T H E   O X C A R T

Everything points to another great international exhibition this summer in San Francisco. I hope many of you will attend, and while in the hall, come to our booth (SB-6) in the area set aside for philatelic societies. I will be at the show assisting with the booth, and I look forward to talking with members.

Hector Mena tells me that at least eight members in Costa Rica will be coming to the show. Among them, Enrique Bialikamien has been invited to serve on the international jury that will judge the exhibits. We congratulate him on achieving this distinction as a philatelist of international reputation.

During the first weekend, the SOCORICO officers will meet to review the status of the society. While not an official meeting as in the past, it will be an opportunity to express concerns and set a course for the future. Members wishing to attend should inquire at the show booth for the location and time.

The Costa Rica Postal Catalogue

Hector has completed the revisions and additions to the first edition which was published with the assumption that it would generate new information and corrections from its readers. Like all catalogues, this is a continual process that makes each new addition better than its predecessor.

The revised edition will have a larger printing and will be given wider circulation and publicity to establish its position among the specialized philatelic catalogues.

Again, the society must thank Hector Mena for devoting many hours to the development of the catalogue.

The Death of James C. Andrews

Central American philately has lost several leaders in the past year, but the loss of Jim Andrews is most keenly felt. He was an able researcher and writer, but more than this, a true gentleman--courteous, friendly, helpful and ever encouraging to others. There are few philatelic writers on Central America that did not know him and benefit from his knowledge.

His own personal collecting was devoted to the less studied areas of Guatemala--postal stationery, fiscals, telegraphs, and papel sellado. He chose them because they offered the challenge of research and yet could be done on a modest budget. In thirty years, he made the most of it with published articles and booklets under his own publisher imprint, La Tienda del Quetzal. At his death, he was hard at work on new catalogues for Guatemalan postal stationery and revenues. He will be deeply missed.

Michael J. Barie

THE SECRETARY/LIBRARY PAGE

New Members, Resignations, and Changes of Address

New Members

597 Alfonso MolinaPavas, Costa Rica
598 Eric H. Germann, FL
599 Larry Vaughn, IN

Resignations

453 Peter Bylen, IL
502 R. Van Rompay, Belgium
288 Earl R. Short, NC

Change of Address/Name

509 Kenneth L. Olsen
260 Robert W. Soeder

Members are urged to send all changes of address to the Secretary before copy deadline so that The OXCART will not be lost or delayed.

REVIEW OF CURRENT PHILATELIC LITERATURE

Costa Rica Filatelica. No. 101 (December 1996). Our oldest philatelic publication returned to press in its now annual issue with several interesting articles. The Vice Minister of Education, Maria E. Paniagua, introduced the magazine describing her life with her collector husband and children. Alvaro Castro described a color variety of the 1990 Christmas Tax stamp overprint, as well as shifted surcharges and a mirror impression of the overprint on Castro Carazo issue. Ricardo Alvarez reviewed covers with bisect stamps and prephilatelic postmarks. Fred O'Neill commented about the Guanacaste reading upright on the 2c revenue stamp of 1885. Abraham Gelber provided a comprehensive review of the 1923 Jesus Jimenez issue. Enrique Bialikamien called our attention about forgeries of classical material, such as a first day cover with added stamps and a reconstructed postal stationery envelope. Other articles of general interest completed the 20 well printed pages magazine.

Repertorio Filatelico Costarricense. No. 188 (August 1996) summarized the results of the First Hispano Costa Rican Philatelic Exhibit that took place in San Jose in August 1966. The following issue No. 189 (September 1996) is dedicated completely to a detailed critique of each exhibit by FIP international judge Ricardo Alvarez. A comprehensive article on the Central American Independence issue (Scott 104) by O'Neill is also in issue 188. Although the subject is the same as the article written by F. Mayer in THE OXCART No. 145, the focus is different. In issue No. 190 (October 1966) E. Bialikamien reports an essay with a Gabriela Mistral portrait (Chilean writer) by Thomas De La Rue, London, so far unknown. F. O'Neill comments of a postcard allusive to the Centenary of the Independence, as well as the special cancellations used for that event. Javier Coronas provided further information on the first LACSA flights in 1946. In No. 191 (November 1996) R. Alvarez gave further information on Gabriela Mistral and the essay reported before. E. Bialikamien reports on the FIP exhibition in Istanbul last October which had two collections from Costa Rica.

