I received this very informative set of three se-tenant stamps from Ricardo in Brazil. They show the Estrada Real ("Royal Road"), a colonial-era road in Brazil which was started by the Portuguese colonists and their African slaves in 1697 shortly after gold, diamonds, and other precious minerals were discovered in the present-day state of Minas Gerais. The purpose of the road was to facilitate the movement of those minerals from the interior to the coast and thence to Lisbon.
The Estrada Real is made up of 177 cities (162 in Minas Gerais, 8 in Rio de Janeiro and 7 in São Paulo) split in three roads, the Old Road, which connects Paraty and Ouro Preto, the New Road, from Rio de Janeiro to Ouro Preto and the Road of the Diamonds, from Ouro Preto to Diamantina.
The middle stamp is made by a special technique, the ancient road being hard to touch (like a stone).
There is also a special cancellation celebrating 20th anniversary of the Recreative Association of the Postal Workers of Sao Paulo Metropolitana.
Thank you, Ricardo!
No comments:
Post a Comment