Mexican definitive stamps
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
1856 onwards
Issuing entity
MexicoMexican definitive stamps are regular postal issues of Mexico, inaugurated in 1856 with the first adhesive stamps bearing the portrait of Miguel Hidalgo. Early issues were locally produced, often featuring imperforate or poorly perforated sheets and distinctive district overprints applied by regional postal authorities to deter theft.
In May 1874, production shifted when the American Bank Note Company in New York produced steel-engraved, perforated issues, establishing a standard adopted by later domestic printings. The postal system continued through subsequent administrative changes, including the creation of the Servicio Postal Mexicano in 1891, the Dirección General de Correos in 1901, and factional provisional issues during the Mexican Revolution.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 2
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
After centuries of colonial and republican postal operations where letters were sent collect and handstamped, Mexico adopted adhesive stamps in 1856. Because shipments traveled unoverprinted by stagecoach from Mexico City across approximately fifty postal districts, regional offices handstamped district names onto each stamp prior to sale to prevent theft. This control system was refined in 1864 with pre-applied invoice numbers and years, remaining in official use through 1883. Later political upheaval during the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) prompted various controlling factions to issue local and provisional stamps.
Design
- Note
- Hidalgo portrait in the first issues.
Identification
- Note
- District name overprints and consignment numbers are central to attribution.
- Recognition pointers (from background sources)
- Look for handstamped district names on stamps issued between 1856 and 1883, generally printed in black, red, blue, or violet ink. Check stamps from 1864 onwards for invoice numbers and dates overprinted in Mexico City prior to dispatch. Note separation and print quality: issues prior to May 1874 are mostly locally produced and imperforate or poorly perforated, whereas later issues feature steel engraving and perforations introduced by the American Bank Note Company.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Catalogue numbers and district overprint listings require transcription from a standard stamp catalogue.