The Puerto Príncipe Collection of Ignacio Prats

by Robert Littrell and Ernesto Cuesta

Ignacio Prats was the winner of the 2006 Buenaventura Cruz Planas Award of the Cuban Philatelic Society of America for his lifelong dedication to Cuban philately. His Puerto Príncipe collection was probably without equal. The collection was sold in June 2006 and was divided between two other eminent Cuban philatelists who had the courtesy of scanning it in its entirety before splitting it. It is presented here for all to enjoy.

These stamps were conceived as local provisional issues by the authorities of the city of Puerto Príncipe to replace the existing Cuban Spanish-issued stamps soon after the U.S. took over the island's postal administration following the end of the Spanish-American War. All Puerto Príncipe stamps were surcharged in December, 1898, and January, 1899, and were issued in only a few post offices in the province of Puerto Príncipe (Camagüey). There were a total of five separate printings. A surcharge, "Habilitado X Cents", was placed over low denomination stamps of the 1898 Spanish Cuba issue showing a portrait of the Spanish king Alfonso XIII.

Few were printed each time and quickly exhausted, hence the reason for the five successive printings. The scarcity of each printing explains why counterfeits are plentiful so that great caution should be exercised when buying them when not accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. These issues were used while waiting for the new U.S. Postal Administration to issue official stamps for Cuba. The Scott catalog lists 44 numbered Puerto Príncipe issues, with many more varieties including inverted surcharges and double surcharges and, in the case of the 5th printing, the third of the five stamps in the strip was typeset incorrectly as "eents" instead of "cents". All were printed in strips of five and all five positions in the strip are uniquely identifiable. In most cases, one numeral used out of the five was a narrow one from a different typeset. This is why all surcharge values (except in the case of the one centavo surcharge of the first printing) have two Scott numbers on the same printed row of 5 stamps.

This was an absolutely spectacular collection. It had not only almost every numbered stamp, but also had almost every one of the five positions of each strip. All Puerto Príncipe stamps are scarce. Many in this collection are unique. Enjoy!

P.S. The Prats Collection of Puerto Príncipe stamps was sold as Lot 2 of the Gregg Manning Auctions sale of all of Mr. Prats Cuban collections on June 24, 2006. The lot was sold for $240,000 plus 15% commission ($276,000) to Jack Thompson and Yamil H. Kouri, Jr. who subsequently sold his part to Mr. Thompson.


La Colección de Sellos de Puerto Príncipe
de Ignacio Prats

por Robert Littrell y Ernesto Cuesta

Ignacio Prats fue condecorado con el Premio Buenaventura Cruz Planas 2006 de la Sociedad Filatélica Cubana de América por su dedicación de toda una vida a la filatelia cubana. Su colección de los sellos sobrecargados de Puerto Príncipe ha sido probablemente la mejor que se ha formado. Ella fue vendida en junio del 2006 y fue comprada por dos filatelistas eminentes especializados en Cuba quienes tuvieron la cortesia de tomarle imágenes a la colección entera antes de dividirla. Se presenta aqui para el disfrute de todos.

Estas emisiones fueron de tipo provisional concebidas por las autoridades locales de la ciudad de Puerto Príncipe para remplazar los sellos en circulación emitidos por España para su uso en Cuba poco despues de que los EE.UU. tomaron control de la administración postal de la isla al concluir la guerra hispanoamericana. Todos los sellos de Puerto Príncipe se sobrecargaron entre diciembre de 1898 y enero de 1899 y se emitieron para su uso en solo unas cuantas oficinas postales de la provincia de Puerto Príncipe (Camagüey). Se hicieron un total de cinco tiradas de imprenta distintas. La sobrecarga, "Habilitado X Cents", se imprimió sobre sellos de denominaciones bajas de la emisión de Cuba española de 1898 del rey Alfonso XIII.

