ARGENTINA: Railway Philately : Ferrocarriles - Sellos Postales : Telegraph stamps, Postage stamps, Revenue/Fiscal stamps
Argentina is rich in railway thematic material, much of it not mainstream - and often very interesting. We have long considered writing this article but have baulked at both the scope and a certain lack of material, particularly with regard to revenue stamps and good quality images. Finally, taking the view that a rather limited article is better than no article at all, here it is.
The article has five main sections (with quick links to each section in the left side panel):
1. Railway Telegraph Stamps, c. 1887.
2. Postage Stamps: A standard catalogue addendum for railways: Specialized listings & Selected Oddments only.
3. Revenue Stamps: An illustrated broad guide to collectors who are new to these.
4. Cinderellas: Publicity labels, Trades Union membership fee stamps, etc. on a railway theme.
5. Postal Stationery of railway / tramway interest - A brief overview. Also a few Cancellations.
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1. Railway Telegraph Stamps :
The first public telegraph was established in Argentina in 1887 and a set of two stamps, 10c Red and 40c Blue, were produced headed 'Telegrafo Nacional'. In the same year, stamps appeared for eight private railway companies, as well as a proof for a ninth railway company, all designed and printed by Juan Kidd and in the same denominatons (10c and 40c) as the national service. Given the presence of telegraph wires along almost all railway lines, installed primarily for signalling / train control, a business opportunity arguably existed for permitting public use of the wires for a fee.
One may well question how likely it was that eight or nine railway companies should go seeking telegraphic stamps in the same year, each of its own volition. It seems far more likely that the idea was mooted to most, perhaps all, of them by Juan Kidd who, by standardising elements of production, could have produced them at an attractive price - and quickly. Note that the design of these stamps does not include the word telegraph, but the denominations match standard telegraphic fees.
This is an exceptionally informative printers' proof sheet, quite possibly unique. It carries examples of all the railway companies which had telegraph stamps produced in their name in 1887 plus a few non-railway examples. To our knowledge, this sheet is the only known source of the FerroCarril Central Argentino design. Although the listing for this railway is reported to appear in the Morley catalogue, we question whether any stamps were ever printed. Perhaps Morley had sight of the sheet above when producing his listing?
Our research, although inevitably limited by lack of supply, suggests that all the railway telegraphs were produced on sheets in the same size, format, perforation and with the same sheet watermark. Commentary below is based on this assumption.
Sheet Format: Sheets/100, 10 x 10, a gutter between ALL the horizontal rows. Perf. 11½. See image of a full sheet a little lower down.
Watermarks: All these Kidd-designed stamps were printed on paper with a prominent paper-makers' watermark which covers 8 or 9 stamps in a horizontal row. If the stamps are printed such that the watermark straddles the gutter, then a few extra stamps can show part of the larger letters of the watermark. In the sheet which we show below, the watermark 'Spicer Brothers' in flowery script appeared TWICE in the sheet/100. We suspect that this generally applies. If so, that would produce a minimum of 16 stamps (16%) and a maximum of approximately 26 stamps (26%) of these stamps displaying part of the watermark.
Imprint: The imprint 'TIPOYLITO JUAN R KIDD Y Ca, SAN MARTIN 155, BUENOS AIRES' appears three times in the sheet margins of the only full sheet that we have examined.
The 'Kidd' imprint appears here at top and on both sides of the sheet/100.
'Spicer Brothers' watermark, found twice in the sheet/100 we examined.
Genuine used examples of these railway telegraphs are not known to exist. However, in correspondence with the well-known philatelist and stamp dealer Guillermo Jalil, it becomes clear that the stamps were put to use. Given the very remote locations of some stations in Argentina, one can well imagine that some members of the public would have found the service very useful, especially businesses. So, why are no used copies known? Guillermo Jalil's observations below are most enlightening and reproduced with his kind permission.
'In all my years, and after having bought thousands of collections and archives, I have seen only one telegram, from the Telégrafo Trasandino, with a 40c stamp attached. This stamp was used for the payment of the reply-paid service at origin. The stamps used to pay the telegram itself remained attached to receipts kept in the companies’ archives (this is his assumption, because there is no absolute certainty about this).
Unfortunately, these archives have been lost over the years. For this reason, the only telegrams with these stamps that are normally seen are those where the telegram had a reply-paid service and that stamp attached was not used.'