Central American Newsletter No. 66 of January 1997 had the second part of Dr. Saundry article on the "A.R." system in Central America. Also the Nicaraguan postal rates from 1913. The Editor, Cecile Gruson, also presented the second part of her work on registry rates and markings from Guatemala.

SOCORICO PUBLICATIONS FOR SALE

OXCART issues starting with number 45 (with a few exceptions). We also have a limited supply of the following issues: 36, 31-34, 28-29 and 25. Copies are available at $3 per issue plus postage.

THE INDEX TO COSTA RICAN PHILATELIC LITERATURE (1863-1992) by Earl G. Fossum and Hector R. Mena. Softbound (tape), 124 pages, price $5 plus postage. (Weight <1 pound).

THE INDEX TO COSTA RICAN PHILATELIC LITERATURE Part II (1973-1992) by Hector R. Mena. Softbound (tape), 60 pages, price $3 plus postage. (Weight <1 pound)

CATALOGO DE SELLOS POSTALES DE COSTA RICA (Second Edition- 1978), by Carlos Saenz. Softbound (stapled), 104 pages, price $6 plus postage for Socorico members (Retail price for non-members is $10 plus postage). (Weight <1 pound).

COSTA RICA POSTAL CATALOGUE (1997 Edition), by Hector R. Mena. Softbound (tape), app. 260 pages. (Weight <2 pounds). See information elsewhere. Publication date: April 1997. SOLD OUT

HISTORY OF THE REVENUE STAMPS OF COSTA RICA (1870-1970), by Alvaro Bonilla Lara. Softbound (tape). VIII + 272 pages. Price $20 (for Socorico members)- only 3 copies left. (Weight <2 pounds)

The current postage by surface book rate is USA: less than 1 pound $1.24, each pound up to 7 pounds $0.50/lb. Elsewhere postage for the first 4 items $1.56 each and the last 2 items $2.76 each. Global Priority Mail is available for Western Europa and Asia. Cost $3.75 for under 4 pounds.

Contact the Secretary for these publications. All SOCORICO publications are sold at cost as a service to its members.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST FOR SOCORICO MEMBERS

Repertorio Filatelico Costarricense, Apartado 2868, San Jose, Costa Rica. Monthly in Spanish. Editor Fred O'Neill. Price $13/year.

Central American Newsletter, 36 Trevor Road, Flixton, Urmston, Manchester M41 5QH, England. Quarterly. Editor Michael P. Birks for the Central American Group of the Spanish Main Society. 5 in Europe and 7 elsewhere/year.

The Steiner Costa Rica Album Pages. Editor William Steiner. Album available from Ken V. Jensen, 4980 Park Boulevard, Pinellas Park, FL 34665 at $65 postpaid.

SOCORICO Membership
E-Mail Directory

ADLETS

WANTED: Costa Rica 33, 34, 111C-J, 190A-D, and 344-365 (LH). Contact Steve Hoxmeier, 435 B Street, Ashland, OR 97520. (3)

WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLACE AN ADLET IN THE OXCART?

Any member of SOCORICO desiring to place an Adlet in the OXCART may do so free-of-charge. Adlets may be placed for want list items, to sell philatelic material, to request information such as for a research project, to make an announcement, or to offer a service to the membership. The adlet should be written to adhere to normal limits with regard to length and should be worded so that minimal editing is required. We reserve the right to edit the adlet, however. Each adlet will appear in three consecutive issues of the OXCART unless you advise otherwise. Please type or print your ADLET carefully.

