Epaulettes (stamp)
| Epaulettes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country of production | Belgium |
| Date of production | 1849 |
| Designer | Charles Baugniet |
| Engraver | John Henry Robinson |
| Perforation | None |
| Depicts | King Leopold I |
| Notability | First Belgian postage stamp |
| Face value | 10 and 20 centimes |
| Estimated value | €7,100 (mint) |
Epaulettes (French: Épaulettes, Dutch: Epauletten) is the colloquial name of the first type of postage stamp issued by Belgium. The stamp, which depicted King Leopold I and his prominent epaulettes from which the type's name derives, was first produced on 1 July 1849. Two denominations with the same design were issued simultaneously: a brown 10 centimes and a blue 20 centimes.
Background
The Belgian postage system was inaugurated in legislation signed on 17 June 1849. The Belgian system was modeled on the British system, influenced by the British Penny Black stamp adopted in 1840.
Stamps
On 1 July 1849, the first postage stamps were launched, produced in two denominations with the same design. The first, a brown 10 centimes stamp, could be used to send letters up to a distance of 30 kilometres (19 mi); the blue 20 centimes could be used on all other national mail.
The Epaulettes stamps depicted King Leopold I wearing military uniform, with highly visible epaulettes. They were inscribed "POSTES" ("post") at the top, along with the stamp's value in numbers. At the bottom was the stamps face value in French language text. No Dutch language version was produced. Like the first British stamps, it did not carry the name of its country of origin since it was intended for use in Belgium only. It was watermarked with the royal double-L monogram. The stamp was designed by Charles Baugniet, based on the King's official portrait painted by the artist Lievin De Winne. It composition was by Jacob Wiener and the engraver John Henry Robinson. It was not perforated.
Around 5,250,000 examples of each denomination of stamp were produced. Both stamps were demonetarized on 1 July 1866 along with all stamps bearing the effigy of Leopold I shortly after his death.
Effects and legacy
The introduction of the postage stamp, along with daily delivery, allowed a large increase in the volume of mail carried. In 1839, 7 million letters were sent in Belgium, rising to 9 million by 1851 and 17.5 million in 1860. The Epaulettes design was followed by the so-called "Medallion" type, featuring Leopold I's portrait within a circular medallion, in October 1849.
For the 150th anniversary of the stamp, the Belgian post office published two stamps commemorating the design in 1999.