Early Portuguese Postage Stamps (1853-1900)

The first Portuguese postage stamps were issued on July 1, 1853, featuring the portrait of Queen Maria II. These early stamps were produced by lithography and engraving, with values ranging from 5 reis to 100 reis. Some key facts about these early stamps:

  • The 5 reis brown, 25 reis dark blue, 50 reis green, and 100 reis purple were part of the first issue
  • Perforations were either imperforated or 12½
  • Colours included brown, dark blue, green, bluish green, and purple
  • The 25 reis rose and 50 reis green were later issued with perforations of 11, 12½, 13½, and 14
  • These stamps were in use until 1900

Portuguese Postage Stamps in the 20th Century

In the early 1900s, Portugal issued stamps commemorating the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator’s birth in 1894 and Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India in 1898. The Vasco da Gama designs were also used in Portugal’s African colonies. Other notable Portuguese stamp issues include:

  • The Ceres type definitive issued after the 1910 revolution
  • Airplanes depicted starting in 1923 after the Gago Coutinho–Sacadura Cabral flight to Brazil
  • The Caravel type first appearing in 1943
  • The Medieval Knight design in 1953
  • Portugal’s first railway stamp in 1956

The volume of Portuguese stamp issues increased significantly from the 1960s onward. In 2002, the currency on Portuguese stamps changed from escudos to euros. Today, Portugal continues to issue a wide variety of commemorative and thematic stamps. Recent issues have featured topics like the 150th anniversary of the Carris public transportation company, endemic species of Madeira, and the 500th anniversary of the Casa dos Bicos building in Lisbon