To place or change an adlet, contact: Michael Barie, OXCART President, Box 1445, Detroit, MI 48231.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The closing date for Mail Sale 146 is JUNE 13, 1997
• The deadline for OXCART 147 is JUNE 3, 1997
• SOCORICO Homepage: Our homepage has been revised. Please visit it and e-mail your comments. The links are not active yet.
• Next issue leading articles:
  • The Inauguration of U. S. FAM Route 5 and 8 Air Mail Service in Costa Rica in March 1930 by Richard Saundry.
  • Costa Rican Postal Money Orders by G. Wayman.

COSTA RICA POSTAL CATALOGUE

The 1997 edition of this Catalogue will be available in April. At this time we are taking pre printing orders for special bound books. We are offering, in addition to the standard hot-tape binding (as in the prior edition), spiral binding and loose leaf pages. Special bound book orders will be taken until April 15. Order for regular bound books are also being taken now, to assure that you get your catalogue as soon as it is available from the printer. A deposit of $15 is required for any item.

The cost of the book is higher because of more pages, better paper quality and a surcharge to cover the cost of a book donation to all philatelic libraries. Your Society needs to recover the cost of this project to ensure its continuous publication efforts.

Please send your order to Michael Barie (Detroit) along with the $15 deposit. No wholesale orders are being accepted at this time.

SHORT PHILATELIC NOTES

NEWS FROM THE ASOCIACION FILATELICA DE COSTA RICA

• The 1997 Board of Directors of the AFCR includes: Fred O'Neill: President, Abraham Gelber: Vice President, Eduardo Protti: Treasurer, Alfonso Molina: Secretary, Mario Masis: Secretary, Alvaro Castro: Director of Publications, Juan Reinoso: Auctioneer, Wilheim Martinez, Manuel Araya and Enrique Bialikamien, Directors at Large.
• Philatelic Fair: On February 9^th the AFCR started an open air weekly fair on Sundays from 10 am to 1 pm. Collectors of all kind of small items have been invited to participate, but obviously the underline main interest is to promote postage stamp collection. This fair imitates the format of the ones held in "Plaza Major" of Madrid and other European cities. The fair is called "Plaza Filatelica" and it is held at the ULACIT.
• The AFCR announces a National Exhibit to be held at the Postal Museum from October 9 to 22, 1997. A new category will be modern stamps, so called, "second centenary" for collectors not interested in classic philately. Socorico members are invited to participate in this exhibit. Please contact our members Abraham Gelber or Fred O'Neill.

CORTEL Reforms heading to Congress

The reform of "Direccion Nacional de Comunicaciones" (CORTEL) spelled out in the "Ley de Correos" project is heading toward a full review by Costa Rica Congress. Project No. 12,477 was published in "La Gaceta" on February 7, 1996. The complete Spanish version is available from the SOCORICO Library. The project was approved by the "Commission to Reform the State" on February 5^th and it is awaiting the signature of the Commission president, deputy Francisco Pacheco. So informs La Nacion reporter Angela Avalos on February 12, 1997.

This project will allow CORTEL to be financially and administratively self sufficient and allow it to compete for some postal services that have been assumed by 33 private companies. CORTEL President, Fernando Chaves, has said that "if this project is not approved the institution will not survive beyond the year 2,000. If we don't modernize we will die". The project proposes selling 40% of the new corporation stock to employees, trade unions, small investors and cooperatives. Opposing this project are the postal workers trade unions which represent the 980 postal employees. The trade union leaders are afraid of massive dismissal of employees.

The Postal Service is hampered by the Government limits on new hiring and a maximum budget of 925 million colones. It is estimated that the Service needs about 2,500 million colones to function properly.

The AFCR has not taken an official position in this matter, but many collectors are afraid that a private institution will damage the philatelic reputation of the country. There is talk among collectors about ending new issue purchases if that happens. We expect to hear from our Costa Rican colleagues soon.

A VARIETY OF SCOTT 421 (CRPC 477)

A Costa Rican collector, Mr. Alfonso Molina, reported in Repertorio Filatelico No. 186 (June 1966) a very interesting variety of the Geographic Institute surcharge issue.

