A Grand Journey
A gift of two Guatemalan stamps from his father ultimately led Jaime Marckwordt on a grand journey of family and philatelic discovery. Jaime’s grandfather had designed the two stamps and both bore his name, “C. Marckwordt.” Curiosity about his grandfather led to an impromptu stop at a stamp show, where Jaime first realized his grandfather’s prominence as a designer of Guatemalan stamps. He also learned that Carlos Marckwordt designed eighty-three Guatemalan stamps between 1935 and 1950. The stop transformed this young man’s inquisitiveness into a passion for philately.
Frequent family outings to stamp shows introduced Jaime Marckwordt’s daughters to collecting, and both now exhibit. All have made new friends in the hobby while learning about their family heritage. Jaime says, “While searching for answers to my own family tree, I gained a new family—the philatelic community.” An avid collector, Jaime exhibits the stamps his grandfather designed. “I never met my grandfather,” he says, “but by becoming a philatelist myself, I have a better understanding of his life.”
Favorite: 2c Lake Amatitlan, Guatemala, 1935-37
