Niuafoʻou (Tonga)
1989
"Evolution of the Earth" (I)
| Issue Date | 06.06.1989 |
| ID | Michel: 139-148; Scott: 115-121; Stanley Gibbons: 124-132; Yvert et Tellier: 112-115, 120-123; Category: pR |
| Design | Mr. Ray Edge, Walsall Security Printers of London, UK |
| Stamps in set | 10 |
| Value |
1s - The Earth Surface 2s - The Earth Crust 5s - Volcanic Formations 10s - The Surface Cools 15s - The Seas 20s - The Mountains 32s - The Rivers 42s - Silurian: Sigillaria trunk, Equisetales, and Lycopoda 50s - Cambrian: Olenoides, Waptia, Lancastria, Marrella 57s - Carboniferous:Equisetales |
| Emission/Type | commemorative |
| Issue place | Niuafoʻou |
| Size (width x height) | 30 mm x 35mm |
| Layout | |
| Products | FDC x2 |
| Paper | |
| Perforation | 14.25 x 14.25 |
| Print Technique | Offset, multicolor |
| Printed by | Walsall Security Printers of London, UK |
| Quantity | |
| Issuing Authority | Post office of the Government of Tonga |
On June 6, 1989, the Post office of the Government of Tonga on behalf of their Niuafo'ou Island, issued the set of 10 stamps showing "Evolution of the Earth". These stamps shows ten major scenes of the Earth's evolution until appearance of early life.
(Less than two months later, four more stamps of the same theme were issued.)
If chronological order was intended, the images on the 42s. - Silurian (443.8-419.2 million years ago) and the 50s. - Cambrian (538.8-485.4 million years ago) stamps should be swapped.
The first stamps shows lifeless Earth landscapes.
Products and associated philatelic items
| Monochrome Proof [1] | Plate Proof [2] | Specimens |
 |
 |
 |
| FDC | Examples of circulated covers | |
 |
 |
 |
[1] The Monochrome Proofs were done on thin cards and in black and white by Walsall Security Printers of London UK, and were used to check the design. The perforations on the proof are only simulated.
The monochrome proofs were produced, in amounts of 20, after the Cromalin one, then sent to Tonga for the officials to check. When accepted, they were sent to stamp magazines to illustrate the upcoming new issues.
[2] The Plate Proofs printed one sheet of plate proofs first, this sheet was taken for checking and approval by Walsall Security Printers company and the officials of Tonga.
After it passed the necessary checks, this imperforated proof sheet was placed in the printers archives and was left imperforated. All other sheets issued were perforated.
The Tongan plate proofs are genuine proofs done by the printers for checking purposes then kept until recently in the printers' archives.
[3] Tonga did not issue any imperforate stamps from this set, the only imperforates known are genuine plate proofs, and come from the Walsall Security Printers archives.
References
- Technical details and stamps presentation:
stampedout colnect
Acknowledgements
- Many thanks to Mr. Greg Jorgensen from Australia, who sells philatelic materials from the archive of Walsall Security Printers on the Internet under the moniker tonga2, for explanations about their printing process.
- 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.