Description: This is an authentic postal tax charity stamp from Spain (España), released as part of the nationwide 1951 Anti-Tuberculosis Fund campaign. The central graphic layout replicates the famous painting Niños en la Playa (Children on the Beach) by the legendary Spanish master Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, depicting young children playing along the shallow surf of the Mediterranean shoreline. Strikingly positioned in the upper-left quadrant, a bright red double-barred Cross of Lorraine serves as a stark, protective symbol against disease. The lower base contains clear block typography reading "10 CTS. ESPAÑA CORREOS" to anchor the face-value denomination and country of origin, while the absolute bottom margin edge credits the national state printing works via the initials "F.N.M.T.".
Circa: 1951-1953
Condition: Used - Hinged
Notes:
During the post-Civil War era, Spain mandated the use of these special charity surcharges on specific weekends and winter holiday mailings to fund national sanatoriums and combat the widespread tuberculosis epidemic. The artwork beautifully honors Sorolla, Valencia’s "painter of light," who was renowned for capturing the reflection of bright sunlight on water and the carefree movements of youth. Because these stamps required two completely separate printing passes, one for the deep slate-grey beach vignette and a second pass for the sharp red cross overlay; specialized philatelists actively look for plate errors showing a misaligned, shifted, or inverted cross.