Collector’s photo used for stamp commemorating social security centennial in Chile

By Linn’s Staff

With a Nov. 7 issue, Correos Chile, the postal administration of Chile, honored the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the social security system in that South American country.

The new 100 Years of Social Security stamp is denominated 500 pesos, the rate for a domestic priority mail letter weighing up to 50 grams.

According to the article “Social Security in Chile” by Wilbur J. Cohen on the United States Social Security Administration website (www.ssa.gov), “Chile was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to establish a national system of compulsory social insurance. On September 8, 1924, the now famous law 4054 providing for compulsory social insurance was enacted.”

With a star as the backdrop, the image at the bottom of the stamp includes illustrations of various Chilean workers. At the bottom left are rural farm workers and to the right a female construction worker in front of a large construction vehicle.

But of note on the stamp is the older couple illustrated in the middle. It’s not often that we see someone that we happen to personally know on a stamp, let alone are related to. But that was the recent experience of stamp collector and exhibitor Carlos Vergara.

According to Vergara, he was approached by Mauricio Navarro, a friend and stamp designer for Correos Chile. Navarro was looking for a reference image of an older couple, no longer living, for part of an upcoming stamp design and had seen the photo Vergara had taken of his parents and posted on social media. As a philatelist, Vergara was all too happy to consent to the picture’s use for a stamp.

“I’m proud, honored, and deeply touched to have my photo of my parents used as a model for part of this Chilean postage stamp and first day cover issued today [Nov. 7] commemorating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Social Security system in Chile,” Vergara said.

The stamp and first-day cover are available at the Correos Chile website.

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