Portugal 2015 "Dinosaurs of Portugal" (Dinossurios em Portugal)
| Issue Date | 04.05.2015 |
| ID | Michel: 92-94; Scott: N/A; Stanley Gibbons: MLP190-MLP192; Yvert: D207-D209; Category: pR |
| Design | Fernando Correia |
| Stamps in set | 3 self-adhesive ATM labels |
| Value |
€0.45 : €2.35 - Ceratosaurus €0.45 : €2.35 - Allosaurus europaeus €0.45 : €2.35 - Torvosaurus gurneyi |
| Size (width x height) | 55mm x 30 mm |
| Layout | stripe of 3 self adhesive labels |
| Products | FDC x3, Presentation Pack x1 |
| Paper | |
| Perforation | self-adhesive, imperforate |
| Print Technique | Offset |
| Printed by | Litho Formas Portuguesa, Portugal |
| Quantity | N/A |
| Issuing Authority | CTT Correios de Portugal |
On May 4th, 2015, the Post Authority of Portugal introduced 3 new self-adhesive ATM stamps with dinosaurs design. Similar to the stamps from 1999-2002, these stamps were sold at vending machines. The stamps were sold at 7 predefined values. Only one vendor was used this time for the stamps - NewVision.
NewVision e-Post 2000 vending machine, which was first installed in Portugal in December 2000, was available in most of the post offices and at the philatelic desk. Another type of vending machine of the same company, e-Post 2000M (Modular) was available in a few post offices only. This type of vending machine has a bigger choice of predefined values, according to weight, destination, and type of shipping required. The stamps with these extra values are rare.
| The major postal rates available at vending machines in Portugal in 2015 | ||||||||
| Year of issue | Without additional label (regular mail) |
"Correio Azul" (priority mail) |
|
|||||
| Domestic | Spain | Europe, except Spain | Rest of the world | Domestic | International | |||
| up to 20g. | up to 100g. | up to 20g. | up to 20g. | up to 20g. | up to 20g. | up to 20g. | ||
| 2015 | €0.45 | €0.60 | €0.62 | €0.72 | €0.80 | €0.55 | €2.35 | |
| The vending machines used in Portugal in 2015, from left to right: NewVision: E-post 2000 and E-Post M (Modular) | ||||||||
Two special commemorative postmarks designed for stamps presentations in Lisbon and Porto on the day of stamps issue (nowadays, Post of Portugal is always made two post marks one for Lisbon and another for Porto, the second largets city of Portugal, to provide a possibility to more philatelist to cancel some covers and stamps). An additional commemorative postmark was designed on request of the Lourinha city community. Lourinha is the place where fossils of all 3 dinosaurs were found and where they can be seen in “Museu Da Lourinha”.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
An extra postmark designed for the 47the Expo National stamp fair in Madrid, which took place only 3 days after the stamps were issued, and where the Portuguese Post was invited for the first time and presented their dinosaur stamps along other philatelic products.
On the first day of the fair, the Spanish Post also presented their first ever stamps set dedicated to dinosaurs.
This year, the main theme of the fair was linked to these prehistoric animals, with the intention of attracting the children and young people in addition to those interested in philately.
The Spanish stamps use special printing techniques for the stamps (phosphorescence, flaky texture and 3D), but the dinosaurs look like a cartoon or children drawing.
The following dinosaurs were depicted on the ATM stamps
Allosaurus europaeus, Ceratosaurus sp. and Torvosaurus gurneyi. The stamps were illustrated by Fernando Correia who has been one of the paleontological illustration promoters in Portugal and a member of the International Competition Jury of Dinosaur Illustration (IDRC) sponsored by GEAL -Museum of Lourinha.
Fernando Correia is a Biologist and holds a Master degree in Animal Ecology (Coimbra University). He has worked as a professional scientific illustrator freelance since 1988 and teaches Sc. Illustration in several Portuguese Universities. Presently is the Laboratory of Scientific Illustration director, and the coordinator of post-graduation course “Specialization Course in Scientific Illustration”.
 |
| Torvosaurus gurneyi on ATM stamp of Portugal 2015 |
 |
| Ceratosaurus on ATM stamp of Portugal 2015 |
 |
| Allosaurus on ATM stamp of Portugal 2015 |
 |
| Allosaurus on ATM stamp of Portugal 1999 |
Torvosaurus was the largest land predator that lived in Portugal and throughout Europe. His skull average is more than a meter long and a whole would weigh between 4-5 tons and was about 10 meters long. Despite its colossal size, they are also known for their embryos, rare findings that can be seen at the Museum of Lourinha.
