Portugal 1989 - 100 Escudos - 570th Anniversary of discovery of Madeira and Porto Santo

KM #:  647
Metal: Copper-Nickel (issued also in 0.925 silver, 0.917 gold, and 0.999 palladium)
Weight: 16.5 grams
Diameter:  34 mm
Thickness: 2.8 mm
Engraver: Isabel Carrico, Fernando Branco (reverse)
Demonetized: 2002
Mintage: 2,000,000

This coin is recent addition to my collection, bought at the SIPA Exhibition, Chennai on July 25 - 27, 2014.

The coin was issued to commemorate 570th Anniversary of discovery of Madeira and Porto Santo.

The reverse depicts the square-rigged vessel Sao Lourenco of the Portuguese navigator Joao Goncalvez Zarco in 1419/20, and relief maps of Madeira (below the ship) and of Porto Santo (at top right). The time of this voyage strongly suggests that Zarco's vessel of trade in northern Europe, and is generally described as being a little larger than the barca (bark), which was commonly used in southern Europe. A barinel was perhaps 50 - 60 ft long and 15 - 18 ft in beam. The bonnet of the sail with the words AVE MARIA inscribed on it was a common nautical motif of the time. The reverse legend 1420 MADEIRA - PORTO SANTO 1419 marks the rediscovery of these two islands by Zarco and his companion Tristao Vaz Teixeira. They first discovered Porto Santo. From there they sailed out to the island nearby that could be seen in clear weather. They named it Ilha da Madeira (Island of Timber) as the island was densely covered with trees. The long tongue of land on Madeira they named Sao Lourenco, for Zarco's ship. At the time of discovery, Madeira was uninhabited. Settlers soon followed after the discovery. Their sugar plantations created a demand for slave labor, which served as an incentive to explore the western coast of Africa.

Text Source:
1. Numista.com
2. Watercraft on World Coins, Vol II - by Yossi Dotan

NRP Sagres III

Received this postcard from a postcrossing user in Netherland, depicting the tall ship NRP Sagress III school ship of the Portuguese Navy since 1961. It is the third ship with this name in the Portuguese Navy, so she is also known as Sagres III. It is also depicted in a postage stamp issued by France in 1999. Click here to see the stamp.

Following a number of international training voyages, the ship was used as a stationary office ship after the outbreak of World War II and was only put into ocean-going service again in 1944 in the Baltic Sea. On 14 November 1944 she hit a Soviet mine off Sassnitz and had to be towed to port in Swinemünde. Eventually transferred to Flensburg, she was taken over there by the Allies when the war ended and finally confiscated by the United States.

In 1948, the U.S. sold her to Brazil for a symbolic price of $5,000 USD.[1] She was towed to Rio de Janeiro, and for Brazil she sailed as a school ship for the Brazilian Navy under the name Guanabara. In 1961, the Portuguese Navy bought her to replace the old school ship Sagres II (which was transferred to Hamburg, where she is a museum ship under her original name Rickmer Rickmers). The Portuguese Navy renamed her Sagres (the third ship of that name), and she is still in service.

Source: Wikipedia

SS Principe Perfeito

Date of Issue: May 09, 2012

Thanks to my friend from Silves in Portugal, Manuel Inacio Felicia Moreira for sending me this Maxi card as well as Maxi cards of Azores and Madeira, and the First Day Cover comprising all three stamps.

These stamps were issued on Europa - CEPT theme of 2012, "Visit..."

SS Principe Perfeito:  was a passenger ship built in 1961 by Swan Hunter on the River Tyne. She first entered service for the Companhia Nacional de Navegacao, often abbreviated as CNN.

The first voyage of Principe Perfeito, which began in Lisbon to Africa with calls at nine different ports and then ended at Beira Harbour in Mozambique, was a run that would become her usual voyage.

Due to political instability in the Portuguese African colonies, Principe Perfeito was laid up at Lisbon in 1976. That April she was sold and then changed owners at various intervals and by 2001 she was scraped at Alang, India.

Text Source: Wikipedia

Portugal and Thailand Diplomatic Relations - 500th Anniv

Date of Issue: July 20, 2011

Portugal and Thailand Jointly Issued set of four stamps to commemorate 500 years of friendship between the two countries.

In the reign of King Ramathibodi II of the Ayutthaya Period, Portugal was the first Western nation to come into contact with Thailand. There were trade transactions and co-orpration in many areas.

 So, the relationships between Thailand and Portugal dates back almost five centuries when the two countries established diplomatic ties on February 10th, 1859 by the signing of a trade and navigation agreement. In 1981, Thailand opened its first embassy in Lisbon whereas Portugal established its consular office in Bangkok in 1818.

