OPUS 24
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Summary :
OPUS is AEP's flagship yearly publication. This 2024 edition is devoted to the Spanish speaking countries, with 22 articles, summaries of which can be seen below.
1) The "Falmouth Packets" to Corunna and the mail to Portugal
Luis & Eduardo Barreiros
From 1689 to 1815, Corunna (La Coruña) was the main port of call of the Falmouth Packet Service, which ensured the exchange of mail, both private and official, from Northern Europe to the Iberian Peninsula, and from there to America. The authors present a very detailed historical analysis of the transport of mail by this sea route, illustrated with numerous extremely rare and sometimes unique letters.
2) Le courrier des prisonniers belges dans le camp de concentration espagnol de Miranda de Ebro pendant la seconde guerre mondiale
Jacques Stes
Since 1937, the Miranda de Ebro concentration camp, near Burgos, has been a Franco’s camp intended to incarcerate Republican prisoners during the Spanish Civil War. Then, between 1940 and 1947, it was used to hold foreign prisoners. During the war, many young Belgians who arrived in Spain after travelling through France to escape the German occupation, were interned there. The author tells the story of this camp and illustrates it with several letters from this place to Belgium and vice versa.
3) Mail of Spanish ship register envelopes (1778-1853)
Jesús Sitjà, RDP
The author presents an extremely detailed study of the ship registers used between 1778 and 1853. These were compulsory documents certifying everything a ship carried from one port to another. The author shows and explains an impressive number of these ship register envelopes, first between Spain and the Spanish territories in America, then between the various American ports under Spanish control.
4) 1944-1945 : La reprise des relations internationales de la Corse et de la France avec l’Amérique latine
Jack Blanc
At the end of the Second World War, the resumption of international relations between France and Latin America was able to begin in 1944 from the liberated departments. Corsica, the first French department to be liberated at the end of 1943, was the first to resume postal traffic to Latin America, almost a year before mainland France. The author shows us letters from this period, from Corsica to Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Argentina.
5) The Initial French Intervention in Mexico, January-May 1862
Steven C. Walske RDP
The author presents a comprehensive study of the first months of the French military intervention in Mexico, from January to May 1862. He analyses the local postal service during this period and shows us many rare and sometimes unique letters sent from France to Mexico and vice versa.
6) The Indian Reductions founded by the Jesuits in South America
Mark Bottu
In order to protect the local population from the greed and excesses of the Spanish conquerors, the Jesuits established "Reductions" in South America where, in exchange for work, the natives received "the benefits of civilisation and religion". The author describes these Reductions and illustrates them with stamps and letters.
7) Insufficiently franked correspondence from France to Spain during the Postal Convention of August 5, 1859
Carlos Celles Anibarro
The author presents a very detailed analysis of the treatment in Spain of unfranked or insufficiently franked correspondence from France between 1860 and 1875, based on the 1859 postal convention between the two countries. He shows us several letters marked with the amount to be paid, first expressed in cuartos de vellón (1860-1872), then in céntimos de peseta (1872-1875). He divides his presentation into two parts: firstly letters sent by land and secondly those sent by sea.
8) Doubles affranchissements Uruguay-France (1866-1880)
Francis Carcenac
Before Uruguay joined the UPU in 1880, mixed Uruguay-France frankings were a classic feature of maritime mail in the direction from Uruguay to France. These letters were franked with stamps from both countries, each collecting its share of the postage according to its own rate and the route covered, the whole constituting a true franking up to the destination, port of disembarkation or territorial boundary. The author presents a very detailed analysis of eleven of these letters.
9) Les premiers temps de la philatélie dans la Nouvelle-Grenade
Manuel Arango Echeverri
In an extremely in-depth study, the author explains the genesis and development of the postal service in New Granada which ended, after several conflicts and court cases, with the annexation of this postal service to the Spanish Crown. Several documents illustrate this very important period for the postal organisation in Spanish America.
10) World’s Columbian Exposition (1893)
Francisco Piniella
The author presents the genesis of the famous series of United States stamps issued in 1893 and devoted to the Chicago Exposition celebrating the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. The stamps, cards and documents illustrating this Exposition are shown and explained.
