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Secondary sourceArtifact1913

United States Postage Stamp Depicting Vasco Nunez de Balboa

1913

A 1913 American commemorative stamp honoring Balboa's discovery of the Pacific Ocean, held in a Swedish collection.

This commemorative stamp honors Balboa's 1513 discovery of the Pacific Ocean, marking its 400th anniversary.

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Scan of a green United States one-cent postage stamp with a dark postmark cancellation across it. The stamp reads 'U.S. POSTAGE', 'SAN FRANCISCO 1915', 'BALBOA 1513', and 'ONE CENT'. The central oval portrait shows a bearded man in a helmet-like hat, with a wave and palm trees in the background.
United States commemorative postage stamp depicting Vasco Nunez de Balboa, 1913. Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology.

About this source

What it is

This green one-cent United States postage stamp from 1913 shows a portrait of Vasco Núñez de Balboa with a wave and palm trees in the background. It was issued to mark the opening of the Panama Canal and the 400th anniversary of Balboa's discovery of the Pacific Ocean. The stamp is held in the Swedish National Museum of Science and Technology as part of a philatelic collection.

Why it matters

This stamp shows how Balboa was remembered centuries later as a symbol of exploration, specifically tied to the building of the Panama Canal. It reflects how nations use historical figures on everyday objects to commemorate major anniversaries and achievements.

Look closer

  • Why might the United States choose to honor a Spanish explorer on a stamp marking the Panama Canal?
  • What symbols (like the wave and palm trees) are used to represent Balboa's achievement?
  • What does the postmark tell you about how and where this stamp was actually used?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Vasco Nunez de Balboa on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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