The Pelón issue - Official stamp

Official mail was free of postage and had to be stamped with an official seal to prove legal usage. The 15 cts "Pelón" in yellow colour was a try to avoid the common mis-use of these official markings for personal use. Issued in 1895, this stamp was valid only for the use of the members of the Spanish congress (Congreso de los diputados). After a short time of usage, the stamp was withdrawn back as useless.

Two
re-designed official stamps in rose red and blue followed in 1896 and 1898 but also weren't in use for much longer. After that short period (1895-98) the old procedure of stamping official mail was re-established. The stamp itself and a used copy on piece, obliterated by the blue-coloured marking of the Estafeta del Congreso (Post-office of the congress) on November 7, 1895, is shown below. In 1916, a private commemorative issue for Miguel de Cervantes was distributed among the congressmen.



Engraver: Eugenio Juliá Jover | Typographic printing of the F.N.M.T. | Sheets of 100 (?) | Perforation: 14 (comb) | First issued: April 1895 (?) | Valid until: April 1896 (?)| Control numbers: None


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