Postal Rates

Postal Rates During the Spanish Period

1854 - 1898

INTERIOR POSTAL RATES

Effective Date	Single-Weight Rate	Double-Weight Rate	Registration Fee
February 1, 1854	5-cuartos	10-cuartos	2-reales
January 1, 1864	3-1/8 centimos 5-cuartos (Habilitado)	6-2/8 centimos 10-cuartos (Habilitado)	25 centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)
March 1, 1871 (Note 1)	5 centimos de escudo 4-cuartos (Habilitado)	10 centimos de escudo 8-cuartos (Habilitado)	50 centimos de escudo 2-reales (Habilitado)
May 8, 1872 (Note 1)	16 centimos de peseta 4-cuartos (Habilitado)	25 centimos de peseta 8-cuartos (Habilitado)	1 peseta 25-centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)
October 15, 1872 (Note 1)	12 centimos de peseta 4-cuartos (Habilitado)	25 centimos de peseta 8-cuartos (Habilitado)	1 peseta 25-centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)
August 1875	2-centavos de peso	4-centavos de peso	10-centavos de peso
January 1878	25-milesimas de peso	50-milesimas de peso	100-milesimas de peso
September 1, 1879	2-1/2 centavos de peso	5-centavos de peso	15-centavos de peso
January 1, 1890	2-centavos de peso	4-centavos de peso	15-centavos de peso
January 1, 1898 Within Same Town Between Towns	2-centavos de peso 3-centavos de peso	4-centavos de peso 6-centavos de peso	15-centavos de peso 15-centavos de peso

Note 1) A Royal Decree stated that the 5-cuartos stamps overprinted ‘Habilitado por la Nacion’ and issued on January 24, 1872 were to be used for the Interior postal rate of 4-cuartos, without change in designation of value, (with the conversion rate of 5-centimos de Escudo equating to 4-cuartos).

OVERSEAS POSTAL RATES

Effective Date	Single-Weight Rate	Double-Weight Rate	Registration Fee
February 1, 1854	(Note 2)	(Note 2)	(Note 2)
January 1, 1856	1-real	2-reales	2-reales
January 1, 1864	12-4/8 centimos 1-real (Habilitado)	25 centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)	25 centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)
March 1, 1871	25 centimos de escudo 1-real (Habilitado)	50 centimos de escudo 2-reales (Habilitado)	50 centimos de escudo 2-reales (Habilitado)
May 8, 1872	62 centimos de peseta 1-reales (Habilitado)	1 peseta 25-centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)	1 peseta 25-centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)
October 15, 1872	62 centimos de peseta 1-reales (Habilitado)	1 peseta 25-centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)	1 peseta 25-centimos 2-reales (Habilitado)
August 1875 To Spain To Other	12-centavos de peso 10-centavos de peso	(Note 3) 24-centavos de peso 20-centavos de peso	25-centavos de peso 25-centavos de peso
January 1878 To Spain To Other	125-milesimas de peso 100-milesimas de peso	250-milesimas de peso 200-milesimas de peso	250-milesimas de peso 250-milesimas de peso
September 1, 1879 To Spain Other UPU Members	(Note 4) 12-4/8 c de peso 8-centavos de peso	(Note 4) 25-centavos de peso 16-centavos de peso	(Note 4) 15-centavos de peso 8-centavos de peso
January 1, 1890 To Spain Other UPU Members	10-centavos de peso 8-centavos de peso	20-centavos de peso 16-centavos de peso	15-centavos de peso 8-centavos de peso
January 1, 1898 To Spain Other UPU Members	6-centavos de peso 8-centavos de peso	12-centavos de peso 16-centavos de peso	15-centavos de peso 8-centavos de peso

Note 2) No overseas postal rates were indicated in the authorizing documents. The previous overseas stampless mail rates applied until January 1, 1856.

