Colombia

August 2025 News

by Richard Zimmermann

Enzo Cafaro (Italy) completed the information about the dove issue described in a previous post and enhanced the list of participating countries. He provided also the picture of all to be produced items. The country list includes now : Aland, Armenia, Austria, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland and United Nations (offices of Geneva, New York and Vienna, as well as UPU). By adding all the denominations we reach a total of about 75 Euros for 13 stamps that will never be used on real covers ! Our friend Jaap Sarelse (the Netherlands) will try to create some mixed FDC covers when stamps will be available. We wish him good luck as even the cancellation on such thick stamps (embroidery) may be tricky. If he succeeds, we promise to show results in these pages 😉

Luis Malanco (Mexico) provided some additional information regarding the Ecuador stamps issued on July 28, 2022, together with Mexico [T20220728] and honoring Leona Vicario and Manuela Saenz. The Ecuadorian stamps were issued at a much lower number than initially announced. The stamp was produced at only 2,000 samples, while the souvenir sheet only at 450 units. Those are the figures appearing in the official leaflet published by the “Servicios Postales del Ecuador”.

By coincidence, a forgotten issue was discovered recently by comparing data in the Michel Rundschau Catalogue. On December 29, 2022, Cambodia and Colombia issued twin stamps at the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between both countries. The stamps show a view of Ankor Wat and the Grave in the Archeological National Park of Tierradentro. This issue has not been reported so far and will of course be integrated in the catalogue. The difficulty will now be to find the stamps and not only reproductions.

During the year 2021, Colombia celebrated the 200th anniversary of its independence. Numerous stamps related to this event were issued during this year, which correspoded also to the first recognition of Colombia by other countries. By end of 2022, a first joint issue with Mexico was released (December 20, 2021). Surprisingly, during the following year of 2022, Colombia created a series of different stamps celebrating diplomatic relationships with different countries (not necessarily based on 200 years, but at least on rounded numbers): Egypt (February 23, 2022), USA (May 2), South Korea (May 6), Peru (May 27), Germany (August 5), Cambodia (December 29) and Chile (December 29. This type of issues continued the following year with Barbados (December 18, 2023), Canada December 22) and Argentina (December 23). During the year 2024, only stamps celebrating relationships with Sweden were released (exact issue date is unknown). Among all these stamps, and to our knowledge, only four translated in true joint issues, including Mexico [20211220], Peru (T20220527], Cambodia [C20221229], and Argentina [T20231223]

The design of the North Korean stamps to be released jointly with Russia on August 15, 2025 has been released. We have not seen yet the Russian stamps, but this country confirmed stamp issue in this honour at the same date. Design could be similar.

Last minute information: Kenneth Sequeira just provided information about stamps released by the Philippines on August 5, 2025, jointly with India, celebrating the 75th anniversary of their relationship. Each country issued a pair of identical stamps showing flowers. Note that despite being issued in 2025, the stamps celebrate an anniversary that took place in 2024.

Catalogue 2025 updated

by Richard Zimmermann

The new catalogue of Joint Stamp Issues 2025 is now on line with the section of the stamps issued during the year 2024 fully updated. In order to keep an average of about 100-130 pages per volume facilitating a quick downloading, the year 2024 needed to be separared from the 2022-2023 period (Volume XV) and a new volume numbered XVI, containing years 2024-2025 was created.

This new updated catalogue, the 2025 version in 16 volumes, has now reached 1,900 pages. It contains over 2,280 entries among which more than 1,580 can be considered as true joint issues (unique, se-tenant, twin, concerted or parallel). It describes in total more than 16,100 items, and it is illustrated with above 8,900 pictures, providing also more than 35,100 quotations. This upgrade allowed also to make a comparison of the evolution of the number of issues of joint stamps for statistical purpose, which leads to a graph looking as follow:

It appears that after a strong progression over the years 1980-2010, the number of new yearly issues reached a kind of plateau over the past 15 years, with an average of 40 issues per year. The progression affected only the twin joint issues while the number of parallel/concerted issues remained stable over the past 50 years. However, the number of different products for each issue such as additional souvenir sheets, booklets, miniature sheets or mixed cancelled products, or the number of total stamps per issue did progress as well. In parallel, we have also to observe that the number of abusive joint issues (issues involving a high number of countries not fully controlled by the local postal administrations, but printed centrally) has increased. We will still continue to identify those issues separately, and even if we continue to have them described in the catalogue for the sake of completeness (gray color and italics characters), it will remain up to the individual collectors to decide if they want to include and purchase them. Typically, these stamps will not gain value over time, will be difficult to resell and are usually not accepted in exhibitions.

Joint issues are a mirror of the political state of the world. The increasing number of conflict situations is not in favor of a progression of the number of joint issues. Several planned issues were cancelled during the past five years, due to political concerns. My wish for the next year(s) is to be able to report soon a first joint issue e.g., involving Israel and Iran, North and South Korea or Ukraine and Russia, which would become the best sign of a progression toward world peace.

Among the major improvements, note that at least 25 new items describing mixed FDCs have been added over the period 2021-2024. We own a huge thank to Jaap Sarelse (The Netherlands) for his great work and time spent over the past 30 years in providing this information, finding the items and even trying to create such mixed products whenever possible. The existence of mixed first day cancelled products remains the ultimate proof of the joint character as both postal administrations must have agreed for the production and existence of such items.

