The following was written by Charles S. Langstroth and first published in the “Philatelic Journal of Great Britain”, May 1936:
The set of lithographed postage stamps issued by Guatemala in 1886 affords an interesting study to the collectors who specialise in Central America, and there is still room for independent research which may lead to interesting discoveries.
Although less than 50 years old, and issued in considerable quantity, it is remarkable how much still remains to be learned about them. They are rare in blocks of any size, in fact almost unknown, but, fortunately the collector still has available at reasonable prices large blocks of these stamps carrying the surcharges of 1894 and 1898. Some people are inclined to criticise those issues of surcharges as having been unneccessary, but whether or not that accusation is justifiable, the collector can be grateful for the material as a good opportunity to make a study that otherwise would be impossible.
The set consisted of eleven values, ranging from 1 centavo to 300 centavos, of which only four were never used for surcharging, the 1 centavo and the 5, 10 and 23 centavos, and as a consequence these four values offer more difficulty to the student. The 1 centavo stamp differs in design from all the other values, in two respects, the word “centavo” “ being repeated on each side of the numeral of value, and the frame line of stamp on the right hand side is complete, while in all the other values the word “centavos” appears in the plural with the “s” added, and the frame line of the stamp on the nght hand side is not carried across the ribbon that carries the word “centavos,” in other words the stamp is to that extent without a frame line.
On the sheet of the 1 centavo, the numeral “1” appears on each stamp in a perfectly symmetrical position in the centre of the tablet. But on all the other values, the numerals are not at all symmetrically placed, but appear all over the tablet on the different stamps, in only a few instances being placed exactly where they belong, generally being too far to one side or too high or too low. Nor is there any regularity in these variations from symmetry; this in my opinion would indicate that the numerals had been added to the stone by a later operation, alter the design had been placed thereon, if that was the procedure then in use. I have never succeeded in finding a good description of the methods in use in lithographic printing fifty years ago, and am unable to determine just how the design was placed upon the stone. A different stone was evidently used for each value, because the many little flaws and cracks which enable the collector to plate these stamps are not repeated in the stamps of different values. I should say here that each of the 100 stamps cannot be distinguished from its fellows in all cases, as many of them do not carry any distinguishing point to permit this, but sufficient of them, perhaps more than half, enable pairs, strips or blocks to be placed with certainty. These distinguishing characteristics are constant, as, of course, they must be if they are to be of any utility in such an undertaking, and in some of the values they are much more readily determined. The 200c. yellow is not so satisfactory to work with as that colour of ink does not show up so clearly, and the 75c. red is also a difficult one. The 2 centavos is perhaps the easiest to work with and the100 and 150 centavos are also very satisfactory. I do not use a microscope, as a strong glass is not needed to bring out the differences: just an ordinary reading glass is best, and in many cases the point is obvious to ordinarily good eye-sight without any glass.
The lithographic method of production was evidently not satisfactory, since it was abandoned when further supplies of stamps were needed in succeeding years, and engraved stamps of a similar design were produced by the same printer, American Bank Note Company of New York.
I might add that the stamps of the 1886 set were all issued in sheets of 100 stamps each (10×10), perforated all round and hence no straight edges. At least, I can assert this with respect to all the values that were later used for surcharging as I have succeeded in finding most of them in complete sheets, and as to the others, I have succeeded in finding enough large pieces to reconstruct the original sheet. This assertion will also apply to the 1 centavo, even though it was never used subsequently for surcharging, since. I was fortunate enough several years ago to find a complete sheet of that value, a find of great significance to, a Guatemala collector even though not necessarily one of great price.
As to the other three values the 5, 10 and 25 centavos, I cannot be sure; I do not believe there are any complete sheets still in existence, nor is there sufficient material in the form of pairs, strips and blocks with which to reconstruct the original sheets. At least, after diligent search, I have found very little such material. In my 25 years of specialising in Guatemala, I have seen only half a dozen pieces larger than pairs, of any of these values. Doubtless it is only a conjecture, but I believe that these three values were treated the same as the other eight and like them were issued in sheets of 100. This is partially corroborated by the fact that straight-edged copies of these stamps never turn up.
As a final hint to the collector, I would suggest that it will be well worth his while to distinguish these lithographed stamps from the engraved stamps of similar design that succeeded them. The 2 centavo lithographed an especially scarce one worth many times the price of the engraved 2 centavos, yet the lithographed stamp can often be picked up for the price of the engraved one, a very profitable little transaction, I should add here to be on the look out for the 5 centavo engraved, if unused, for in this exceptional case it is worth even more than the lithographed stamp of that value; the rarity of this stamp in mint condition is the result of its having been taken off the market unexpectedly, being succeeded by a 5 centavos stamp of a different design, and apparently no supplies of the earlier type of 5 were left on hand.
In distinguishing the lithographed stamps from the engraved ones, the 1 centavo is the only value which need cause the slightest difficulty, as the other values all show a marked difference in design. In the 2, 5 and 10 centavos this is most noticeable in the numerals, which are thinner and more attenuated looking than in the engraved. And in the case of the 20 and 25 centavos, the difference is clearly marked by the broken frame line on the right hand side of the stamps; in the lithographed stamps of these values, the frame is not carried across the ribbon containing “centavos,” while on the engraved stamps this frame line is complete and unbroken. A little practice will enable the collector to spot the lithographed as soon as he sees them.
Serious collectors of Guatemala should consider joining the ISCG (International Society of Guatemala Collectors ), Visit their home page http://www.guatemalastamps.com.