Se imprimieron pocos sellos en cada una de las cinco tiradas de imprenta que se hicieron y de ahí que existan cinco tiradas sucesivas.  Su escasez explica el hecho de que existan tantas falsificaciones, de manera que hay que ser extremadamente cauteloso al comprar estos sellos cuando no vienen acompañados de un certificado de autenticidad. Estos sellos se usaron mientras se esperaban los sellos oficiales que ordenó la administracion postal americana para uso en Cuba. El catálogo Scott lista 44 sellos numerados de Puerto Príncipe, con muchas más variedades que incluyen sobrecargas invertidas y dobles, y en el caso de la quinta tirada, el tercer sello de la fila de cinco presenta el error ortográfico "eents" en vez de "cents". Todos estos sellos se imprimieron en tiras de cinco sellos y cada uno de ellos se puede identificar individualmente. En la mayor parte de los casos uno de los cinco números usados para la sobrecarga en cada tira es más delgado que el resto. Esto explica por qué a cada valor de cada tirada de imprenta de la sobrecarga (excepto el valor de 1 centavo de la primera tirada) se le asignan dos números de catalogo Scott correspondientes a la misma fila de cinco sellos.

Esta era una colección definitivamente espectacular. No solo tenia casi todos los sellos numerados existentes, sino que ademas tenia casi todas las posiciones de cada tira de cinco de los mismos. Todos los sellos de Puerto Príncipe son muy raros. Muchos en esta colección son únicos. Disfruten!

P.D. La colección de sellos de Puerto Príncipe del Sr. Prats se vendió como Lote 2 de la subasta de Gregg Manning Auctions de todas las colecciones del Sr. Prats celebrada el 24 de junio de 2006. El lote se vendió en
$240,000 más 15% de commisión ($276,000) a los señores Jack Thompson y Yamil H. Kouri, Jr. quien tiempo después le revendió su parte al Sr. Thompson.



INTRODUCTION– INTRODUCCIÓN

Introduction:  Scott 164 – 4¢ – Cancelled on 1st day of U.S. occupation
Cover with no stamps available – Gibara postmark – The unavailability of stamps was one of the main motivators for the provisional issue of surcharged stamps


FIRST PRINTING – 19 December 1898
PRIMERA IMPRESIÓN – 19 Diciembre 1898

Scott 176 – 1¢ on 1m – mint strip of all 5 positions
Sc 176 – 1¢ on 1m – 5 positions used
Sc 178 & 179 – 2¢ on 2m – Two mint strips of 5 positions
Sc 178 + Surcharge on blank stamp + proof of 5 positions on green paper – 2¢ on 2m
Sc 178 & 179 – 2¢ on 2m – 5 positions used
Sc 178a & 179a – 2¢ on 2m inverted surcharge – 5 positions used
Sc 178 & 179 – 2¢ on 2m – Two complete sets of 5 positions, mint and used
Sc 178 & 179 – 2¢ on 2m – Three complete sets of 5 positions, mint and used
Sc 178 & 179 – 2¢ on 2m – strip of 5 positions on cover
Sc 178 – 2¢ on 2m – on cover
Sc 180 & 181 – 3¢ on 3m – 5 positions used and mint
Sc 180 & 181 – 3¢ on 3m – strip of 3 positions on piece
Sc 180a & 181a – 3¢ on 3m inverted surcharge – 5 positions
Sc 180 – 3¢ on 3m – on piece
Sc 188 & 189 – 5¢ on 5m – strip of 5 positions + Sc 203a
Sc 188 & 189 – 5¢ on 5m – strip of 5 positions mint
Sc 188 & 189 – 5¢ on 5m – Two sets, mint and used
Sc 188 + 2¢ U.S. postage on piece
Sc 188a & 189a – 5¢ on 5m inverted surcharge – 5 positions used


SECOND PRINTING – 24 December 1898
SEGUNDA IMPRESIÓN – 24 Diciembre 1898

Scott 179G – 3¢ on 2m – used
Sc 182 & 183 – 5¢ on 1m, 5 positions used
Sc 182a & 183a – 5¢ on 1m inverted surcharge – 2 positions
Sc 184 & 185 – 5¢ on 2m – 5 positions
Sc 186 & 187 – 5¢ on 3m – 5 positions
Sc 186 + Surcharge on blank stamp + 186a inverted surcharge
Sc 188 & 189 – 5¢ on 5m – 5 positions used
Sc 188a & 189a – 5¢ on 5m inverted surcharge – 2 positions
Sc 190 & 191 – 5¢ on ½ m – 5 positions
Sc 190 + surcharge on blank stamp pair used – 5¢ on ½ m
Sc 190a & 191a – 5¢ on ½ m inverted surcharge – 5 positions


