The Netherlands on foreign postage stamps (1)
In this new column, we will regularly highlight a Dutch subject that can be found on one or more foreign stamps.
We begin this series with an interesting issue. It concerns the Brazilian 430 réis stamp from 1961, issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the famous Brazilian “Olho de Cabra” (Goat’s Eye) stamp from 1861. On the orange commemorative stamp, alongside the old stamp, is a map of the Netherlands, labeled as Holland.
The first Brazilian stamps from 1843 are known as the Olhos-de-Boi (“Ox-Eyes”), followed by the Olhos-de-Cabra (“Goat-Eyes”) from 1850 and later the Olhos-de-Gato (“Cat-Eyes”). The 1861 stamp to which this commemorative issue refers was printed with a new Goat-Eye design. The stamps were printed at the Brazilian Mint (Casa da Moeda do Brasil).
But why exactly the Netherlands? That has to do with the route a postal item could travel franked with the original stamp. With the 280 Reis value, a letter could be sent to France or England, among others; hence a map of the Channel on the commemorative stamp. The rate of 430 Reis applied to letters up to ¼ ounce to the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sardinia, Tuscany, Austria, Russia, and the German states. Complete original pieces that have traveled this distance are extremely rare.
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