Bull's Eye (postage stamp) Bull's Eye (postage stamp) The Bull's Eye "(Portuguese Olho-de-boi)" postage stamps were the first stamps issued by Brazil, on 1 August 1843, having face values of 30, 60, and 90 réis. Brazil was the second country in the world, after the United Kingdom, to issue postage stamps valid within the entire country (as opposed to a local issue). Like the United Kingdoms's first stamps, the design does not include the country name. The unusual name derives from the ornamental value figures inside the oval settings, and the arrangement of the stamps in the sheet, which permitted se-tenant pairs that looked
Postage stamps and postal history of Switzerland Postage stamps and postal history of Switzerland This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Switzerland. The first stamps used in Switzerland were issued by the cantons of Zürich, Geneva and Basel for their own use, with the first federal issues coming several years later, on April 7, 1850. By March 19, 1798, the Helvetic Republic had come into being; although it was not until September 1798 that the entire country was conquered. According to Napoleon, the country was "liberated" to form itself into a new State, which assumed the title of "Republique Helvetique Une et