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Ferrocarril Andino:
Ferrocarril Andino: (very scarce)
10c Slate-Black [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
40c Grey-Blue [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
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Ferrocarril Argentino del Este:
Ferrocarril Argentino del Este: Rare
10c Deep Blue-Green [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
40c Rose-Brown [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
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Ferrocarril Buenos Aires al Pacifico:
Ferrocarril Buenos Aires al Pacifico:
10c Red-Brown [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
40c Deep Blue [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
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Ferrocarril Buenos Aires y Puerto de la Ensenada:
Ferrocarril Buenos Aires y Puerto de la Ensenada: Scarce
10c Rose [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
40c Brown [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
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Ferrocarril Central Norte:
Ferrocarril Central Norte
10c Blue [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
40c (Pale) Violet [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
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Ferrocarril Gran Oeste Argentino:
Ferrocarril Gran Oeste Argentino: Rare
10c Burnt Siena [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
40c Rose [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
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Ferrocarril Oeste Santafecino:
Ferrocarril Oeste Santafecino
40c Dull Red [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
- ditto - Imperf Between (horiz. pair) [ . ] very scarce.
40c Red [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
It may be the case that many of these stamps became toned and that the red stamp shown is better preserved. We have only seen the Imperf Between Pair without watermark and there appears to be no record of it existing with watermark.
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Ferrocarril Central Argentino:
Ferrocarril Central Argentino
NO example known to us, nor believed to have been printed.
We only know of the single proof (in Black) of this stamp, within the printers' sheet shown higher up.
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Ferrocarril Santa Fe a Las Colonias: Stamps without Accent on 'A' in 'FE A LAS'
Ferrocarril Santa Fe a Las Colonias : NO accent on 'A' in 'FE A LAS'
10c Bluish-Slate [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
- ditto - Imperf Between Pair [ . ]
40c Pale Rose [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
- ditto - Deep brownish-carmine [ . ]
- ditto - Bright Carmine [ . ]
- ditto - (any shade) Imperf Between Pair [ . ]
Only one check-box provided for shades and varieties, although in many cases both will exist.
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Ferrocarril Santa Fe a Las Colonias: Stamps WITH Accent on 'A' in 'FE A LAS'
Ferrocarril Santa Fe a Las Colonias : WITH accent on 'A' in 'FE A LAS'
10c Deep Bluish-Slate [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
40c Rose(-red) [ . ] . . with wmk [ . ]
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NON-railway : Telegrafo Transandino:
Not a railway telegraph but it is said that the establishment of this telegraph greatly facilitated the prospecting and planning of the Transandino Railway.
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2. Postage Stamps: A standard catalogue addendum: Specialized & Selected Oddments
1921 First Pan American Postal Congress issue and the 5c Emergency Definitive Issues.
In the late summer of 1921, it was discovered that there were postal forgeries circulating of the 5c San Martin definitive. An interim replacement was issued on September 26th, the 5c design incorporating a train with inscription at the base: 'BUENOS AIRES - AGOSTO DE 1921'. It was issued in two perforations, 13½x12½ and 13½. Five days later the 5c San Martin stamps were invalidated.
This September 26th stamp is a smaller version of a design used for the stamps of the August 1925 commemorative and, perhaps as a consequence of the rush to produce it, carries the same heading 'First Pan American Postal Congress'. This gives it the appearance of a commemorative, but it should be considered a definitive stamp.
A more appropriate version of this smaller stamp with the inscription at the base changed to 'REPUBLICA ARGENTINA' was issued on October 30th 1921 and this stamp is also found in the same two perforations just mentioned. There would have been more time to amend the heading of this stamp but it too carries reference to the Congress, which had been held in August.
We are not providing images of all the perforation and watermark types of these two definitives but we do list them below. However we start with the commemorative set/4 in the larger design.
The 1921 'First Pan American Postal Congress' commemorative issue August 25th 1921):
A display sheet (card) displaying an imperforate set/4 in sunken die proof format. A detail of the 5c from the sheet is shown. We do not know whether imperforate stamps were available from other sources as well. For the present, we list imperforate examples solely as die proofs
Left: The set/4 Commemoratives . . . Centre: 'Accent on 'A' of 'POSTAL' . . . Right: 'BUENOS.AIRES' and 'BUENOS-AIRES'
The design incorporates several small features including a steam tram, a steamship, telegraph wires and a couple of griffins/griffons. Whilst the first three relate to post office communications, the two griffins are an enigmatic addition.
