24 May

New Paulo Barata Fiscals Catalogue

CatalogoFiscalA new catalogue on fiscal stamps for Portugal and its ex-colonies has just been released. It has a full colour front cover, the pages being in couche mate of 130gm with black and white text. The price is Eur40 plus shipping costs and it is available from the Paulo Dias philatelic dealers in Lisbon. They are the sole distributors for Europe and you can find more details by contacting them via their website.

Paulo Dias

17 May

Afinsa offices to be opened for judicial inspection

The National Court judge, Santiago Pedraz, has ordered the lifting of the tapes which have been preventing entry into the Afinsa company, one of the two stamp trading businesses intervened last week.

It means the Judicial Administrator can now start work and searches of the offices and those of company affiliates are expected to continue all week.

The offices of Fórum Filatélico are expected to be opened in a similar way later in the week.

Meanwhile, the National Court judges who are investigating the alleged stamp company frauds, Santiago Pedraz and Fernando Grande-Marlaska, have today called for an office to support the people who have invested in the companies. The idea is also to set up an Internet page where those affected will be able to obtain upto date information.

From typicallyspanish.com

The top directors of both Afinsa and Forum Filatélico were arrested by the Spanish Police and are still in jail, awaiting results of ongoing Judicial investigations related to this case. Shares of the Spanish philatelic group – the third largest collectibles house worldwide, after Sotheby’s and Christies – crashed creating waves in the philatelic markets worldwide; Stanley Gibbons shares fell slightly too. Even though the later is also heavily involved in philatelic investments for the general public, this is in no way connected with their Spanish counterparts actions.