Polotitlan

Polotitlan, medio real plate 1, pos. 2?.
Cancel Sz 1145
This extraordinarily beautiful rarity belongs to David Olson.

Polotitlan is located in the state of Mexico. It was the 55^th largest postal district, based on the number of stamps used, and 58^th (second smallest) by total value of all stamps used. The average cost of the stamps used was 1.07 reales. Polotitlan had about 1,200 inhabitants around 1890. It had only 2,300 inhabitants one hundred years later, in 1990.

Polotitlan had no sub-offices.

The following consignments were made according to Chapman:
	Day	Month	Year	Invoice #	Medio	Un	Dos	Cuatro	Ocho
Sent	3	2	1860	14	600	200
Sent	16	2	1861	50		500	150
Total sent				2	600	700	150	0	0
Returned					-411	-340	-4
Total Used	695			2	189	360	146	0	0
Distribution					27.19%	51.80%	21.01%	0.00%	0.00%
Distribution vs. all stamps					0.02%	0.03%	0.01%	0.00%	0.00%

All dos reales stamps are from plate III.

Though anything is possible, I'm assuming that medio real stamps cancelled in Polotitlan from plate II or III would be suspect. Very few genuine copies exist.

Polotitlan did not overprint their stamps.

Polotitlan was not a district, but only received Direct Emergency Shipments. Later it was directly under the Principal Office of Mexico City.

Victoria Benozio has provided this little bit of history:

"Polotitlan was a town near Soyaniquilpan, and the Soyaniquilpan post master periodically sent stamps there. This fellow was not very good with rules, he sent a lot of stamps without the district name overprint. So the only way to be sure (and not 100%) if a stamp without name is a direct shipment is to have it on a dated cover."

On average, the stamps have normal margins for the issue.

Forgeries from Polotitlan exist. A MEPSI certificate is recommended.

Visit the MEPSI website for more information.

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