Guatemala First Stamp: Bogus And Forgeries Of The Bogus

Guatemala issued her first set of stamps in 1871. But, in 1867, a Boston stamp dealer created a bogus stamp for Guatemala. The funny thing is that the demand on this stamp made it a target for the forgers. These are photos of a page from my "Phantoms of Guatemala" album.

This stamp was on my want list simply because it was a beautiful design and very well made. In my opinion it is a more attractive and better made stamp than Guatemala's first stamp. I am no expert on Guatemalan politics but if the 1860s was similar to today; Don Alberto de Bario may have had a position in the government and overstepped his authority in ordering stamps that did not go through all the official channels. This is a common practice even today. Bario's imprudence would have been cause to reject the stamp. Or, he was as bogus as the stamp.

Guatemala was one of the last nations to issue postage stamps. The decision was made by the government as far back as 1866 and the process went through very slowly. One off the proof of the first issue was dated Nov 12, 1866, illustrated in Guatemala I on page 40 (see below). The first stamps were printed by the French Government Mint. When the bogus stamps was offered by Taylor at 15 cents in 1867, the French philatelic journal, Le Timbrophile, had warned the philatelic public that the stamp was suspecious. Don Alberto de Bario was bogus like the stamp. For many years I have tried to get this stamp in other colors with much difficulties.