Bolivian Post Horn Stamps

Post horns are small signal instruments that were carried by postal riders in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The rider would blow the horn to announce the arrival (and departure) of the mail. The small brass instrument has become an international symbol of the mail. It appears on all manner of postal items from post boxes to uniforms to postage stamps. Post horns are on a lot of postage stamps. Make sure to read my main page about post horn stamps. Another excellent resource can be found here.

While post horn stamps are most common in European countries, they are truly on stamps around the world. This post is about the post horn stamps in my collection from the country of Bolivia.

Of great interest to me is that the type of post horn on Bolivian stamps is a little different. Most post horn stamps depict a small coiled horn. However, Bolivia nearly always depicts a small curved post horn. It looks more like other types of horns made from animal horns. There are a few other depictions of stamps with such a post horn, but Bolivia uses this type exclusively.

The Stamps

As an example is this above stamp from 1945. The post horn is in the middle of the stamp. How do we determine it is a post horn when it is so different than others? It has to be understood in the context of the rest of the stamp. The most important clue is the envelope sitting on top of the horn. It makes it pretty clear that the horn is a postal symbol. Then notice there are other symbols of communication including a radio tower, telephone pole, and a racing train.

The same design occurs on stamps the next year. The reddish stamp above is from 1947. While the two stamps below are from 1948.

A New Design

The stamp above from 1951 has a different design. However, as its central motif there is still the envelope and post horn. On top of the envelope a bird is perched with its wings outstretched. This looks very similar to the condor that that appears on the Bolivian coat of arms. This design was in use in 1951 and 1952.

A Variation

Bolivia would return in 1953 to stamps that were close in design to the 1947-48 communications design. However, there are differences. First, the image is much sharper and the color is more vibrant. Most obviously, there is no train racing across the bottom of the stamp. Look closer, you will notice that on the earlier stamps, the background of the image consists of lines that emanate like rays from the central motif. On this new design, the background is of concentric circles that emanate from the radio tower.

The next two stamps come from 1955. They feature the same design as the 1953 stamp above, although the printed denomination is higher. The stamps also have an overprint of BS. 5 that raises the price to 5 bolivianos from the 3 bolivianos printed on the stamp. The overprint also includes the letter “D.S” and the date 21-IV-55 (April 21, 1955) when the stamps were issued.

In 1955, Bolivia created another post horn stamp design. This stamp features a postal carrier blowing the horn. It is a lower denomination stamp for 1 boliviano. In the background are mountains with snow on top, probably representing the Andes.

Later Issue

The final Bolivian post horn stamp in my collection is from 1986. The stamp celebrates the centennial of Bolivia’s membership in the Universal Postal Union. On the stamp is the motif of the post horn with the envelope, which we have seen on Bolivian stamps since the 1940s. The rather unusual curved, but not coiled, post horn along with an envelope seems to represent the Bolivian postal service itself.