Macau’s Postal Farewell to Portugal: A Philatelic Retrospective and a Historic Blunder

 On December 19, 1999, Macau’s postal service bid farewell to over four centuries of Portuguese administration with the poignant series “Macau – Retrospective.” These stamps were the last to bear the inscription “Macau – Republic of Portugal” before the handover to China the following day. Yet, just over a year earlier, the Macau Post Office found itself at the center of an embarrassing philatelic blunder—one that forced a rare stamp recall and left collectors amused. 

 

 The Vasco da Gama Misprint: A Date to Remember 

On May 20, 1998, Macau issued a commemorative set honoring the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to India (1498–1998). Designed by Vítor Marreiros, the stamps featured intricate depictions of the explorer’s ships and maps. However, the release contained a glaring error: the stamps mistakenly marked da Gama’s arrival in Calicut as 1598—a full century too late. 

 

By September 1998, the Macau Post Office had issued a corrected version with the proper date (1498), but not before thousands of the erroneous stamps entered circulation. 

 

Collector’s Gold: The “1598” Rarity 

Carlos Roldão Lopes, former director of Macau’s postal service, later quipped: 

“Clearly, whoever snapped up the misprinted stamps added serious value to their collection.”

Today, the 1998 “1598” error stamps are sought-after rarities, with prices reaching hundreds of dollars for mint-condition examples. The corrected 1498 versions, meanwhile, remain affordable (around $5–20 per set). 

 A Philatelic Farewell to Portugal 

The December 1999 “Retrospective” series served as Macau’s final philatelic tribute to Portuguese rule. The stamps showcased iconic landmarks like the Ruins of St. Paul’s and the Guia Lighthouse, blending colonial history with artistry. 

 About the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama’s discovery of the sea route to India  you may read here: Vasco da Gama – the sea route to India

Diego-Suarez in philately

© Andrew Philips

  In 1965, the Madagascar Post Office issued a series of stamps with the coats of arms of Malagasy cities. On one of them is the coat of arms of the city of Diego-Suarez. The history of this town is very interesting.

Coat of arms of Diego-Suarez

 Diego-Suarez, renamed Antsiranana in 1975, is a city in the far north of Madagascar. Antsiranana is the capital of the Diana region, with an estimated population of 115,000 in 2013.

 In December 1885, the Gulf of Diégo-Suarez and its environs became French territory. The first facilities were built in Cap Diégo (Cape Diego). The city then developed on the Antsiranana plateau. The bay is the largest in the world, after Rio de Janeiro, and one of the most beautiful in the world. The extreme north-west coast itself is divided into several rather unusual bays from Cap d'Ambre on the very tip of the island [1].

 

Diego-Suarez Bay

In the 1880s, the bay was of interest to France, who wanted it to become a coaling station for steamboats.

 After the First Franco-Madagascar War, Queen Ranavalona III signed a treaty on December 17, 1885 granting France a protectorate over the gulf and surrounding territory, as well as the islands of Nosy-Be and Sainte-Marie in Madagascar.

 According to the treaty of December 17, 1885, the French occupied the huge coveted bay with a circumference of 110 kilometers from Cap Miné to Nosy Kambero. The new colony is christened the "French Diego-Suarez Establishments" and its management is entrusted to Captain Caillet, who became the founder of the city of Diego-Suarez.

 

The Queen Ranavalona III, Yv. 1855, 2004r., overprint 2008r. Yv. 1896

 The first barracks were erected at Cap Diego, which housed the artillery directorate and the Colony's disciplinary company. Opposite are the administrative services, infantry and marine artillery. The first inhabitants of the new city were Creoles from Réunion, Mauritians coming directly from this island or from Toamasina and Mahajanga, and natives from the islands of Sainte-Marie, Nosy Be and Mayotte, which were already French possessions at that time. There are also many Makoa fleeing from their owners in Antankarana and Sakalava provinces. In 1886, the colony already had 2,500 inhabitants.

 Civilian Governor Ernest Froger [2] succeeded Captain Caillet in 1887. He was assisted by Marine Artillery Commander Rocard and Marine Lieutenant Colonel Juville. From 1888, he began reorganizing the French colonies in Madagascar.