There is a variety 'Accent on 'A' of 'POSTAL' which we have only seen once, despite examining many hundreds of stamps in all four values over time. We neither know whether it is constant on the 5c and/or found on other values of the set.
There are differences such as a 'stop' or a 'short hyphen' between 'BUENOS' and 'AIRES' on these stamps, and examples can be found somewhere between these two states as well. We do not list this minor and imprecise variety.
Aug. 25 1921: 'First Pan American Postal Congress', no watermark, Perf 13½.
3c Pale Lilac (perf) [ . ] [ . ]
5c Blue (perf) [ . ] [ . ]
- ditto - accent on 'A' of 'POSTAL' [ . ] [ . ]
10c Reddish-Chocolate [ . ] [ . ]
12c Deep Rose [ . ] [ . ]
3c Pale Lilac : Imperforate Die Proof [ . ]
5c Blue : Imperforate Die Proof [ . ]
10c Reddish-Chocolate : Imperforate Die Proof [ . ]
12c Deep Rose : Imperforate Die Proof [ . ]
1921 Congress set on card with 4 imperforate Sunken Die Proofs [ . ]
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1921-1923 : 5c Definitive Issues (pending issus of the new 1923 San Martin definitives):
'Mock' Watermarks:
The two stamps in the centre in the scan above are overprinted with the pattern of the watermark but are not true watermarks. Known as 'mock' watermarks, when held to the light the watermark is not visible through the stamp. We have no information as to why this 'overprint' was applied. Had the post office perhaps discovered postal forgeries of this 5c stamp too and applied the mock watermark as a security feature? At the time the mock watermark was applied, August 1923, the new 5c San Martin definitive had already been in service for three months, so the need to persevere with the older 5c is unclear.
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Inscribed 'BUENOS-AIRES AGOSTO DE 1921':
Sept 1921 : 5c Rose (+ shades to vermilion-red) : No Wmk : Perf 13½x12½ [ . ] [ . ]
- ditto - overprinted MUESTRA (vertically up) [ . ]
Oct. 1921 : 5c Rose (+ shades to vermilion-red) : No Wmk : Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
Dec 1921 : 5c Rose (+ shades to vermilion-red) : Wmk RA in sun : Perf 13½x12½ [ . ] [ . ]
Dec 1921 : 5c Rose (+ shades to vermilion-red) : Wmk RA in sun : Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
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Inscribed 'REPUBLICA ARGENTINA':
Sept 1921 : 5c Rose (+ shades to vermilion-red) : No Wmk : Perf 13½x12½ [ . ] [ . ]
- ditto - overprinted MUESTRA (vertically up) [ . ]
Oct. 1921 : 5c Rose (+ shades to vermilion-red) : No Wmk : Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
Dec 1921 : 5c Rose (+ shades to vermilion-red) : Wmk RA in sun : Perf 13½x12½ [ . ] [ . ]
- ditto - "Complemento" strip (with se-tenant blank stamp-sized field - see scan below) [ . ]
Dec 1921 : 5c Rose (+ shades to vermilion-red) : Wmk RA in sun : Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
1923 : 5c Vermilion-Red (shades) : Mock Watermark on Face : Perf 13½x12½ [ . ] [ . ]
- ditto - Mock Watermark Inverted [ . ] [ . ]
1923 : 5c Vermilion-Red (shades) : Mock Watermark on Face : Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
A 'complemento' strip. We have not seen (or listed) a 'complemento' strip (with normal watermark) in Perf 13½ but it seems fairly likely to us that they exist. We have not listed inverted mock watermarks on stamps Perf 13½ either; we think they are much less likely to exist.
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Departmental Official Overprints all on watermaked stamps inscribed 'REPUBLICA ARGENTINA':
'OFICIAL' stamps were issued in Argentina between 1884 and 1969. In addition, from 1913 to 1938, many definitives in the value range 1c to 1P were overprinted for eight different Ministries. In English, we usually refer to these as Departmental, rather than Ministerial, stamps. The departmental stamps are overprinted with the (Spanish) initials of the department. Stamps of the 5c 'emergency' design were produced for five of these eight departments, the exceptions being those overprinted M.A. (Ministry of Agriculture), M.H. (Ministry of Finance) and M.O.P (Ministry of Public Works).
