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Colombia

FIRST STAMPS Granadine Confederation August 1859.

CURRENCY
100 centavos = 1 peso.

Conquered by Spaniards in 1525-50. From 1770, with Venezuela and Ecuador, formed the Viceroyalty of New Granada. Republic of Colombia proclaimed in 1819. After breakaway of Venezuela and Ecuador in 1830, was known until 1858 as the Republic of New Granada, then as the Granadine Confederation, the United States of New Granada, and in late 1861 the United States of Colombia. The nine sovereign states constituted in 1858 became departments in 1886 and the country became the Republic of Colombia. The department of Panama became an independent country in 1903 (see Panama).

The earliest identifiable mail of the Spanish period dates from after 1750 when handstamps of origin came into use in main towns. Spanish mails to Europe went by casual ship. Interest centres on the Isthmus of Panama, where numerous forwarding agents dealt with the transmission of mail: their cachets are known from 1834.

In 1842 British packet agents were appointed at Panama and Chagres to control transfer of mails between the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. and the Pacific Steam Navigation Co.; they were issued with handstamps.

A US Mail Despatch Agency was in existence in 1847 and used stamps of the USA (oblit. red grid). Additional offices at Cartagena and Santa Martha were opened by the British in the 1840s.

Later, British and French packet agents exercised mail facilities with obliterators and datestamps and stamps of Britain or France, as follows:

Panama
British 1865-84 (oblit. C35).
French1872-4 (datestamps not known).

Cartagena
British 1865-81 (oblit. C56; also in error C65).

Santa Martha
British 1865-8 1 (oblit. C62).
French 1865-72 and 1875 (datestamps from 1866).

Colon-Aspinwall
British 1870-8 1 (oblit. E88).
French 1865-81 (datestamps from 1875).

Savanilla
British 1872-81 (oblit. F69).
French 1872-81 (datestamps 1872-81).

Owing to the country's poor natural communications, but also in pursuance of their sovereign rights, the states of the republic had their own posts, which operated concurrently with (but were separate from) the national post. From 1863 until various dates between 1886 and 1906 they issued their own stamps; the last such stamps were withdrawn by decree of 28 July 1906.

Bolivar

FIRST STAMPS 1863.

Antioquoia

FIRST STAMPS 1868.

Cundinamarca

FIRST STAMPS 1870.

Tolima

FIRST STAMPS 1870.

Santander

FIRST STAMPS 1884.

Boyacá

FIRST STAMPS 1899.

Cauca

FIRST STAMPS 1902.

During the civil war of 1899-1902 a series of provisional issues was made in parts of the country cut off from Bogotá:
Cartagena, Cucuta, Tumaco, Barranquilla, Medellin.

Private air companies under government contract had their own stamps to show the airmail fee as follows:

COMPANIA COLOMBIANA DE NAVEGACIÓN AÉREA in 1920. SCADTA Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aereos) 4 October 1920-30 April 1932; LANSA (Lineas Aéreas Nacionales S.A.) 22 June 1950, use ceased when merged with AVIANCA 1952; AVIANCA (Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia S.A.) 12 July 1950, use no longer necessary after merger with LANSA.

Colombia & Ecuador to 1902
Click map for larger view