José Luis López Sánchez Toda was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1901.
In 1924, when he was only 23 years old, Sánchez started working for the Fábrica
Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (FNMT). He was initially an apprentice of the engraver
Carlos Verger, but was subsequently taught by one of the best stamp engravers
of his time: Enrique Vaquer.
Sánchez’s first stamps date from 1929, when he engraved a
number of designs for the set promoting the Seville and Barcelona exhibitions.
His work can be seen on the Caravel design, the ‘View of the Exhibition’ design
and the airmail values.
Even though he worked for the FNMT, Sánchez also did some
work for Waterlow and Sons, starting with the 1930 set marking the death
centenary of the painter Goya.
Eager to learn more about new engraving techniques, Sánchez moved
to the United States in 1932, where he learned about the special techniques
needed for the new intaglio printing presses.
For a long time, Sánchez was Head of the Engravers in the
Security Printing Department of the FNMT. He was also a teacher there and the
most important artist.
In 1968, Sánchez was awarded the Order of Civil Merit for
his services. In 1969, his book El Arte de Grabar El Sello (the art of stamp engraving)
was published.
José Luis López Sánchez Toda passed away in Madrid, Spain,
in 1975.
You will find José Luis López Sánchez Toda's database HERE.