Argentina first issued newspaper wrappers on 29 October 1878 and stopped sometime in the mid 1940s. During this period a total of 96 different newspaper wrappers were issued (excluding varieties) plus two which were for official use only.

Abraham Luspo created a number of excellent pages about the early wrappers from Argentina based on a Gold Medal collection of an unnamed collector of postal stationery of Argentina. Links to these pages are shown below.

1878-1880 First Issue - by Abraham Luspo

1888-1889 Issue - by Abraham Luspo

1890 Issue - by Abraham Luspo

1892 Bernardino Rivadavia Issue - by Abraham Luspo

1896 Liberty Head Issue - by Abraham Luspo

1899 Re-designed Liberty Head Issue - by Abraham Luspo

1902 Re-designed Liberty Head Issue - by Abraham Luspo

1906 Gral San Martin Issue - by Abraham Luspo

THE TWO DIES OF THE FIRST ISSUE

In January 1879 the National Bank Note Company, the American Bank Note Company and the Continental Bank Note Company were consolidated into one company - the American Bank Note Company. The first printing of the 1c carmine, issued in October 1878, was by the National Bank Note Company. The second printing, issued sometime about July 1879, was by the American Bank Note Company. The two printing were done using different dies.

Argentina 1878 die 1

Die 1 - most of the lines on the forehead are complete Die 2 - most of the lines on the forehead are broken

001 - 20 October 1878

The first wrappers were issued on 20 October 1878. The wrappers were printed by lithograph and die cut with a rounded top. The indicium for this wrapper was die 1 as illustrated above. A total of 100,000 copies of this wrapper were printed.

The design depicts the Head of General Juan Antonio Alverez de Arenales, indicium only no heading. Some of the printing was also embossed

Two shades of printing
Carmine
Orange Red

1878 wrapper used 1884 and taxed

Buenos Aires, Argentina to Frankfurt, Germany with Scott 23 tied to the upper left side of wrapper. black T handstamp above indicium, pencil 5 adjacent and blue 10 in the middle. In 1884 the wrapper rate to Germany was 2 centavos with a 2 centavos surcharge which was allowed under the UPU to cover sea and transit rates. At the time, 2 centavos was equal to 5 centimes which accounts for the pencil 5 notation. This was doubled as a penalty to become 10 centimes due in Germany which accounts for the blue crayon 10 in the middle of the cover.

002 - July 1879

A total of 300,00 wrappers using die 2 were printed, Shipped on 30 Jun 1879 and were issued in July 1879.

003 - 23 February 1880

Design depicting the Head of Julián Segundo de Agüero. Wrapper with indicium only, no heading. A total of 200,000 wrappers were printed, shipped on 30 June 1879 and issued on 23 February 1880

SET-OFF ON THE 1880 4c BLUE

Scan from the reverse side of the wrapper with the indicium set-off

004 - March 1880

In March 1880 a new wrapper using the same indicium as in July 1879 - die 2 to which text was added as illustrated above
There were a total of of five printings of this wrapper and a total of 6,211,000 were produced. The first order was shipped on 16 Mar 1880; the last order was shipped on 28 Sep 1887. Stocks lasted till 1889.

004 - Specimen - MUESTRA

Specimens were most commonly produced for submission to the UPU. At the time when this wrapper was first issued the number that was required to be sent to the UPU was 80 copies. There are many more copies about, so they must have been produced for other purposes as well; however there is no information as to the other reason/s

004 - VARIETY with DEFORMED R

A variety with a deformed R in REPUBLICA making it look like VEPUBLICA

PRIVATE OVERPRINT ON THE 1880 1c CARMINE

Private overprint for La Gaceta Musical, postal stationery newspaper wrapper addressed to Milan Italy, taxed 2½, with a 5c Italy postage due stamp

Argentina 1880 La Gaceta Musical

PRIVATE OVERPRINTS ON ARGENTINA NEWSPAPER WRAPPERS

In total some 90 different overprints are known on Argentina newspaper wrapper. A selection of these private overprints on newspaper wrappers from Argentina
is shown on "Private Overprints on Argentina Newspaper Wrappers"
A selection Argentina newspaper wrappers with private overprints

SET-OFF ON THE 1890 4c BLUE

Scan from the reverse side of the wrapper with the text and indicium set-off

Argentina 1890 4c blue with set-off

The 1925 -1935 San Martin issue without a dot below c

Vasen & Riese list these wrappers as having been printed both by Lithography and Typography. I have examined numerous copies of these wrappers and have not been able to find a single copy which has been printed by typograph.

Argentina San Martin 2c

The quality of printing of these wrappers does vary considerably. They all however appear to have been printed by lithography.

I would welcome on any help on this matter.

WORK IN PROGRESS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Handbuch für Postmarken-Sammler, by Alfred Moschkau, 1885/1896
Catalogue Prix-Courant de Timbres-Postes, by J B Moens, 1893
In 1893 and 1898 two books were published containing stamps and postal stationery overprinted “MUESTRA” (specimen). What was the purpose of these publications? Can anyone help?
- Valores Postales Argentinos, by C Carles, 1893 (download pdf copy of the text part of this book)
- Valores Postales Argentinos, Vol. II, by C Carles, 1898
The following description of the second book comes from an auction catalogue [38pgs forward and 340pgs of Colleccion De Los Tipos de Valores Postales Adoptados Con Caracter Definitivo Por Resolucion de Fecha, 23 de Augosto de 1892 with 17 "Muestra" overprinted 1892-97 issue stamps (with both red and black overprint high values) and over 70 different "Muestra" postal stationery items mounted throughout.]
Stanley Gibbons Catalogue Part IV, Envelopes Postcards and Wrappers, 1897
Stanley Gibbons Catalogue Part IV, Envelopes Postcards and Wrappers, 1900
A Catalogue for Advanced Collectors of Postage Stamps, Stamped Envelopes and Wrappers, by Henry Collin and Henry L Calman, 1901
Bright & Son’s Catalogue Part II, Postcards Envelopes Wrappers, 1914
Grosser Ganzsachen-Katalog, by Dr Siegfried Ascher, 1928
Sellos y Otros Valores Postales y Telegraficos Argentinos Tomo II, by Antonio Deluca, 1941
Catálogo de los Sellos Postales de la República Argentina y sus Derivados, by Victor Kneitschel, 1943
Catálogo de los Sellos Postales de la República Argentina, by Victor Kneitschel, 1958
Higgins & Gage World Postal Stationery Catalogue, 1966/1990
Catálogo de Enteros Postales Argentinos, by W Vasen & H L Riese, 1991
Argentina Stamped Wrappers 1878-1887: The National and American Bank Note Co Issues, in Postal Stationery No 367 July-Aug 2009, by Ross A Towle and Wayne Menuz
GJ Catálogo Especializado de Sellos e Historia Postal de la República Argentina, 2018
Postal Stationery Newspaper Wrapper Catalogue, by Jan Kosniowski, published 2019

The Argentina section of the "Postal Stationery Newspaper Wrapper Catalogue" has a total of 37 pages which illustrates all the 94 post office issue newspaper wrappers with varities, specimens and proofs; and has a total of 81 items with private overprints listed and illustrated.

See also Newspaper Wrappers where you can find infornation about other newspaper wrappers.

Are you a collector of Argentina postal stationery newspaper wrappers?

Do you have any further information on this subject?