Gibraltar 2000 "History of Gibraltar - Millenium Stamps"



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Issue Date 09.05.2000
ID Michel: 914-929, Scott: 841, Stanley Gibbons: 916-937 MS916a, Yvert: 919-934, Category: pR
Design Christian Hook
Stamps in set 16
Value 5p 3,000 meters Waterfall (5 million BC)
5p The Sandy Plains (2 million BC) - Megantereon whitei
5p The Neanderthals (30,000 BC)
5p The Phoenicians (700 BC)
5p The Romans (100 BC)
5p The Arabs (711)
5p The Coat of Arms (1502)
5p British Gibraltar (1704)
30p The Great siege (1779-1783)
30p Trafalgar (1805)
30p The City (1830-1900s)
30p Fortifications (1870s)
30p The Evacuation (1940)
30p The Fortress (1940s)
30p HM The Queen (1954)
30p European Finance Centre
Emission/Type commemorative,
Issue places
Size (width x height) stamps: 32.10 x 32.10 MS: 150mm x 150mm
Layout MS of 16 stamps x1;
Booklets Mini-Sheets: MS of 2 stamps x9, MS of 3 stamps x7.
Products FDC x1, Booklet x1
Paper
Perforation 14 x 14
Print Technique Offset Lithography, Multicoloured
Printed by House of Questa
Quantity
Issuing Authority Gibraltar Post
History of Gibraltar on stamps of Gibraltar 2000

On May 9th, 2000, the Postal Authority of Gibraltar, issued the Mini-Sheet "History of Gibraltar - Millenium Stamps".
The Mini-Sheet of 16 stamps depicting the history of Gibraltar going back to 5 million BC when a huge 3,000 meters waterfall dumped water from the Atlantic to form the Mediterranean Sea.

Two of these stamps are related to Paleontology and Paleoanthropology:
  • The Sandy Plains - shows Megantereon whitei
    Megantereon was a genus of prehistoric machairodontine saber-toothed cat that lived in North America, Eurasia, and Africa. It is closely related to and possibly the ancestor of Smilodon.
    Megantereon was built like a large modern jaguar, but somewhat heavier. It had stocky forelimbs, the lower half being lion-sized. It had large neck muscles designed to deliver a powerful shearing bite. The elongated upper canines were protected by flanges at the mandible.
    In Europe, Megantereon may have preyed on larger artiodactyls, horses or the young of rhinos and elephants.
  • The Neanderthals - shows the hunting scene and the skull of a Neanderthal, discovered in Gibraltar
In addition to the Mini-Sheet, the Post of Gibraltar, issued a Prestige Booklet with 16 small Mini-Sheets with two or three similar stamps each.


Products and associated philatelic items

FDC Prestige Booklet The Mini-Sheets from the Prestige Booklet
FDC with History of Gibraltar stamps of Gibraltar 2000 The Prestige Booklet of Gibraltar 2000 Megantereon white on the Mini-Sheet from the Prestige Booklet of Gibraltar 2000
Example of circulated covers
the stamps History of Gibraltar from Gibraltar 2000 on cover to Germany



References

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Acknowledgements:
  • many thanks to Peter Brandhuber for his help and sharing scans of some unique philatelic material from his personal collection.
  • 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.



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