The base stamp was issued on November 27, 1989 with a face value of 18 colones in a quantity of 3 million. After an increase in postal rates made that value obsolete, the Philatelic Board ordered the surcharge of 1.6 million with a new value of 5 colones. The surcharged stamp was issued on March 26, 1993. The black surcharge was printed by Casa Grafica.

The new value of 5 colones was placed in the upper left corner, and the old value was covered by a solid rectangle measuring 5.5 x 8 mm. Molina described another surcharge underneath the relatively large rectangle. This surcharge is easily seen if the stamp is placed against a light. It consists of 4 horizontal bars measuring 4.5 mm which cover the "18" value. On top of these lines, there is a number 5 in a negative impression which measures 3 x 2.5 mm.

This is a common variety, although it may have not been on sale at the Philatelic Office, and, therefore, it may not have reached the hands of collectors outside Costa Rica. Most of the examples will be found in stocks of used stamps of random origin.

This an unique type of variety in Costa Rica philately. The initial surcharge was found to be inadequate either to hide the old value or to show the new one. Many stamps had been surcharged when Casa Grafica and the Philatelic Board decided to save the stock by using a second overprint. However, an official explanation has not been given. This is the first time in Costa Rican philatelic history that a portion of a stamp issue has been overprinted twice and then placed on sale at the post offices and circulated. The clever disguising of the original surcharges by Casa Grafica remained uncovered for two years. Finally, a collector has found the most interesting "hidden error" of modern Costa Rican philately.

CENTRAL AMERICAN STAMP ISSUES FOR 1994

Each year, Linn's Stamp News reports on the total number of stamps issued by each stamp issuing entity in the world (A Record 11,827 Stamps Released in 1994 by Denise Hatton, Linn's Stamp News, January 29, 1996, pp. 42-43). And each year, we have typically used that information to cover stamp issues by the Central American countries, including Mexico and Panama. The data are provided by Michel-Rundschau, a German language magazine printed by the publisher of Michel stamp catalogs. Each December, the journal reports on the totals for the preceding year, in this case, 1994. In that year, 11,827 stamps and souvenir sheets were issued, making 1994 the highest year of all time for stamp releases. In 1993, another record year, 11,428 stamps and souvenir sheets were released. For comparison, in 1990, the total was 10,248. Total issues have set a new record every year since 1988!

Included in the survey for 1994, were 264 countries or stamp issuing entities, with the South American country of Guyana (about the size of the state of Idaho) producing 530 issues with a face value of $398, and Wales with no new issues reported in 1994. The United States (about 18th in rank), produced 127 new stamps with a face value of $106.

The total number of stamps and souvenir sheets for Central America, including Mexico and Panama, for 1994 was 433, or about 3.7% of the total for all of the 264 postal administrations. After a few years of restraint, Nicaragua once again produced a record for Central America of 271 stamps with a face value of $183 (239 stamps and 32 souvenir sheets), thus accounting for a whopping 63% of the total for Central America. In short, for 1994, Nicaragua produced more stamps than the United States, and ranked fifth in the world. On the other hand, the remainder of the countries in our study tended to produce reasonable numbers of stamp issues for 1994, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Central American Stamp Issues for 1993 (including Mexico and Panama).

Country	1993 Issues	1994 Issues	Rank World	% CA Group
Nicaragua	45	271	5th	63%
Mexico	57	89	27th	20%
Salvador	32	28	132nd	7%
Honduras	64	6	232nd	1%
Belize	19	14	203rd	3%
Costa Rica	15	16	196th	4%
Panama	4	1	244th	.2%
Guatemala	1	8	229th	1.8%

In OXCART 130 (Spring 1993, pp. 11-13) summary statistics were provided for Central American issues from 1987 to 1991. Now we focus on the period from 1990 to 1994. On average, this set of eight countries produced 32 stamps in 1990, 34 in 1991, 35 in 1992, 30 in 1993, and 54 in 1994. These averages are inflated due to the unrealistic actions of Nicaragua in 1990, 1991, and 1994 (see Figure 2). Summary totals are provided for each country for the period in Figure 3.

