Spanish Stamps
Spanish Stamps of 1930 showing
the Santa Maria, the Flagship of Christopher Columbus
The incredible history of Spain and the Iberian Peninsula includes
conquests and settlements by the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the
Greeks, and the Romans. The Romans built permanent colonies all
over the peninsula, and they later named the region Hispania, from which the
later Castilian Language term España was derived.
Following the
Germanic invasions, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Iberian Peninsula became a patchwork of Gothic kingdoms. In 711, the Moors,
from North Africa, occupied the Southern half of the Iberian Peninsula,
where they would remain until 1492. Finally, in 1492, the Moors were
driven from the Iberian Peninsula, and the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon
merged together to form the Kingdom of Spain.
Something else
happened in 1492, which would change the future of Spain forever. A
Genoese explorer by the name of Cristoforo Colombo (Spanish: Cristobal
Colon, English: Christopher Columbus) appeared at the court of King
Ferdinand II (of Aragon) and Queen Isabella (of Castille). Columbus' proposal was to find a short-cut to the Orient, by sailing Westward across
the Atlantic Ocean. During Columbus' four voyages, he never found the
Orient, but what he did find would change his world forever. Columbus
had discovered portions of two vast continents, occupying the entire Western
Hemisphere of the Earth. Within a few years, this discovery catapulted Spain to the status of
the World's first great colonial empire. Spain's colonial achievements, in what would become known as the New World,
have left a modern legacy, best illustrated by the fact that Spanish is
the World's third most spoken language today.
With a historical legacy like this, there are, of course, a multitude of people, places, and events to celebrate on the commemorative stamps of Spain.
First Spanish Stamp
Issued January 1, 1850
Collecting the classical definitive postage stamps of Spain offers many opportunities for both the
specialist and the general collector. The complexity of the early
definitive postage stamp issues offers an immense challenge for the
specialist, with many printing, paper, and cancellation varieties.
The progression of the many types of definitive postage stamps of the later 19th Century through the early 20th Century also reflect the political and social turmoil occurring during those times.
Commemorative Spanish Stamps of 1962
Celebrating Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (El Cid)
The
later commemorative stamp issues of Spain offer the more casual collector endless hours
of enjoyment, for a modest cost.
Historic Castles
on Thematic Spanish Stamps
The later commemorative issues also
offer the thematic collector a large number of interesting topical subjects,
including history, archeology, castles, ships, churches, monuments, famous
people, costumes, and works of art, to mention a few.
Links to historical articles and reviews of each of the individual classical and early modern postage stamp issues of Spain will eventually appear at the top of the third column of this page.
eBay Auction and Store Links
Spanish Postage Stamps
The following links feature category-focused affiliated seller listings on various eBay sites worldwide. They may enable visitors to shop
for and to buy specific items for the
particular collecting subject they've just read about.
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affiliated eBay seller auction lots provided by eBay,
Inc. are not the responsibility of the management of this
website. On high priced material, make sure the lots you are buying are properly authenticated.
Remember
that the lots on European eBay sites are priced in EUROS. Shipping
charges may be more, and the lots may take longer to arrive. Also, make
sure the foreign seller ships to your country, before bidding on or
buying his lot.
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Spanish Stamps