On top of the additions of new 2024 issues described in previous blog pages, one has to note the following:

On September 14, 2024, Bangladesh re-issued an older stamp from 2001 with a handstamp “DHAKAPEX”. This issue is now described in the catalogue under the original stamp heading [T20011009] together with all the other stamps of the same series. This gave the opportunity also to update the texts and images of these stamps in the catalogue as this entry was only partially illustrated. As much as 75 new images over three pages were introduced to illustrate this entry.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is celebrating during the year 2025, its 160th anniversary. The UPU did send on October 28, 2024 a circular to all its members, asking that if they want to commemorate this anniversary, they can use the new logo of the event. The way this letter is presented clearly shows that this is not a call for a joint issue. So, at this stage and in absence of further notice, stamps that will be produced during the year 2025 and bearing the below logo will not be considered as joint, as they are simply commemorative stamps based on individual initiatives.

On the contrary, the design of the 2026 PostEurop stamps to be issued at the occasion of the 70th anniversary of PostEurop, was released by beginning of January 2025. A common stamp will be used at this occasion, based on a contest that a Finnish group did win.

One has also to note a small modification regarding the December 20, 2021 issue involving Colombia and Mexico. The Mexican stamps were issued on December 20, 2021, but the Colombian stamp became only available on January 25, 2022. However, it appears that the Colombian FDC and the mixed FDC are still cancelled from December 20, 2021. This issue which was initailly considered as a Concerted one under the heading number C20211220 is now reported as the twin issue T20211220.

The same modification affected the stamps issued on October 16, 2023, involving Vietnam and India. Small amounts of Vietnam stamps became available at one post office at the original day of issue (April 28, 2023), but stamps were retrieved after sale of the first batch of 4,000 units. India announced three times the release of their stamps until they became eventually available on October 16, 2023. These delays led to consider initially this series as Concerted. However, the mixed FDC of this issue is cancelled with dates from October 16, 2023 for both countries and therefore these stamps are filed as twin [T20231016]. Covers with Vietnamese stamps cancelled before October 16, 2023 are rarities.

Re-exploring Colombia

by Richard Zimmermann

On July 29, 2024, Argentina issued a pair of stamps depicting whales (Southern right whale – Eubalena australis and Humpback whale – Megaptera novaangliae) and entitled ‘200 years of Argentina – Colombia relationship’. Indeed, these stamps are the counterpart of the Colombia pair issued on December 29, 2023, based on the same design. As a consequence, this issue must be considered as a concerted issue that was recently completed and it will be described in the catalogue under the entry code [C20231229], added to the year 2023 section. Colombia issued 25,000 stamps in miniature sheets of two se-tenant pairs. Argentina issued stamps in panels of 12 stamps.

In parallel, Don Birschel (USA) provided an additional information about a Colombia – Peru issue that was missed so far. On May 27, 2022, Colombia issued at the occasion of 200 years of relationship with Peru, a miniature sheet with 4 different stamps showing a) the archeological site of Moray, Cusco, Peru, b) the Caño Cristales, river in the the Macarena mountains, Meta, Colombia, c) a llama and d) a sloth. It appears that Peru issued at the same occasion, but only on November 30, 2022, two se-tenant stamps with the same designs as the two first Colombian stamps (a and b). Of course, these stamps must be considered as a concerted issue and will be added to the catalogue under the entry [C20220527] in the year 2022 section.

By further exploring the “4-72” Colombia web site, it appeared that Colombia issued in 2022 and 2023, on top of the Argentina-Colombia joint issue, a series of relationship stamps that in theory could have led to additional concerted issues. These stamps celebrate relationship anniversaries between Colombia and Egypt (February 23, 2022), the United States (May 2, 2022), South Korea (May 6, 2022), Germany (May 8, 2022), Chile (December 29, 2022), Barbados (December 18, 2023) and Canada (December 22, 2023). To our knowledge, no counterpart stamps have been issued, but information from some remote countries such as Egypst of Barbados is often difficult to find.

In the same way, Peru issued, over the past years, stamps related to different relationship anniversaries with India (August 26, 2022), Guatemala (2022), Ecuador (October 23, 2023), Japan (November 13, 2023), and South Korea (November 13, 2023), but none resulted (so far and to our knowledge) in a joint issue (except the Peru-Poland issue already described in the catalogue as N20230927). Uruguay issued stamps in honor of relationship with Japan (July 27, 2021), Czech and Slovak Republic (November 17, 2021), Vietnam (April 27, 2023) and Chile (November 1, 2023). Paraguay issued stamps for relations with South Korea (June 28, 2022) and Mexico (October 3, 2023).

When doing such a screening with Chilean recently issued stamps, it appears that this country celebrated relationship anniversaries with Canada (November 18, 2021), Peru (December 2022), and the United States (January 27, 2023) without counterpart. All these stamps must be considered as unilateral issues and should not be reported in the catalogue unless a counterpart is found. This counterpart is not necessarily a stamp but could be postal stationery, like in the Peru-Poland N20230927 issues, even much more difficult to find. Any additional information from all these countries is welcome.

200 years Colombia – Mexico relations

by Richard Zimmermann

On January 25, 2022, Colombia issued the stamps identical to those released on December 20, 2021 by Mexico to celebrate 200 years of relationship (1821-2021). This joint issue, first reported by Don Birschel (USA), became actually a concerted issue [C] for which not all information is available. Both countries issued a se-tenant pair of symmetrical design stamps showing the figure “200” and a stylized butterfly with the colors of the countries’ flags. While Mexico announced the issue of 50,000 pairs of stamps in panes of 25, the stamps of Colombia apparently produced in panes (size unknown) at 14,000 samples (probably 7,000 pairs), have been seen already in souvenir sheets of [1px2] and [1px3], but also in blocs of [2px2]. The Mexico stamp is self-adhesive. Additional information is needed here, but the catalogue (Volume 14) has already been updated with these first data.