Tampico
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| Tampico, un real plate 1 or 2. |
Tampico, dos reales plate 1 emerald, pos. 42. |
Tampico, dos reales plate 1 olive. Position 60, with two frame lines. |
Tampico is located in the state of Tamaulipas. It was the 14th largest postal district, based on the number of stamps used, and 15th by total value of all stamps used. The average cost of the stamps used was 1.39 reales. Tampico had about 7,000 inhabitants in 1896 (no data available earlier).
Tampico had 10 sub-offices: Escandon, Heroica Matamoros (Matamoros), Magiscatzin de Tamaulipas, Ozuluama, Panuco, Prezas, San Fernando, Santa Ana de Tamaulipas (Tampico), Soto la Marina, and Tula de Tamaulipas.
| Day | Month | Year | Invoice # | Medio | Un | Dos | Cuatro | Ocho | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sent | 10 | 9 | 1856 | 47 | 5760 | 4740 | 2040 | 300 | 780 |
| Sent | 22 | 10 | 1856 | 67 | 5760 | 4740 | 2040 | 300 | 780 |
| Sent | 26 | 11 | 1856 | 83 | 6000 | 6000 | 6000 | ||
| Sent | 13 | 7 | 1857 | 136 | 600 | 3000 | 3800 | 300 | |
| Sent | 30 | 10 | 1857 | 216 | 3000 | 4000 | 3800 | 600 | |
| Sent | 29 | 1 | 1858 | 12 | 1800 | 8000 | 9500 | 600 | |
| Total sent | 6 | 22920 | 30480 | 27180 | 2100 | 1560 | |||
| Returned | |||||||||
| Total Used | 84240 | 6 | 22920 | 30480 | 27180 | 2100 | 1560 | ||
| Distribution | 27.21% | 36.18% | 32.26% | 2.49% | 1.85% | ||||
| Distribution vs. all stamps | 3.01% | 2.20% | 1.69% | 1.38% | 1.67% | ||||
Dos reales stamps from the first three consignments are found in the emerald, sapphire and olive shades. They are priced by Follansbee such that about an even distribution can be assumed. However, in my experience, the sapphires are much scarcer than the other shades. 10,080 dos reales stamps from plate I (and II?) were sent, leaving only 17,100 from plate III.
No stamps were sent after January 29, 1858, due to the fact that Tampico, as well as the rest of Tamaulipas, came under the control of the liberal Benito Juarez. The post office headquarters in Mexico City was under the control of the conservatives, with General Felix Zuloaga as their leader. The War of the Reform from 1858 to 1861 was one of the bloodiest civil wars in Mexican history.
Tampico used two overprints:
16 by 2mm with leading and trailing dots.
14 by 2mm without dots.
They are generally clearly struck, in black.
On average, the stamps have normal margins for the issue.
Forgeries from Tampico are uncommon, though the 4R and 8R stamps are found with forged overprints and cancels on remainders.
Visit the MEPSI website for more information.
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