Copyright © 2016 BARRY P. FLETCHER All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser THIS DIGITAL COPY WAS EDITED AND PUBLISHED By www.proofperfect.com.sg 1 Content About the writer _____________________________________________3 Prologue - Collecting and Investing in Columbian Airmail, 1919-1923 __4 Chapter 1- Well-Known Past Colombian Airmail Collectors, 1919-1923__13 Chapter 2- The Knox-Martin Issues - 18 June 1919_________________20 Chapter 3- The Curtiss Labels - The so-called Proofs________________28 Chapter 4- The Surcharged Curtiss Labels________________________31 Chapter 5- The Colombia CCNA 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th issues____________50 Chapter 6- SCADTA Revision So Far_____________________________83 Chapter 7- Experimental and Scheduled flights___________________125 Chapter 8- Bisected Stamps__________________________________130 Chapter 9- Fakes___________________________________________136 Bibliography______________________________________________143 Acknowledgements ________________________________________144 2 About the Writer PROFESSOR BARRY PINDER FLETCHER Prof. Barry Pinder Fletcher is a graduate of the University of Cape Town. He is a specialist in international taxation and economics and has been a member of the International Tax Planning Association (London) for over 30 years. He is also a speaker at Oxford as well as international conferences in various jurisdictions, including the American Pharmaceutical Association. In the area of philately, Prof. Fletcher has owned fine collections of world rarities: Basutoland Officials, the French Occupation of Togo, Seychelles, and the Airmails of Colombia 1919-1923. His philatelic publications include The Rare Basutoland Officialsand A Collector’s Notes and Comments on the Rare and Mysterious Colombian Airmails – 1919-1923. Professor Fletcher has a very fine and virtually complete collection of the Colombian airmails of this period. He desires to continue collecting and preserve them as well as possible. He has also authored many research papers on geographical and jurisdictional taxation, and has contributed articles in international journals, some in the archives of the International Tax Planning Association. Prof. Fletcher is a keen rock climber. In the late 1940s-60s, he pioneered a number of new climbs in South Africa, including “Touch and Go”, a difficult route on the west face of Table Mountain, a feat said to be ahead of its time. He has also climbed several slightly easier routes on El Capitan in the US. Thanks to an interest in amateur (ham) radio, Prof. Fletcher has previously travelled to some 30 countries and islands around the Pacific and South African coast. In his spare time, he currently enjoys exploring the theology and rich history behind the Torah, Talmud and Judaic Christianity. Prof. Fletcher believes human trafficking is a scourge and actively supports action to eliminate it. He currently resides in Singapore. 3 Prologue INTRODUCTION: COLLECTING AND INVESTING IN COLOMBIAN AIRMAILS, 1919-1923 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. 4 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). 5 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