King Leopold I, Epaulettes Type

Belgium · 1849 · 10c

This stamp, known as the 'Epaulettes' issue, features a portrait of King Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians. The design, engraved by Jacob Wiener, shows the monarch in military uniform, facing left, with prominent epaulettes on his shoulders. It was Belgium's first postage stamp, issued in two denominations to cover domestic postal rates.

Issued in 1849, this stamp marks Belgium's entry into the postal reform movement that began with Great Britain's Penny Black. It standardized postage rates and facilitated communication within the young kingdom, which had gained its independence in 1830.