1919 Morazán Statue
1905 photo of Morazán Park with Morazán monument. National Printing Works in Tegucigalpa based on authorization dated April 9, 1919. Valid from early 1919 and extended almost eighteen months past 4 years, until May 23, 1924! The fresh new issues never showed.
perf 11.5, typographed, size varies a bit 5c, 10c, 15c, 50c tend to be larger
a control signature was used on this issue. See Control Marks
Each 1c Morazán stamp is unique and identifiable. There were at least three printings of the 1c Morazán --A, B and C. Each printing involves the primary transfer of two distinct 5x5 plates to produce a full sheet of fifty stamps. The 1c brown Printing A has been thoroughly studied in the Anderson Collection. Printing A has been 90% plotted including compartment lines as described in "Fundamentals of Philately" and is available upon request. No cut edges have been observed. Limited information has been found available on Printing B and very little on Printing C.
Each 2c Morazán is unique and identifiable. It was produced like the 1c Morazán --A, B and C. 70% of Printing A and 100% of Printing B have been plotted in the Anderson collection. Printing C has not been plotted because of the lack of information.
International letter rate had been 15c since the 19th century. In the early twentieth century it varied between 10c and 15c. It was reduced to 6c in 1922 during the usage period of the Morazan statue stamps. A shortage of 6c stamps followed.
remainders - disposition unknown, no record of being sold
fakes - illicit, poorly printed and falsely described by Scott as "reprints." Made in a variety of colors including double impressions and imperforates made from printer's waste. The 1 peso green was faked in a sort of olive green.
counterfeits - none known
Decree of January 21, 1919 authorized the following quantities:
1c and 2c- 500,000
5c- 300,000 (added in July)
6c- 300,000
10c- 250,000
15c- 114,000 (1 million 15c in violet authorized Sept. 1920)
20c- 50,000
50c- 20,000
1p- 10,000
The 50c value was authorized in vermillion but printed in a brown color. This caused considerable confusion with the 20c also in a brown color. These very plain stamps look rather attractive when examined next to the flood of shoddy fakes falsely promoted by Scott as "reprints" by those with their finger in the stamp sales pie. Even the original design quality was so poor that the government looked elsewhere for the printing of its next stamp issue!
For those trying to tell the difference between the genuine issue and the fakes illicitly printed with the same stored and poorly cleaned fiche here is an example below. The differences are too obvious to verbalize.
1919 Genuine Cancels
There is no better place to look for genuine stamps that on covers like below.
Mailed from La Ceiba in November, 1920 when the international rate was 15 centavos. The 15c blue was later replaced with a much larger order of 15c violet. It has a BH81A bar cancel and the common L postmark.
Mailed from San Pedro Sula, March 1922 with BH72 and Aa.
Very rare and probably unique cover with quadsected 50 centavos Morazán statue. Mailed from Tela in May, 1924 with BH72 cancel and LO postmark.
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-American Architecture and Building News vol. 33 August 1891 p. 100.
-Fundamentals of Philately by L.N. and M. Williams. 1971 pps. 405-407.
-Guia de Honduras by F. Somoza from Tipografia Nacional 1905 p. 54.
-Honduras Report by Richard Washburn from The Oxcart, fall 1995.
-Honduras a Study of the provisionals of 1922 and 1923
by Irving Green in Billig's Handbook 1954 volume 20 pps 40-66.
-handwritten letter written by Irving Green on January 3, 1976.
-handwritten letter written by Richard Washburn in April, 1984.
-La Gaceta 5117 series 512, April 9, 1919
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