For the 1935-51 definitives, I have four categories of comments.
1. Sources of information on which the catalog is based.
2. Some papers are missing.
3. Some errors, partly based on missing papers.
4. Plate varieties, largely missing, and could easily fill a second volume.
1. The information found in Deluca, especially printing quantities for some DEPOFs and first day of use for the first printings, is missing. Also missing are the first month of use mentions for the Straight Rays papers from Klass 1970.
2. Although the Austrian (1E2) and Dutch (1E4) papers added expand on Kneitschel, some key differentiations are missing:
a. The Wavy Rays types-e.g. number 759; are really a combination of as many as the 1E1, 1E3(a,b,c), 1L1, 1L2, and 1L3.
b. The unwatermarked stamps have not been separated between grilled (NGR) and opaque (NOP).
c. The Straight Rays have not been separated between the clear (2C) and diffuse (2D).
d. There is no mention of the direction of the watermark, which we know is unique to a type. For example, the 2p2C is found with horizontal and vertical watermark, while the 5p2C is only found with horizontal watermark.
e. For the DEPOFs, there is no distinction between English (1E) and Austrian (1E2) papers, even though in some cases this distinction is useful. While all small format DEPOF, 50c, 1p top overprint, 1p with boundaries are 1E1, and all 25c are 1E2; all 30c and some 1p bottom overprint are found on both papers. Also missing is the very popular M..M error found in the first 1E1 printing of the small format values.
3. Some pictures do not refer to the correct stamp:
a. The 763A stamps are not the 1939, or 1E3a, pinting; instead these are 1L2 of 1951. The same is the case for the stamp 764A. The picture for stamp 759 is a 1L2 from 1952 and not the 1E1-much scarcer. The stamp 765 looks like a 1E4, and not the 1E1, which has unique colors.
This is the 20p of 1936.
b. The stamp 766, 25c clay, was only issued as 'Servicio Oficial.' The picture can only refer to a proof or stamps missing the overprint.
Here is my favorite comparison:
5pNOP
5pNGR
4. About plate varieties, well, we could fill a second volume.
About a second volume, there is plenty of additional material to fill it: postmarks, slogans, PERFINs, postal entires...
This is a great catalog, I hope you buy it and enjoy it.
