Portugal Stamps
The first Portugal stamps, for the prepayment of postage on letter mail, were issued during 1853. The very rare 100 Reis denomination is shown above.
In Ancient times, present-day Portugal was part of the Roman Imperial Provinces of Lusitania and Gallaecia. Their later history, with the Gothic and Moorish invasions, roughly paralleled that of their neighbor Spain.
Portugal was a major European maritime and colonial power, almost 100 years before the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus.
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Commemorative Portugal Stamps of 1894
Celebrating the Birth of Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) is considered the initiator of what is called the Age of Discovery and the progenitor of the Portuguese Empire. He was responsible for the early development of Portuguese trade with the other continents, through the exploration of Western Africa, exploration of the islands in the Atlantic Ocean, and the search for new trade routes.
Of course, in the early 15th Century, no European would have dared to try to sail Westward to the boundary of the Atlantic Ocean. Europeans, at the time, considered the Earth to be a flat plain, not a sphere. The general consensus was that if one sailed to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, they would fall off the edge of the Earth and into oblivion. It wouldn't be until the end of the century that the voyage of Christopher Columbus would prove that wrong!
The Portuguese Empire would eventually profit from the Spanish discovery of the New World, as well. It was there that they established what would be their greatest colony ..... Brazil!
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Postage Due Portugal Stamps of 1898
Celebrating 400th Anniversary of Vasco da Gama's
Discovery of the Sea Route to India
Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) is considered the greatest of Portuguese explorers. In 1497, he became the first European to navigate around the Southern tip of Africa and to reach India by sea! His accomplishment established the sea route from Europe to India and the Orient, and it enabled Portugal to establish a long-lasting colonial empire in Asia.
Though much of the Portuguese Empire faded away during the 19th and 20th Centuries,
it endured for almost 600 years, from the capture of Ceuta in 1415 to
the handover of Macau to the Peoples Republic of China in 1999. None of the
other European colonial empires have ever lasted that length of time.
Commemorative Stamp of 1953
Featuring a Portrait of Queen Maria II
Celebrating the Centenary of the Postage Stamps of Portugal
The amazing history of Portugal and of the Portuguese Empire has often
been documented on the commemorative stamps of Portugal and those of the
Portuguese Colonies, making these stamps very popular with Worldwide stamp
collectors, thematic stamp collectors, and philatelic specialists.
Some collectors like making a specialty of just the Ceres type definitive stamps of 1912 to 1931. There are about 200 major varieties of them, just for Portugal. AND each of the Portuguese colonies used the same type for their definitive postage stamps of that period, as well!
Commemorative Souvenir Sheet of 2003
Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Postage Stamps of Portugal
Links to historical articles and reviews of each of the individual
classical and early modern postage stamp issues of Portugal will eventually
appear at the top of the third column of this page.
A Word of Warning!
Reprints and forgeries exist of
most of the classical definitive postage stamps of Portugal. When
considering the purchase of any
higher priced stamps that are being offered as originals, one should
only purchase stamps that have been properly authenticated or that are
represented as being authentic by dealers that are experienced in
Portuguese philately.
eBay Auction and Store Links
Portugal Postage Stamps
The following links feature category-focused affiliated seller listings on various eBay sites worldwide. They may enable visitors to shop
for and to buy specific items for the
particular collecting subject they've just read about.
The
affiliated eBay seller auction lots provided by eBay,
Inc. are not the responsibility of the management of this
website. On high priced material, make sure the lots you are buying are properly authenticated.
Remember
that the lots on European eBay sites are priced in EUROS. Shipping
charges may be more, and the lots may take longer to arrive. Also, make
sure the foreign seller ships to your country, before bidding on or
buying his lot.
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Portugal Stamps
