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Argentina
Saturday, May 1, 1858
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| Argentina Scott #1 | Sc1a, 'colon' after the 5 |
Imperforate, no watermark, engraved.
Printed by Carlos Riviere y Cia in Rosario.
| Description | # printed | # remainders | Scott | SG | Mi | Y&T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large figures | ||||||
5 centavos red |
70,080 | 30,000 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
10 centavos green |
19,968 | 4,000 | 4A | 5 | 4A | |
15 centavos blue |
9,984 | 4,000 | 4B | 6 | 4B | |
| Small figures | ||||||
5 centavos red |
905,832 | 250,000 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
5c red, colon after '5' |
1a | |||||
5c red, colon after 'V' |
1b | |||||
10 centavos green |
259,632 | 40,000 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
15 centavos blue |
129,816 | 20,000 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
All issue quantities are approximate. Remainder quantities are estimated.
The first printing, Scott #4, 4A & 4B, was done in late 1857. However, the stamps were not put in use. They were stored and practically forgotten. In early 1858 the second printing was made, and the stamps issued on May 1, 1858. The second printing is most likely a series of printings of identical stamps.
It is assumed that the second printing was used first. It is much more common than the first printing, and the first printing was not officially put in use. The only stamp from the first printing known postally used is the 5 centavos, probably due to a larger demand for this denomination, since it was the rate for single letter sheets.
The first printing produced sheets with a single pane of 96 stamps, arranged as 12 rows of 8. There are therefore 8 types of the first issue stamps.
The second printing produced sheets with two panes of 108 stamps, arranged as 12 rows of 9. There are therefore 9 types of the second issue stamps.
The two printings are easily distinguishable:
- The first printing has 6 protrusions on the meander pattern at the top and bottom.
- The second printing has 4 protrusions on the meander pattern at the top and bottom.
The first printing is also slightly larger than the second, approximately one milli meter taller.
These stamps were rarely postally used, due to many factors. Some being the large distances, sparse population and an immature postal service.
The large amount of remainders was sold in 1891. A large portion, if not all, was supposedly bought by a stamp dealer. The market was since flooded with fake cancellations, "rare" covers and so forth.
The Scott catalog erroneously indicate January 1860 as the issue date for the first printing.
Counterfeits and forged cancellations are plentiful.
Page expanded in the rewrite.
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Argentina Republic |
World's First Recorded message stamp |
| 1862 Sc5 SG7 | 1939 Sc470 SG-RM688 |
Changes of Administration and Innovations
The 1858 general issue was for the Argentine Confederation: gradual unification, including the rejoining of Buenos Aires, led to the Republic in 1862.
Argentina invented the Recorded Message stamp in 1939 (a set of three), used for posting messages on discs.
Kenneth Wood (KW1 vol.1 p.41) notes Argentina’s habit of issuing stamps in support of territorial acquisition, including a 1936 map depiction which included the Falklands and again in 1951 showing both the Falklands and a slice of Antarctica. This is outside the scope of the site, though it is noted that Ireland showed a map of united Ireland on a 1922 stamp and Bolivia and Paraguay issued stamps also in the 1920s in the propaganda campaigns that preceded the Chaco War of 1932-35.
| Page created 21 Feb 2016 | Page updated 22 Feb 2016 |
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