225 copies of Magenta 8c. on 2 4/8c. Ultra. Postage (2nd Retouch) (10 copies on the back) + 2 copies of 2c. Carmine Postage (1880) to pay 18 Pesos, 4 centavos fee.

Classic example of one of the causes of the stamp shortage necessitating the surcharges. The average Filipino telegraph operator was no mathematician. He could count but could not compute, or at least preferred to take no chance of error in so doing. Hence, if a telegram cost 10 cents per word, he would use 50 stamps of 10c. value eac for 50 words rather than using one 5 Pesos stamp. As this example illustrates, 227 stamps were utilized when far fewer (assuming available) would have sufficed.

Several items of note:

The largest existing telegraph receipt using nearly all surcharged stamps.

Very late usage of unsurcharged 2c. postage, when that value had been surcharged in many different forms over the preceding eight years.

In 1889 there occurred a shortage of lower stamp values as most were surcharged with higher values for telegraph usage. The REVISADO handstamp applied to a surcharged stamp on a telegraph receipt indicated that the value of the stamp was to be the original value of the stamp, not the surcharged value. However, while the handstamp was applied here, it was then ignored, as it is only the surcharged values which pay the indicated fee of 18 Pesos.

Two complete sheets of 100 were used along with 25 stamps from a third sheet.

A number of surcharge errors are found on the receipt. Counting relative positions on the entire receipt, the surcharge is doubled in positions 71, 92, 95,133,164,179,199, 211, 212 and 223 (on the back). The surcharge is doubled, one inverted in position 156, and tripled in positions 41 and 162.

Illustrated on the next page is the back top portion of the receipt.