Spot The Difference #26 — two near-identical El Salvador "Servicio Aéreo" stamps surcharged 15 QUINCE CENTAVOS, headed "Can YOU spot the difference? EzStamp can. Click to see how."

Spot the Difference if you Can #26

Over the past several years, there has been much philatelic interest in the stamps of Latin America. One of the areas I have concentrated on has been El Salvador, especially the Airmail issues. The early air mail stamps of El Salvador can be hard to find especially minor varieties that exist. There are also many varieties not listed by Scott, primarily inverted overprints etc.
I currently have 5 of these unlisted varieties, but we will leave that for another time.

The two stamps shown below were issued on Dec. 28, 1929. One is worth about 35 times as much as the other in Mint or used condition. In my opinion, they are highly undervalued as they are pretty tough to find, both mint or used. Can you see the difference?

Look carefully at the stamps below & see if you can spot the difference.

El Salvador Sc#C3 & C3a
El Salvador Sc# C3 airmail stamp: orange map design with black "Servicio Aéreo" and "15 QUINCE 15 CENTAVOS" surcharge barring the 10 centavos value El Salvador Sc# C3a stamp variety — orange map design overprinted "Servicio Aéreo" and surcharged "15 QUINCE 15 CENTAVOS" over the 10c value

The Stamp on the left is Scott #C3 & on the Right is Scott #C3a. Scott#C3a has a MISSING letter I in ATLANTICO .

As mentioned, the stamp on the right is about 35 times more valuable than the other in mint or used condition. These differences are listed and imaged in EzStamp as shown below

El Salvador Sc#C3 & C3a variety
EzStamp Special Information screen comparing El Salvador Sc# C3 and C3a stamp varieties — C3a's overprint has a MISSING letter l in ATLANTICO.

 

These stamps are hard to find. If you find one, grab it.

Happy hunting