Can Anyone Identify This Costa Rica Stamp With Airmail Opt?

I recently acquired this Costa Rica stamp in a mixed lot, but I can't find it in any catalogues. The original stamp is SG 332, the 1c from the 1943-48 set depicting Juan Mora Fernández. I cannot find the "HABILITADA Correo Aéreo Aéreo-Puerto Cristóbal Colón" overprint anywhere, and an online search proved fruitless.

The overprint means "Valid for Air Mail - Christopher Columbus Airport". There doesn't seem to be an airport in Costa Rica by that name - the only airports with that name seem to be in Güiria, Venezuela (unlikely since that airport seems to have opened in 2000) and Genoa, Italy (unlikely since it's on the other side of the world).

Can anyone identify the overprint please?

Opinion:
Cannot be Costa Rica, as they do not spell
"HABILATADA", rather, "HABILATADO"

You're right - this has got me really stumped.

It can't be a revenue, so what is it?

I disagree with Rod, I think it is a Costa Rico revenue stamp, perhaps used tor raise money to build a local airport? Local + overprint spelling error?
Don

You are not alone.

Notes: "Stampboards" no one has identified it there
Notes: HABILITADA is used in Peru.

https://produto.mercadolivre.com.br...recarga--_JM

The image for when the link disappears..

After contacting the Costa Rica Revenue & Postage Society, I finally got an answer. Apparently, it is a private overprint made by philatelists in the early 1950s. It does not refer to any airport at all - it refers to Puerto Cristóbal, a seaport near Colón in Panama: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crist...,_Col%C3%B3n

They told me that the stamp's market value would probably be around $5.

Again, well done you HPY,
solved what was a real head scratcher.
When googling, I also saw the connection to Panama, but just discounted it as being absurd.

ID saved




and the philatelists got the spelling wrong

Interesting background on this stamp, but the above statement leaves me confused. Colon, Panama, geographically, is not very close to Costa Rica. What would be the connection?

It appears that this being a private overprint, the stamp has no official standing as a Costa Rican postal or revenue stamp and is, perhaps, a fantasy item. Would that be a correct categorization for the item?

Thanks.

Don

Cinderella?

Maybe it was supposed to represent some airmail service from Costa Rica to Puerto Cristóbal? This would explain the text of the overprint ("Aéreo" to "Puerto Cristóbal").

I would classify it as a fantasy overprint on a genuine stamp, but I think one could also call it a cinderella.

It was quite interesting trying to find out what this stamp actually is. Well worth the couple of cents that I must have paid for it.