Philippines postage stamps

Philippines postage stamps comprise postal issues released across the Spanish colonial era, the revolutionary period, the United States administration, and later governance. Adhesive stamps were introduced following an order on 7 December 1853 by Spanish Governor-General Antonio de Urbiztondo, establishing prepaid postage across the islands from 1 February 1854. Before adhesive stamps, communication relied on relays of couriers known as badageros carrying folded sheets between town tribunals. The postal service was subsequently re-established under President Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine Revolution, before the islands came under United States military and civil administration following the Spanish–American War.

The earliest stamps of 1854 appeared in four denominations of five quartos, ten quartos, one real, and two reales, depicting an effigy in profile of Queen Isabella II. Until 1872, stamps used in the Philippines matched those issued across other Spanish colonies. Distinct Philippine stamps emerged in 1872 featuring King Amadeus and the inscription Correos Filipinas. Later Spanish issues featured King Alfonso, culminating in an 1891 issue showing Alfonso XIII as a child inscribed Filipinas, which remained in circulation until 1898. During this colonial period, stamps were occasionally affixed to the upper left corner of covers, and postal authorities tolerated the diagonal bisecting of higher values to meet lower rates.

The 1898 Revolutionary Government produced fourteen distinct stamp varieties, including triangular designs and issues for registration, newspapers, telegrams, and revenues. Following American occupation, transitional postal needs were met by overprinting regular United States stamps with the word Philippines, in use from June 1899 until August 1906. The subsequent American civil administration issued the Philippine Islands–United States of America series, portraying notable Philippine, American, and Spanish figures such as José Rizal, George Washington, William McKinley, and Ferdinand Magellan.