All these 5c departmental stamps are overprints on the watermarked (not the mock-watermarked) stamps inscribed 'REPUBLICA ARGENTINA'.
M.G. (Ministerio de la Guerra - Ministry of War)
5c Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
M.I. (Ministerio del Interior - Ministry of The Interior)
5c Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
Also shown in the scan above is a used example Perf 13½x12½. We have not listed it as we are unsure whether the overprint is genuine.
M.J.I. (Ministerio de Justicia e Instrucción - Ministry of Justice and Instruction)
5c Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
- ditto - Perf 13½ x 12½ [ . ] [ . ]
M.M. (Ministerio de Marina - Ministry of Marine)
5c Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
- ditto - Perf 13½ x 12½ [ . ] [ . ]
M.R.C. (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto - Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Religion)
5c Perf 13½ [ . ] [ . ]
The M.I. and M.R.C. overprints appear to be much the scarcest of these 5c departmentals.
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Moving onto the mid-late 1940s, there are a few stamps with some specialized interest:
1945/1947 Opening of the International Bridge (road/rail) between Argentina and Brazil:
Known as the Agustín P. Justo–Getúlio Vargas Bridge, it ceased to carry rail traffic in the mid-2010s but, as we write this in 2026, work is underway to re-open the railway. (source: Google AI).
The imperforate stamp is on ungummed paper and dated for the initial proposed opening date of October 12th 1945. Alongside is the issued stamp, perforated and gummed, with the actual opening date, May 21st 1947, which is also the date on which the stamp was issued.
1945 Proof : 5c International Bridge [ . ]
1947 Issued : 5c International Bridge [ . ] [ . ]
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1948 Bicentenary of Rio de la Plata Postal Service:
The lower face-value sheet of a set/2 souvenir sheets for this anniverary included an early steam train design (55c). Numerous proof sheets exist in unadopted colours. We display first the normal issued sheet, then the proofs.
Above: The normal issued sheet, border in chestnut-brown, stamp colours as shown.
The sheet border remains in issued colours but stamps are in trial colours.
1948 15c-85c souvenir sheet/4 (as issued) [ . ] [ . ]
Souvenir sheet with border in issued colour but stamps in unissued / trial colours:
1948 15c-85c souvenir sheet (border in issued colours) missing 15c Stage Coach [ . ]
1948 15c-85c souvenir sheet (border in issued colours) missing 85c Ship (Frigate / Fragata) [ . ]
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Sheet Border now in Greyish-Violet:
Souvenir sheet with BORDER in UNISSUED / TRIAL colours, stamps also in unissued colours:
1948 15c-85c souvenir sheet, border and stamps in unissued colours [ . ]
- ditto - Brown colour inverted (top inscription and frigate) [ . ]
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1949 (March 1st) : Nationalization of Argentine Railways (10c):
This issue consisted of a single stamp but there exist several imperforate colour trials.
Nationalization of Argentine Railways:
10c Blue (Perf) Winged Wheel [ . ] [ . ]
Imperforate Proofs or Colour Trials:
10c in Blue ++ (issued colour) [ . ]
10c in Dull Green [ . ]
10c in Olive-Brown [ . ]
10c in Red [ . ]
Other colours may well exist.
++ The imperforate stamp in the issued colour (blue) could be just that, rather than a colour trial, although we notice that the colour trials seem to be on duller paper than the issued stamp, as seen in the scans.
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1951 (Oct. 17th) : Five-Year Plan issue:
The low value of a set/4 commemorating the end of a 5-year plan (1947-1951 inclusive) shows Pegasus and a steam passenger train.
Many catalogues mention simply 'shades' or make no mention at all of the massive range of colours in which this stamp was printed and issued to the public. The two shown above are close to the extremes at the two ends of the spectrum. Many, many intermediate colours exist, both in in terms of hue and intensity. We shall provide four colours as a representation of what can be found.
