Galapagos Island Stamps.

There is finally a new issue of Galapagos Stamps by the Ecuadorian Postal Service. The official release was September 3, 1999 in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos. There was an official ceremony with representatives from Correos del Ecuador, Charles Darwin Research Station, Galapagos National Park personnel as well as the mayor. Heide Snell created all of the new stamps using photographic themes. Heidi gave a computer graphics presentation of stamps previously with a Galapagos theme as well as the new stamps. The old issues were paintings and values of 100 Sucres (about 9/10 of a US cent in today's valuations!)
The complete set is 20 stamps which (as Heidi reports) is the largest series they have ever printed at once! Heidi also says that there are first day covers available and they have 5 of the 7,000 sucre stamps on them costing about $5.00 US apiece. It is possible that they will be available for sale at the Research Station kiosk along with some of the designs on t-shirts and other stuff the Station sells to help raise funds for their operating costs and programs.

Hi Rod. I look in Scott and at the end of Ecuador listing there is Galapagos Islands stamps. There is two sets, one regular and one airmail set, issue in 1957. On those stamps it's "Islas Galapagos". Thank you for the report on Galapagos stamp new issue. Daniel

Cheers Daniel,
I know nothing about these issues.

For what appears a novelty stamp, it looks like the Marker Monkey
did his training over there. They are cancelled extraorinarily.

Anyway who cares, as long as the wildlife benefits.

Hi Rodney,

The stamps pictured are from a regular issue Ecuador set issued April 10,1992: Scott 1281 - 1286. All values are 100s and are:

1281 Giant Tortoise (horizontal)
1282 Galapagoas Penguin (vertical)
1283 Zalophus californianus (vertical)
1284 Swallow-tailed Gull (horizontal)
1285 Fregata minor (horizontal)
1286 Land Iguana (horizontal)

The 2011 Scott Catalog values a MNH stamp at $1.75usd and a used stamp at 0.80usd

As far as I know only Ecuador stamps are valid for postage from the Galapagos Islands. I believe there are other newer sets that 'commemorate' the Galapagos with other flora and fauna.

The stamps that timbres667 talked about are the only postage stamps specifically marked for the Galapagos Islands.

Jerry B

Ah! I see, laziness on my part, I didn't check Ecuador
prior to posting.
Thanks Jerry, great info as usual :)

Hi Rodney,

Did not expect a response so quick. What is the time in Oz? It's 3am here on 9/15/2010 (couldn't sleep so decided to look in on things).

Jerry B

3:34pm 15th Sept

zzzzzzz's in another 7 hrs (after a 10km bike ride)

I am confused (as usual). If the issue date is 1999, why has it taken so long to become known to the philatelic world? Or is perhaps the 1999 a typo?

I had thought these were novelty stamps
to raise funds for wildlife, a sort of local.
I was going to paste the link to the site
of the 1999 quote, and I lost the page.
It was supposed to be news to support the emmission.
1999 is correct.
http://naturalist.net/news/stamps.html

The stamps that came out in 1999 are shown in the middle in Rodney's link above. They are normal Ecuador stamps. There were 10 x 7000s and 10 x 15000s.
SG2346-65, and (probably) Scott#1491a-j and 1492a-j.

Hi 22crows,

You are right about the 20 stamps. I was responding to Rodney's scan. I did not read the initial post thouroughly. In my defense I did say that there were others but I was too lazy at that hour to go look in my collection.

Jerry B

Hello

We have a Galapagos issue each year on my country (well, except when the Postal Office had a "reorganization affair" :)), many people on the world collect this, so many times complete a used set are very difficult.

Then more easy to find on mint, of course the Scott price break the sky!

Hi novato,

First Bienvenido.

I see you live in Quito. My sister-in-law lives there also. It is a pretty city and country but we did not travel too much. We spent more time in Bogota Colombia with the rest of the family. Now the air fares are sky high from where we are in the U.S., especially now near Christmas.

You are right about the Scott values for Ecuador. The prices are ridiculous, especially the booklets and souvenir sheets. I am thinking of stopping my new issue service for Ecuador stamps and maybe have my sister-in-law buy them at the post office and send them to me.

Jerry B

welcome Novato,
nice to have people from Ecuador join us.

Hello

thank you, nice to see a warm welcome.

Yes, Jerry B, the Ecuador stamps are very expensive, and more to me. I stop to collect Ecuador on March/2003, when spend more of US$70 on one of each 2003 Ecuador stamp (with no FDC), and we are only on third month of 2003!

The manager on the Post Office, always said to me, "Hey, that thing are changed now", but they still making stamps and souvenir sheets to collector. And tell me who want trade 100 used stamp against only one of my spectacular Galapagos stamp!?

My collection now do not worth too much, but for me I have more happy collecting Machins than 30+ years collecting Ecuador, and other countries.