Stamp Investment Tip: Peru 1927 Servicio Aereo Overprint (Scott #C1)

  In 1927, Peru overprinted 10,000 of its 50c Statue of Maria Bellido stamps (Scott #248) "Servicio Aereo", thereby creating its first airmail stamp (Scott #C1).  Scott '13 prices the unused stamp at $50.00.

  The genuine stamp is worth owning. Unfortunately, examples with fake overprints exist, and C1 is still too inexpensive to justify paying for expertization on an individual stamp. Therefore, the prudent means of investing in it is to purchase multiples (blocks of 4 or more stamps), conditional on obtaining expertization. 

Peru has issued a number of undervalued sets, which I intend to cover in the future. Demand for the country's stamps is boosted by the tendency of many collectors to focus on Latin America as a region.

With a population of 29 million, Peru is an emerging market nation which has experienced significant economic growth over the last 15 years, and annual GDP growth averaging 7.2% over the last 5. Major exports include copper, gold, zinc, textiles, and fish meal. In 2010 Peru's per capita income is about $10,000. Poverty has steadily decreased since 2004, when nearly half the country's population was under the poverty line, although great inequities in income distribution persist. As the trend continues and more Peruvians join the middle class, the country's better stamps should do very well.

Information concerning printing quantities of stamps is often useful in determining which may turn out to be good investments. The StampSelector Scarce Stamp Quantities Issued List (SSSSQIL) currently includes over 9,700 listings of stamps and souvenir sheets with issuance quantities of 100,000 or less.