Postal history and postage stamps of Chile
Before the introduction of the first postage stamps
The postal history of Chile begins in 1748. In this year the first monthly mail deliveries between the Chilean capital Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires begin . In 1766 a city got its own stamp for the first time. Letters from Valparaíso were stamped BALPARAISO at the time. The postal system has since been steadily expanded by the Spanish occupiers , until Chile finally gained independence from Spain on September 11, 1811 and finally established itself as an independent nation in 1818 .
In 1840, the Chilean post office "Correos de Chile" began regular mail delivery throughout the country. Soon parcels were also being transported. Ten years after the first South American country, Brazil , issued postage stamps , the Chilean post office decided to introduce postage stamps as well. On July 1, 1853, the first Chilean postage stamps were finally available at the post office counters.
Time of own stamp issues
The first two Chilean postage stamps from July 1, 1853 showed a portrait of the Spanish navigator Christopher Columbus on their stamp image . The two values of 5 and 10 centavos (100 centavos corresponded to 1 peso) were still printed in England . The first postal stations to use the stamps in 1853 were Valparaíso and Santiago . The two postage stamps were issued imperforate .
According to the law, from 1853 to 1910 Chilean postage stamps could only contain portraits of Christopher Columbus . However, this law was circumvented from 1904 onwards by means of telegraph stamps with overprints, the reason being the lack of low-value postage stamps. The only exception to the Columbus portrait since 1880 were the official stamps , as well as postage and telegraph stamps .
Most overseas mail from 1865 to 1881 was sent through English postal agencies. For this purpose, British postage stamps were provided with a bar stamp in the ports of Valparaíso , Caldera and Coquimbo . During this period also the French consulate post with the stamp Valparaíso falls .
During the saltpeter war from 1879 to 1881, Peruvian stamps were provided with overprints. Postage stamps (including Chilean ones) with postmarks from the occupied territories are traded with considerable surcharges.
On April 1, 1881, Chile joined the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
The first air mail transport began on January 1, 1919 from Santiago de Chile to Valparaíso and was carried out by the pilot Clodomiro Figueroa with his Morane-Saulnier MS-35 . The first airmail stamps in Chile were issued in 1927; these were used by the French airline Testart on the Santiago - Valparaíso route.
On April 8, 1957, the Chilean Post issued the first parcel post tax stamps. The first postal tax stamp was issued in 1970, followed by the Pinochet era . Since 1990 Chile has again had a freely elected president as head of state .
Today, Chile practically only prints machine brands. However, special stamps can be commissioned by financially strong interested parties. These special stamps with very small editions are very expensive.
This collection area is one of the exotic among philatelists , there are only a few specialists in this field.
