Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Attractiveness- South American stamp seems plain & not as colorful as Hungarian or Russian stamps. Most collectors are very "visual" and this may explained why it doesn't captured their eyes. The quality of paper & size may also attribute because collectors are serious when comes quality & size.
Historical Significant- South America doesn't have a long & global history like Great Britain or France. South America has some history: Panama Canal, Simon Bolivar, San Martin, Salsa/Tango, Pele & Mayan/Inca Empire. Yet, South American stamps failed to captured collectors' attention. I also think South America is a young continent & needs more time to accumulate more histories.
Heritage- Most collectors preferred collecting a country that they're related by family/personal connection. These have a special meaning;therefore, triggering a strong desire to pursue. Since majority of stamp collectors are North American, European & Asian, the chances for South American stamp is low. There was a stamp survey in New Zealand a few years ago, South America was placed last. When asked why, New Zealanders felt they have no blood or cultural connection with them.
In conclusion, I hope people will give South American stamps a 2nd chance. We can learn so much about this great continent
Login to Like
this post
I collect Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. Why? Well, most of these countries have fascinating early stamps, most of them are pretty hard to get as well. The middle period (approx. 1930s to 1970) on the other hand, is mostly boring and available in large numbers, but when it comes to the ore recent stamps of let's say the mid-seventies, it becomes a real challenge. Only because of that, I find it much more interesting to collect those countries, compared to Germany or the USA. An additional plus is that because many people still disregard South American stamps, you can be lucky sometimes: some collectors are more than happy to get rid of them.
By the way, anyone who want to trade any of the above countries, let me know.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
05:12:25pm
I collect Peru up to 1955. I got into the country as a total fluke. I bought a "P lot" from DanTheStampMan on E-bay because it had some Philippines, Puerto Rico and a PEI stamp I wanted. I ended up with a large number of older Peru stamps, so I thought "What the Hell" ... It's an area that I thoroughly enjoy now and most of the stamps are fairly inexpensive. South America has a long postal history as well, if I remember right Brazil was the second country to issue postage stamps. Please correct me if I am wrong - it happens often!
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
For the past few years, I have often given thought to expanding my collecting interests to South American countries.
I have many varied philatelic interests at the moment, so I have not yet convinced myself to seriously make it a priority.
BUT - it could happen soon!
I like many of the early stamps of south America and it wouldn't take much of a nudge to get me to start!
Login to Like
this post
Harvey, you are correct. In 1843, Brazil was indeed the second country to issue stamps. These stamps were called bull's eyes. the next issues were called goat's eyes and cat's eyes. I love it when stamps have nicknames.
Login to Like
this post
my local stamp club has two DEDICATED SA collectors; one who collects the entire continent and one who specializes in Guatemala but toys with it all.
its history is rich, and, in some ways, far more interesting than, say, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Aland, etc. That's not to deny any of them their philatelic place, but how many wars with Great Britain or the US have any of those countries had in the last 300 years.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
06:22:00pm
Don't forget the Spanish and the Portuguese, they didn't treat South and Central America very well a long time ago!
Login to Like
this post
09:57:37pm
"Attractiveness- South American stamp seems plain & not as colorful as Hungarian or Russian stamps. Most collectors are very "visual" and this may explained why it doesn't captured their eyes. The quality of paper & size may also attribute because collectors are serious when comes quality & size."
I have had a soft spot for the stamps of Latin America since I was a teenager in the 1960s. (No cultural connection ... just loved the stamps.)
In my opinion, anyone who feels that the stamps of LA lack character has never really seen them, or has only been exposed to the (typically) trashy copies found in most worldwide collections.
Allow me to share a few random pages from my stockbooks to illustrate my point. (I apologize for the length of this post to anyone with a slow internet connection ... I might have gotten carried away, but in my defense, I only scratched the surface) .
Whew!!
Roy
12 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Lovely examples!
Login to Like
this post
See?
That is what keeps drawing my interest to start collecting them!
I may give in yet!
Login to Like
this post
I dabble in Argentina as it comes along but have most of the modern stuff...With Guatemala now its mainly covers and older postcards.
