King Leopold I 'Epaulettes' Inverted Medallion

Belgium · 1849 · 20 Centimes

This stamp features a portrait of King Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians, framed within an ornate medallion. It is part of Belgium's first stamp series, known as the 'Epaulettes' issue due to the prominent military epaulettes on the King's uniform. This particular example is a famous error where the central portrait medallion was printed upside down in relation to the frame.

Issued in 1849, this stamp represents the dawn of philately in Belgium, just nine years after Great Britain's Penny Black. The inverted medallion error is one of the great rarities of European philately.