* Third * CARLIST WAR STAMP Issues •! Background The Third Carlist war began when Amadeo I of Savoy was crowned as King of Spain, instead of the Carlist pretender Carlos VII in 1871, after the overthrow of Isabel II in 1868 at the La Gloriosa revolution. The selection of Amadeo I was a great insult for the Carlists who at the time had strong support in northern Spain especially in the C!atalonia, Navarre and the Basque Provinces. After some internal dissensions in 1870-1871, ending with the removal of Cabrera as head of the Carlist party, the Carlists started a general uprising against Amadeo I's government and its Liberal supporters. The Third Carlist War became the final act of a long fight between Spanish progressives and traditionalists which started after the Spanish Peninsular War from 1808 to 1814 and the promulgation of the constitution of Cadiz which ended the ancien regime in Spain. Mistrust and rivalry among members of the royal family also enlarged the conflict. The establishment of the Carlist Stamp Issues Pragmatic Sanction of Fernando Vll causing the First Carlist War, In order to demonstrate their authority and control in provinces the inability to find a compromise leading to the Second Carlist they occupied, the Cariists issued stamps and attempted to establish War and the proclamation of a foreign king that sparked the Third a postal system. Local, private printers printed the stamps.The post Carlist War. offices and distribution system were unreliable and short-lived. Once the "war" was over, the remaining supplies of stamps were This third conflict lasted from 1872 to 1876 and was the last destroyed or fell into the hands of speculators and collectors. Carlist War in Spain. During this conflict, Carlist forces managed to occupy several towns in the interior of Spain, the most Today the Spanish, European and Scott catalogues recognize important ones being La Seu d'Urgell and Estella in Navarre. about seven Carlist issues. The warnings and notes about reprints, Isabella II was in exile, and Amadeo 1, proclaimed king in 1871, fakes and forgeries arc appropriate. Genuine used copies are rarer was not very popular. than mint copies. Fake covers were produced and present a classic case of "buyer beware." The Carlist pretender, "Carlos VH", grandson of "Carlos V" tried to earn the support of those areas of Spain by recognizing The stamps were "authorized" by local Carhst officials. Given old customs and laws. The Carlists proclaimed the restoration of the private printing, usually a marginal quality lithography method Catalonian, Valencian and Aragonese charters, abolished at the being utilized, the end prtxiucts are not philatelic masterpieces. Paper beginning of the 18th century by Philip V with a series of unilateral and ink quality was marginal. The plates were available for reprints; Royal decrees. original records of Carlist authorized printings are non-existent. In addition, the call for rebellion made by the Cariists was Actual use of these stamps was limited to local posts or, if the echoed in C'atalonia and especially the Basque region {Gipuzkoa, border was close, to mail going into France. Additional postage had Alava, Biscay and Navarre), where the ('arlists managed to create to be paid since the Carlist "government" was not "recognized." a temporary state. The Cariists boldly laid siege to Bilbao and San The stamps were a relic of a lost cause. Sebastian, but failed to occupy them. After four years of war, on 27 February 1876, the Carlist pretender went into exile in France. On In the following section, we have updated and better illustrated a the same day. King Alfonso XII of Spain entered Pamplona and a few past works on the Carlist issues. This includes Album Weeds, new era began, by R. B. Earee and Gui Del Coleccionista, by A. Tort Nicolau. 4Arana|Spnng 2015 SELLOS DE D. CARLOS VII MATASELLOS FIGI Rt:2 ILLUSTRATION OF CARLOS Vll FROM "GUI COLECCIONISTA" /yjiia I ^[jfing Carlist Stamps (For Biscay, Navarre, Guipuscoa, and Alava) ISSUE OF 1873.1 REAL BLUE. The first issue, July, 1873. was in sheets of 121 stamps, and there was no "tilde" over the N of ESPANA (Fig. 3). There was another transfer in September 1873, with 84 stamps on the sheet, and the "tilde" to the N was added (Fig.3A). Still later, there was another transfer, of 180 stamps to the sheet. FIGL RE 3 - TYPE I HGIRE 3A - TYPE 2 MATASELLOS FIGURE 3D - UNISED BL(K K OF 12 6Araria|Spnng2015 Genuine Postmarks The forgers have imitated the September issue, with the "tilde"; Genuine—The genuine postmarks are of numerous types. 