Niuafoʻou (Tonga) 1989 "Evolution of the Earth" (II)


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Issue Date 01.08.1989
ID Michel: 149-152 Scott: Stanley Gibbons: Yvert: UPU: N/A Category: pR
Designer Mr. Ray Edge, Walsall Security Printers of London, UK
Stamps in set 10
Value T$1- Carboniferous: Ichthyostega
T$1.50 - Jurassic: Stegosaurus
T$2 - Jurassic: Archaeopteryx and early mammals
T$5 - Pleistocene: prehistoric humans, Home erectus
Size (width x height) 25mm x 40mm
Layout Mini-Sheet of 10 stamps, Souvenir-Sheet with 1 stamp
Products FDC x2
Paper
Perforation 14 x 14
Print Technique Offset, multicolor
Printed by Walsall Security Printers of London, UK
Quantity
Issuing Authority Post office of the Goverment of Tonga
Prehistoric animals on stamps of Niuafoʻou 1989

On August 1st, 1989, the Post office of the Goverment of Tonga issued, on behalf their Niuafo'ou Island, additional four stamps for "Evolution of the Earth" stamps set.
The first part of the set was issued on June 6, 1989.
These four stamps show prehistoric animals including:
  • an amphibian (likely Ichthyostega)
  • Stegosaurus
  • Archaeopteryx and early mammals
  • a group of prehistoric humans, Home erectus and a goat on the background
Every stamp shows both reconstruction and fossil of the animal.



Products

Tonga did not issue any imperf stamps from this set, the only imperfs known are genuine plate proofs, and come from the Walsall Security Printers archives.
FDC Monochrome Proof [1] Plate Proof
Prehistoric animals on FDC of Niuafoʻou 1989 Prehistoric animals on satmp proofs of Niuafoʻou 1989 Prehistoric animals on satmp proofs of Niuafoʻou 1989
Used Covers Unadopted Artwork, by Ray EDGE
Evolution of the Earth on stamps of Niuafoʻou 1989 Evolution of the Earth on stamps of Niuafoʻou 1989 Evolution of the Earth on stamps of Niuafoʻou 1989
Notes:

[1] Monochrome Proofs were done on thin card and in black and white by Walsall Security Printers of London UK, and were used to check the design.
The monochrome proofs were, usually, produced in amount of 20, then sent to Tonga for the officials to check. When accepted, they were sent to stamp magazines to illustrate the upcoming new issues.



References:
  • [R1] Technical details and stamps presentation: stampedout



Acknowledgement:
  • Many thanks to fellow collector Mr. Vincent David from France for sharing a scan of the Artwork from his collections.
  • Many thanks to fellow collector Mr. Peter Brandhuber from Germany, for sharing some scans his collection.
  • Many thanks to Mr. Greg Jorgensen from Australia, who sells philatelic materials from archive of Walsall Security Printers on the Internet under nickname tonga2, for explanations about their printing process.


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