AMERIGO VESPUCCI

[shipstamps]

]31 January 2004 the Romanian Post launched a new series of postage stamps, dedicated to a great navigator, Amerigo Vespucci.
The life of Amerigo Vespucci is surrounded by a certain mystery and the information that survived time, are scarce. It seems that he was born in 1454 in Florence, Italy and was given a humanistic education. He worked for Lorenzo and Giovanni de Medici, which sent him to Seville where he encountered the world of navigation.

The number of voyages on sea and the periods when he made them are under fierce debate by nowadays historians. But the voyage under Portuguese auspices, that presumably took place in 1501-1502, is of fundamental importance in the history of geographic discovery. Vespucci himself, and scholars as well, became convinced that the newly discovered lands were not part of Asia as it was thought at that time, but a “New World.” The name for the Americas is derived from his given name.

Towards the end of his life Spain appointed him as chief navigator, a post of great responsibility, which Vespucci held until his death. He died in Seville, Spain in 1512.

Some scholars have held Vespucci to be an ignorant usurper of the merits of others. The fact that Spain entrusted him, a foreigner with the office of chief navigator is sufficient to dispose of this accusation. The Spaniards saw that he possessed an outstanding knowledge of nautical science.

Copied from a leaflet of the Rumanian Post.

The two stamps depict a three-mast sailing vessel, and I am pretty sure it is the Italian training vessel AMERIGO VESPUCCI, 1931, hull form, bowsprit and set of sails are the same as a photo I have of the vessel.

[aukepalmhof]

Chad 2013 300F sgMS?, Scott? All images supplied by Mr Gennadiy Sitnikov.
Burundi 2013 1070F sg?, Scott?
Germany postcard 1992.
Mozambique 2002 110.000 mt sg?, scott? (The sailing ship on the left not identified)
Sao Tome e Principe Dr 4000 sg?, scott?
Bulgaria 1992 50s sg ?, Scott? (The stamp shows no ships.)
Niger 2021 800F sg?, Scott?
St Tome et Pricipe 2004 10,000 Db sg?, Scott?

The vessel depicts on this Chad stamp has noting to do with the Italian training ship AMERIGO VESPUCCI but shows a ship from the time that AMERIGO VESPUCCI sailed most probably of his first expedition in 1499 to South America. Most probably the ship has nothing to do with this expedition, there are not any paintings or drawings of the ships of this expedition found I believe.
The only thing I could find was the ship's names on this expedition but not any detail on the ships.
The ship's names were SAN ANTIAGO, REPERTAGA, WEGIZ and GIRMAND.

[john sefton]

Sierra Leone issue 2022.