 By decree of May 4, 1888, it connects the islands of Nosy Be and Sainte-Marie with the French plants of Diego-Suarez. This decision is followed by the possession of the islands of Nosy Faly and Nosy Mitsio "by the cession made by King Antankaran, Tsimiaro, in 1841". The ceremony takes place on site, respectively, in Nosy Faly, April 19, 1889, and in Nosy Mitsio, April 22, 1889. It is presided over by Froger, Civil Governor Diego-Suarez, in the presence of the King of Antankarana, Tsialana II, resident Prince of Nosy Faly , Ndrivotso and the commander of Nosy Be, Joseph François.[3]

 The decree of May 4, 1888 stated that:

“Article 1: The Island of Nossi-Be with its dependencies and the Territory of Diego-Suarez will henceforth form a single government, with its headquarters in Diégo-Suarez.

Article 2: The island of Sainte-Marie in Madagascar ceases to be dependent on the Government of Réunion and is annexed to the Government of Diégo-Suarez.[4]

 Hence, at that time, the inscription "Diego-Suarez et dependences" appears on the postage stamps, i.e. Diego-Suarez with the associated areas.

 Decree of January 28, 1896 of the Ministry of Colonies joins the Malagasy colonies of Diego-Suarez Nossi-Be and Sainte-Marie [5].

 The activity of the post office becomes more regular at this time: we can exchange letters and parcels with the metropolis. Franking letters becomes more "official". Indeed, at the end of 1890, the postal exemption for occupying troops was abolished: the colony had no stamps at that time. To solve this problem, Governor Froger decided by an ordinance of September 8, 1890, to issue postage stamps urgently:

 "At the request of the head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration. Due to the urgent need:

Article 1; - The printing of postal items of various values strictly necessary to ensure the operation of the Diego Suarez postal service will be ensured without delay.

 The sheets consisted of 56 stamps, 7 rows of 8 vignettes. Not all the printed values were used, because on October 10, 1890, the postage stamps ordered in Paris arrived, and all that remained was burned. Needless to say, these stamps, printed in a small number of copies, are valued by collectors and especially counterfeiters!

 

A makeshift post office from 1890

In a short time, from 1890 to 1894, 50 stamps were issued in the Diego-Suarez colony, plus 13 surcharge stamps. Initially, in 1890, postage stamps were in circulation, common to all French colonies, but with a new denomination overprint. In 1891, the name of the colony was printed on the stamps: "Diego-Suarez". In addition, in the years 1890-1891, postage stamps with original drawings were printed by the local printing house. The stamps also had the inscriptions in French: "République Française" ("French Republic") and "Postes" ("Post Office"). In addition, the original stamps bear the inscription: "Diego Suarez et Dependances" ("Diego Suarez and dependencies")

 After the inclusion of Diego Suarez in Madagascar, stamps of the latter began to be used on its territory (since 1898).[6]

   1890 Basic stamps "French Colonies" with manually stamped denominations:

 

 

 

1891 inscription Diego Suárez

  

 

1891 Basic stamps "French colonies" overprinted 1891 Diego Suarez

 

    

1892 "French Colonies" principal stamps overprinted "DIÉGO-SUAREZ" (values 1,2,4,5,10,15,20,25,30,35,75 cents and 1 franc)

 

    

 1892 Inscription: "DIÈGO-SUAREZ ET DEPENDANCES" (values 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 75 cents and 1 franc)

 

 

1894 Inscription: "DIÉGO-SUAREZ" (values 1,2,4,5, 10, 15, 20,25, 30, 40, 50, 75 cents and

1 franc)

 

  1891 surcharge stamps

 

  

 

1891 surcharge stamps of the French Colonies with the overprint "DIEGO_SUAREZ", denominations of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 60 cents and 1 franc.

 

        

 

Much earlier, in 1885, customs duty stamps were introduced for goods leaving the city of Diégo Suarez. At the end of the 19th century, the Customs Office marked the border of the European quarter and separated it from the "bushes". There are European and African women in the illustration. They were printed in 4 x 5c, 2 x 50c, 2 x 1F sheets. The inscription "octroi" (excise).

