Saturday, March 28, 2009

The NGR 5c Moreno 'Servicio Oficial'

This stamp saw very little postal use. Most of the specimens I have are mint. Here is a selection.

A cleanly printed specimen.



A discolored paper specimen, typical of this printing.



A second discolored paper specimen, with the elongated L of 'Oficial' variety.





The 2D 5c 'Servicio Oficial'

This stamp, like the 25c clay paper 'Servicio Oficial' was not issued as a regular stamp. Most specimens look as though they were printed using a dirty plate. This printing is less common than the 1E4, and more common than the other printings.





Here is a less common clean plate stamp showing a variety to the L of 'Oficial.'





The 1E4 5c Moreno 'Servicio Oficial'

This printing is the most common one of the five 'Servicio Oficial' issues of this stamp. The 1E4 paper is cloth-like and white. These stamps have small perforations.



This specimen, which resembles the discolored NGR printing, has a deformed O of 'SERVICIO.'







This reddish brown specimen has a second shadow overprint.





Here is a dated specimen from 1944.



I am not familiar with the use of this marking.

The 5c1E1t-SO and the 5c1E3-SO

The first 5c Moreno with 'Servicio Oficial' overprint dates from 1938 and is found on the 1E1 typographed stamp, somewhat common as a regular stamp yet surprisingly uncommon as an used official stamp.



Here is statement dated in 1938.



This printing is from a very dirty plate.



The second 'Servicio Oficial' issue is in offset on the 1E3 paper.



This specific stamp has a small break in one of the lines in the background of the bust, and a scratch to the plate outside of the stamp design.



Friday, March 27, 2009

The 15c 1E3/1E4 Small Format Cattle 'Servicio Oficial'

This printing is approximately 10 times less common than the 1E4 printing. The color is slightly crisper.



Here is a detail of the watermark.



The 1E3 was in used in 1943 and 1944.





This 15c 1E4 Small Format Cattle 'Servicio Oficial' shows a scratch to the plate outside the stamp design.





This 1E4 stamp has a small L of 'OFICIAL'





Here are a few postmarked specimens of the 1E4. This printing was in use in 1943 and 44.





The 2D/2C 15c Guemes 'Servicio Oficial'

Up to before looking through this batch of stamps, I had not come across a diffused Straight Rays printing of this stamp. Here it is, the 15cMG2D-SO, a rare stamp.





The overprint has a peculiar letter.



Here are examples of the watermark.





Here is the much more common clear Straight Rays printing, the 15cMG2C-SO, with examples of the watermark.





The Wavy Rays 15c Guemes 'Servicio Oficial'

The 15cMG1-SO with Wavy Rays watermark, although uncommon, is not nearly as rare as the regular issue. The stamp was used in the early 1950s and continues to puzzle me. It has a watermark consistent with the 1E3 or 1L1 grids. I am still not sure which of the two is correct. For now, I will classify it as a 1L based on the years it was in use. These two specimens show weak and strong overprints.









These two papers look slightly different. This post is a place holder for future work.

NGR and NOP 'cents' 'Servicio Oficial'

The 2c NGR



The 3c Mariano NOP



The 15c Martin Guemes NGR