Ecuador Postage Due Stamp

Ecuador · 1896 · 1c de Sucre

This is Ecuador's first postage due stamp, issued in 1896. The design features a large numeral '1' indicating the value of 1 centavo de Sucre, enclosed within an ornate, engine-turned frame. The inscriptions read 'CORREOS DEL ECUADOR' at the top and 'UN CENTAVO DE SUCRE' at the bottom, with 'MULTA' (meaning 'fine' or 'penalty') printed vertically on both sides.

Postage due stamps were introduced to collect payment from the recipient for mail that was sent with insufficient postage. This first issue for Ecuador established the system for handling underpaid mail within the country's postal service.