Spain's First Postage Stamp, Queen Isabella II

Spain · 1850 · 6 cuartos

This is the first postage stamp issued by Spain, featuring a portrait of Queen Isabella II facing right. The design is simple, with the denomination '6 CUARTOS' at the bottom and 'FRANCO' at the top, indicating postage has been paid. The stamp is black and was printed without perforations.

Issued on January 1, 1850, this stamp marked Spain's entry into the postal reform movement that began with Great Britain's Penny Black a decade earlier. It standardized postal rates and simplified the mailing process within the country.