Laos
Dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals on stamps and postmarks of Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, or commonly referred
to by its colloquial name of Muang Lao is a landlocked country in the
heart of the Indochinese peninsula of Mainland Southeast Asia, bordered
by Myanmar (Burma) and China to the northwest,
Vietnam to the east,
Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west.
Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the 14th to the 18th century.
In 1893, it became a French protectorate, with the three territories uniting to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after the Japanese occupation ended, but returned to French rule until it was granted autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. Shortly after independence, a long civil war overthrew the monarchy, when the Communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975. [R1]
The first stamps of Laos were issued on 13 November 1951. Before then stamps of French Indo-China were used.
Laotian stamps were printed by multiple companies from different countries as Laos’s political situation changed. Therefore, there are many varieties of printing techniques used and many stamp designs exist, as each publisher used different equipment and design styles.
According to Stanley Gibbons catalog, stamps of Laos were printed in the following countries:
Notes:
[1] This series was presented as part of "JUVALUX 88", 9th Youth Stamp Exhibition Stamp Luxembourg (29 March-4 April 1988).
All images are based on illustrations of famous Czech paleo-artist Zdenek Burian.
Phororhacus is misnamed Phororhacos.
The names Tyrannosaurus and Trachodon are swapped on stamps with face value of 50k and 3k. The Trachodon stamp from 1995 spelled correctly.
The original painting by Burian is reproduced below:
Full title of this piece is: "Carnivorous dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex attacking herbivorous saurians Trachodon annectens; in the background, Struthiomimus saurains. Late Cretaceous of North America". Painted by Zdeněk Burian in 1938, for Czech paleontologist Josef Augusta. Published in book "Prehistoric Animals" in 1960.
[2] Many stamps of prehistoric animals from 1960s to 1990s were based on illustrations of the famous Czechoslovakian paleoartist Zdenek Burian.
The following stamps depict the dinosaurs Iguanodon and Tyrannosaurus from the set of "Baconao National Park I", Cuba 1985 and "Dinosaurs", Laos 1988 that look almost identical.
Tyrannosaurus on the stamp of Laos, misnamed Trachodon.
[3] In this series, the names of the animals are printed in Latin and Spanish because the company that printed them was based in Cuba.
Legend is here
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page and his very valuable comments.
Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the 14th to the 18th century.
In 1893, it became a French protectorate, with the three territories uniting to form what is now known as Laos. It briefly gained independence in 1945 after the Japanese occupation ended, but returned to French rule until it was granted autonomy in 1949. Laos became independent in 1953, with a constitutional monarchy under Sisavang Vong. Shortly after independence, a long civil war overthrew the monarchy, when the Communist Pathet Lao movement came to power in 1975. [R1]
The first stamps of Laos were issued on 13 November 1951. Before then stamps of French Indo-China were used.
Laotian stamps were printed by multiple companies from different countries as Laos’s political situation changed. Therefore, there are many varieties of printing techniques used and many stamp designs exist, as each publisher used different equipment and design styles.
According to Stanley Gibbons catalog, stamps of Laos were printed in the following countries:
- 1951-1976: France, State Printing company in Paris
- 1977-1980: East Germany (GDR), Security Printing company in Leipzig
- 1981-1985: Cuba, State Printing company in Havana
- 1986: Soviet Union: State Printing company in Moscow
- 1986-1994: Cuba, State Printing company in Havana
- 1994-1997: Vietnam, Post Printing company in Ho Chi Minh City
- 1997-now: Thailand, Thai-British Security Co. Ltd. in Bangkok
Official stamps of Laos related to Paleontology: dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals
| 03.03.1988 "Prehistoric Animals" [1] [2] | 20.01.1994 "Prehistoric Birds" | 08.12.1994 "Dinosaurs" |
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| 20.02.1995 "Dinosaurs" [3] | ||
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Notes:
[1] This series was presented as part of "JUVALUX 88", 9th Youth Stamp Exhibition Stamp Luxembourg (29 March-4 April 1988).
All images are based on illustrations of famous Czech paleo-artist Zdenek Burian.
Phororhacus is misnamed Phororhacos.
The names Tyrannosaurus and Trachodon are swapped on stamps with face value of 50k and 3k. The Trachodon stamp from 1995 spelled correctly.
The original painting by Burian is reproduced below:
Full title of this piece is: "Carnivorous dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex attacking herbivorous saurians Trachodon annectens; in the background, Struthiomimus saurains. Late Cretaceous of North America". Painted by Zdeněk Burian in 1938, for Czech paleontologist Josef Augusta. Published in book "Prehistoric Animals" in 1960.
[2] Many stamps of prehistoric animals from 1960s to 1990s were based on illustrations of the famous Czechoslovakian paleoartist Zdenek Burian.
The following stamps depict the dinosaurs Iguanodon and Tyrannosaurus from the set of "Baconao National Park I", Cuba 1985 and "Dinosaurs", Laos 1988 that look almost identical.
Tyrannosaurus on the stamp of Laos, misnamed Trachodon.
 |
 |
| Iguanodon and Tyrannosaurus dinosaurs on stamps of Cuba 1985 MiNr.: 2921, 2925 Scott: 2767, 2771. | Iguanodon and Tyrannosaurus (misnamed Trachodon) dinosaurs on stamps of Laos 1988 MiNr.: 1077, 862, Scott: 1075, 860. |
[3] In this series, the names of the animals are printed in Latin and Spanish because the company that printed them was based in Cuba.
Commemorative postmarks of Laos related to Paleontology: dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals
Legend is here
| 03.03.1988 "Prehistoric Animals" [FDC] [1] | 20.01.1994 "Prehistoric Birds" [FDC] | 20.02.1995 "Dinosaurs" [FDC] [2] |
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References
- [R1] Laos: Wikipedia, WikiTravel, FlagCounter.
- [R2] Postal History and Philately of Laos:
Wikipedia,
SICP,
"Philatelie" Magazine Nr. 526 from April 2021 (on German),
Links to official website of the Post Authority, stamp catalog and a list of new stamps of Laos are here. - [R3] Dinosaurs of Laos: aictpl2.pagesperso-orange.fr, Fossil Wiki, Savannakhet Dinosaur Museum,
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page and his very valuable comments.