This book does not purport to rival a catalogue. The purpose is to deal with the most interesting aspects of Colombian airmails in respect of which no current publication provides in full. The content herein is derived from many known collections as well as from auction catalogues, where little-known facts are often brought together. It is hoped that this compendium will assist new collectors who wish to compile a fair collection and to progress further later. It unashamedly discusses values and touches on investment possibilities. I do not know of many philatelic areas where so few stamps per issue exist right through from 1919 to 1923. Because the numbers of collectors have been so few over the years, those who choose to buy and bid could do so with relatively limited competition. For this reason, we have decided to tell the stories of well-known, even famous collectors.

Being an investor in currencies, art, land, and stocks, I find rare philatelic items, of which I have owned numerous from time to time, interest me. Besides the visual appreciation, I realize that appreciating value is a function of scarcity, which, combined with increasing demand and a lower number of investors, accelerates interest. Where global economic growth stimulates domestic and colonially connected investors, especially in emerging jurisdictions, we expect volatility. Volatility in turn affects demand and supply.

In my view, I find that Colombian airmails from the above period fit these criteria. They are appreciating in value, despite current volatility and all while popularity increases amongst regular and advanced collectors.

How can it be that the rare stamps of some countries command outrageous values? The inverted Jenny realized $345,000, the 12-pence Canadian Black $218,000, the 1896 non-surcharged Red Revenue of China $138,000, and yet these are not the real million-dollar stamps, like some of those made famous from Sweden, Mauritius and British Guiana.

But among the airmails of Colombia are many that are one of a kind, and these can be acquired at surprisingly reasonable prices.

OVERVIEW

Colombian airmails are a fascinating area, with stamps and philatelic material comprising experimental, official and unofficial issues as well as several varieties of provisional surcharged issues. While catalogues hardly recognized these stamps, some amazing collections and descriptions appeared on the world’s stage up to circa 1940. In 1936, F W Kessler produced his book, The Airpost Stamps of Colombia. Kessler dedicated this to Dr Philip Cole, who then auctioned his entire collection in 1940. He helped guide the prices by his comments, it seems. This sale included items that remained subsequently out of sight for long periods, such as the unique CONDOR CCNA without surcharge, which sold recently for $49,500 including commission. I myself have a 1936 edition.

IS THIS A COLLECTABLE AREA?

As mentioned already, rare stamps make interesting news. But what about the Colombian airmails? If any series of airmail stamps and covers have a dash of extraordinary interest, mystery, and conjecture, combined with a disjointed paucity of information, then this is certainly an area requiring an Agatha Christie degree of investigation. And, if this area experienced growing popularity, it could bring some serious value gains. Who knows what might be uncovered if popularity were to increase?

Many of these Colombian airmails, starting with the Knox-Martin stamps and covers, are very rare, yet at auctions, they fetch quite low prices relative to their rarity – especially the SCADTA surcharged provisionals. In our investigations, we find that a few SCADTA surcharges were to some degree somewhat philatelic, yet these were not even used on flights before they were officially cancelled. Experimental flights were flown for much of 1920 and 1921, resulting in new and valid airmail services. It must be remembered that such air flights were a new development in Colombia, a mountainous country with wild and turbulent rivers, on which vessels were often used to carry mail. It was incumbent on the promoters to show that mail could be safely sent, which may explain why owners and executives often chose to use the new airmail.

WHAT MAKES THEM UNIQUE?

Colombian airmail stamps from this period were still required to have a standard 3-centavos domestic stamp affixed, wherever they were sent locally. However, airmails in the initial period from 1919 were carried by private companies who often added their own special airmail stamp. Exclusive contracts were acquired, and one of the first examples of this was the Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aéreos (SCADTA).

HOW POPULAR ARE COLOMBIAN AIRMAILS TODAY?

The number of collectors remains limited. While wealthy Colombian collectors have accumulated the greatest rarities over the years, the net of collectors is slowly spreading, adding to some of the most well-known ‘names’ like Boonshaft, Cruz, Goeggel, Kaplan, Friedman, Peinado, Schoendorf and Rendon, amongst others.

As famous collections have trickled onto the market, some exceptional, long-awaited opportunities have been created. But new collectors have had to wait for these for many years.

