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CLASSIC LATIN AMERICA

News, commentary and opinion on Central and South American philately

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A visit to the Edificio Correos in San José

I visited Costa Rica last week and took some time out to take a look around the Edificio Correos in the heart of San José. In a country not known for its architectural beauty – not least because so much has been razed by successive earthquakes – the Central Post Office is a rare gem. […]

1st November 2018Categories Post OfficesLeave a Comment0

Philatelic Societies – a review

FIAF logo

I’ve recently updated the Resources pages. Part of this exercise was to revisit links to philatelic societies and investigate others that I wasn’t so familiar with. In reviewing so many sites in a relatively short space of time, you quickly get a feel for what seems to separate the well-organised societies from those that ‘could […]

14th October 2018Categories General Philately, Philatelic SocietiesLeave a Comment6

Tasty Brazil, Bolivia and Chile at Gartner

1881 Brazil 100 Reis Proof Sheet

Watching the postman struggle to our door the other morning could only mean one thing: it was time for another Gartner auction. Of all the international auction houses, Gartner probably produces the most substantial catalogues. They are usually multi-part affairs which even need their own separate booklet to enable the hapless bidder to navigate the […]

2nd October 2018Categories AuctionsLeave a Comment0

Which country has the world’s worst postal service?

UPU Logo

Which countries should you avoid shipping to? Let’s say you put a few items up for auction on eBay and one lucky winner has an address in Haiti. Would you post it using regular mail? If you’d just read the Universal Postal Union’s annual report on the global ranking of postal services around the world, […]

19th September 2018Categories Analysis, General PhilatelyLeave a Comment8

Collect Brazil? You probably need this…

Brazil catalogue cross reference book

Pre-internet, collectors tended to be far more reliant  – dependent even – on the catalogue that was written in their own language. Buying and selling was limited to the relationships with dealers you knew, and the auctions you attended were those nearer to home. I’m generalising but you get the picture. Move on to the […]

18th August 2018Categories Analysis, PublicationsLeave a Comment0

Hackmey’s Chile to be sold

Chile Colon block of 12

Conveniently following on from my plug for SOFICH a few weeks ago, comes the news that Joseph Hackmey is to part with his Chile collection. This is set to be a landmark auction with rare and exceptional items from one of the most important classic Chile collections ever formed. You’ll need deep pockets for this […]

20th July 2018Categories AuctionsLeave a Comment0

SOFICH, so good

SOFICH Chile catalogue

I recently acquired a very nice collection of pre-1940 Chile that had been collected by SOFICH and cross-referenced by Scott. It clearly shows just how much room for expansion there is by collecting using this specialized work. The SOFICH catalogue is published by the Chilean Philatelic Society (Sociedad Filatelica de Chile). It is a lavish, […]

4th April 2018Categories PublicationsLeave a Comment0

Part 20, Part 20, wherefore art thou Part 20…?

Stanley Gibbons Part 20 South America

It is now ten years since Stanley Gibbons printed the fourth and current edition of their ‘Part 20’ South America stamp catalogue. And the separate ‘Part 15’ that covers Central America was last published in 2007. It looks like these are the final editions of these heavily referenced catalogues. Stanley Gibbons business has gone through […]

15th February 2018Categories PublicationsLeave a Comment2

Bookshelf Essentials Part II – The Central American Newsletter

Central American Newsletter

Although The Mainsheet covered all twenty republics, its focus was primarily on South America. In 1980, under the editorship of Bernard Davies, The Central American Newsletter was launched as a sister publication to The Mainsheet. Bernard edited until his death in 1985 when Mike Birks took over the helm. The CAN ran for twenty years, […]

14th December 2017Categories PublicationsLeave a Comment0

Bookshelf Essentials – The Mainsheet

The Mainsheet

If there is one thing philatelists are not short of it is reading material. Decades of book publishing has produced a wealth of literature on every subject imaginable and each month brings a swathe of new titles. Coupled to that, society magazines, articles, catalogues and the multitude of websites and forums and, well…you get the […]

