A Brief History of Early Stamps of the Philippines

Adhesive stamps were adopted by the Philippine Islands in February 1854. The stamps were printed in Manila from locally engraved plates. All stamps up to 1864 portrayed Queen Isabella of Spain and, as in the mother country, new designs were introduced at frequent intervals. None of the stamps up to 1874 bore the name of the islands.

Between 1880 and 1890, the Philippines had a rash of provisional surcharges unequalled anywhere else in the nineteenth century. Postage stamps, newspaper stamps, fiscals and telegraph stamps were overprinted in various ways and surcharged with new values and more than sixty different varieties have been recorded. The ½c printed matter stamp portraying King Alfonso XII, was overprinted ‘Recargo de Consumos’ (extra tax on provisions). Double or inverted surcharges were not uncommon.

From 1864 onwards, the stamps issued in the Philippines under Spanish rule conformed to the colonial key-types. The ‘Baby’ types were in use from 1890 to 1898, the colour being changed at more or less annual intervals. The 2 ½ c denomination appeared originally in deep blue but changed to grey in 1891 and was dropped from subsequent sets.

The ‘Curly Head’ type was adopted in 1898 in denominations ranging from 1m to 2 pesos. Dated 1898 –99, the stamps had a rather briefer life than the date indicates, since the Philippine Islands were ceded to the United States in April 1899 at the end of the Spanish-American War.

Although the cession took place on April 11, no provision for postage stamps was made until June 30, when contemporary American stamps overprinted ‘Philippines’ were introduced. The series of 1902 was adopted in 1903- 04 and remained in use until 1906. The 5c (1899) is known with inverted overprint, while the 10c (1903) has been found with an overprint omitted, in pair with a normal stamp.

The first distinctive series of the Philippines appeared in September 1906 in denominations from 1 centavo to 10 pesos. The centavo denominations portrayed various people, ranging from Magellan (who discovered the islands), and Dr Rizal, the martyr of Filipino independence, to American presidents such as Lincoln and Washington. The peso values featured the arms of the city of Manila. The colours were changed between 1909 and 1913 and the watermarks were altered in 1911-14 and 1914 – 26; in 1917 – 28, they were omitted altogether.