Accordingly, and in my opinion, due to the rarity of some items, it seems inevitable that prices will rise if and when more collectors appear. Many values in out-of-date catalogues are either too high or too low. SG catalogues on South America, for example, have not been revised since 2008. Catalogues are rather incomplete with vague information, details and estimates that seem not to be based on accurate information. Generally, they do not accurately represent the quantities available.

Later in this monograph, I show the estimated numbers of SCADTA provisional stamps that have been found so far. In a number of cases only one, or just a few, exist.

Bear in mind that for new collectors, it is perfectly possible to acquire a meaningful and interesting collection by bidding at auctions, starting with a more general lot. eBay and smaller dealers often have these available, as do auction houses. The more collectors go looking, the more likely we will see further and exciting acquisitions.

VALUES

Of equal importance are emerging economies, of which South American countries are obvious examples. Countries in the region enjoy direct foreign investments in mining and oil. Of European interest, we have Spain, the original colonizer of South America, and Germany, whose people settled in South America after the two World Wars. South Americans who subsequently moved to the US are often keen collectors of these issues.

Scarce covers of early Colombian stamps fetch high prices of up to six figures. However, out of the CCNA issues on cover, only the non-surcharged Condor stamp is deemed worthy of some $50,000 or more. In contrast, some stamps and covers, of which only three or four are extant, seem to have values and realizations ranging from just a few hundred dollars to several thousand.

It would be fatal to brand this area as of interest only to well-heeled collector investors. Those who collect Colombia per se are those who should expand into the airmails. One of the disadvantages of Colombian airmails is that a high percentage are scarce and others are very rare. But some are available at fair prices, which provides a decent starting point. Those who collect airmails of adjacent countries may also find this a fertile area to explore.

To proceed with valuations, we began our investigation with Gibbons, Scott and Michel. Unfortunately, none of these agree on value. Some unused multicolored CCNA vignettes (covers not valued) appeared to be overvalued, while others appeared to be undervalued. To determine a true value, we took count of the numbers believed to exist as well as realizations over the past several years. To source this extra information, we referenced other specialized catalogues extensively.

Auction estimates depend on circumstances, of course. If the sale is of an estate, estimates are lower to encourage bidding. If the material is from a private collector, that collector often sets estimates together with the auction house. If, as sometimes happens, the material is owned by the house, the estimates are often rather high to ensure the price is ‘good’. In cases like that, it is useful to check realizations for unsold lots. This volatility is what creates opportunities.

From these realizations, we arrived at a pattern – that knowledgeable collectors will bid higher due to greater knowledge. As expert Brian Moorhouse has previously commented, knowledgeable collectors simply ‘know’ worth and will bid accordingly. In catalogue estimates, we find there is little adjustment for numbers said to exist. Certainly, popularity plays a part – we might take the CCNA Fuselage and Condor stamps as an example. In fact, the multicolored CCNA vignettes are very attractive, which may explain why they have the widest range of demand from regions nowhere connected with South America.

Afterwards, we looked at realizations based on the descriptions of the condition of the stamps. Many of the stamps, especially the surcharged SCADTA provisionals of 1921, had defects such as thins, paper creases, and close perforations. If they could be found, very fine copies would carry a premium. But of course, there are many very rare items out there that are all somewhat defective – one must live with that if one wants to own the item.

CURRENCY VOLATILITY CAUSED CATALOGUE CONFUSION

Many older catalogues that are now out of print showed us historical values. In some cases, these remain unchanged today. In contrast, some values from the 70s, as recorded in specialized catalogues by Gebauer, amongst others, were higher than today. For example, Kessler valued the serifed/Arab numeral (no. 5) copy of the Knox-Martin issue at $6,500 mint and $1,500 used all the way back in 1936.

Exchange rates also proved an issue. Some catalogues skim over this, whereas others delve into greater detail, but these are mainly specialized and seldom used. The Leo Comprano catalogue is an example of this.

EXPANDING INFORMATION

This study would not have been possible without the invaluable information provided by Brian Moorhouse, as well as the writings by the famous collectors already mentioned. In addition, I have searched and extracted information from some 20 auction catalogues as far back as 1935.