1951 Steam Train & Pegasus:
5c Greenish-Grey [ . ] [ . ]
5c Greyish Sage-Green [ . ] [ . ]
5c Dark Olive-Brown [ . ] [ . ]
5c Blackish Olive-Brown [ . ] [ . ]
Imperforate Proofs or Colour Trials:
5c in Deep Sage-Green [ . ]
5c in Deep Grey-Green [ . ]
5c in Bright Blue [ . ]
5c in Deep Greyish-Brown [ . ]
5c in Deep Cerise [ . ]
Again, other colour trials may well exist and one cannot be sure that the imperforate stamps in the 'greens' are necessarily colour trials.
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1988/89 'Caminito Painting design:
3rd Stamp : 50a NO Watermark . . . . . 4th Stamp : 50a WITH Watermark
The watermark is very hard to see. However, the other three stamps are printed on very white paper whilst the watermarked 50a is on slightly creamish paper. We do not think the white wall / pink wall of the nearest house, evident in the two 50a stamps shown here, will be a reliable guide to the presence (or not) of watermarks. To our knowledge, the 5a (and overprinted 5a) were only printed on un-watermarked paper.
5a José Cannella painting 'Caminito' with tramway tracks (no wmk) [ . ] [ . ]
50a José Cannella painting 'Caminito' with tramway tracks (no wmk) [ . ] [ . ]
- ditto - With Watermark [ . ] [ . ]
5a José Cannella painting 'Caminito' with XXI Congreso Opt. (no wmk) [ . ] [ . ]
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1990 Concorde and TGV privately-produced souvenir sheet:
This should probably be listed under Cinderellas. Without overprint, this sheet was 'issued' in 1980 for the Roland Hill Centenary (1979) and featured the Argentina 25c+15c stamps of Argentina of 1944. There were three further 'issues' of this sheet with overprints, one of them with a French 'Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV)', with Roland Hill's image now obliterated by the overprint. To our knowledge, this sheet is only listed in the Lollini catalogue.
Lollini C 4 BA : 1990 : Roland Hill & TGV souvenir sheet [ . ]
- ditto - oveprinted MUESTRA (Lollini C 5 BA, print run 150 sheets) [ . ]
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Photographic Record of an UNADOPTED DESIGN : 1933 : Steam Train & Farming.
We acquired photographic proofs of three unadopted Argentinian stamps stuck down, dated July 21st 1933 and with manuscript instruction (April 6th, 1962) that each of the three images on the piece should be destroyed which, clearly, did not happen! It is not unusual for such 'escaped' pieces to be the only surviving record of such stamps. That may be the case here. We include a high definition scan of the train stamp only.
If the first stamp shown had been adopted and issued, one wonders whether the national frontiers shown on the map might have been as controvesial as the 1 Peso stamp issued in 1936. The protests from other countries in South America over the first version of that stamp quickly led to its replacement by a map devoid of frontiers other than Argentina's.
From 1911 onwards, almost all Argentinian stamps were produced at the Mint, Buenos Aires but the manuscript 'destroy' instruction on the piece above is in English. Speculating as to the possible printing house for these unadopted essays, the American Bank Note Company had similar material to this in its archive.
End of Postage Stamp section.
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3. Revenue (Fiscal) Stamps: Provincial & Local.
Few countries come close to matching the number of revenue stamps issued within Argentina, both in terms of number of designs and the sheer quantity of surviving material. In railway thematic terms alone, the output was quite significant and we shall not be attempting to provide a comprehensive listing.
In the modern era, there have been a few 'National' revenues of railway interest whilst, amongst the older stamps, the railway interest lies in a mixture of Provincial and Municipal issues.
Certain revenues were issued in pairs, the main stamp and its talón, these having matching numbers for accounting purposes. Note: The numbering just occasionally went slightly awry, due to printing errors. The purpose of these pairs is described as follows by Google AI:
- - On a Spanish-language revenue or fiscal stamp (common in countries like Mexico or Argentina), control de talón (or control del talón) means 'stub control' or 'counterfoil audit'. This refers to an accounting system where a matching stub or counterfoil (talón) stayed behind in the government or revenue office book as an official record, while the main part of the stamp went on the document or receipt to prove tax payment. - -
In general, we have provided just a selection of scans for each stamp design which incorporates a train along with some form of listing, often abridged where the sets are very long or where, simply, we lack sufficient information. Almost our only reference work for these revenue stamps has been a reprint of the priced 800-page 1915 Forbin catalogue of 'Timbres : Fiscaux', covering all revenue stamps of the entire world up to that date. Argentina alone runs to 144 pages which provide a listing that is probably not far short of 10,000 different stamps prior to 1915.
