Special publication
Behind the Gz Catalogue
A story of research, perseverance and passion for Argentine philately.
- 1999Studies since
- 2010Updated since
- 190Presentations (series)
- 3,045Pages in the PDF edition
Much more than a list
The Gz Catalogue is not a cold inventory of numbers: it is the synthesis of decades of careful attention to every stamp, every sheet, every postmark and every variety that deserves a name. Behind each page are hours under the magnifying glass, comparison and revision — work the catalogue itself presents as collective, open to correction and to contributions from researchers.
«The Gz group began in 1999 to carry out its studies on papers and varieties of our postage stamps.»
The first steps: 1999
In the prologue, the Gz group recalls that its studies began in 1999, drawing on articles by Antonio Deluca, Walter Bose, Jorge del Mazo, Gerardo Hickethier, Agustín Espejo, Alberto Solari, Darío Bardi, Guillermo A. Pettigiani and many others, as well as specialised catalogues such as those by Kneitschel, Klass and Jalil. But the human spark was the classes of José R. Merlo and Eduardo Williams at SOFIRA, which taught how to “lift the veils” from series as rich as San Martín and Próceres y Riquezas I. Without that generous teaching, the catalogue as we know it today would not have taken the same shape.
Carlos Gómez: extraordinary dedication
In the catalogue’s monthly presentations, the Gz group often speaks in the plural and acknowledges mistakes, corrections and contributions from dozens of collaborators. When it ironically refers to the “boss” or “Group leader”, it describes concrete tasks — reviewing sheets, reclassifying issues, correcting papers — without naming anyone in the analysed Introduction text. Beyond that document, in the community that supports Gz, Carlos Gómez is the person who most clearly embodies the continuity of that task: maintaining a demanding update rhythm on a work that never stops growing.
It is not desk work: it involves examining stamps and sheets, comparing varieties, documenting discoveries, reviewing classifications and reopening entire volumes when a single example forces a page to be rewritten. That human dimension —patient, meticulous, sometimes self-demanding— is what this portal publication wishes to highlight in Carlos Gómez, always within a work the catalogue itself defines as the legacy of many researchers.
The Introduction does not provide a detailed biography or verifiable personal dates; we therefore avoid inventing careers or titles. What is documented is the collective effort Carlos Gómez helps to sustain and the trust the group places in specialists in each field to correct and enrich the catalogue.
The birth of the published Gz Catalogue
Monthly presentations began in December 2010. In the revision of 2 October 2026 the historial reaches presentation no. 190, on Friday 2 October 2026, updating Introduction, II, IV and XII. Each “presentation” announces which volumes were touched that month; we do not confuse those deliveries with the sum of modified pages, which the text details separately.
A work that never stopped growing
From Volume I (1856–1891) to Volume XII (2023–2026), through perforations, postmarks and official service, the index of the analysed document reaches 3,045 pages. The presentations describe the incorporation of postmarks on post-classics, new sheet studies, paper corrections and the arrival of reference works —such as the manuals by Williams or Pettigiani— which the group cites with gratitude. The catalogue redefines itself in public, month by month.
Collaborators
The prologue and presentation historial name dozens of philatelists. Here we highlight only some documented contributions; the full list lives in the Introduction volume and grows each month.
- José R. Merlo — Paper classes at SOFIRA; reference for studying weave and watermarks.
- Dr. Eduardo Williams — Teaching on paper identification; research methods cited in the prologue and presentations.
- Leo — Regular announcer of the catalogue on the philatelic forum, keeping the monthly continuity visible.
- Eduardo de Mendoza — Corrections, contributions on papers and perforations; constant dialogue in the presentations.
- Juan Pablo Miri — Studies on perforations and control labels; work cited in the prologue and in updates to Volume P.
- Diego Domato — Collaboration in the postmark subgroup and on Volume M II.
- Norberto — Sending of sheets and position studies on issues in Volume III.
- Guillermo A. Pettigiani — Manual of the Próceres y Riquezas I series, cited as a classification guide.
- Héctor di Lalla, Omar Pérez y Andrés Schlichter — Study “Ferrocarriles Oeste y Norte” on travelling postmarks (cited in the prologue).
«The idea of making it available to everyone is, first of all, that the effort is not that of one person or one group, but of all those named above and of many researching philatelists.»
A legacy open to everyone
Preserving and sharing philatelic knowledge is also today a question of access. Through Mundo Filatélico, digital consultation of the Gz Catalogue brings series, images, valuations and studies closer to new collectors —without confusing that consultation tool with the authorship and maintenance of the master catalogue, which remain with the Gz group and its collaborators.
Historical timeline
- 1999
Gz group philatelic research
The Introduction volume prologue places here the start of systematic studies on papers and varieties of Argentine postage stamps.
- 2010
Monthly publications begin
The editorial cadence is reconstructed with presentation no. 1 in December 2010: since then the catalogue has been updated and announced every month.
- 2023
Volume XII launched
In presentation no. 148 (7 April 2023) the historial announces the birth of Volume XII, devoted to issues from 2023 onwards.
- 2025
Volume M — postmark catalogue
Presentation no. 169 (3 January 2025) welcomes the “new Volume M” and consolidates the postmark subgroup’s work in its own index volume.
- 2026
A work of more than three thousand pages
The revision of 2 October 2026 documents an index of 3,045 pages: volumes I to XII by period, plus postmarks (M), perforations (P) and official service (OM and SO).
