Why Collect Brazil?
Classic Dom Pedro stamp with a bug-shaped cancellation.
Many of us remember discovering Brazil -- a country of exotic animals
and fascinating history -- through the National Geographic
magazine. Brazil has a philatelic history that reflects this sense
of adventure and mystery, beginning with the fabled Bull's Eyes in
1843, the first stamps issued in the Western Hemisphere. Brazil was
the second country in the world to issue postage stamps, three years
after Great Britain and four years before the United States. Brazil has
a philatelic past as rich as any nation and with ample room for
specialists of all inclinations. Here are some of the attractions for collectors of Brazil:
- Hand-crafted cancels of great beauty;
- complex postal history linking Europe with the Americas;
- a wealth of collectable varieties and errors;
- an array of pioneer and semi-official airmails; and
- a carnival of beautiful topical stamps.
The following exhibit by the late Klerman Wanderly Lopes (a long-time Vice President of the Brazil Philatelic Association), provides many examples of the fascinating aspects of collecting stamps issued during just one period of Brazil's history -- the reign of Emperor Dom Pedro II:
Brazil philately has it all!
