Description: This vintage definitive postage stamp from Spain (España) features a portrait of King Alfonso XIII during the early period of his reign. Rendered in a vibrant rose-carmine ink, the central vignette shows the monarch in a formal military uniform with a high collar, set inside a deeply textured, cross-hatched rectangular border. The ornate surrounding frame is topped by the grand Spanish royal crown, adorned with flowing decorative scrollwork and floral details down the sides. The base of the design contains two distinct corner cartouches to denote the face value, with the numeral 25 on the left and the abbreviation Cˢ (Céntimos) on the right. Centered at the bottom, the functional operational text "CORREOS" sits directly stacked over the bold country inscription "ESPAÑA", while the signature of the master artist, Enrique Vaquer, is visible in the bottom margin.
Circa: 1922-1930
Condition: Used - Hinged
Notes:
This design is widely known among specialized Spanish philatelists as the Vaquer series, named after the prominent engraver Enrique Vaquer who hand-carved the master steel die. The portrait captures the king before his eventual exile in 1931, which led directly to the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic.