U.S. and Worldwide Stamps & Postal History
June 12-13, 2018
| Images | Description | Current Bid |
 | Lot #533 GUATEMALA 1881 The UPU Quetzal Issue, 5c Small Quetzal, tied to mourning cover to Antigua by "Diligencias/De/Vazquez-Ubico" company handstamp of the Vazquez-Ubico Stagecoach service, backflap missing and a few unnoticeable edge tears in the black border, still a v.f. cover and extremely rare usage (The Diligencias ran routes between towns in Guatemala as early as 1851. They carried mail as private carriers and eventually under contract with the Post Office. However in 1881 the Post Office decreed that the Diligencias could not operate outside of the Post Office and that all mail must have postage stamps attached, which were available at a 3 percent commission. Goodman notes that this must have persisted for only a very short time as only the 5c Small Quetzal is known with Diligencias cancels. The cover offered here is the better of only two known covers being one of the most significant Small Quetzal covers available), ex-Castillejo  Catalog #23 | Unsold |
