Argentine definitive stamps
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
1858 onwards
Issuing entity
Argentine RepublicArgentine definitive stamps are regular postal issues produced for mail service across Argentina, beginning with the Argentine Confederation in 1858 and the Argentine Republic in 1862. Initial national releases featured official seals, which were followed from 1864 by a succession of issues predominantly featuring small portraits of notable figures from the Independence era, particularly liberal leaders such as Bernardino Rivadavia.
During the twentieth century, definitive designs retained a conservative, largely Art Nouveau style featuring military and political figures, including José de San Martín, Guillermo Brown, and Eva Perón. From 1881, these stamps were produced at the National Mint, transitioning after 1983 to a broader variety of modern themes and styles.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 2
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Postal administration developed significantly under postmasters Juan Manuel de Luca and Gervasio Posadas, with Posadas inaugurating the stamp program after taking office in 1858. In the era preceding centralized control, individual provinces such as Corrientes, Córdoba, and Buenos Aires released separate stamps due to ongoing political fragmentation and civil wars. Following national consolidation, unified issues circulated nationwide. In 1946, the postal and telegraph services were nationalized under President Juan Perón, creating the body later known as EnCoTel, which remained the issuing authority for Argentine postage until its dissolution in 1997.
Design
- Note
- Portrait and allegorical designs.
Identification
- Note
- Confederation, provincial and national issues are distinguished by inscription.
- Recognition pointers (from background sources)
- Look for early central designs depicting either the lithographed seal of the Argentine Confederation (1858) or the seal of the Argentine Republic (1862). Identify nineteenth-century issues from 1864 onward by small portraits of unlabelled Independence-era figures such as Bernardino Rivadavia. Inspect the 1935 to mid-1950s "Patriots and Natural resources" series for paper with a watermark showing the letters "RA" inside a circle surrounded by rays, or for distinct unwatermarked varieties.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Catalogue numbers and issue dates require transcription from a standard stamp catalogue.