country: Belgium (België / Belgique)
code: 1
topic: King Leopold I (first King of Belgium)
theme: King
type of stamp: postal stamp
number of stamps per sheet: 200
circulation: 5250000
kind of serration: not perforated
color: brown
paper type: handmade paper, sort of perkament
engraving (engraving): Robinson H.
engraving type: intaglio
design: Baugniet Ch.
cillinder shape (bookpress): General work center of the Seal at Brussels
year: 1849
publication date: 1/7/1849
postal value: 10 c (Dix Cents)
comments:
decommissioned on 1/7/1866
watermark: two interwoven uppercase 'L' in context. The watermark is not always centrally.
Information:
Leopold I. On May 6, 1840 saw the first stamps in England thanks to the perseverance of Rowland Hill, whose family name has become legendary. The Belgian Post sent an inspector, Louis sources, to our neighbors to study this new payment method. Therefore he recommended a lower standard fee to collect the mail daily to order, effective in 1841, postal services and reorganization to cope with the constant increase in the fetched, carried and issued volume of mail. His first proposal did, however, fear that the financial losses were too high up and was therefore postponed the introduction. Nevertheless encouraged traders to ensure that the entirety of fewer, especially in a uniform manner would be taxed. After many speeches in Parliament was the law on 24 December 1847. Article 4 of this law provides for the use of postage stamps on your shipments, this was the beginning of a much-needed reform to the trade and industry to encourage people of modest rank to correspond with their families. This important tariff reform of 1 July 1849-date of publication of the Royal Decree that the manner of implementation of the law of 24 December 1847 determines somewhat obscured the birth of the postage stamp. This reform was based on two key measures: the simplification of the postage costs for letters: two remote and weight scales were used in the calculation: 10 centime as the distance between the Office of origin and destination does not exceed 30 km, and 20 centime for all other distances in the country. These rates remained valid until 1919. The introduction of the postage in advance, as a logical consequence of the introduction of postage stamps. Prior to this, the letter port was met by the recipient. The use of postage stamps traffic was now stimulated. In 1839 it went through the Belgian postal administration only 7.037.443 letters, or less than 2 per person. two years after the reform, there have been 9 million letters and in 1860 was 17.5 million letters sent. Of course, this is not to compare it with the 3 billion pieces that were awarded in 1998. The manufacture of these two stamps was organized by Jacob Wiener (1815-1899), a passionate graver comes from the Rhineland that publicity generated by his skill in the engraved of medals. However, it was a member of the English firm Perkins & Bacon, Robinson, intaglio graver of book-illustrators and portraits, which the mother has engraved plate and the very popular at the time that painting of Brussels origin, Charles Baugniet, that the portrait of the King. Printing took place in a workplace, installed in one of the outbuildings of the old railway station of Brussels (green drove), in accordance with the intaglio technique. This is a process in several stages. In the first phase in a metal plate at actual size, emboss, and vice versa, the postage chisel. If the plate is a solidified through chemical process, we then proceed to the creation of the molet, a cylinder which also solidified in relief and in the right direction to above the original engraving. Finally, it is about a printing plate molet "rolled" (moleteren), which also is solidified. When you try to print the cover plate printing ink and then to be cleaned except in the cavities of ink. It then creates a pressed wetted sheet of paper at. If the ink can be wiped out drop Hounds on the paper and is there a light relief that corresponds to the draw of the engraver. The paper, variable thickness, were made by hand and the watermark was composed of two interwoven letters "L". Printed on 5,250,000 copies, was the seal of 10 inches in many shades: dark, black, brown, brown, etc. What the seal of 20 inches on the color palette ranges from milky blue to black blue. From 1849 to 1860, has more than 24 million francs of sales. Later, the progressive increase in the number of pieces of correspondence to the introduction of other stamps effect, ie the values of 30 centimes and 1 franc. Philately could emerge.