1; A so I describe from that stamp. Lithographed, on thick, smooth, rectangle of seven thick, parallel bars; also the same, with eleven white wove paper, which looks almost as if it were enameled. The bars; also five-pointed star, as large as 92, with or without numeral in forehead goes up into a sharp peak, showing that the hair is parted the center; also one or more numerals, with or without "No." above; in the center. The highest part of the hair touches the third line also a numeral and letter together; also two letters; also a sort of cog• from the top of the lined background, and the front point of the wheel, without nave or spt>kes, with CORREOS in the center, and base of the neck touches the sixth line at the bottom. The lines in name of province and of town between the circles. 1 copy this list this background do not go much nearer to the outline of the oval from the Philatelical Society's Catalogue, but I have all but three of on the left than they do on the right, leaving a fair margin of white. these postmarks in my own collection. The point of the nose is rounded, and shaded with small dots. Onl> three lines of the background touch the beard; the others stop short, leaving a white line outside the profile of the rest of Reprints the beard. In the left upper spandrel, the ele\enth horizontal line Both types of the above stamp were reprinted in l*aris, in August touches the back of the F. just opposite to the tongue. The stop 1881, on white wove paper. As far as I remember, the face of the paper after RL.. in the left bottom corner is a long way, both from the is dull, instead of smooth. The whole impression is more blurred, and L,and from the edge of the containing-tablet. The truncated, right the lines of hair, under the "N' of FRANQUEO, are a shapeless blot, top corner of the said tablet very nearly touches the dark outline though each line is distinct and separate in the originals. I have also of the central oval. The "tilde" over the N of ESPANA slopes very seen some fancy reprints in black. much up to the right. (See figures 3B. 3C & 3D) ISSUE OF 1874, FOR THE SAME PROVINCES. 1 REAL, LILAC, REDDISH-LILAC, GREY-LILAC. Forged Lithographed, on medium, rather rough, yellowish-white wove Genuine paper. The hair is not parted, and the forehead does not go up into a Lithographed, on thinnish, white wove paper. The centra! tongue of peak. The highest part of the hair touches the second line from the the E of ESPANA is to high up, and the tilde is thickest in the middle and top, and the front of the base of the neck touches the fifth line from exactly o\r the center of the N. It dtx-s not abst)lutel> touch the outline the bottom. The lines in the upper and lower parts of the left side of above it. The upper, forked point of the left-hand end of the ESPANA- the oval go very close to the outline, almost touching it. Ihe point of scroll touches the left-hand outline of spandrel; and the similar point the nose is rather sharp, and has no dotted shading on it. All the lines at the right-hand end of the scroll touches the right-hand outline of the in the background, oppt^sile to the beard, except one, run right up to spandrel. The serif of the I in the left lower comer touches the shading the beard. In the left upper spandrel, the seventh and ninth lines touch inside the label, and there is no stop iil'ter the I. but the foot of the R of RL the F, but the eleventh does not quite touch. The stop after RL., in touches it. There is a stop after the RL. in the right lower comer. The F the left lower comer, touches, or almost touches, both the L. and the of FRANQUEO is a shade lower than the R.The colored line round the outline of the containing-tablet; and there is a broad space of white central circle touch the frame on the left side, as well as on the right.The between the truncated comer of the said tablet and the oval.1 he tilde front of the beard stands out fairly well from the background. over the N of ESPANA is almost horizontal. Ararta I Spring 2015? Forged Poslmarks Lithographed, in bright mauve, on medium, yellowish-white wove Genuine—The only postmark that 1 have seen is a large, handsome paper. The tongue of the E of ESPANA is exacUy central, and the five-pointed star, composed of dashes or hyphens. Inside this star tilde over the N is a perfectly straight line or dash, placed too much there is a smaller one; and in the center a bold fleur-de-lys.