Several authoritative books on the subject are available, though some of these are now out of print and others are in Spanish. Many of these accounts dwell on the more romantic stories of adventurous men like William Knox-Martin, who pioneered and piloted some of the very first airmail planes. Unfortunately, many of these planes crashed with lives lost – and of course, that means some actual used flight covers were lost too. South America is a perilous landscape, and even without planes, mountains and rivers had to be crossed to deliver mail. The authorities were lenient during that time, granting licenses to convey airmail and make the service faster and more reliable.

RECORDS OF NUMBERS ISSUED AND WHICH REMAIN

While there is some recording of the number of issued stamps, these records are vague. After many years, it is date stamps on covers that tend to confirm numbers extant and whether these stamps were ever flown. In a few cases, covers were pre-stamped but the planes did not take off.

FORGERIES OF PROVISIONAL ISSUES (see Chapter 9)

Forged surcharges only occurred where there were adequate numbers of unused stamps. However, in the case of some Colombian airmail issues, there were limited numbers of unused stamps, and in the case of the 30-centavos first SCADTA issue from 4 October 1920, these stamps ran out completely. This explains why there are so many different surcharges of 30-centavos value on 50-centavos stamps. This practice can be traced to where the airmail deliveries were sent from, as there were stocks in some cities and not in others. New surcharges had to be prepared, and quickly.

It is worth nothing that, according to Dieter Bortfeldt, C. Forero produced reprints and forgeries of the SCADTA provisional surcharges on 25 January 1925.

Genuine provisionals were only used to the end of 1921. These were demonetized on 1 March 1922. Genuine surcharges were applied by a rubber handstamp, whereas the reprints were applied by means of a metal cliché. The reprints were cancelled by a red date-stamp of Barranquilla on 25 January 1923. There are many more of these circulating than genuine 1921 usages, and though these were ‘flown’, they are clearly of much lesser value. New printings were ordered, but these were delayed.

THE ROLE OF DR BEHR-HEYDER

Kessler mentions that official governmental airmail stamps became unnecessary as SCADTA received official approval to issue its own stamps.

No study of the SCADTA issue would be complete without mentioning Dr Behr-Heyder. He was a geologist who was under contract to the Colombian Government to carry out geological research. Many covers addressed to and from him are found. According to experts, Behr-Heyder managed the SCADTA office in Girardot in 1921. His presence there was not unusual, as SCADTA was a German-Colombian air company and many of the staff there were of German extraction. A keen philatelist, he saw to it that many of the provisional SCADTAs were sent to him by either himself or by others. Covers were addressed to him from several towns in Colombia, showing he had contacts all over the country. This would not be unusual if he were considered an important postal official.

Behr-Heyder also had relatives in Germany, as is evidenced by letters he sent to them using some rare provisionals. These prove useful, as not many were airmailed overseas, meaning they readily verify the rates set for overseas mail. Dr Behr-Heyder was just one of several addresses to receive these issues, and the existence of other senders and recipients validates the use. If we refer to Kessler’s numbers 21 to 24, we can verify that these were sent by a SCADTA agent in Neiva after 19 September 1921.

There were other officials who realized that values would increase. Vicente Puccini, the postmaster of Puerto Colombia, sent many letters to his friend, Lombardi. In addition, John Myer mentioned how some employees of the Medellin post offices appeared to have the power to designate surcharges. He mentions that ‘one Joaquin Arbelaez, an employee of that post office, and a philatelist and stamp dealer’ made surcharges on normal Colombian stamps (not stamps described in this monograph) using a Remington typewriter.

Behr-Heyder’s career was cut short on 4 May 1923, when he drowned while taking part in an expedition on the Sucio River in Pavarandocito.

COMMERCIAL COVERS

Commercial covers are particularly desired and carry a premium value for collectors. These covers usually have the names of the companies concerned printed on the envelopes.

Normal covers were valued by Kessler at 10% more than scarce mint stamps. That is somewhat the same today, with some notable exceptions.

OBJECTIVES

In the forthcoming chapters, I have attempted to demonstrate that Colombian airmails are a fruitful area for new collectors. It is possible to accumulate sufficient issues for a meaningful airmail collection, which would then create an appetite for the rarer items. It might take some years to assemble a notable collection. While a generous pocket-book might be necessary later down the line, it is possible that a considerably enhanced valuation would eventuate.

