Brazil stamps worth money

6 notable rare Brazilian stamps

Listed roughly in date order, not ranked by price. Figures are only given where a named source records them.

1. 1

   Bull's Eye 90 réis

   1843

   Why it is rare

   The scarcest of the three values: 349,182 were printed, against 1,148,994 of the 30 réis and 1,502,142 of the 60 réis, and it was reserved for international mail. On 30 March 1846 the post office collected and destroyed the remaining 466,711 stamps.

   What drives the value

   Unused or used, the width of the margins on all four sides, and the postmark. Correios notes that of 117 different postmarks recorded on Bull's Eyes, 68 are considered extremely rare, so the cancel can matter as much as the stamp.

   How to recognize it

   A large 90 in an oval of engine-turned lines on a black background. No country name, no portrait, imperforate. The stamps were cut apart with scissors; Brazil's first perforated stamps date from 1866.

   Documented figures

   Print runs: 30 réis 1,148,994; 60 réis 1,502,142; 90 réis 349,182 (Wikipedia, matching the figures given by Correios).

   Sources: Wikipedia, Correios (text by the Brazilian Philatelic Federation)

   Bull's Eye value guide
2. 2

   Bull's Eye 30 and 60 réis

   1843

   Why it is rare

   These are the more plentiful values, with over a million of each printed. Correios says plainly that a Bull's Eye is not, in itself, a rare stamp. Value comes from condition, scarce postmarks, multiples and covers.

   What drives the value

   Condition, margins and cancellation. Large multiples are great rarities: Correios lists a block of nine 30 réis and one complete mint sheet of the 60 réis among the few large pieces that survive.

   How to recognize it

   The same design as the 90 réis with a 30 or 60. Check the fine background lines carefully; in most forgeries the network of lines differs from the genuine stamps.

   Sources: Wikipedia, Correios (text by the Brazilian Philatelic Federation), Evert Klaseboer

   Bull's Eye value guide
3. 3

   The Pack Strip (two 30 réis and one 60 réis)

   1843

   Why it is rare

   Some of the first printing plates combined different values, so stamps of different denominations could be printed side by side. This strip of two 30 réis and one 60 réis is named after the Chicago collector Charles Lathrop Pack, a former owner, and is also known as the xiphopagus triplet.

   What drives the value

   It is one of a kind, with a long pedigree, and is billed as the most famous item in Brazilian philately.

   How to recognize it

   Mixed denominations joined in one strip. Any other mixed-value Bull's Eye multiple would be a major discovery and would need expert certification.

   Documented figures

   Sold by Robert A. Siegel in New York on 5 June 2008 for $1,900,000, according to Wikipedia's list of the most expensive philatelic items. The pre-sale estimate was $1 million to $1.5 million.

   Sources: Correios (text by the Brazilian Philatelic Federation), Wikipedia, AuctionPublicity

4. 4

   Inclinados (slanting numerals), especially 180, 300 and 600 réis

   1844–1846

   Why it is rare

   The Inclinados replaced the Bull's Eyes from July 1844. The 180, 300 and 600 réis were issued on 5 June 1845 and are individually rarer and more expensive than the lower values. Unused copies are extremely rare in general, and only five letters are known from 1844.

   What drives the value

   Value, unused or used, margins and covers. Early covers are especially scarce.

   How to recognize it

   Smaller than the Bull's Eyes (17 mm high by 22 mm wide), with italic slanting numerals, no country name, imperforate, on extra-thin paper meant to prevent reuse.

   Documented figures

   Only 5 letters from 1844 are known (Correios, 2024).

   Sources: Correios, Correios (text by the Brazilian Philatelic Federation)

5. 5

   Vertical numerals of 1850–1861 (Cat's Eyes and Goat's Eyes)

   1850–1861

   Why it is rare

   Upright numerals issued from 1850, mostly in black, with later values in other colors, including the 1861 280 réis red and 430 réis yellow. The low values are common. The 180, 280, 300, 430 and 600 réis are rated scarce in Evert Klaseboer's forgery catalogue.

   What drives the value

   Value and color, margins, and genuine cancellations. Reprints and forgeries are a constant issue.

   How to recognize it

   A plain upright numeral in an oval of fine lines, no country name, imperforate. Names vary between sources: English Wikipedia calls the blue ones goat's eyes and the black ones cat's eyes, while some specialists use the names differently.

   Sources: Wikipedia, Evert Klaseboer

6. 6

   Dom Pedro II portrait issues: 1866 'black beard' and 1878 'white beard'

   1866–1884

   Why it is rare

   From 1866 the emperor appeared on Brazil's stamps until 1884, first with a black beard and from 1878 with a white one. The low values are common used. The scarce ones are the unused high values and some rouletted stamps: Evert Klaseboer's catalogue rates the unused 80 and 500 réis of 1866 rouletted, and the 200, 260, 700 and 1000 réis white beard, as very rare (RR).

   What drives the value

   Unused or used, perforated or rouletted, the value and centering. Used copies of the higher white-beard values are scarce as well.

   How to recognize it

   A portrait of Dom Pedro II. The 1866 issue exists perforated 12 or rouletted; the 1878 white-beard stamps are rouletted, with slits rather than round holes between stamps.

   Sources: Wikipedia, Evert Klaseboer

What are most Brazilian stamps worth?

Most Brazil stamps are common. Even among the classics, Correios notes that a single Bull's Eye is not a rare stamp by itself. Its value depends on which value it is, whether it is new or used, its condition and its postmark.

Stamps from the 20th century onward were printed for everyday mail across several currency reforms. They are worth checking for errors and scarce varieties, but a typical page of them is worth little. The money in a Brazil collection is almost always in the numeral issues of 1843 to 1866.

How to identify Brazilian stamps

These checks narrow a stamp down to the exact issue. That matters because a rare variety and a common one often share the same design.

For a broader walkthrough, see the Brazilian stamp identification guide and the checklist on how to identify rare stamps.

Fakes, reprints and forged overprints

Seventeen kinds of Bull's Eye forgeries are recorded, by makers including Spiro, Zechmeyer, Oneglia and Patroni, Mercier and Jean de Sperati, who copied the 60 and 90 réis. In most forgeries the network of background lines differs from the genuine stamps.

François Fournier offered forged 180, 300 and 600 réis Inclinados and forged 280 and 430 réis vertical numerals in 1914. Imperforate reprints of all the black vertical-numeral values were made in January 1910 on thick paper. For any classic Brazil stamp of value, get an expert certificate.