SPAIN, INSCRIPTION 'COMUNICACIONES' 1876-1889

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For other issues of Spain with inscription 'Comunicaciones' (issued from 1870 to 1872) click here, or here for the 1873 issue or Inscription 'Comunicaciones' 1874-75.

1876 Alfonso XII, Inscription 'COMUNICACIONES'

  5 c brown
  10 c blue
  20 c green
  25 c brown
  40 c brown
  50 c green
  1 P blue
  4 P lilac
  10 P red

For the specialist: this issue has watermark 'tower' and perforation 14. Stamps with holes are used telegraphically (value * to ***).

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

I know that the forger Fournier made a forgery of the 10 P value:

Unfinished Fournier forgeries of the 10 P value as found in the Fournier Album. The design is clearly not as detailed as the genuine stamp.

1878 King Alfonso XII facing the right

  2 c brown
  5 c orange
  10 c brown
  20 c black
  25 c olive
  40 c brown
  50 c green
  1 P grey
  4 P violet
  10 P blue

These stamps have perforation 14. Stamps with holes are used telegraphically (value * to ***).

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Postal forgery of the 1 P value. Postal forgeries of the 4 P and 10 P also exist.

Sperati seems to have made forgeries of the 20 c, 40 c, 4 P and the 10 P (two types). Images of these stamps can be found at http://www.graus.com. Sperati used genuine lower value stamps, from which he removed the image and printed his forgery. Thus the paper and cancels of the forgeries are genuine.

Sperati forgery of the 20 c value. It can be recognized by the white space below the 'I' of 'JULIA' (the shading line ends too soon). Also there are some white smudges in the first 'E' of 'PESETA'.

Sperati forgery of the 40 c, Reproduction 'A', there is a white dot in the frameline above the 'P' of 'PESETA'. A Reproduction 'B' also exists (sorry, no image available yet).

Sperati forgery of the 4 P value. Next to it the distinguishing characterstic: open 'M'.

The 4 P was made from a 40 c forgery by Sperati and consequently, the 4 P shows the secret marks of the 40 c value ('M' of 'COMUNICACIONES' open at the bottom) instead of the secret mark of the genuine 4 P value (right leg of the 'A' of 'COMUNICACIONES' open at the bottom).

Reproduction 'A' of the 10 P by Sperati. There are two large spots of color around the elliptic frame (see zoom-ins next to the forgery).

A Reproduction 'B' of the 10 P seems to exist, but I have never seen it. It is quite deceptive.

1889 Babyface (King Alfonso XIII), Inscription 'COMUNICACIONES'

  2 c green
  2 c black
  5 c blue
  5 c green
  10 c brown
  10 c red
  15 c brown
  15 c yellow (official stamp)
  20 c green
  25 c blue
  30 c grey
  40 c brown
  50 c red
  75 c red
  1 P purple
  4 P red
  10 P red

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

(This stamp has the 'punched hole cancel' repaired, pretending to be an unused 1 P stamp)

Postal forgery of the 1 P value (Type 1 described in Fletcher's book); the ornamental pattern is different from a genuine stamp. It also exists with perforation.

Postal stationery exists in the same design: 5 c green, 10 c brown, 10 c red, 15 c blue, 15 c and brown.

Fiscal stamp in a similar design, with inscription 'POLVORA Y EXPLVOS', reduced size. I've also seen the value 20 c black.

The stamp forger Fournier made forgeries of the 4 P and 10 P values; according to the Serrane Guide they exist with a rectangluar cancel 'CERTIFICADO 14 MAYO 9 COROGNA' and the word 'PESETAS' is touching the line below it:

A mystery stamp in the above design, with the portrait of Queen Victoria of Great Britain(?) in the center. I've been told that these are actually Christina Essays, they exist in the several colours.

For stamps of Spain issued from 1900 to 1920 click here.

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