Dominican Republic 1902 inverted centers in strong demand

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

The Dominican Republic comprises roughly the eastern five-eighths of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles Archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The remainder of the island is the nation of Haiti.

Christopher Columbus discovered the island on his first voyage to the New World. Originally a Spanish colony, the island was freed from France by the Haitian Revolt. The largely Spanish-speaking Dominicans declared their independence from Haiti in 1844.

Stamps of the Dominican Republic are popular with quite a few collectors in the United States for a variety of reasons: There is a large expatriate population in the United States; many Major League baseball players are from the Dominican Republic; and, at least until recently, it was a popular vacation spot.

On Feb. 25, 1902, the Dominican Republic issued a set of six bicolor engraved stamps (Scott 144-150) to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Santo Domingo by Bartholomew Columbus. All of the stamps from the set, except the 10-centavo Francisco Sanchez stamp (Scott 147), exist with the center inverted.

The 2019 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 values the inverted center error stamps (Scott 144a-146a and 148a-150a) in unused hinged condition at $17.50 each or $105 for the set of six.

These error varieties are in strong demand and are undervalued in the Scott catalog. They are a good buy, even in less than very fine grade, at $30 each. You are unlikely to find them offered as a complete set.

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