In the past, we have pondered exactly how many stamps is optimal for a country to produce each year. If we take the total number of issues for 1994 and divide it by the number of postal administrations, we find that on average, each country produced 45 issues in 1994. Although this average is up somewhat compared to previous years, it appears to be reasonable. Except for the lone case of Nicaragua, the countries under consideration in this report, seem to have a conservative policy in regard to postal issues with six of the eight falling below the average for the set of 264 countries.

From the point of view of the collector on a modest income, the Central American countries continue to provide a relatively conservative set of countries any one of which would be worth collecting. Let us hope that with the end of civil strife in Guatemala, this country does not attempt to underwrite its national budget by issuing a flood of stamps. It will also be interesting to see what trends develop as several countries, such as Honduras and Costa Rica, move in the direction of partial privatization of their postal administrations.

References:

OXCART 129: 104-105

OXCART 130: 11-13

OXCART 134: 18-20

OXCART 139: 45-47

In OXCART 138, Dr. Neil Chernoff presented several hypotheses about some of the overprinted stamps attributed to Jaime Ross. Now, in response to some of these hypotheses, J. W. Sauber provides an answer. Articles in The OXCART accomplish their intended purpose when they result in additional inquiry.

THE "DOS CTS" AND OTHER OVERPRINTS REVISITED

The DOS CTS. Overprint

The DOS CTS. overprint has inspired opinions from many writers, myself included (see OXCART 93, pp. 104-105). The study by Dr. Hector Mena (OXCART 123, pp. 38-41) is the best analysis of the topic to date. However, Dr. Neil Chernoff (OXCART 138, pp. 9-13) has recently raised some interesting questions along with a set of hypotheses and these comments address some of the matters presented in his article.

The Script-2 Overprint

In Dr. Chernoff's study, there was shown a unreported overprint type - a black DOS CTS., doubled, with a red "2" in an unfamiliar print style above it. The overprinted "2" is so light that it did not appear with clarity in the left photograph in Figure 1. Therefore, another photograph with a hand-drawn "2" was provided by Dr. Chernoff on the right in Figure 1 that clearly showed the addition of the script-style "2" above the DOS CTS. overprint.

It seemed unlikely to me that this script "2" could be a true overprint; that is, impressed by a piece of type. It looked as if it could have been done by hand with a pen. In response to my inquiry, Dr. Chernoff very kindly sent me the stamp for examination.

With the aid of a microscope, I found that the "2" on the stamp consists of a faint diffused pattern of specks of pigment. The color is similar to the orange-vermilion seen on some Ross fabrications. I have outlined the shape of the "2," shown here as Figure 1. The specks of pigment are contained within the outline, but not uniformly. In the absence of another similar stamp, it is impossible to be sure that the overprint was type-impressed. It might have been drawn with a fine brush. It is also probable that most of the original "2" has been washed or worn away.

Because Dr. Chernoff's illustration of the script "2" was a hand-drawn approximation, it should be replaced by the illustration shown here. If it really is an overprint, it is new and unique and an answer must await additional data.

Additional Comments

In conclusion, I have a few other comments related to several of Dr. Chernoff's hypotheses (see OXCART 138, pp. 10-11).

Regarding his first hypothesis, it was asked why Ross would use a legitimate stamp (Sc 9 and 9a) for his combination overprints. One possibility is that he used his own reprints (see my article in OXCART 100, pp. 111-112).

Another hypothesis suggested by Dr. Chernoff is that the Vale 10 and Vale 15 suggest the proof status of these unusual overprints. It is worth considering that the examples shown are probably not associated with activities in the 1880s. The type faces and the use of the word Vale in this context are from the 20th Century. Regarding Scott 9 with the "2 Cts" overprint (Gibbons 8b), see my article in OXCART 114 (pp. 11-15) for a more likely explanation.

In response to hypotheses 6 and 7, the word "sheets" should probably be used with care, since it has not been shown that the DOS CTS. overprint was sheet printed. It could have been applied individually to whatever scrap was available at the time.

