A stamp set to look for if you want to start collecting Chile

By Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

Collector interest in Latin America is strong and it remains one of the more active stamp markets. Chile occupies a long, narrow strip of land on the western coast of South America, between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Chile enjoys a vibrant free-market economy with mining in the north, a booming wine industry in the coastal valleys, farming and agriculture to the south, and fishing along the coast.

A good set to look for is the 1895 set of 12 red on yellow paper Christopher Columbus postage due stamps (Scott J19-J30). This set is also popular with classic and topical collectors. The 2017 Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 values the set in unused original gum condition at $78.50, and it is a good buy at that price. Because these stamps were printed in sheets of 100 containing all 12 denominations, vertical se-tenant pairs of different denominations exist. They generally sell for about double of the price of the single stamps.

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