13th December 2017Categories PublicationsLeave a Comment2

Colombian air post rarities under the hammer

Colombia SCADTA stamp

One of the most iconic and distinctive series of stamps in Latin American philately are the nine colourful labels used by CCNA (Compania Colombiana de Navegacion Aerea) in 1920. These beautiful designs have an almost cartoon like appearance and were originally designed as promotional labels for the Curtiss Aeroplane Company. Used to supplement the regular […]

21st November 2017Categories AuctionsLeave a Comment0

El Salvador finally makes it to London

El Salvador proof

After a mere 148 years, the RPSL finally got to put on a display of El Salvador on 9th November. Guillermo Gallegos had come from over from Mexico to present “The Prestamp Period of El Salvador” with a twelve-frame display covering the colonial period through until the end of the pre-stamp Republican period. Much of […]

11th November 2017Categories EventsLeave a Comment0

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Key Auctions & Shows (double check before attending in case of any COVID related postponements)

  1. Taipei | Taipei 2021 International Stamp Exhibition

    June 4 - June 8
  2. Chicago | Great American Stamp Show 2021

    August 12 - August 15
  3. Yokohama | Philanippon 2021 International Stamp Exhibition

    August 25 - August 30
  4. Capetown | IPEX 2021 International Stamp Exhibition

    November 9 - November 13
  5. Athens | Notos 2021 International Stamp Exhibition

    November 19 - November 22

View All Events

Featured Posts

  • A visit to the Edificio Correos in San José
  • Introducing Venezuela's EscuelasBook Review – Introducing Venezuela’s Escuelas Stamps by Williams Castillo
  • ABNC Steel PlateOriginal ABNC steel plates come to market
  • Stanley Gibbons Part 20 South AmericaPart 20, Part 20, wherefore art thou Part 20…?
  • Lazy PostmanWhich country has the world’s worst postal service?
  • The 10 pesos top value of Mexico's Mail Transportation issueThe Collector | Eric Stovner | Mexico
  • FIAF logoPhilatelic Societies – a review
  • The Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue: a review
  • Central American NewsletterBookshelf Essentials Part II – The Central American Newsletter
  • Old Central Post Office Buenos AiresStamp Dealers in Argentina and Uruguay
  • Haiti 1898 President Sam, 50c Rose Brown Sunken Die ProofABNC proofs – understanding the different types
  • Neal West NicaraguaThe Collector | Neal West | Nicaragua
  • GJ Specialized Argentina CatalogueNew specialized Argentina catalogue published
  • Rocky Mountain Stamp Show 2019Exhibiting Latin America…from Denver to Stockholm (Part 1)
  • Stockholmia 2019Exhibiting Latin America…from Denver to Stockholm (Part 2)
  • The MainsheetThe Mainsheet goes digital
  • Brazil catalogue cross reference bookCollect Brazil? You probably need this…
  • Buenos Aires stamp forgeriesFakes, forgeries…and buying online
  • The MainsheetBookshelf Essentials – The Mainsheet
  • Argentina 20 Peso High ValueSouth American stamps continue to appreciate in value
  • SOFICH Chile catalogueSOFICH, so good
  • Mi Oficina logoLatin American Philately Zooms Forward
  • Venezuela AR39 stampScott Specialized adds another 67 listings to Venezuela
  • John Shaw RPSLThe Collector | John Shaw | Paraguay
  • Stamp Market IndexeBay disrupts catalogue publishing with Stamp Market Index
  • ELASCA websiteIntroducing ELASCA – The European Latin American Stamp Collector Association
  • Brazil Bulls Eye ForgeryThe Numerals Issues of Brazil – Fakes, Forgeries and Counterfeits
  • Mexico National Express CoThe Collector | Peter Bamert | Mexico
  • Black HondurasAnd the second most expensive Latin American country to collect is…Honduras. And the least expensive? Guatemala. Debate!

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