Editor's Note (Hal Edwards): It is very likely that some SOCORICO members have examples of these and other philatelic peculiarities in their collections. In philatelic research, the words "final" or "definitive" should be used with great care. Won't you examine your collection for these (and other) anomalies? But don't stop there; let us hear from you.

THE HONDURAS REPORT

I received letters from Don MacPeek, Kenneth Terpstra, Neil Chernoff, and Bill Sauber--all relating to some aspect of Honduras philately. It certainly "makes my day" when I know that some members read and are interested in acquiring at least a cursory knowledge of some aspect of Honduran history and its related stamp issues.

One of the items received is a passport of safe conduct (fig.1) issued by the port commandant at La Ceiba in June, 1943 permitting one Fred J. Mohr and spouse to travel to the inland city of San Pedro Sula. Note the use of two postal tax stamps (Sc RA1 and RA2). I have no idea why these two stamps were used on this document.

The passport itself is intriguing, and was, I believe, standard procedure during the early forties when the party of President Tiburcio Carias A. kept track of anyone traveling from one Department (State) to another.

The Continuation of the Chronological Series of Honduras: The President Miguel Paz Baraona Issue of 1925 (Sc 218-229A) (cont.)

A decree dated January 22, 1925 authorized issuance of ten thousand postage stamps of one centavo denomination bearing the portrait of Dr. Miguel Paz Baraona, the constitutional President of Honduras about to assume office on February 1, 1925.

The typographed stamps were printed at the Litografia Nacional in sheets of 25 subjects arranged 5 X 5. No color was mentioned in the decree, and I surmise this was to allow the printing staff to use whatever ink color it had on hand. Five were used.

The approximate breakdown of the printing quantities follows: 6500 blue (260 sheets); 3000 carmine (120 sheets); 400 brown in various shades (16 sheets); 50 green (2 sheets); and 50 red (2 sheets).

This is close to the numbers mentioned by Raul Duron Membreno in his letter to John Luff which I provided readers in the last issue, The Oxcart WN 145. Readers may recall that these stamps were both perforate and imperforate.

The decree also specified that the printing plate be turned over to the Ministry of Public Works after the stamps were printed. A few years later, this plate, worn and somewhat oxidized, was used surreptitiously for unauthorized reprints.

These reprints can be distinguished from the original stamps by their blemished appearance and the partial or complete absence of the fine frame lines around the design. Some of these reprints were passed in the mail in the late 1920's and early 1930's. One often sees them used with Sc. C14 to C29.

In addition to the originals and the clandestine reprint, there are true counterfeits! These were undoubtedly requested by someone in Honduras from a Mexican firm, Foto Lipkau, located in Mexico City at Ven. Carranza No.13.

A photograph of the stamp was used to create a printing plate of 25 stamps similar to the original (fig.3). These fakes are easily identified by their blurred appearance and the broken or open line off the top of Baraona's left ear. Readers can make a comparison with an original stamp (fig.2).

The genuine red stamps, both perforate and imperforate (Sc 222 & 229), are very rare. I have never acquired a copy for my collection, but I have examined one in the Philatelic Foundation reference collection, and another in a collection in Honduras. The next most difficult stamp to find is the perforate green (Sc 223).

Covers showing local usage in 1925 are uncommon.

I would appreciate any additional information or comments about this issue from our readers.

SALES MANAGER'S CORNER

Every once in awhile it becomes necessary to remind our bidders to check the conditions on the back of the bid sheets. The ones that seem to be ignored most often are numbers 4, 8, and 12.

Number 4 was incorporated so that prompt settlement with the vendors could be guaranteed. Without vendors (A.K.A. "consignors") there can be no OXCART Mail Bid Sales!

Number 8 speaks for itself, and is not really a serious problem. However, it does help greatly when the submitter describes and assigns a reserve to each of his lots.

The reason for number 12 is that the Sales Manager does not have an account in the name of SOCORICO, OXCART Mail Bid Sales, OXCART Auctions, or what have you. The Bank sometimes questions my attempt to deposit a check not made out to me personally.

Your help in keeping things running smoothly will be most sincerely appreciated! BL

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION