Portugal 2003 5€ 150 Years 1st Portuguese Stamp

It was during the reign of D. Maria II that the first Portuguese stamps were issued, in 1853.
Inspired by the English stamps - the first stamps in the world - the Portuguese stamps presented the bust of the queen, like the circulation coins of that time.
The first stamps were issued on July 1, 1853 with a face value of 5 and 25 reis. In the same month, 50 and 100 reis stamps were also issued.

The first postage stamp appeared - in 1840 - for the sender to pay the shipping fee. Until then, the tariff was borne by the recipient - which caused a large number of returns.