Login to Like
this post
this "wounded warrior" is a bit rougher than what is usually in my collection...but its the only telegraph cover that i have from the 1897 series.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
I collect Central and South America, and began some years ago when I just needed a new challenge and also had the desire to explore in stamps areas I had travelled to recently. As J-S said, the stamps are readily available and often you can find gems at low prices. And many collect them. I posted a number of Latin America approval books over the past several years and all sold rapidly with more than 50% of the stamps picked up rapidly. I plan to post more when I return to selling.
Most stamps are readily available, but some are particularly hard to find.
Apart from the very early 1840-60s, I am thinking in particular of all of Argentina's officials for the various government departments, listed often at minimum prices, but some are truly impossible to get. I spend hours in a dealer's shop in Buenos aires just filling many of the remaining blanks in my collection. (There is one dealer who specializes in them.... name available if you message me). No bargain there, stamps were always priced at or above catalog prices, but many do list at the minimum in the catalog, and it is the only way you can get them.
By the way, I still miss a handful of these elusive official departmental stamps of Argentina, and their low catalog listing prices is a real mystery!
I remember getting a bunch of the officials for "AntoniusRa" as well.
I also listed some of my duplicates in an Approval Book that almost sold out immediately.
Latin America country collections are fun and one can make very good progress with a low budget as most stamps are readily available at low prices.
rrr...
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
In the early twentieth century, there was a wave of spectacular engraved pictorials printed in Britain (Waterlow, de la Rue) or the US (American Bank Note). I could easily get into collecting them more systematically.
There were several wars where territory shifted from one country to another, so there are occupation stamps or postmarks that mark this history. Ive been looking for more of these.
Uruguayan stamps used to be obnoxiously stodgy, but now are among the most interesting any country has been producing post millenium.
I've been paying more attention to Andean stamps after a couple of trips there. I look for stamps depicting places I have been, or evoke memories and plans to return.
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
I am a world collector through 1968 and do like south america. I get into some of the multiple perforation varieties. Some sets run for pages. Only my early Austria exceed these numbers. But I do get frustrated with some nations routinely having sets with part regular, and part airmail stamps. Yes, I use Scott's.
Login to Like
this post
I have posted a bunch of pages of South America recently and they have gone at BIN almost instantly. Admittedly, they are largely unchecked and priced at 1-3c each so maybe that's a key factor for their "popularity".
Haven't tried looking through my stock books of $1+ CV stamps yet but will eventually get there and see what the demand is around the 10-20% CV range.
I wonder if part of the popularity issue is the scarcity of really nicely cancelled stamps. On the other hand, most that I've seen/sold appear postally used with many fewer CTOs than a lot of "popular" countries.
David.
Login to Like
this post
As President of The Society for Costa Rica Collectors, I say that the rich culture and history of Latin America is well represented on the stamps.
Costa Rican stamps illustrate very well their history and dculture. There aren't any Walt Disney stamps, frivolous issues, and they have a modest number of stamps issued each year.
David
Ottawa, Canada
5 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Hi-
I'm new around here and have taken a shine to SA stamps after a 38 year hiatus from the hobby. I was recently gifted a worldwide collection from an acquaintance I traded with 20 or so years ago, and noticed the nearly empty pages for the South American/Latin American countries and decided to restart my collecting experience there. Right now I'm very interested in Bolivia and Ecuador and am getting into Chile and Argentina. I love SA stamps!
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
I will list some Latin America and see what happens.
Login to Like
this post
As the nice scans above show, lots of SA stamps up to about 1940 are great examples of old school engraving, many done up by the American Bank Note company. After that, I must say I find the quality slipping. If you look at Brazil for example, most of their stamps from the 1950s and 60s are quite dull and colorless, some of them almost rather clumsy looking. SA seems to suffer from uneven quality, and perhaps some collectors only think of the less good examples when considering SA.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
This is Guatemala #114-123 from 1902 printed by Waterlow and Sons, its one of my favorites. Sadly Waterlow and Sons was damaged during the blitz and the plates were lost or destroyed.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
Oops ! the 75 center is wrong...its an overprint of #121....#171...Guatemala did that quite a bit.
Login to Like
this post
Last week, a group discussion about why there aren't much interest in South American stamps. I know there are some people collecting them. However, South American stamps continues to stay in the bottom in every survey. I don't know why, but I can guess based on 3 criteria:
Attractiveness- South American stamp seems plain & not as colorful as Hungarian or Russian stamps. Most collectors are very "visual" and this may explained why it doesn't captured their eyes. The quality of paper & size may also attribute because collectors are serious when comes quality & size.
