Rainbow_stamps_and_coins: bull's eye

Showing posts with label bull's eye. Show all posts

Friday, January 11, 2013

Theme : 1st issues : 04 Brazil

I have left you all waiting for a long time, but here it is, the 1st post of 2013.
No better way to celebrate a 1st post then with a 1st issue.

3 years after the first stamp ever was issued, Brazil was the second country to emit stamps.
In 1843, the first Brazilian stamp set (30, 60 and 90 réis) was issued.
Because of the shape of the design, it didn't take long before people started to call the set : the bull's eyes.
And that's the name the first stamp(s) of Brazil still bare.

Brazil N° 1 - bull's eye

Similar to the first stamp in Great Brittain, this stamp does not bare the name of the country.
As there were only 2 countries at that time that issued stamps, it wasn't very hard to know whether the stamp was from Brazil or Great Brittain.
Besides, there wasn't many postal traffic either.
It lasted till 1866, then Brazil (and all other countries, except Great Brittain) put the name of the country on its stamps.

The name 'bull's eye' refers to the big oval shaped design, that looks like a bull's eye.
In Portuguese, the language of Brazil, they are called olho(s)-de-boi.
In German (also often spoken in South America) they are 'Ochsenauge(n)'.

This first issue of Brazil was printed on 1,148,994 copies.

more under 'Brazil'

Friday, October 7, 2011

Brazil : 00 Early issues - Intro 1

It's easy to make a blog with stamps you find all around the internet.That's why I'm only posting stamps that are in my collection.
However, in this topic of Brazilian stamps, I can't skipp the 'most famous' of them all. I.e. the first series of stamps.
Secondly, there are so many forgeries among those stamps, that you almost need to be an expert to distinguish right from wrong.

The shown stamps are not mine, and were taken from the internet.
It's a small summary of the first sets, and some 'fine' examples of the fake items that are sold, or might be in your possession.

Brazil was the second country that issued stamps.
The black penny was issued in 1840, the first Brazilian stamp in 1843!

The design of the first brazilian issue, was inspired by banknotes issued by the Imperial Bank of Brazil before. Long time was assumed that the stamps were printed in London, as the notes were also printed by Perkins, Bacon & Company. However, in 1841 Brazilian customs authorities had confiscated an engraving printing press and that this press was used by the Brazilian Mint. By the end of December 1842, all necessary equipment was bought to allow the Mint to start producing their own stamps in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil 1843 - real 'bull's eye' stamps - internet picture

The typical round shaped design of the first stamps gave this issue the world know name of the 'bullseye' stamps (olhos de boi).
They were printed until 1844 and therefore relatively long in use. Genuine ones however are very expensive and only few collectors have 'real' copies.

In 1890 an 1891, a lilac reprint was made.

Brazil bull's eye reprint - real - internet picture

The second issue is called the 'goat eye' (or also 'snake eye'), but because of the itallic printint of the numbers, brazilians prefer to call them "inclinados".

I have some 'inclinados' in my collection but probably all fake.
Real stamps are clearly printed, lines are complete, and not blurry.
Some forgeries are such bad copies that they are easy to recognise. Other are way more difficult to distinguish.