent percentage from the inflated price in front of you and…Voila! Easy. Except the world has moved on and a catalogue (less percentage discount) is no longer the most accurate way of determining value. […]
General Philately
The Future of Latin American Philately
I’ve lost count of the articles I’ve read over the years discussing philately’s future. Not to mention the letters submitted to magazines and journals, invariably bemoaning the purported decline in interest in stamp collecting. The arguments follow a familiar pattern and tend to focus on two well-worn themes… One: children don’t collect stamps anymore so […]
Latin American stamp design and its harshest critic
Turn to the letters page of any self-respecting philatelic monthly magazine and you will invariably find a diatribe from a reader bemoaning the paucity of creativity in current-day stamp design. Whether it be yet another Harry Potter or Marvel series of stickers, or the ubiquitous photoshopped images that tend to monopolise stamp design, there is […]
One (Philatelic) Database to Rule Them All
Peter Moorer is on a mission. To create a single search tool that can enable Latin American collectors to have digital access to any article, journal, catalogue or publication ever produced on Central and South American philately. And to include links to videos, websites and, well, absolutely anything out there that can help with your […]
Collect Latin American stamps but don’t speak Spanish?
OK, confession time. I don’t speak Spanish. Not that it has ever hindered me in my philatelic pursuits (although I would get much more out of Mi Oficina videos, if I did). Back at school we sat through just two years of French and German lessons. That was it; at age thirteen, language tuition was […]
Discovering the lesser-known forgers of Latin American stamps
Forgers such as the Spiro brothers, Fournier and Sperati are well-known characters in philatelic folklore. But what of the lesser-known forgers? Gerhard Lang has spent over six years investigating the mischievous creations of the little-known Placido Ramon de Torres…and uncovered one of the most prolific forgers in philately. He is now conducting research on more […]
ABNC proofs – understanding the different types
The American Bank Note Company was a prolific printer of numerous issues for many Latin American countries. Die and plate proofs take pride of place in many collections or exhibits. However, they are often unmentioned and unpriced in most philatelic catalogues with little information available on the number of proofs printed. So just how scarce […]
Original ABNC steel dies come to market
So you’ve acquired a nice selection of plate proofs and a few die proofs to enhance your collection. Now how about an original steel die as the cherry on the cake? Over one thousand of the American Bank Note Company original, engraved printing dies have recently come to market, offering an unusual opportunity to own […]
The Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue: a review
Once upon a time, Stanley Gibbons’ twin volume South America and Central America catalogues were my daily reference tools. They are still powerful weapons in the Latin America collector’s armoury but for a number of years, the Scott Classic Specialized has been my ‘go to’ first port of call. Gibbons hasn’t updated the aforementioned volumes […]
eBay disrupts catalogue publishing with Stamp Market Index
eBay and Noble Spirit launch online database with over 200 million price transactions We’re now used to most facets of our lives being ‘disrupted’ by the advent of the internet. There are few business sectors that have not had to adjust or reinvent their business models to stay ahead of the game in today’s online […]
Exhibiting Latin America…from Denver to Stockholm (Part 2)
Back in Europe, the philatelic world was gearing up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Philatelic Society by hosting Stockholmia 2019 in the Swedish capital. This was a somewhat unusual blend of regional Scandinavian stamp show combined with a truly world class philatelic event, attracting around 8000 participants from 51 countries. Drawing on […]
Stamp Dealers in Argentina and Uruguay
Once upon a time many of the world’s great cities maintained an active philatelic quartier. Stamp shops tended to congregate in a specific part of town to cater for the needs of a hungry collector base who would depend on local dealers to serve their needs. It is a business model that has been gradually […]