On May 7th, 2015, Post Authority of Spain issued the first set of Dinosaur stamps.
The set contains four stamps each one printed with different technique:
scales texture, Augmented Reality, Phosphorescence, and 3D. Special glasses are needed to see some of the effects.
3D glasses supplied with the dinosaur stamps of Spain 2015
All of the dinosaurs shown on the stamps are "classical", well known to wide public, but fossils of none of them are found in Spain.
The dinosaurs are depicted in “children’s drawing” style, another weakness of these stamps is the price.
At 2 euro each, these stamps are very expensive even for an European country, and makes their use as postage limited.
It seems that they were issued with collectors in mind.
Because of their limited use as postage, these stamps are marked as undesired.
These stamps, as well as the book "A dinosaur in your mailbox", were presented to the public at the 47th Expo National stamp
fair in Madrid.
That year, the main theme of the fair was linked to these prehistoric animals, with the intention of attracting children and young people
in addition to those interested in philately.
Images above are from Dinoweb website
Official description of these stamps, written by Yolanda Stephanie. Library of Postal and Telegraph Museum
The Earth was once inhabited by strange prehistoric creatures that suddenly died out around 65 million years ago.
They were the dinosaurs or "terrible lizards", a compound Greek word first used by scientist Richard Owen in 1842.
This stamp series will continue next year and is issued using novel printing techniques such as phosphorescent stamps,
scale textures, 3D and Augmented Reality (AR).
Ankylosaurus on stamp of Spain 2015, MiNr.: ; Scott:
The Ankylosaurus or "fused lizard" had armour-like skin and a tail ending in a kind of club.
It could measure up to 9 metres long and weigh 6 tonnes.
It was a quadruped, with the hind legs longer than the forelegs, a low, very wide body, and a wide triangular head.
It was a herbivore with small teeth and no molars.
Tyrannosaurus on stamp of Spain 2015, MiNr.: ; Scott:
Tyrannosaurus was one of the largest predators and the most famous dinosaur.
It could reach over 12 metres long and weigh 8 tonnes.
It had an enormous skull and a long, heavy tail with over 40 vertebrae which helped to balance its body.
A bipedal carnivore, its upper limbs were small while its legs were very long in proportion to its body.
It was an excellent hunter with a short, muscular, S-shaped neck.
Triceratops on stamp of Spain 2015, MiNr.: ; Scott:
The Triceratops, or "three-horned face", is distinguished by the frill on the back of its skull and its three
horns, one on the snout and two over the eyes, which could be over one metre long.
Diplodocus on stamp of Spain 2015, MiNr.: ; Scott:
It had a large, robust body and four sturdy legs. Its head was a third of its length.
It was an herbivore.
Diplodocus was one of the longest dinosaurs at up to 36 metres.
It had four sturdy legs, slightly shorter in the front than the rear, a long neck and an extremely long, whip-like tail.
Dinosaurs dominated the Earth during the Mesozoic or Secondary era.
Although now extinct, the fossils found on every continent and the work of scientists have enabled us to discover how these animals lived.
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University,
for reviewing the draft page and his valuable comments.
