Front:
OEF OUR
CHICAGO
1992
22
1992
60601
Krởo FLEET OF COLUMBUS • X
Back:
FLEET OF COLUMBUS
First Day of Issue: May 22, 1992
First Issue Location: Chicago, Illinois
By modern standards, the ships of Columbus were tiny.
But for the era, they were state-of-the-art, particularly the
Niña and the Pinta. These ships, known as caravels, were
light — each about 60 tons — swift and maneuverable
and could sail into the wind. Where the Santa Maríawas
the workhorse of the small, three-ship fleet, the Niña and
the Pinta were the racehorses. On September 6, 1492, the
three vessels sailed west from the Canary Islands for the
vast unknown. The 4-cent Fleet of Columbus stamp
issued in 1893 depicted this beautiful fleet en route to the
New World. Although many philatelists presumed that
the design of the stamp was taken from a Spanish engrav-
ing, an extensive search turned up the truth at the Spanish
Naval Museum in Madrid. There, a painting with the title
The Three Caravel on Their Way to America is displayed.
Painted by Rafael Monleon y Torres, this treasured art-
work was the basis for this stamp.
No. 92-31
First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™
©1992 Fleetwood, Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001
Original painting The Three Caravel on Their way to America by Rafael Monleon y
Torres, Spanish Naval Museum, Madrid.
Fleetwood