Historical Significant- South America doesn't have a long & global history like Great Britain or France. South America has some history: Panama Canal, Simon Bolivar, San Martin, Salsa/Tango, Pele & Mayan/Inca Empire. Yet, South American stamps failed to captured collectors' attention. I also think South America is a young continent & needs more time to accumulate more histories.
Heritage- Most collectors preferred collecting a country that they're related by family/personal connection. These have a special meaning;therefore, triggering a strong desire to pursue. Since majority of stamp collectors are North American, European & Asian, the chances for South American stamp is low. There was a stamp survey in New Zealand a few years ago, South America was placed last. When asked why, New Zealanders felt they have no blood or cultural connection with them.
In conclusion, I hope people will give South American stamps a 2nd chance. We can learn so much about this great continent
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
I collect Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. Why? Well, most of these countries have fascinating early stamps, most of them are pretty hard to get as well. The middle period (approx. 1930s to 1970) on the other hand, is mostly boring and available in large numbers, but when it comes to the ore recent stamps of let's say the mid-seventies, it becomes a real challenge. Only because of that, I find it much more interesting to collect those countries, compared to Germany or the USA. An additional plus is that because many people still disregard South American stamps, you can be lucky sometimes: some collectors are more than happy to get rid of them.
By the way, anyone who want to trade any of the above countries, let me know.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
06 Mar 2021
05:12:25pm
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
I collect Peru up to 1955. I got into the country as a total fluke. I bought a "P lot" from DanTheStampMan on E-bay because it had some Philippines, Puerto Rico and a PEI stamp I wanted. I ended up with a large number of older Peru stamps, so I thought "What the Hell" ... It's an area that I thoroughly enjoy now and most of the stamps are fairly inexpensive. South America has a long postal history as well, if I remember right Brazil was the second country to issue postage stamps. Please correct me if I am wrong - it happens often!
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
For the past few years, I have often given thought to expanding my collecting interests to South American countries.
I have many varied philatelic interests at the moment, so I have not yet convinced myself to seriously make it a priority.
BUT - it could happen soon!
I like many of the early stamps of south America and it wouldn't take much of a nudge to get me to start!
Login to Like
this post
Approvals
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
Harvey, you are correct. In 1843, Brazil was indeed the second country to issue stamps. These stamps were called bull's eyes. the next issues were called goat's eyes and cat's eyes. I love it when stamps have nicknames.
Login to Like
this post
Auctions
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
my local stamp club has two DEDICATED SA collectors; one who collects the entire continent and one who specializes in Guatemala but toys with it all.
its history is rich, and, in some ways, far more interesting than, say, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Aland, etc. That's not to deny any of them their philatelic place, but how many wars with Great Britain or the US have any of those countries had in the last 300 years.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
This is my diabetic cat OBI! I think, therefore I am - I think! Descartes, sort of!
06 Mar 2021
06:22:00pm
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
Don't forget the Spanish and the Portuguese, they didn't treat South and Central America very well a long time ago!
Login to Like
this post
BuckaCover.com - 80,000 covers priced 60c to $1.50 - Easy browsing 500 categories
06 Mar 2021
09:57:37pm
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
"Attractiveness- South American stamp seems plain & not as colorful as Hungarian or Russian stamps. Most collectors are very "visual" and this may explained why it doesn't captured their eyes. The quality of paper & size may also attribute because collectors are serious when comes quality & size."
I have had a soft spot for the stamps of Latin America since I was a teenager in the 1960s. (No cultural connection ... just loved the stamps.)
In my opinion, anyone who feels that the stamps of LA lack character has never really seen them, or has only been exposed to the (typically) trashy copies found in most worldwide collections.
Allow me to share a few random pages from my stockbooks to illustrate my point. (I apologize for the length of this post to anyone with a slow internet connection ... I might have gotten carried away, but in my defense, I only scratched the surface) .
Whew!!
Roy
12 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
Lovely examples!
Login to Like
this post
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
See?
That is what keeps drawing my interest to start collecting them!
I may give in yet!
Login to Like
this post
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
I dabble in Argentina as it comes along but have most of the modern stuff...With Guatemala now its mainly covers and older postcards.
