Columbus is seen with a globe on the stamps from the United States,
the Bahamas, and Norfolk Island. It is part of the design to show that
Columbus believed that the earth was round and that one could reach
the Indies (the East Indies) by sailing west. However, there is only
one known globe at this time. It was a floor model and it was in
Germany, so it is unlikely that Columbus could not have used a globe
to demonstrate his ideas.
The design on the stamp is
based on the painting, Columbus
Before the Franciscans at La Rabida by Felipe Maso de Falp
(1851-1929).
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