Peru 1899-1902 Seated Liberty & Manco Cápac with 'SPECIMEN' Overprint

Peru · 1899 · 5 Soles, 10 Soles, 22 Centavos

This is a set of three high-value Peruvian definitive stamps overprinted 'SPECIMEN'. The set includes the 1899 5 Soles and 10 Soles stamps featuring an allegorical Seated Liberty, and the 1902 22 Centavos stamp depicting Manco Cápac, the legendary first Sapa Inca. The 'SPECIMEN' overprint indicates these were distributed to postal authorities for identification purposes and were not valid for postage.

These stamps were issued during a period of relative political stability and economic modernization in Peru. Specimen stamps were a standard practice of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) to prevent fraud by familiarizing member nations with new international postage.