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Anthony Hopwood:
Around 2010, we were privileged to have the opportunity to sell the outstanding world-wide railway collection of the late Anthony Hopwood, a British collector whose interests spanned postage, revenue and cinderella stamps. Latin America was one of his favourite areas and the revenue stamps of Argentina were particularly well represented and included several outstanding items. We still have the scans from his collection and they are the source of most of the images shown below.
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Revenue stamps from Argentina can be National, Provincial or Municipal. Their purpose can be general or specific to one tax, that purpose typically being stated on the stamps. We start our list with the only national designs incorporating a train that we know, three very similar stamps that have a modern appearance. On the basis that many of our readers will not be familiar with the provinces of Argentina, we have examined all the other (earlier) revenues, provincial and municipal combined, into a single alphabetical group.
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National Revenue Stamps:
Whilst older national revenue stamps were often produced for a specific tax, the modern stamps below appear to be all-purpose.
Above: Three different styles of the same central design with a steam train, the 1p from 1970, the 5P from 1975.
Below: A further example, figures of value less bold than on the first stamp above, on a revenue document.
All the stamps in the above designs for which we have seen legible cancellations were with the larger figures of value and used between 1964 and 1969.
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Avellaneda: Municipal Stamp (province of Buenos-Aires)
See under Barracas al Sud below.
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Bahia Blanca : Provincial Stamps.
We know of two railway-related designs for this Province and they are only partially covered by the 1915 Forbin catalogue which, for many countries, is understandably weak for the period 1912-1915 in an age of slower communications.
Bahia-Blanca 1902-1911 Issues:
Forbin recognizes 8 sets of these stamps in 1902/03/04/05/08/09/10/11. The sets are distinguished by differences in size, perforation, face values and colours as well as some years having the date included in the design.
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Bahia Blanca 1913:
The eleven stamps shown above are the complete 1913 set. We have only seen them with this date but others may have been produced.
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Barracas al Sud: Municipal Stamp (Province of Buenos-Aires).
Imperforate and possibly a proof as these stamps are normally perforated.
There is a line of trucks or small carriages on the quayside, it seems with a locomotive at the front (left side of stamp), but the definition on the stamp is very poor and this may well be normal for a Series C stamp. It is also known as a Series D stamp, typically in better definition with the train much clearer. This is an issue of 1902; the stamp appears again in 1904 with a violet straight-line overprint.
Avellaneda (also Municipal stamps, Province of Buenos-Aires)
We have no scans of Avellaneda but we have seen a catalogue page with stamps in the same design as the Barracas al Sud shown here, but now inscribed Avellaneda, all with sharper printings like the Series D stamps of Barracas al Sud. The stamps inscribed 'Avellaneda' are known in Series E & F in 1906/07 and also with a date added to the design, 1908 and 1909 being known to us with various Series letters.
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Casilda: Municipal Stamps (Province of Santa Fe).
All the stamps of Casilda known to us are in a single locomotive design, all the stamps dated with their years of issue, covering each year from 1908-1914 (or possibly later?). As a general rule, they do not have Control Numbers stamped on them but most, or all, of the 1908 issue have controls and some of the 1913 issue are found both with and without control.
Only 500 of the 1908 3P and 300 of the 1909 3P were printed.
Above a selection of scans. The stamps from some years are much easier to find than others, a few individual stamps having very low print runs.
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Diamante: Municipal Stamps (Province of Entre-Rios).
This design in not in Forbin which suggests it dates from some time after 1912 perhaps. The imperforate item is presumably a cut-out from a document.
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Formosa: Municipal Stamps (Province of Formosa)
Formosa is both the name of the Province and of the capital city of that province; these are for the latter, viz.the municipality.
The design is too late to appear in Forbin but we found a photocopy from an unknown source which is informative:
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Gualeguay: Municipal Stamp (Province of Entre-Rios)
This is the entire entry in Forbin for this municipality. The (French Currency) price for this stamp ('20') in this catalogue is consistent with prices Forbin used for very scarce stamps. This is the only image we have seen of this stamp. The image is poor. It has more the appearance of a cut-out from a document but it is listed as a stamp.