11) The postal relationship between Spain and Gibraltar (1850-1875)
Richard J.M. Garcia
The author tells the story of the postal relations between Gibraltar and Spain from 1850 to 1875. These relations were often difficult and complicated, both in terms of the routes to be followed and the rates to be applied. He shows that the private relations between Gibraltar’s postmasters and certain members of the Spanish government helped to iron out the difficuities. This history is illustrated by a large number of letters with detailed explanations of franking and postmarks
12) Islas de Barlovento
Yamil H. Kouri Jr. RDP
The Spanish gave the name “Islas de Barlovento” to all their possessions in the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico) and a pair of islands in the Lesser Antilles (Trinidad and Margarita). The author analyses the seven different types of "ISLAS DE BARLOVENTO" postmarks used between 1779 and the late 1850s. Each type is illustrated with rare and sometimes unique documents.
13) La guerre d’indépendance du Chili (1810-1823)
Guy Coutant
The author describes the various episodes in Chile’s War of Independence which began in 1810 and only ended with the departure of the national hero, Bernardo O’Higgins, in 1823. The story is illustrated by a large number of Chilean postage stamps commemorating these thirteen years.
14) The maritime connection between Genoa and South America.
The four-year Lavarello packet service under Italian government contract, 1874-1878
James Van der Linden, RDP
In 1874, the Italian Lavarello company based in Genoa signed a contract with the Italian government to organise a regular postal service between South America and Italy. The author describes the organisation of this postal service, which lasted from 1874 to 1878, and illustrates it with some fine letters carried by this Lavarello company.
15) Un document exceptionnel : le registre de la correspondance affranchie au bureau de poste de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (1778-1796)
José Antonio Herráiz
The author has studied an exceptionally valuable document on the postal history of the Canary Islands: the register of correspondence from the Santa Cruz de Tenerife post office between 1778 and 1796. This register provides us with invaluable data on payments, taxes, destinations, senders and addressees, and so on. Numerous extracts from this register are shown and described to highlight its historical and philatelic value.
16) Postal History of Uruguay: First known dates
Walter Britz
The author presents a comprehensive analysis of the postal history of Uruguay in the 18th and 19th centuries. He focuses on the earliest dates in the various aspects of this postal history: rates, postmarks, routes followed, destinations, etc., showing us, chronologically, some very fine letters illustrating these “early dates”.
17) The Merchants’ Post in the Spanish Empire (The Carminati Archive)
Eugenio de Quesada
The author presents a highly detailed analysis of the Merchants’ Mail in the Spanish Empire. Based on the voluminous Carminati archive in Madrid, he describes all the facets of this communication system used by merchants. This merchants’ postal service operated outside the official post office and was often far more efficient. All aspects of this merchants’ postal service are illustrated by splendid and very rare letters, most of which are from the Carminati archive.
18) El Salvador: The 1934 Emergency Interior Air Mail Service
Guillermo Federico Gallegos
The author explains that the terrible hurricane that ravaged El Salvador at the beginning of June 1934 also destroyed a large part of the country’s means of communication. To deal with the situation, the Salvadoran government set up a temporary airmail service, first provided by the country’s air force, then by TACA, a private airline. A number of rare and sometimes unique letters, transported by these ephemeral airlines, are shown here.
19) Le Maroc et l'Espagne : Le service postal espagnol du Maroc (1870-1915)
Maurice Hadida
The author tells the story of the Spanish postal service in Morocco which operated from 1870 to 1915. He provides a comprehensive historical description of the development of this service from its beginnings in 1870, analysing every aspect (currency used, rates, postage stamps and their overprints, cancellations, mixed frankings, etc.). Each step is illustrated by letters and documents accompanied by a clear and precise explanation.
20) Fundamental aspects to determine the value of a piece of Spanish postal history
Esteve Domènech
The author describes ten factors playing a role in the objective value of a piece of postal history, such as authenticity, provenance, preservation, etc. To illustrate each factor, he shows very fine examples of the Spanish postal history.
21) The first airmail routes between Spain and America. Some reference items
Fernando Aranaz del Río & Eduardo Consejo
The authors show a selection of the most important pieces of aerophilately flown between Spain and America, considering both directions of the Atlantic Ocean crossing. They describe and illustrate the great era of the pioneers of intercontinental aviation between 1926 and 1935.
22) Les innovations de Monsieur Fábregas
José Manuel Rodríguez
The author describes the innovations introduced by Mr. Fabregas to the Spanish postal service: the introduction of the first private postal stationery, followed by the private letter card which he later transformed into an advertising medium. The author shows us several examples, including some forerunners.
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