Brazil 1884 – Southern Cross
Here it is – the very first astro stamp ever, Brazil SG number 84 from 1884. The cross is a
powerful Christian symbol, so it is not surprising that Brazil, a devoutly
Catholic country, should choose to depict the celestial Southern Cross on a
stamp. This is a realistic depiction of the constellation Crux, including the
fifth star, Epsilon Crucis, distinctively offset from the centre, that is left
out of other, purely symbolic representations. The stamp was issued in one
value and one colour – the Gibbons catalogue describes it as blue, although this example looks more
like slate grey, evidently due to ageing. Its size is virtually identical to
that of a present-day British Machin. Top-quality mint copies have a catalogue
value up to £200. Illustrated here is a lightly postmarked used copy.
Note: The date 1884 is as given in the Gibbons Simplified Catalogue. Some other
catalogues give the issue date as 1887. I have not resolved this inconsistency.
Anyone who knows for sure is invited to contact me.
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||