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Santa Fé: Provincial Stamps
Finally, we come to the railway-related revenues which are perhaps the most familiar to railway collectors. The commoner values, at least, are fairly widely available. There are several designs serving different taxation classes.
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Tax on Documents:
These are single stamp revenues, not requiring 'counterfoils' (receipts) for accounting purposes.
Documents : Dated 1896 : Set/23, 5c - 500P.
Documents : Dated 1897 : Set/22, 5c - 500P. (no 75c, unlike the 1896 set)
Stamped Documents:
Cut-outs from stamped paper documents for various classes of tax, all in the 1896/97 design.
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Patents:
For this class of taxation, a receipt was apprently required, the left stamp inscribed 'RECIBO de', the right 'PATENTE'. We have encountered many used joined pairs and assume these must be cancelled remainders. However, we have encountered no single stamps which we find a little mystifying.
A block/8, presumed remaindered, illustrating the numbering format. The set numbers 16 pairs, 1c to 1000P.
Forbin gives a print run for the 1000 Pesos of 100 (pairs). The detail scan shows the small steam train (found on both stamps).
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General Taxation:
Two different designs incorporating a steam locomotive are found for this class of taxation, one issued in 1905, the other in 1908. Mint are found in joined pairs, talon (left) and locomotive stamp (right); used will be singles of either half.
General Taxation : 1905
The pair at right are correctly numbered; the numbering of the pair at left has slipped one column, an uncommon error. The set consists of 36 pairs of values, 2c to 5000P.
General Taxation : 1908
The 1908 issue also has 36 pairs, 2c to 5000P. The top two values are shown above. The 2000P had a print-run of only 500 and this stamp has a variety, described in the scan. The 5000P is a RARE stamp, with a print-run of just 50 stamps.
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4. Cinderella Stamps.
Although much postal material of railway interest exists, the production of cinderellas does not seem to have been a particularly popular pastime in Argentina. We have, though, encountered a few, as well as a significant number of trades union stamps for payment of monthly dues.
Centenary of the Argentine Republic : 1810-1910 :
Exposicion International de FERROCARRILES y TRANSPORTES TERRESTRES / Buenos Aires / 1910
The first item shown above is a simple postcard. Google AI: -- 'The Exposición Internacional de Ferrocarriles y Transportes Terrestres' (International Exhibition of Railways and Land Transport) was a major world's fair event held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It ran from July 1910 to January 1911 as a centerpiece of the Exposición Internacional del Centenario, celebrating the centennial of the 1810 May Revolution. Full-scale steam locomotives, passenger coaches, and freight wagons from international and domestic lines were on display. --
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City of La Plata Propaganda / Tourist Publicity Labels:
Publicity stamps which locals were urged to use on their mail to publicise / promote La Plata. They had no franking value. Booklets/20 were produced, 5 panes/4. We are only aware of the Argentinian version of this publicity stamp being printed in Green. The labels claim that from Buenos Aires to La Plata takes 50 minutes by train, one hour by car and 75 minutes by bus/coach.
The La Plata stamps mimic those produced in Europe, one presumes on behalf of Budapest (Hungary) to draw you away from Wien (Vienna, Austria). These stamps offer you the alternative of air travel, three times faster than by rail or road. They were produced in four colours. Both the Argentinian and European cinderellas date from the mid-late 1930s.
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Railway Companies' Telegraph Seals:
Calling on Google AI once more: -- The acronym F.N.G.B.M. stands for Ferrocarril Nacional General Bartolomé Mitre (National General Bartolomé Mitre Railway), a major state-run railway network in Argentina created following the nationalization of the railways in the late 1940s. While not a telecommunications company itself, the F.N.G.B.M. operated an extensive, private internal telegraph and telecommunications system alongside its rail tracks to coordinate train movements, signal operations, and administrative dispatch across its network (which spanned from Buenos Aires toward Rosario, Córdoba, and Tucumán). Telegraph poles, lines, and station offices were critical components of the physical railway infrastructure during this mid-20th-century era. --
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Railway Employees' Trades Union Contribution Stamps:
The 'Union Ferrovia' used the same design for decades but the colour varied over time, as shown (below) in the four pages from members' books, with dues for 1933, 1935, 1936 and finally 1945, where the colour changes from a range of Reds to Green. Up until 1945, all the stamps are in shades of red and denominated at the same rate, $1 (= 1 Peso). They have Series numbers up to Series 160. Those up to and including Series 156 are un-surcharged but for five months, starting January 1945, the Series 157 to 160 are found surcharged 1p20 reflecting a new monthly membership due.
