Spain: Stamps

rod, I think the best explanation I've heard for the Sociedad del timbre stamps of 1876 is that they served as an official seal to validate transmittals from headquarters out to the individual post offices at the end of the Third Carlist War.

Postmasters and customers could get in big trouble for causing or allowing the wrong stamps to appear on letters during this time, and these stamps allowed a postmaster to be comfortable that he was dealing with a genuine delivery from the top.

The story fits with the lack of denomination, the naming of different cities, and the ornateness (and resulting difficulty in reproducing it in order to tamper with official communications), so until I hear a better story, I'm believing this one.

As long as we're posting non-postals, here is a neat little imperf block I picked up, overprinted Viva Espana Correo Aereo, with a winged letter. I found one note online referencing a connection to Toledo, but not much else yet. More digging to do. I thought Sanabria might list it, but I didn't see it in my 1946. A perfed version accompanied this one.

I tend to agree with lumping, generally speaking...I was making light of us being four posts in and not having a postage stamp yet. Great minds, and all that...

I bet the search trick you are looking for is the "site:" limiter. Type in your string and then add site:thestampforum.boards.net with no spaces. Also works with entire extensions, so if I was searching a horticultural matter and only wanted results from universities (more or less) I could add site:edu and the only results will be from sites with an edu extension, which cuts down on the background noise, significantly.

Never a good sign. Has me thinking Gibbons might label them "clandestine" in origin...

Thanks for the new info. It would drive me nuts to concentrate on this area, but I'm just fine with picking up what I like.

Spain
Exclave : Melilla

Note : "1894" as numerals in corner.

Spanish Charity stamps, almost Cinderellas ...

One more Spanish Charity stamp

On April 22, 1916 Spain issued a series of eight engraved, perf. 12, official stamps for use by its Parliament that commemorated the 300th anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Four bi-color designs were used on these non-denominated stamps with each chamber having its own color pallette. The stamps for the Senate are identified as Scott O12 thru O16. Following are the stamps printed for use by the Chamber of Deputies (Scott O16-O19).

Nice!   I recently got some Spain stamps from vikingeck  with a few of these. They intrigue me!

spain 1938 Sc # 638.... but this looks too clean---  and the gum is too perfect

This is unusual an early 1900's Spanish stamp with London postmark. Thinking of creating a thread (there may already be one out there?) for stamps with foreign postmarks. Any thoughts folks? Graham

I have only a very few of these specimen stamps.

another find stuck in with another country- 1930 Spanish-American Union Exposition Seville Scott #433-447.  There are reprints, but according to Scott on yellowish paper with hardly any gum and blurred colors-  The gum on this is very apparent.  Several have what appears to be printing errors (smeared ink)

The third scan - far right (with ink smear) is actually the first stamp in the series, and the top lft stamp is also out of place

renden  remember my stamp friend!