Brazil‘s so-called “Bull’s Eye” postage stamps of 1843 are some of the very first postage stamps in the world. Only Britain issued national postage stamps before this; Bull’s Eyes were Brazil’s first national stamps.
The name Bull’s Eye refers to the stamps’ design: in an ornate oval there is a large number — either 30, 60, or 90. The number refers to the stamp’s value in réis, and there is no country name or other text. For those in the know, Bull’s Eyes are instantly recognizable, but for those unfamiliar with them, there is no immediate way to identify that these are Brazilian, or even that they are postage stamps at all.
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Goats, snakes, and cats
In 1844, a variation on the design saw the numbers printed in slanted text. Collectors sometimes try to get one of each denomination of Bull’s Eye stamps. Different later issues in a rectangle instead of an oval, and using many different face values, are variously known as Goat’s Eyes, Snake’s Eyes, and Cat’s Eyes. These are often harder to come by for buyers.
In later years, the Bull’s Eye stamps have been commemorated themselves on recent postage stamps. This testifies to their important place in the history of world philately. Current lists of Brazilian Bull’s Eye postage stamps from 1843 for sale often include later commemorative stamps about the Bull’s Eye. While original Bull’s Eye stamps can be outside the range of some collectors’ budgets, it may be possible to splurge on a nice example, or make do temporarily with a latter-day reissue version.