By June 1945, new stamps had been produced, now denominated 1p20, with the Series numbering re-starting from '1' and the stamps printed in Green. Ecomonies in production were achieved, and time was saved, by simply correcting the inscriptions in the borders. Some of the design, which had become worn over time, was also retouched. The highest numbered Green stamp we have seen is Series 31, only enough to provide a supply to the end of 1947. Note: We have not carried out any study of the 5-figure and 6-figure consignment numbers applied to any of these stamps.
Other:
1st stamp: An enlarged image of one of the Green stamps (Series 14, probably used for July 1946).
2nd stamp: The only Union Ferrovia Violet stamp we have seen, Series 1, value 1 Peso. Possibly pre-dates the red stamps?
3rd & 4th stamps: Issued by the Federation of Railway Workers and Employees. Google AI: -- The Unión Ferroviaria (UF) is Argentina's dominant, long-standing national railway union, while the Federación de Obreros y Empleados Ferroviarios (FOEF) was a short-lived, government-backed rival organization created in 1939 that dissolved within a year. --
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5. Postal Cancellations & Stationery : A very brief overview
Argentina produced postal stationery envelopes from 1876, postcards from 1878, letter cards from 1888, letter sheets from 1898 as well as six other types of stationery for more specialized purposes.
Letter sheets are not a very common type of postal stationery and Argentina only issued them between 1898 and 1903, but several are of railway interest. On the 1899-issued letter sheets, a steam train is the principal image and can be found on the inside of the sheet in one of three colours: pale violet, brown or blue. There were five other non-railway views issued at the same time, each also in those three colours.
An opened out letter sheet, showing the outside and inside.
In the same vein, there are several other letter sheets between 1899 and 1903 with different kinds of railway interest, most of them issued in four, rather than three, different single colours. Detail scans from a couple more are shown below. They have been significantly darkened for viewing, as most of the ornamentation on these letter sheets is in pale pastel colours.
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Many letter cards included views of tramway and/or railway interest, several of the railway images being from the picturesque mountainous regions of Argentina. In addition to sending New Year greetings, as all these letter cards do, by their nature they also act as promotional material for tourism.
Letter Cards (& Postcards):
There are probably dozens of designs with tramway or railway interest, particularly if one includes harbour tracks, distant stations etc. Specimen (MUESTRA) overprints on Argentinian stationery is not uncommon.
In many countries, as railways became less of a dominant part of life, the railway interest in the stationery tends to diminish over time. This combined with the fall in public demand for stamped cards and envelopes tends to make post-1920 material rather less well-known - and often hard to find. In some countries of Latin America, particularly around the 1930s, sets of up to 50 different postal stationery view cards were released - with individual cards from these sets being highly elusive.
Preliminary design for new TPO vans as presented in the transport section of the 'Mail & Telecommunications in the 5-Year Plan Exhibition'. It took place in Buenos Aires in November 1949. The card exists in one further colour, purple, and is one of 12 different views for the Exhibition.
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Travelling Post Office (TPO, Ambulante) handstamps:
TPOs had been in use for many decades prior to this exhibition in Argentina and some examples are shown below. Proper coverage of this topic would be lengthy and beyond the intended scope of this article.
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Locomotive Postmarks:
Locomotive postmarks are often found on modern commemorative covers. Argentina, as shown in one example above, used them occasionally on TPOs. Locomotives also appear on so-called 'corner cards' at the top left of some companies' printed envelopes, sometimes printed on, sometimes handstamped, but these are not cancellations.
It is certainly not common for a locomotive cancel to be used to cancel revenue stamps, such as shown above on a block/4 revenue stamps of Rosario del Tala (Province of Entre-Rios).
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We are aware that this article lacks depth in places but it was never our intention to cover all aspects of railways in Argentinian philately comprehensively but rather to cover some ground for which many collectors may not have acquired much literature. We hope it proves useful, even if it does not fully answer all your questions.