THIRD PRINTING – 24 December 1898
TERCERA IMPRESIÓN – 24 Diciembre 1898

Scott 177 & 177a – 1¢ on 1m – 5 positions
Sc 177 & 177a – 1¢ on 1m – strip of 3 used + cancellations
Sc 177b & 177d – 1¢ on 1m inverted surcharge – 4 positions
Sc 179B & 179D – 3¢ on 1m – 5 positions
Sc 179Bc – 3¢ on 1m double surcharge
Sc 179B – 3¢ on 1m – on cover
Sc 179B – 3¢ on 1m – on cover
Sc 192 & 193 – 5¢ on ½ m – 5 positions
Sc 192 & 193 – 5¢ on ½ m – strip of 3 used with one surcharge on stamp blank


FOURTH PRINTING – 27 December 1898
CUARTA IMPRESIÓN – 27 Diciembre 1898

Scott 196 & 197 – 3¢ on 1¢ – 5 positions mint and used
Sc 196a & 197a – 3¢ on 1¢ inverted surcharge – 5 positions used
Sc 196 & Sc 178 – on cover
Sc 197 – 3¢ on 1¢ – on cover
Sc 196– 3¢ on 1¢ – on cover
Sc 198 & 199 – 5¢ on 1¢ – strip of 5 mint
Sc 198 – 5¢ on 1¢ – on cover
Sc 198 & 199 – 5¢ on 1¢ – 5 positions used
Sc 198a & 199a – 5¢ on 1¢ inverted surcharge – 5 positions
Sc 198c & 199c – 5¢ on 1¢ double surcharge – 5 positions
Sc 198 & 199 – 5¢ on 1¢ – 5 positions – cancellations
Sc 198 & 199 – 5¢ on 1¢ – 5 positions – military cancellations
Sc 200 & 200a – 10¢ on 1¢ – strip of 5 mint
Sc 200 & 200a – 10¢ on 1¢ – 5 positions mint and used


FIFTH PRINTING – 11 January 1899
QUINTA IMPRESIÓN – 11 Enero 1899

Scott 201, 201b & 202 – 3¢ on 1m – 5 positions mint and used
Sc 201a, 201c & 202a – 3¢ on 1m inverted surcharge – 5 positions
Sc 201a & 201c inverted pair + Sc 201 & 202 pair – 3¢ on 1m
Sc 201b, 202 & 201 – 3¢ on 1m displaced surcharge
Sc 203, 203a & 204 – 3¢ on 2m – 5 positions
Sc 203b + Sc 203 pair with one surcharge printed on blank stamp
Sc 205, 205b & 206 – 3¢ on 3m – 5 positions mint and used
Sc 205a & 206a – 3¢ on 3m inverted surcharge – 4 positions
Sc 205 & 206 pair – 3¢ on 3m – with Sc 205 printed on blank stamp
Unlisted – 5¢ surcharge on Scott 156 (1m)
Sc 211, 211a & 212 – 5¢ on 1m – 5 positions used
Sc 213 – 5¢ on 2m – 2 positions
Sc 215, 215a & 216 – 5¢ on 3m – 5 positions
Sc 217, 217a & 218 – 5¢ on 4m – 5 positions
Sc 217 & 218 pair – 5¢ on 4m – on cover
Sc 219, 219a & 220 – 5¢ on 8m – 5 positions
Sc 219a, 219c & 220a – 5¢ on 8m inverted surcharge – 5 positions

Tables prepared by — Tablas preparadas por

Robert Littrell


These pages are maintained by 

Ernesto Cuesta

E-Mail Address:  ecuesta@philat.com


This page was last modified on:  30 July 2010