The 2p1E3b 'cream' frame

This is a scarce printing. This is a puzzling stamp. It shares colors with the CL2B 2 pesos of 1952, but is printed on a paper that was used before 1945. I have yet to establish the period of use. The postmarks I find are consistent with use during the mid 1950s.





Here is the watermark.

The 2p1L6 Watermark

Here are examples of the 1L6 watermark from back scans. The thickness of the paper varies. I only find a vertical watermark.

Colors of the 2p1L6

The 2 pesos in 1936 was a high value paying registration air mail rates. By the mid 1950s, the 2 pesos was a letter rate air mail definitive. The 1L6 paper was used on the stamps of this issue that were still in use in 1956/57. The paper is porous and has a grid similar to that of the 1E1 and the 1E3a. This stamp was printed in large quantities. I find a wide range of colors and plate wear.

Light blue, probably from worn out plates.



Hazy printing.



Normal colors.





Dark blue center.



Very dark blue center with some over-inking.

The 2p1E3b

I have examined a selection of 1E3 2 pesos stamps, and do not find the other two 1E paper types. Here is a selection of 2 pesos 1E3b back scans.

1E3s after help from Rein

Thanks to help from Rein, I can finally discern the three 1E3s.

The 1E3a has a very distinctive pulp. It is just like a 1E1, but the paper is white and more translucent than the 1E1.

I have one 5p stamp on this paper (damaged, unfortunately) and no 10p or 20p stamps. This is a rare paper, even on the 25c.



The 1E3b and 1E3c are more complicated. The 1E3b is a paper that is fluffy and yields rough RAs. The grid is asymmetrical, and I am still unable to draw both directions.

Here are several specimens-the ones with blue lines are from Rein, the others are mine and show that I am only able to see one of the directions of the grid!:

5 pesos



10 pesos







The 1E3c is a whiter paper than the 1E3b.

5 pesos



10 pesos



In summary:

The 1E3a is like the 1E1 but white, and very rare. It has a symmetric rectangular grid on the paper.
The 1E3b has fluffy, rough RAs, and has an asymmetrical rectangular grid.
The 1E3c has a symmetrical square grid.

The large 25c miss-perfed block I recently discussed is 1E3b:

The 1E3 papers for the high values

Based on recent work carried out by Rein, there are three 1E papers.

1E3a: Symmetric mesh, rectangular grid, clear porous paper. It has the same configuration as the 1E1, but is a bright white paper.

A 25c1E3a-SO:



I find a candidate 5 pesos stamp on the 1E3a, but I am not sure that I am classifying this specimen correctly.

1E3b: cloudy paper with asymmetric or symmetric mesh, rectangular grid

5p





10p

The 1E papers for the high values

On the 1E1 paper:

5p



10p



20p



On the 1E2 paper:

10p



20p



I have the 1E3 examples in a separate post that will require additional work.

and finally, on the 1E4:

5p



20p



There is a 1E5 I find on the 25c and perhaps the 50c, but do not find on the high values.

Plate varieties on a block of the 25c1E3

This block has several minor plate varieties.



Second row, third stamp



Second row, fifth stamp



Third row, second stamp



Third row, fourth stamp



There is one plate variety on this block that is a candidate master die plate variety. These plates were composed in groups of ten cliches as two rows of five stamps each.

First row, third stamp



Third row, third stamp

A miss-perfed block of the 25c1E3

This block has a duplicate row of perforations between the second and third row.



Here are details of the watermark for future study.

Second day of issue 1935 cover

I have just received this cover, dated October 2, 1935. It is a philatelic cover.



Here is the back of the cover...



...and here is a detail of the postmark.



These stamps were issued October 1, 1935.