Argentina Stamps Profile

Argentina is the second largest country in South America after Brazil. Its land area is over one-million square miles and has a population of around 40M making it a scarcely populated country compared to world figures which are over three times that number. The per-capita GDP is over $14,000 making it an upper-middle-income country – it benefits from abundant natural resources, a highly productive export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial sector. On the flip-side, Argentina experienced an economic collapse in 2002 as they defaulted on their debt, mainly due to mismanagement & corruption.

The first stamps of Argentina were released in 1858 and show a symbolical of the Argentine Confederation. They were single-colored designs of 5c, 10c, and 15c denominations in Red, Green, and Blue respectively. Due to the crude early production methods, several varieties exist. Mint copies of these stamps are plentiful, with only the highest denominated 15c Blue commanding a significant catalog value at around $15. Used copies are rare and command a premium of ten to twenty times the value for a corresponding Mint copy. Counterfeits abound and collectors need to be very careful before paying up. Copies of these stamps on cover are very rare and catalogs for a few hundred dollars. Diagonal half or one-third of the two higher denominations on cover are even rarer and those catalog for a few thousand dollars each. A Seal of the Republic design followed in 1862 (Scott #5 to #7 and several varieties). The most valuable Argentine issue is an unused copy of a tete beche pair of the 15c denomination in blue of which only one copy is known. The catalog value is in the $55000 range.

Great Men of Argentina dominated the theme for the early stamps of Argentina till 1891. Many of these stamps catalog in the tens of dollars and some fetch a few hundred dollars. The most prominent among them is the 1864 issue which depicts Bernardino Rivadavia, the first president of Argentina (Scott #8 to #18). They have a wide range of catalog values – For example, a used copy of Scott #20 catalogs for just a dollar while Scott #15a (10c Green) catalog for $4000 either MNH or Used. Other prominent issues include the short-set of five stamps of 1873 (Scott #22 to #26) and the long-set of thirteen stamps of 1888 (Scott #57 to #67 and a couple of varieties) – the former set catalogs for over $200 MNH and just 10% of that for Used while the latter catalogs for under $400 MNH and around $50 used. The 1891 short-set of four stamps (Scott #85 to #88) is another interesting set because of its odd vertical orientation. They are pretty valuable at around $700 MNH and around $100 used.

A philatelic exhibition was held in Buenos Aires from October 17-24, 1935. A souvenir sheet of four imperforate stamps depicting San Martin, the liberator of Argentina was issued to commemorate the event. The stamps were sold during the eight days of exhibition only. The sheet catalogs for around $75 MNH and $35 Used. The best known stamps of Argentina are the ones that depict Eva Peron, the very popular second wife of President Juan Peron who died of cancer in 1952 at a young age of 33. The first stamps were definitives issued in a set of 12 (two different designs of her portrait) on August 26 1952 (Scott #599 to #610). The set catalogs for just $5 MNH and less than that for Used. A sister set in the same design (Scott #611 to #618) catalogs somewhat higher. The 2nd anniversary issue of 1954 (Scott #626 and #627) shows a beautiful design of Eva Peron’s portrait in car rose – the stamps differ only in their watermarks and value – the former catalogs for under $5 MNH and under $1 used while the latter catalogs at over $250 MNH and one-fifth that for Used.

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Last Updated: 07/2011.