Antioquia was one of the states of the Grenadine Confederation, and became a department (province) of Colombia in 1886. Before 1886, Antioquia and the other states were sovereign governments and even afterwards retained certain rights, for example, the management of their finances. The province now uses Colombian stamps.

The first stamps were issued in 1868. Postal services were continued until 1906, when the national government of Colombia took over all the services. Because only a limited number of stamps were issued, stamps of Antioquia form a very special and interesting part of Colombian philately. Most stamps were cancelled in manuscript with the name of the town and origin.