The design in first pair of stamps shows Portuguese trading ships and small house boats of Thailand along the coast of Thailand. The second pair of stamps shows busy harbor life in Thailand in olden days.

Portugal: Charles Darwin Birth Bicentenary (1809 - 2009)

Date of Issue: February 12, 2009

This souvenir sheet was issued exactly on Charles Darwin's Birthday, along with a set of six stamps. Many other countries too commemorated this event by issuing postage stamps.

Charles Robert Darwin FRS (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.

The design of the stamp sheet is based on the watercolor painting by Conrad Martens, draughtsman of HMS Beagle, and also a landscape painter.

Portugal-Korea Diplomatic Relations - 50th Anniv

Date of Issue: April 15, 2011

Portugal issued two stamps to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relationship with Korea. The first stamp shows The Turtle Ship of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin and the other stamp shows The Portuguese Nau.

Many thanks to my friends Luis Melo and Manuel Moreira for sending me the stamp set, First Day Cover, and brochure with stamps and first day cancellation.

Click here to see the Korean stamps of same issue.

Card #2 from Portugal, naval war scene on tile mural

Another fantastic card from my friend Laura Termes, posted at Portugal on her way back from Egypt to England. I am impressed to have a friend like her, picking a card of my choice, remembering me even on her vacation. Thank you Laura.

Mural - any piece of artwork painted directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface.

Tile Mural - Tile murals / tile paintings, which cover complete walls and give a wall painting-like impression. Tile murals are typically found in countries around the Mediterranean Sea such as Morocco, Tunisia and Arabic countries, in Portugal and Spain mostly in an often monochrom-colored form, the Azulejo.

The Azulejo refers to a typical form of Portuguese or Spanish painted, tin-glazed, ceramic tile work. They have become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture, manifesting without interruption during five centuries the consecutive trends in art.

Azulejos can be found inside and outside churches, palaces, ordinary houses and even train stations or subway stations. They were not only used as an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control at homes. Many azulejos chronicle major historical and cultural aspects of Portuguese history.

The card above depicts an 18th Century naval war scene on tile mural.

Source: Wikipedia

Ship on Portugal 5 Escudo coin, 1977

Year of Issue: 1977
KM #: 591
Wt: 7.0 g
Diameter: 24.5 mm
Metal: Cupro-nickel

hanks to blogger friend, Ms. Malini from Singapore for sending me this coin.

The 5 Escudo coin with a ship sailing to the right was introduced in 1963 and was minted till 1985, until the new coinage was introduced.

Click here to see other coins with ships in my collection.

Source: Wikipedia, Krause World Coins catalog.

Ship on Portugal 2-1/2 Escudo coin, 1982

Year of Issue: 1982
KM #: 590
Wt: 3.50 g
Diameter: 20 mm
Metal: Cupro-nickel

Thanks to blogger friend, Ms. Malini from Singapore for sending me this coin.

The 2-1/2 Escudo coin with a ship sailing to the right was introduced in 1963 and was minted till 1985, until the new coinage was introduced.

Click here to see other coins with ships in my collection.

Source: Wikipedia, Krause World Coins catalog.

Public Water Transport, Lisbon

Date of Issue: May 22, 1989
Scott #: 1781

Many thanks to Mr. Manuel Moreira from Silves, south of Portugal for sending me this beautiful souvenir sheet.

This souvenir sheet was issued along with a set of four stamps in the series - Public Transportation, Lisbon.

In this sheet is depicted Cacilheiros - boats that connect the two banks of the River Tagus.


View Larger Map

Once these boats shuttled from Lisbon to Cacilhas, Seixal, Montijo, and Trafaria. All these boats belonged to the company - Transtejo e a Soflusa. Until the construction of the bridge over the Tagus (inaugurated on August 06, 1966), these boats were the only link between the two shores of the River Tagus and are now replaced by modern catamarans.

Some of these old boats have been restored and reused for work, such as restaurant.

N.R.P. Almirante Gago Coutinho, Hydrographic Ship

Date of Issue: November 25, 2005
Scott #: 2783

This is one of the four stamps issued in the series - Modernization of the Portuguese Navy.

The ship depicted in the stamp is N.R.P. Almirante Gago Coutinho, a hydrograhpic ship (hydrography - also includes oceanography and limnology. Hydrography refers to measuring and studying physical characteristics of waters such as tides, current, waves, ocean bed with particular emphasis on those marine geographical features that pose a hazard to navigation such as rocks, shoals, reefs and other features that obstruct ship passage, in order to provide safe navigation of vessels in navigable waters).

The NRP "Almirante Gago Coutinho" was part of a fleet of 10 vessels of Portuguese Navy for surveillance and detection of anti-submarines.