Ireland 1999 "Extinct Irish Animals" (Mint)
| Issue Date | 11.10.1999 |
| ID | Michel: 1184-1187, Bl.33 Scott: 1205-1208 Stanley Gibbons: 1270-1273, Bl. 1274 Yvert: 1188-1191, Bl. 35 UPU: N/A Category: pR |
| Author | Finbarr O'Connor |
| Stamps in set | 4 (two se-tenant pairs) |
| Value | 30p se-tenant pair (Giant Deer and Mammoth) 45p se-tenant pair (Wolf and Brown Bear) |
| Size (width x height) | 29.8mm x 40.64mm / 40.64mm x 29.8mm ; Mini-sheet 150mm x 68mm |
| Layout | Sheet of 16 stamps, Mini Sheet of 4 stamps |
| Products | FDC x2 |
| Paper | phosphor tagging (stamps only) |
| Perforation | 14 x 15 |
| Print Technique | Lithography multicolour with |
| Printed by | Irish Security Stamp Printing Ltd |
| Quantity | 1.5 Million |
| Issuing Authority | Irish Post |
On October 11, 1999, Post Authority of Ireland issued set of four stamps "Extinct Irish Animals" that shows two extinct and two prehistoric animals: Mammoth and Giant Deer. These stamps issued in mint sheet of 16 and mini sheet of 4 stamps, as well as box of 100 self adhesive stamps, where all stamps are printed in a stripe.
Following on from 1998 years Endangered Animals issue, stamp artist, Finbarr O'Connor has this year produced an equally exciting and colorful series of stamps featuring four animals which are now extinct in Ireland - the Wolf, the Brown Bear, the Mammoth and the Giant Irish Deer.
 The wolf (Canis lupus) was living in Ireland before man arrived and
remained here until the beginning of the eighteenth century. Wolves
were quite common in wilder regions of Ireland up to the end of the
Middle Ages, when hunting and the destruction of their natural habitat
led to their rapid decline. They are still found in North America and
the mountains ofEurasia. |
 The brown bear (Ursus arctos) was also present in Ireland when man
first arrived around 10,000 years ago and it is thought that the
clearance of forests may have led to the animal becoming extinct here.
Up to a few hundred years ago, brown bears inhabited the forests of
northem Europe but are now in decline. |
 Fossilized bones, dated to around 33,000 years ago, confirm the presence
of the mammoth (Mammuthus piimigenius) in Ireland around this time. The
woolly mammoth was about the same size as a modern African elephant and
had a thick two-layered coat of brown hair. After the last major cold
phase of the Ice Age, about 20,000 years ago, mammoths became extinct
here. |
 Although the giant Irish deer (Megaloceros giganteus) first
appeared around the same time as the mammoth, this animal is especially
associated with a warm period about 12,000 years ago. The male of the
species was about 2 meters tall at the shoulder with huge antlers.
Since the antlers were discarded and re-grown every year, the animal
had to eat large quantities of calcium-rich vegetation to sustain itself. |
| FDC (The first day cover, which features the now extinct male arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) in summer coat, is also designed by Finbarr O'Connor.) | |
 |  |
 | |
References: Inside text of FDC
 |
|
Latest update 06.11.2017
Any feedback, comments or even complaints are welcome: [email protected] (you can email me on ENglish, DEutsch, or RUssian)