Stamp Investment Tip: Colombia 1944 Cundinamarca Issue (Scott #508-12, 513)

  In 1944, Colombia issued a set and souvenir sheet honoring a charitable organization - the General Benevolent Association of Cundinamarca (Scott #508-12, 513). 10,000 of each were issued, and Scott '14 values them unused at $22.50 and $35.00,  respectively.

   I consider both the set and the souvenir sheet extremely undervalued. They represent  very low-risk investments in the economic growth of Colombia, the growth of its stamp collecting community, and the increasing interest in Latin American stamps in general.

   A nation of 45 million people, Colombia has been plagued by decades of serious internal armed conflict, drug trafficking, corruption, and gross inequities of income, but has nevertheless racked up impressive annual GDP growth averaging 5.5% over the last 5 years. Moreover, until the global financial fiasco cut its GDP growth to 3% in 2009, it had been steadily accelerating, from 2% in 2003 to 8% in 2008. Recently, the government, armed to the teeth by the U.S., has applied a dual policy of combining military pressure with negotiations to cope with the various guerrilla factions within the country. This seems to have worked to some extent, as the number of insurgents has been halved, and the number of homicides and kidnappings drastically reduced. While some argue that the Colombian government is still utterly corrupt, and has violated human rights and supported paramilitary death squads in order to achieve relative peace, it may be that this is par for the course, given the nation's history. A dialogue between the Colombian government and guerrillas of the FARC-EP began in 2012 with the aim to find a political solution to the armed conflict. The Colombian government and rebel groups met in Cuba, and as of November 2013, the talks have been promising. The Government also began a process of assistance and reparation for victims of conflict.The main challenge that the country faces will be that of sharing more of the wealth with the majority of the population so as to develop more of a middle class and political center. Otherwise, it will devolve into a violent, unstable mess.

"The Stamp Specialist" blog features my buy prices for stamps which I am interested in purchasing. I've posted a buy list for Colombia. Viewing dealers' buy lists every now and then is an excellent way to keep up with the vagaries of the stamp market.