Login to Like
this post
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
this "wounded warrior" is a bit rougher than what is usually in my collection...but its the only telegraph cover that i have from the 1897 series.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
I collect Central and South America, and began some years ago when I just needed a new challenge and also had the desire to explore in stamps areas I had travelled to recently. As J-S said, the stamps are readily available and often you can find gems at low prices. And many collect them. I posted a number of Latin America approval books over the past several years and all sold rapidly with more than 50% of the stamps picked up rapidly. I plan to post more when I return to selling.
Most stamps are readily available, but some are particularly hard to find.
Apart from the very early 1840-60s, I am thinking in particular of all of Argentina's officials for the various government departments, listed often at minimum prices, but some are truly impossible to get. I spend hours in a dealer's shop in Buenos aires just filling many of the remaining blanks in my collection. (There is one dealer who specializes in them.... name available if you message me). No bargain there, stamps were always priced at or above catalog prices, but many do list at the minimum in the catalog, and it is the only way you can get them.
By the way, I still miss a handful of these elusive official departmental stamps of Argentina, and their low catalog listing prices is a real mystery!
I remember getting a bunch of the officials for "AntoniusRa" as well.
I also listed some of my duplicates in an Approval Book that almost sold out immediately.
Latin America country collections are fun and one can make very good progress with a low budget as most stamps are readily available at low prices.
rrr...
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
01:05:52pm
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
In the early twentieth century, there was a wave of spectacular engraved pictorials printed in Britain (Waterlow, de la Rue) or the US (American Bank Note). I could easily get into collecting them more systematically.
There were several wars where territory shifted from one country to another, so there are occupation stamps or postmarks that mark this history. Ive been looking for more of these.
Uruguayan stamps used to be obnoxiously stodgy, but now are among the most interesting any country has been producing post millenium.
I've been paying more attention to Andean stamps after a couple of trips there. I look for stamps depicting places I have been, or evoke memories and plans to return.
2 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
I am a world collector through 1968 and do like south america. I get into some of the multiple perforation varieties. Some sets run for pages. Only my early Austria exceed these numbers. But I do get frustrated with some nations routinely having sets with part regular, and part airmail stamps. Yes, I use Scott's.
Login to Like
this post
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
I have posted a bunch of pages of South America recently and they have gone at BIN almost instantly. Admittedly, they are largely unchecked and priced at 1-3c each so maybe that's a key factor for their "popularity".
Haven't tried looking through my stock books of $1+ CV stamps yet but will eventually get there and see what the demand is around the 10-20% CV range.
I wonder if part of the popularity issue is the scarcity of really nicely cancelled stamps. On the other hand, most that I've seen/sold appear postally used with many fewer CTOs than a lot of "popular" countries.
David.
Login to Like
this post
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
As President of The Society for Costa Rica Collectors, I say that the rich culture and history of Latin America is well represented on the stamps.
Costa Rican stamps illustrate very well their history and dculture. There aren't any Walt Disney stamps, frivolous issues, and they have a modest number of stamps issued each year.
David
Ottawa, Canada
5 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
Hi-
I'm new around here and have taken a shine to SA stamps after a 38 year hiatus from the hobby. I was recently gifted a worldwide collection from an acquaintance I traded with 20 or so years ago, and noticed the nearly empty pages for the South American/Latin American countries and decided to restart my collecting experience there. Right now I'm very interested in Bolivia and Ecuador and am getting into Chile and Argentina. I love SA stamps!
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
I will list some Latin America and see what happens.
Login to Like
this post
08:05:40pm
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
As the nice scans above show, lots of SA stamps up to about 1940 are great examples of old school engraving, many done up by the American Bank Note company. After that, I must say I find the quality slipping. If you look at Brazil for example, most of their stamps from the 1950s and 60s are quite dull and colorless, some of them almost rather clumsy looking. SA seems to suffer from uneven quality, and perhaps some collectors only think of the less good examples when considering SA.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
This is Guatemala #114-123 from 1902 printed by Waterlow and Sons, its one of my favorites. Sadly Waterlow and Sons was damaged during the blitz and the plates were lost or destroyed.
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.
re: South Amercan stamps - lack of interest
Oops ! the 75 center is wrong...its an overprint of #121....#171...Guatemala did that quite a bit.
Login to Like
this post