Canal Zone Stamps
Featuring Research Volunteer Contributions

Sixth Series Overprint Reading Down (1909)

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5-cent Arosemena single

In 1908, Panama selected the American Bank Note Co. (ABNCo) to prepare and print a new series of regular stamps (Scott 197-201 and 213) to replace the Hamiltons issued in 1906. Interestingly, though overprinted for Canal Zone use in 1909, the 8-cent Hurtado stamp (Scott 213) was not released for use in the Republic until 1916. Panama required ABNCo to use the previous stamps by Hamilton as a reference for both color and design. To guarantee that the stamps were similar, Panama supplied the ABNCo with portraits and photographs that had Hamilton stamps glued to them.

Four of these new Panama stamps (Scott 27-30) were ordered by and delivered to the Canal Zone between January and May 1909. There they were then overprinted with CANAL ZONE reading down at the Canal Zone Press, Mount Hope. Quantities issued ranged from 50,000 of the 8-cent Hurtado (Scott 29) to 500,000 of the 2-cent Cordoba (Scott 27).

This was the last issue, except for emergencies, that the Canal Zone Postal Service ordered from Panama that did not have the overprint already applied.

David Zemer and Robert J. Karrer

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2-cent Cordoba single

The 2-cent stamp (Scott 27) has a red frame and a black portrait of Spanish conquistador Fernandez de Cordoba (1578-1630), who was active in Panama and played a prominent part in Spain's conquest of Central America. Cordoba, along with several other pioneers, selected Panama City's original site. (This site was abandoned after Henry Morgan's successful conquest of the area in the 1670s).

The American Bank Note Co. printed 500,000 of the 2-cent stamps for Panama on April 8, 1908, as Foreign Order F 1518, and it was intended primarily to pay postage on domestic first-class letters. Examples of a single stamp on cover are quite common but much less so in combination with other stamps of this or other series of Canal Zone overprints.

Unlike many of the early Canal Zone stamps, there are no major errors except for a very few pairs with one stamp missing the overprint. This resulted when the printing was done at a slight angle. One constant variety, however, is the wider 1mm spacing between the letters 'C' and 'A' of CANAL.

David Zemer and Robert J. Karrer

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5-cent Arosemena single

The 5-cent stamp of the Sixth Series (Scott 28) has a dark blue frame and a black portrait of Justo Arosemena (1817-1896), elected the first president of the short-lived sovereign state of Panama in 1855.

The American Bank Note Co. printed 200,000 of the 5-cent stamps on April 8, 1908, as foreign Order F 1518, intended primarily to pay postage of first-class letters to most foreign countries. Examples of it to Western Europe are the most plentiful, but usages in combination with other stamps are much less common.

There are no major errors associated with the Justo Arosemena stamp, and the most popular minor but constant variety is the 1mm spacing of 'CA' of CANAL found on one stamp per sheet.

David Zemer and Robert J. Karrer

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8-cent Hurtado single

The 8-cent Hurtado stamp has a purple frame and a black portrait of Manuel J. Hurtado (1821-1887), organizer and founder of Panama's primary and normal school systems. Issued April 8, 1908, Foreign order F - 1518, this stamp paid the eight-cent registry fee.

There are no known inverted centers or overprints on this stamp.

David Zemer and Robert J. Karrer

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10-cent Obaldia single

The 10-cent Obaldia stamp, produced by the ABNCo, features a violet frame and a black portrait of Jose de Obaldia (1806-1889), the Panamanian who first proposed separating the Isthmus from Colombia and who served a term as president of the 1855 Sovereign State of Panama. Intended primarily to pay the combined two-cent domestic first-class letter postage and eight- cent registry fee and high postage rates, ABNCo printed this stamp on April 8, 1908, as Foreign order F-1518.

There are no known inverted centers or overprints, but a few stamps had the overprint at an angle, which left one stamp without the overprint.

David Zemer and Robert J. Karrer

Canal Zone Stamps