Ecuador 1865 Coat of Arms, First Issue

Ecuador · 1865 · 1 Real

This stamp is part of Ecuador's first-ever postage stamp series, issued in 1865. The design features the national Coat of Arms, which includes Mount Chimborazo, a steamship on the Guayas River, a condor, and the signs of the zodiac. This blue one-real value was intended for domestic letter rates.

The issuance of these stamps marked Ecuador's entry into the global postal system, replacing a more rudimentary system of handstamps and manuscript markings. This series was printed in London by Perkins Bacon & Co.