Columbus believed that if he sailed west from Spain he would arrive in the East Indies. This would overcome the advantage the Portuguese had by their explorations of the route around Africa to India.
     Columbus made four voyages from Spain to the Western Hemisphere. He believed that his first voyage had brought him to China and Asia. The other three voyages gradually made it clear that wherever they had arrived it was not the expected Indies.
     The mini-sheet issued by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta has no Scott number because the SMOM is not recognized by the UPO. It was issued in 1992. The souvenir sheet from Grenada also shows the routes of Columbus' four voyages.

     The sheet from St. Vincent shows the course of the voyage of 1492 and records its progress by date.