  

 

Customs makeshifts from 1885

  

Customs makeshifts from 1885

After 1973, the naval base of Diego-Suarez was taken over by the Malagasy army. The main base of the Malagasy navy is Antsiranana, which already served as the base of the colonial French navy. Naval detachments are also located in Nosy-Be, Mahajanga, Ile Sainte-Marie and in Fort-Dauphin.[7]

 

 

Fort-Dauphin

Eight ships are in service with the navy , including an old French EDIC-class amphibious assault ship, a tugboat, and seven patrol boats of various types [8].

Notes

---

[1]  Iss Heridiny, Histoire : Port et baie d'Antsiranana : Base navale et zone commerciale - (midi-madagasikara.mg), 10/07/2019

[2] Ernest Forger, b. April 4, 1848 - Saint Florent le Vieil (France), d. December 22, 1926 - Saint Brévin les Pins (France), Professor of History and Literature at the Naval School (1876-1885), Governor Diégo Suarez (1887), Professor of Philosophy [source: geneanet.org]

[3]Pela Ravaitera, 11/08/2023, Une nouvelle colonie française est née dans le Nord (lexpress.mg)

[4] Suzanne Reutt , Les premières années de Diego Suarez - 1888: Quel avenir pour Diego Suarez? (cyber-diego.com) , April 1, 2019

[5] Suzanne Reutt , Les premières années de Diego Suarez - 1895-1896 : Grandeur et décadence de Diego Suarez (cyber-diego.com) , 2019-10-15

[6]wikipedia History post office i post office morocco Diego - Suaresha — Wikipedia (wikipedia.org)

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_Navy

[8]Maciej Szopa, Armies of the World: People's Armed Forces of Madagascar, November 11, 2022, https://defence24.pl/

  

Fado w filatelistce

W artykułach o fado, o  wykonawcach fado i o Amálii Rodrigues jako ilustracje wykorzystałem niektóre emisje pocztowe. Natomiast fado w filatelistce można znacznie poszerzyć.

W 2012 roku Poczta Portugalska już po wpisaniu fado na Listę Niematerialnego Dziedzictwa Ludzkości UNESCO uhonorowała ten fakt znaczkiem.

Ponadto seria ta umiętniła kolejnych wybitnych wykonawców fado: Vicente da Câmara, Argentinę Santos, Rodrigo, Marię da Fé, Camané i Marizę.

Również 100 rocznica urodzin Amálii Rodrigues znalazła odzwierciedlenie w serii znaczków wydanej 23 lipca 2020 roku [1].

Znaczek za 0,53 € przedstawia sceniczna tunikę Amalii oraz  Amália w Brejão, lata 80 [2].

Znaczek 0,86 € przedstawia szal Amalii oraz Amália na koncercie, lata 80. 

Bloczek z tej serii przedstawia Amália na koncercie w Cartago, 1972.  Centralna część bloczka: Amália w audycji radiowej „Comboio das Seis e Meia”, 1952.  Po prawej stronie: Amália w ogrodzie swojego domu przy Rua de São Bento, lata 90. Tło: Sukienka noszona podczas wycieczki do Japonii, lata 80.; 

Lewy górny róg - Amália w swoim domu w Brejão, lata 80.; prawy górny róg -  Amália w ogrodzie swojego domu przy Rua de São Bento, lata 90. 

Nota:

[1] Chociaż we wszystkich jej dokumentach oficjalnych figuruje data urodzenia 23 lipca, Amália zawsze obchodziła swoje urodziny 1 lipca (w sezonie na czereśnie). Jakkolwiek ostatnie badania wykazały, że urodziła się w Fundão 1 lipca 1915 r., ale z powodu braku pieniędzy na opłaty rejestracyjne, została zarejestrowana w Lizbonie dopiero w 1920 r. [wikipedia]

[2] Brejão, miejscowość w gminie São Teotónio (powiat Odemira) w Portugalii – tu, 2 km od tej miejscowości,  Amália Rodrigues i César Seabra, jej mąż od 36 lat, nabyli w latach 60-tych nieruchomość na Costa Vicentina (Portugalia), gdzie powstał ich zadziwiający i „przezroczysty” dom wakacyjny – projekt wielkiego architekta Conceição e Silva. Posiadłość Amálii była przez około 30 lat miejscem wypoczynku  dla obojga. 

[https://amaliarodrigues.pt/pt/amalia/] 

Sławni śpiewacy fado