Note 3) When the rate was first established in 1875, the charge for double rate overseas postage to Spain was set at 24-centavos de peso. However, by the late 1870s the rate was almost always 25-centavos de peso. Presumably this was because the postal authorities had issued a 25-centavos de peso stamp in 1876, rather than a 24-centavos de peso stamp. Likewise, the registered double-weight letter rate to Spain became 50-centavos de peso instead of 49-centavos de peso.

Note 4) With the introduction of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in September 1879, a different rate was applied for member countries. However, mail to non-member countries were usually also conveyed at the UPU rate.

INTERIOR CIRCULAR AND NEWSPAPER RATES

Effective Date	Single-Weight Rate
February 1, 1854	5-cuartos
January 1, 1864	3-1/8 centimos
March 1, 1871	5 centimos de escudo
May 8, 1872	12 centimos de peseta
August 1875	2-centavos de peso
January 1878	25-milesimas de peso
September 1, 1879	2-centavos de peso, 2-½ centavos de peso or 2-4/8 centavos de peso
January 1, 1886	1/8 de centavo
January 1, 1890	1-centavo de peso
January 1, 1898 Within Same Town Between Towns	Circular Rate: 1-centavo de peso 2-centavos de peso
January 1, 1898 Within Same Town Between Towns	Newspaper Rate: 5-milesimas de peso 1-centavo de peso

OVERSEAS CIRCULAR AND NEWSPAPER RATES

Effective Date	Single-Weight Rate Spain and Colonies	Single-Weight Rate Other Countries
February 1, 1854	(Note 5)	(Note 6)
January 1, 1856	10-cuartos	(Note 6)
January 1, 1864	3-1/8 centimos	(Note 6)
March 1, 1871	5-centimos de escudo	(Note 6)
May 8, 1872	12-centimos de peseta	(Note 6)
August 1875	2-centavos de peso	(Note 6)
January 1878	25-milesimas de peso	(Note 6)
September 1, 1879	2-centavos de peso, 2-½ centavos de peso or 2-4/8 centavos de peso	2-centavos de peso, 2-½ centavos de peso or 2-4/8 centavos de peso
January 1, 1886	1/8 de centavo	2-centavos de peso
January 1, 1890	1/8 de centavo	2-centavos de peso
January 1, 1898	Circular Rate: 4-milesimas de peso	Circular Rate: 5-milesimas de peso
January 1, 1898	Newspaper Rate: 2-milesimas de peso	Newspaper Rate: 5-milesimas de peso

Note 5) No circular or newspaper rates were established. These were mailed at the overseas regular rate of 1-real (20-cuartos).

Note 6) No circular or newspaper rates were established or authorised. These were mailed outside the Philippine postal service using British Asian stamps (at their corresponding rates).

POSTAL CARD RATES

Effective Date	Interior	Spain and Colonies	Other Countries
September 1, 1879	3-centavos de peso (+ 15c Registration Fee)	3-centavos de peso (+ 15c Registration Fee)	3-centavos de peso (+ 8c Registration Fee)
January 1, 1890	2-centavos de peso (+ 15c Registration Fee)	3-centavos de peso (+ 15c Registration Fee)	3-centavos de peso (+ 8c Registration Fee)
January 1, 1898	Within Same Town: 5-milesimas de peso (+ 5c Registration Fee) Between Towns: 1-centavo de peso (+ 5c Registration Fee)	2-centavos de peso (+ 15c Registration Fee)	3-centavos de peso (+ 8c Registration Fee)

References:

Postal History of the Spanish Philippines 1565 – 1898. Don Peterson and Geoffrey Lewis. . Washington, DC, USA 2000. Pages 126,128, 153 and 155.

Revised Table XIII-1 on Postal Rates in Peterson and Lewis (2000) – IPPS Newsletter, Volume XXIII, Number 3, Whole Number 72, Third Quarter 2003. Pages12-13. By Don Peterson.

Circular and Newspaper Rates and Procedures of the Spanish Philippines, 1854 – 1898. Philippines Philatelic Journal, Volume XXVII, No. 4, Fourth Quarter 2005. Pages 3-13. By Don Peterson.

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