Queen Isabella II
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The first official postage stamps of the Philippine Islands
constituted a set of four values. This issue was a direct result from a Royal
Decree of Queen Isabella II, issued in The preliminary instructions for the establishment of the postal
charges and pre-payment of postage on correspondence within the The model taken for this issue was, naturally enough, that of
the then current issue of The designs were hand-engraved on copper plates by an Artillery
Corps Sergeant, whose name is not known. The design portrays the right
profile of Queen Isabella II on a background of fine lines, surrounded by an
oval of pearls, broken at the top and bottom by horizontal inscription
labels. For the 5-cuartos and 10-cuartos values, the upper label bears the
date "1854 Y 1855" and the word "CORREOS", while the
lower label contains the value and the word "FRANCO". On the 1-real
de Plata Fuerte and 2-reales de Plata Fuerte values, these labels are
interchanged, the upper bearing the value, the lower the date. The stamps were printed at the Plaza de Binondo,
5-Cuartos: Issued for mail under half-an-ounce, (single
weight interior postal rate). A total of 5,000 stamps (125 sheets) were
printed in shades of orange, pale orange, reddish-orange and brownish-orange. (Scott #1 and #1a; SG #1; Edifil #1, #1a
and #1b) 10-Cuartos: Issued for mail between half-an-ounce and one
ounce, (double weight interior postal rate). A total of 5,000 stamps (125
sheets) were printed in shades of rose, carmine and dark carmine. (Scott #2 and #2a; SG #3 and #3a; Edifil #2, #2a and #2b) 1-Real Fuerte: Issued for mail between one ounce and
one-and-a-half ounces, with an extra 10-cuartos charged for every half ounce
or part of half ounce thereafter. Also used as ordinary letter rate to 2-Reales Fuerte: Issued as the registration fee on mail. A
total of 2,000 stamps (50 sheets) were printed in shades of green,
yellow-green, emerald-green and olive-green. (Scott #5 and #5a; SG #7 and #7a;
Edifil #4, #4a and #4b)
PLATES The copper plates used for this issue wore out
rapidly and underwent continual retouches, and in some cases re-engraving,
during the printing process. The retouched plates often produced stamps with
coarse lines of shading on the background around the Queen’s head.
5-Cuartos: One Plate This plate underwent several retouches and
re-engravings during the printing. There are claims that a second plate was
created for this value, producing coarse lines of shading on the background
around the Queen's head, in comparison to the finer lines on the original
plate. However, most authorities doubt the existence of two separate plates,
and believe the coarse lines are due to wear and retouching of one original
plate. 10-Cuartos: Three Plates Plate 1 – Black: The stamps were hand-engraved on copper plates
and printed on thin, white, unwatermarked paper. They were printed in sheets
of forty, consistent with other plates, with forty varieties to the sheet.
They were printed with a very small '0' in '10 Cs', and as a result were
never officially authorised. However, some copies were put on sale at the
Post Office before they were withdrawn. This is further supported by a
hand-written letter from the Secretary of the Civil Government of Zambales,
signed by C. Rubio, which reads: “As regards the 1854 stamp, it is perfectly
genuine. Only a few sheets of this, the first issue, were printed, but it was
not approved of, so instructions were given to issue it in carmine. Some of
these stamps were used without authorisation during the few days they were at
the Post Office before the circulation was finally forbidden. The
Governor-General there-upon issued a lawsuit for unauthorised usage.” A large
block is know to have existed, but was cut up, resulting in one block of six,
a couple of pairs and a few singles. Only one postally used copy, tied to
piece, is known; another copy with pen cancel exists. (Edifil #NE1)
Plate 2 – Rose: The size of the '0'
in '10 Cs' is corrected and larger on this plate. The engraving of this stamp
is very fine and a fluid ink was used. This plate was neither retouched nor
re-engraved. Stamps only exist with fine lines of shading. Plate 3 – Carmine: Similar to Plate 2,
but engraved with coarser and thicker characters. A thicker ink was used,
which fixed the lines of this plate better. Retouching of one single plate
was carried out on the worn out plate. Stamps exists with fine and coarse
lines of shading. 1-Real Fuerte: One Plate This plate underwent several retouches and
re-engravings. In the first printings, the color was deep blue, but varied
considerably during subsequent printings, going from dull slate, blue-grey,
very deep ultramarine to deep blue. Stamps exist with both fine and coarse
lines of shading. 2-Reales Fuerte: One Plate This plate was never re-engraved, but some
positions on the plate were retouched. The first printings were in emerald
green which turned to a very pale, bottled-green shade in the later
printings. Stamps exist with both fine and coarse lines of shading. VARIETIES AND ERRORS 10-cuartos. In 1856, bisect usage of the 10-cuartos stamp
is known, due to a shortage of the 5-cuartos value for single weight interior
postal rate use.
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