Argentina 2012 "200th Anniversary of The Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum"
Issue Date |
28.04.2012 |
ID |
Michel: 3454-3457;
Scott: 2653-2566;
Stanley Gibbons: 3496-3499;
Yvert:
Category: pF |
Designer |
Photography of Mounting of elephant skeleton: Museum's Historical Archive.
Butterflies and Birds Hall: Marcelo Ganevari.
Dinosaur Bonatitan reigi: Angel Fusaro
|
Stamps in set |
4 |
Value |
2,50 - assembly process elephant's skeleton
2,50 - "Bird Room" of the museum.
2,50 - entomological collection of the museum
2,50 - fossil of Bonatitan reigi dinosaur
|
Emission/Type |
commemorative |
Issue place |
Buenos Aires |
Size (width x height) |
2 stamps of 34x44 mm and 2 stamps off 44x34mm |
Layout |
Sheets of 20 |
Products |
FDC x1 |
Paper |
without any watermark, without any phosphorescence |
Perforation |
13.75 |
Print Technique |
Offset, four colours, plus a metalized link
|
Printed by |
Letra Viva SA, Buenos Aires |
Quantity |
60.000 each stamp;
FDC: 4.000 |
Issuing Authority |
Correo Oficial de la Republica Argentina SA |
On 28 April 2012, Correo Argentino issued 4 stamps to commemorate the 200
th
Anniversary of the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum.
The “Bernardino Rivadavia" Argentine Natural Sciences Museum (MACN — CONICET) is the oldest in the
Argentine Republic.
It was founded only two years alter the May Revolution in 1810; thus, its birth should be interpreted with
regard to a national identity construction project as well as with the development of scientific
history in the early Modern Age.
The early years of the Museum coincide with a time when collectors gathered pieces of natural history and
bright objects in what they called "curios cabinets”.
These private collections originated herbaria and the zoological series that would later on be part of the
museum's exhibits.
During all those years, different personalities that lead the Museum gave their own particular style and
vision to its management.
When Hermann Burmeister was named director in 1862 began a 30-year management that became the most
significant in the Museum's history, due the magnitude of the implemented changes.
Great palaeontologist and the first Argentine director of the Museum
Florentine Ameghino
on stamp of Argentina 1956. MiNr.: 649, Scott: 658
|
During this stage the institution had a strictly scientific orientation and became an
internationally renowned paleontological centre.
In 1892 Burmeister was followed by Karl Berg, who had in mind a much more open museum.
He therefore worked intensely to give the public greater access to all exhibits.
In 1902 palaeontologist
Florentine Ameghino
became the first Argentine director of the Museum.
In those times material started to saturate the buildings capacity up to a
point that it became necessary to close its doors for lack of space.
The Museum reopened in 1916.
Under the direction of Martin Doallo-Jurado (1923-1946) the new building in Parque Centenario was built
and the Museum moved into it.
This innovative management centered on increasing collections, gave impulse to research
and intense disclosure of knowledge.
In 1999 Dr. Edgardo Juan Romero assumed as director.
In 2011 Doctor Pablo Tubaro its present director, started his management.
New in 2012, the Museum's Bicentenary, the institution is working hard to achieve a new balance
between research and museology.
Collections are preserved and studied by specialized researchers and technicians.
Research jobs are not only performed at the lab, but the researchers also hold study and material
collection campaigns and advice other entities in Argentina.
The museum, the most important of its kind in Buenos Aires and second only to
the
La Plata Museum of Natural Sciences, nationwide.
Besides the Natural Sciences Institute, the museum houses
thirteen permanent exhibition halls, including an aquarium, a display with specimens collected from
Argentina's numerous research stations in Antarctica, a geological collection centered around meteorites
found in Argentina, a
paleontology section notable for its
Carnotaurus,
Eoraptor,
Herrerasaurus and
Patagosaurus fossils, among others, and a
Cenozoic paleontology display featuring
Glyptodon,
Macrauchenia,
Megatherium and
Smilodon fossils.
Images credit:
Wikipedia,
Photographs: Elephant - Claudio Elias, Glyptodon - Simona Cerrato, Dinosaur - Tecnopolis Argentina.
Academics and the general public can also avail themselves of a science auditorium,
an art gallery, library and a cafe.
This museum is the best place to entertain travel weary kids.
They can let their imagination run wild here.
There is something about seeing an 18 metre reconstructed
Patagosaurus that concentrates the mind and ignites the imagination.
The museum is a two floored building in the centennial park which houses dozens of our Jurassic
friends on display as well as an impressive collection of stuffed animals
(everything from Kangaroos and seals to monkeys and sharks) and a geology room filled with all manner of rocks.
The stamps set includes four stamps:
Photography of mounting on the ground floor of the Museum's building
skeleton of elephant Dahila that died at the Buenos Aires
City Zoo in 1943.
View of the Museum's new Birds's Hall,
inaugurated at the end of 2010.
Frame of the showcase showing the different functions of feather.
Butterflies of the Agrias narcissus species.
View of one of the collections of the Entomology Division,
that holds about 2.000.000 insects.
Try using
macro mode on your digital camera
for the best photos of your collectible stamps.
If you have old 35mm photos of rare stamps you can use a
photo scanning service
to transfer them to digital, where you will be able to store them in
an organized
picture manager
or digital folder.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Argentinosaurus skeleton. Image credit: William Irvin Sellers, Lee Margetts, Rodolfo Anibal Coria, Phillip Lars Manning via Wikimedia
|
The fourth stamp shows the sauropod
Bonatitan reigi (genus of Titanosaurian dinosaur),
end of Cretatic Period (approx. between 85 and 65 million years ago) found in the Provience of Rio Negro,
northern
Patagonia, Argentina Republic and exhibited in the Museum's Paleontology Hall since 2011.
The type species is Bonatitan reigi, first described by Martinelli and Forasiepi in 2004.
The description is based on a partial skeleton, including a braincase and caudal vertebrae.
Bonatitan is measuring about six meters long, 1.5 high and weighing three tons.
Bonatitan genus is a tribute to Argentine paleontologist Jose
Bonaparte and reigi species a homage to Argentine paleontologist Osvaldo Reig.
José Fernando Bonaparte (born June 14, 1928), is an Argentine
paleontologist who discovered a plethora of South American dinosaurs
and mentored a new generation of Argentine paleontologists like Rodolfo Coria.
Osvaldo Alfredo Reig, (14 August, 1929 - 13 March 1992), was an Argentine biologist and
paleontologist.
He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
He made numerous contributions in the fields of paleontology and biological evolution.
|
Products and associated philatelic items
Official FDC |
Customized FDC |
Booklet (PDF) |
 |
 |
 |
|
The cover was sent from Argentina to Venezuela, three weeks after the stamps were issue. |
|
|
Examples of Circulated Covers |
 |
 |
|
Registered letter sent to Denmark.
The stamps issued in 2014 used to complete the correct postal rate. |
Registered letter sent to Germany.
The fifth stamp, depicting fossil of dinosaur
(Carnotaurus sastrei) is from
Argentina 2001 set.
MiNr.: 2691, Scott: 2167. |
|
References
Acknowledgements
-
Many thanks to
Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page .
-
Many thanks to fellow stamp collector Jon Noad,
from Calgary Canada, who shared a scan of the booklet with detailed description about these stamps.