The Museu da Lourinha (the Museum of Lourinha) holds the main dinosaur collection of the country.
The museum was founded in 1984 by GEAL - Grupo de Etnologia e Arqueologia da
Lourinha (Lourinha's Group of Ethnology and Archeology).
The museum has very complete exhibits of archaeology and ethnology, but the
main focus of the museum is the palaeontology hall, which presents casts of famous
dinosaurs, as well as fossils recovered from the Late Jurassic Lourinha Formation.
Among these is the famous theropod nest found at the beach of Paimogo,
which contains eggs with embryos inside, probably belonging to
Lourinhanosaurus (depicted on one of the ATM stamps in 1999).
In 2011, the Museum issued
its own personalized stamps
showing six "domestic" dinosaurs.
But closer comparison of the shin bone, upper jawbone, teeth, and partial tail vertebrae suggest to the paleontologists that it may be a previously unknown Torvosaurus species. The number of teeth, as well as size and shape of the mouth, may differentiate the European and the American Torvosaurus. The fossil of the upper jaw of Torvosaurus tanneri has 11 or more teeth, while Torvosaurus gurneyi has fewer than 11, and the mouth bones have a different shape and structure. Fossilised remains of other closely related dinosaurs suggest Torvosaurus gurneyi may have been covered with "protofeathers" – the precursors of bird feathers.
“With a skull of 1.15 meters, Torvosaurus gurneyi was however one of the largest terrestrial carnivores at this epoch, and an active predator that hunted other large dinosaurs, as evidenced by blade shape teeth up to 10 cm.” said lead author Dr Christophe Hendrickx from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and the Museu da Lourinha, Portugal.
Ceratosaurus, was a large predatory theropod dinosaur, about 5-7 meters long and weighing up to 980 kilograms, from the Late Jurassic Period (about 150 million years ago), found in the Morrison Formation of North America, and the Lourinha Formation of Portugal.
In Portugal, there are no known elements of his skull. Still, it is known that the anatomy of various elements of the members is very similar to those known in North America. It was characterized by large jaws with blade-like teeth, a large, blade-like horn on the snout and a pair of hornlets over the eyes. The forelimbs were powerfully built but very short. A row of small osteoderms (armor plates) was present down the middle of the back.
The last stamp of the set is one of the great predators best known in Portugal: the Allosaurus (appeared on stamps from 1999 - see on the right). It is known for the skull, teeth, vertebrae and many other elements of its skeleton. It also lived in North America, however, there are some differences between American and the Portuguese species which have been justified by some experts.
Similar ATM stamps: Portugal 1999-2002 "Dinosaurs of Portugal"
 |
 |
 |
Products and associated philatelic items
| The set of all values | Strip of stamps not denominated | Test values |
 |
 |
 |
| Maxi Cards | CTO | |
 |
 |
 |
| CTO stamps with the commemorative postmark of Lourinha | ||
| First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks | Commemorative Postmarks | ||
|
|
|
|
| FDC and |
||
 |
 |
 |
| Lisboa | Porto | Lourinha |
| FDC and |
||
 |
 |
 |
| Circulated FDC | ||
 |
 |
 |
| Example of circulated covers | ||
 |
 |
 |
References
- Technical details and short description colnect,
 |
- ATM stamps and vending machines of Portugal
-
Torvosaurus gurneyi:
- Wikipedia: Torvosaurus
- Sci-News: "Torvosaurus gurneyi: New Giant Dinosaur Discovered in Portugal"
- The Guardian: "Five-tonne dinosaur species discovered"
-
Ceratosaurus:
- Wikipedia
- Mental Floss: "10 Bumpy Facts About Ceratosaurus"
-
Allosaurus:
- Wikipedia
- Dinosauros de Portugal: "Allosaurus fragilis"
Acknowledgments
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.