Finally, it must be remembered that many stamps were lost. Up to 200 stamps were issued, and unless there are some archived in yet undiscovered locations, we must accept the numbers located from auction and other sales noted since those days.

At this stage, it is useful to summarize the sectors on which a budding collector could concentrate.

The Knox-Martin experimental flights followed by the February 1920 multicolored CCNA vignettes, which proved to be popular with US collectors due to the image of Jenny, US-sourced proof label and the CCNAs

The proofs of the next issue of multicolored CCNAs, including the nine labels (out of 20) that were used to create the actual stamps

The February/March 1920 issues based on the multicolored designs of the CCNAs

The March 1920 first and second issues with 72 and 68 stamps per sheet in green, light green, brown-red, vermillion, bright carmine, and bright red brown colors

The various hand-stamped surcharges such as the 30-cvs, 0-20 and 0-30, not always proven flown

The official 4 October 1920 SCADTA issues of 30 and 50-centavos

The experimental flights of the above, ending with hummingbird cancellations

The provisional surcharges made to facilitate lower 10-centavos rates, and then the need for 30-centavos rates, with usage in various towns

The 11-29 November 1921 official issues with color changes, and the December 1921 provisional 20-centavos surcharge (the official issue did not have a 20-centavos stamp)

The 19 December 1921 official issue inscribed ‘Servicio Postal Aereo De Colombia’

The 5 May 1922 yellow surcharged 30-cent

In addition to the numbers extant or located, the degree of popularity has been examined. Multicolored CCNA vignettes appear regularly in auction catalogues. Not only are they very attractive, but collectors work hard to acquire those they are missing. Thus, demand is a factor.

The Knox-Martin surcharged issues are also sought after. The particularly scarce serif copy is always in demand. However, there are nine other varieties of surcharged stamps that are identifiable from the design (not the position) of the surcharge. Other than number 5 – the serif copy – a few of the others are really rather difficult to find and thus a serious collector would seek to acquire each one of 1-4 and 6-10. The cost would be considerable, especially if few of the very early collectors of the Cole vintage acquired unused, used and on-cover copies. Indeed 20 stamps and covers (10 each of the mint and 10 on cover) would be necessary in that collection. Uniqueness is important. Take, for example the multicolored CCNA CONDOR vignette used on the cover, which was not surcharged. This is unique. It was in the Philip G Cole collection auctioned in 1940 and has seldom been seen since. I understand from Brian Moorhouse that this changed hands in the 90s for GBP 40,000+, not appearing again until the Goeggel auction in February 2013 for some $38,000.

ADDENDUM ONLY – VALUATION TECHNIQUES FOR COLLECTORS

Of course, as with diamonds and paintings, possession inspires pride of ownership; no one expects to realize the items at a profit later down the line. It is unlikely anyone would step into Tiffany’s and pay a million dollars for a fine diamond, and then try to realize its value a couple of years later. Like a fine, rare painting, individuals are drawn to philatelic material by uniqueness.

WHY WOULD NEW COLLECTORS INVEST IN THIS AREA?

There are very limited numbers of collectors for Colombian airmails. Since the 1930s, there have been just a few, and these individuals were able to amass the best material. And they held on to this material for many years. When a major collection suddenly appears, the number of buyers is limited. They buy what they most urgently need. The rest of the material is often neglected, and some of the starting prices are very low. In some cases, I have been able to ask after what was left unsold to pick up some real buys. Others have just bid the start price and are successful. At this point, bids are below the realizations of those in 1990.

But there has been an increase of interest in this specialized area of late. What has caused it? Certain numbers of the provisional surcharges have been neglected. But there is renewed interest in the flights described by Bazin, especially the fights post 4 March 1920. Most of the older auctions did not reflect the flight dates; now collectors want covers of each flight as proof. These later flights used multicolored CCNA vignettes as well as SG10 green 2nd issues from 6 March 1920. There are unique covers of both, but there are far fewer of the almost hitherto unknown later multicolored CCNA vignettes. While both are rare, the later vignettes would be very difficult to ever compile in one collection. And there is some thrill in the chase.