The 1856 Mexico medio-real blue Hidalgo (Scott 1) with district overprint, used - an example of the first issue, whose values each carry a district overprint as the basket identifier notes.

Mexico 1856 Hidalgo (First Issue)

Maker: Republic of Mexico
Year: 1856
Rank: 97 of 100

Mexico 1856 Hidalgo (First Issue)

Mexico 1856 Hidalgo (First Issue) by Republic of Mexico (1856) is ranked 97 in the FLOAT 100 for Stamps. It carried a price-guide value of $329 on 6 August 2026, which is not a sale. Mexico's first stamps — the Hidalgo issue — the foundation of Mexican philately.

What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?

Mexico's first stamps — the Hidalgo issue — the foundation of Mexican philately.

1856 Hidalgo first issue (1/2r/1r/2r/4r/8r), each with district overprint

What is the best-sourced number for it?

Figure: $329
Kind: Price-guide value, not a sale
Date: 6 August 2026

StampWorld catalogue, Mexico 1856-1859, section '1856 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla - Handstamped with District Name' (Nos. 1-5: 1/2R blue, 1R yellow, 2R yellowish green, 4R red, 8R purple, imperforate, no watermark, sheets of 60). The set line reads 547 / 329 USD; 547 is unused and 329 used, already in USD. The used-set figure is used here because the district handstamp was applied at the district office to validate stamps for postal use, so used is the normal collected state; the unused set at $547 is the alternative reading of the same line. A catalogue guide value for the complete five-value set, not a single realized sale. Realized results loaded but not used, because they cover single denominations or covers rather than the full set: Cherrystone lot 1191 (1/2r blue strip of four, Guadalajara-Tepic handstamp, used) realized $210; Corinphila lot 399 (1/2r blue, ZACATECAS handstamp on entire) hammered 440 CHF; lot 404 (Puebla 4r carmine on an 1859 entire) hammered 750 CHF.

This is not a sale. It is what the market was asking, and no transaction is recorded behind it. Source.

How this is made

The figure: One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
Realized or not: A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
Why no grade ladder: Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
Archive: 2026-08-08