This issue commemorates the death of Prince Henry the Navigator on 13 November 1460 in Sagres, Algarve. While Prince Henry managed and sent his exploration and trading expeditions from that region in small and fast caravels, it is a myth that there was a navigation school or scientific centre in Sagres. The portrait on the 3$50 stamp is copied from the one on the 15th century Saint Vincent Panels, which can be seen at the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon. It is however disputed whether that portrait indeed depicts the Prince. The design of the 5$00 stamp is based on the cover of Gomes de Zurara’s 1453 chronicles of the Portuguese discoveries.
In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful sets ever issued by the Portuguese Post. The gilded miniature-like stamp designs, inspired by contemporary sources, are further enhanced by the paper and printing process used. A delight to the eye.
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- Arms
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- Caravel
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- Portrait
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- Motto
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- Barge
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- Map of Sagres peninsula
The stamps were designed by José Pedro Roque and circulated from 4 August 1960 to 30 June 1965. Courvoisier S.A., in Switzerland, printed them in photogravure, on chalk-surfaced paper with coloured silk threads, on sheets of 5×10 stamps, with perforation 12¼×12½.
| Stamp | Print run | Afinsa | Gibbons | Michel | Scott | Yvert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | 15,000,000 | 863 | 1178 | 892 | ||
| 2.50 | 3,000,000 | 864 | 1179 | 893 | ||
| 3.50 | 2,000,000 | 865 | 1180 | 894 | ||
| 5.00 | 1,000,000 | 866 | 1181 | 895 | ||
| 8.00 | 1,000,000 | 867 | 1182 | 896 | ||
| 10.00 | 1,000,000 | 868 | 1183 | 897 |
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