correo aéreo testart - Sociedad Filatélica de Chile

CORREO AÉREO TESTART
This exhibit illustrates the history of the first commercial air mail stamps issued by the Chilean Post Office
through examples of: the unique MAIPO proof; the stamps; covers illustrating domestic and international,
usages of the “Testarts”, so referred to because of the man who pioneered commercial flight in Chile, Luis
Testart B.
The stamps include a set, mint never hinged, rare to the extent that most likely fewer than 90 sets exist.
Flown covers include two of fewer than ten recorded examples of the test flight; the official first flight and
return; and subsequent flights showing usage of each value and combined values. Less common commercial
covers are included as well as two of nine recorded international usages; the only recorded postcard; one of
two recorded pieces with free franking; and one of four recorded last
flight covers.
Unique compound proof of unissued MAIPO stamp which was
overprinted for the first airmail stamps issued by the Chilean Post
Office.
Background: The Chilean Government authorized LUIS TESTART BASSE to establish COMPAÑIA
AERONAVEGACION SUD-AMERICANA to transport mail by air between Santiago and Valparaiso with
the issuing of Decree No. 159 of 1924. The Minister of the Interior authorized the issuance of five
stamps to pay for the COMPAÑIA’s portion of the airmail surcharge on 15 February 1927.
The Plane: A Morane Saulnier-120-HP monoplane, THE CÓNDOR.
Service: Test flight Santiago to Valparaiso-3 May 1927
First commercial flight Santiago to Valparaiso and return-4 May 1927.
Schedule: Daily flights Monday through Friday Santiago to Valparaiso and return, weather and
equipment availability permitting. Flight time was 45 minutes vs. three hours and 30 minute for the
express train trip between cities.
SYNOPSIS
This is the only known exhibit solely devoted to the TESTART airmail stamps and their usage. It is of philatelic
significance as the study of the first airmail stamps issued by the Chilean Government as well as the short
lived airline COMPAÑIA AERONAVEGACION SUD-AMERICANA which was subsidized by the sale of the
stamps.
I consider the flown covers to be the main component of the exhibit and therefore have included Page No. 2STAMPS, which tells their story, as a supplement to the title page. It should be noted that only 14.4% of the
issued Testart stamps were sold by the post office, the rest except for one and possibly two sets of sheets
were destroyed. There are no recorded unused sheets of any of the 5 values of this series.
The last major change in the exhibit is a 3 MAY 1927 return test flight cover to Santiago which was found to
have a 4 MAY 1927 3 PM reception hand stamp, the same reception stamp as the 4 MAY 1927 first
commercial return flight proving there was no mail carried on the return test flight. This cover replaces the
page of fakes which has had a lukewarm reception by judges.
During over 30 years of collecting this issue I have compiled an ongoing census of stamps identifiable by
position and covers from auction catalogs, online offerings, exhibits, fellow collectors, and my own collection.
This census has led to several conclusions:
Clear legible cancels are not overly abundant.
No cachets have been recorded.
No perforation variations have been recorded.
No major printing variations of the Maipo stamp have been recorded.
The only recorded printing oddity is shown on page 7 of this exhibit.
The franking of international covers was dependent upon the postal clerk’s interpretation of the new postal
rates, specifically the charge for Ultma Hora delivery.
In 1928 the preponderance of recorded mail was sent by the COMPAÑIA AERONAVEGACION SUDAMERICANA, possibly as an income source via philatelic sale. There are but three recorded “non-Compañia”
covers posted in 1928.
This exhibit contains one unique item, the compound die proof, and probably another, the post card. The only
recorded item that I feel would add to this exhibit is a privately held commercial cover to Europe as all other
recorded internationally posted Testart covers are sent to noted philatelists.
REFERENCES:
Sociedad Filatelica de Chile, 2006, FILATELICA CHILENA-CATALOGO ESPECIALIZADO CHLE 2006, Correo Aereo Testart, p. 6869.
C. B. Gentle, 1973, Notes of a Latin American collector, The Testart Saga, Western Stamp Collector, p. 3, p. 11, January 20, 1973.
Dr. Eduardo Madsen P., 2007, Handbook of Aeropostal History of Chile 1916-2006, p. 13-15.
Derek Palmer, 1955, The “Testart” Air Mail Stamps San. 1-5, Aero Philatelists Annals, January 1955, p. 81-84.
Derek Palmer, 1957, The “Testart” Air Mail Stamps—Additional Information”, Aero Philatelist Annals, April 1957, p107-108.
Ross A. Towle, 2003, Postal Rates of Chile, Tarifas Postales de Chile, 1766-1959, p. 8, 10, 15-16, 28, 42, 49, 51-52, 58-59.