175 Years Of The First Postage Stamp Of Spain

1 January this year will mark an important milestone in the history of the Spanish postal service: the 175th anniversary of the circulation of the first postage stamp will be celebrated. Strictly speaking, this is the first series of values that made up the issue of 1 January 1850. In this way, Spain joined the pioneering group of countries that adopted the system of prepaid postage for sending correspondence.

On 17 August 1843, Espartero's provisional government stressed the need to modernise the Spanish postal system, following the European example of prepaid postage. The order called for improving communications, simplifying postage and making it more accessible to the public. Under the direction of Javier de Quinto, the rates were unified by several royal decrees in August 1845: one real for letters between towns in Spain and five quarters for local correspondence, effective from 1 September of that year. Finally, the Royal Decree establishing postage by stamps was published on 24 October 1849, followed by a Royal Order on 1 December of the same year, which introduced certain modifications to the previous one and was fixed as follows:

6-quarter prepaid stamp for single letters of a weight not exceeding half an ounce.

12-quarter stamp for double letters, those weighing more than half an ounce up to one ounce.

5 reals stamp for postage and national certificate for single letters.

Stamp of 6 reales for the franking and certifying of single letters.

These adhesive stamps were designed by Bartolomé Corominas, inspired by an 1847 medal by Joseph Arnold Pingret, which featured a portrait of Isabella II. The six-quarter value showed the Queen looking to the left, while the others depicted her to the right, and were valid until 31 December of that year. They were printed by lithography at the Fábrica Nacional del Sello. Another feature is that they were not indented, an improvement that was incorporated into later issues.

In fact, there were two different circulation dates. On the first of January were the six-quarter, five-quarter and six-real values; while in March the twelve-quarter and ten-real values, which have a different design in the frame of the values, were issued.

As a curious fact about the sales of these banknotes, it is known that 6,227,090 six quarters, 51,959 12 quarters, 47,868 5 reales, 13,009 6 reales and 8,446 10 reales were sold.

In the 175 years that have elapsed since these first stamps were issued, an inevitable question arises: How many letters with these stamps, circulated on the first day, have survived to the present day? The answer, unfortunately, is not encouraging: of the high values, none, and of the six-quarter values, only five, one of them with a broken stamp.

One of these letters that have survived from the first day of circulation is the one sent by a sender from Fraga to a merchant from Barbastro in Huesca. In it, the stamp was cancelled with the red ‘Baeza’ date stamp, which is also reproduced on the front of the letter.

A true Aragonese rarity!

Full Academician Mr. Jesús Sitjà

Royal Hispanic Academy of Philately and Postal History