Niuafoʻou (Tonga) 1989 "Evolution of the Earth" (III) - World Stamp Expo '89 Washington DC.


U N D E R     C O N S T R U C T I O N 

<prev back to index next>

Issue Date 17.11.1989
ID Michel: 153-168, Bl. 8 Scott: Stanley Gibbons: Yvert: UPU: N/A Category: pR
Designer Mr. Ray Edge, Walsall Security Printers of London, UK
Stamps in set 16
Value 32s - The Earth Surface
32s - The Earth Crust
32s - Volcanic Formations
32s - The Surface Cools
32s - The Seals
42s - The Mountains
42s - The Rivers
42s - Silurian: Sigillaria trunk, Equisetales, and Lycopoda
42s - Cambrian: Olenoides, Waptia, Lancastria, Marrella
42s - Carboniferous: Equisetales 57s- Carboniferous: Ichthyostega
57s - Jurassic: Stegosaurus
57s - Jurassic: Archaeopteryx and early mammals
57s - Pleistocene: prehistoric humans, Home erectus
57s - Neil Amstrong, the first Man on the Moon
Size (width x height) stamps of 32 and 42s: 30mm x 35mm,
stamps of 57s: 25mm x 40mm
Mini-Sheet: 185mm x 151mm
Layout Mini-Sheet of 16 stamps
Products FDC x1
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 November 17th 1989, the Post office of the Goverment of Tonga issued, on behalf their Niuafo'ou Island issued the Mini-Sheet of 16 stamps.
This Mini-Sheet contain all 14 stamps from the previous two issues of "Evolution of the Earth" stamp sets plus one 1 stamp - "Neil Amstrong, the first Man on the Moon" (perhpas to celebrate 20 years since the first humman, Neil Armstrong, land on Moon).
All 15 stamps were printed together in a Mini-Sheet - 3 rows, 5 stamps each.
The stamps from the Mini-Sheet can be differentiated from the previous releases by the logo of UPU on their top-right corners and the face values.



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 Cromalin Proof [1] Monochrome Proof [2]
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 Artworks
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] The Cromalin Proofs are thick cardboard and in full colour, a proofing method used by Walsall Security Printers in which full color proofs are produced directly from the color separations prior to final production of the printing plates.
Each color is layered on top of the next thus building up to the full color design. The cromalin proofs never left the printing house in UK and were issued in small amount (3 or 4 pieces each).

[2] The 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 perforations on the proof are only simulated.
The monochrome proofs were produced, in amount 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.
The cromalin proofs never left the printing house in UK and were issued in smaller amount.


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



Acknowledgement:
  • Many thanks to fellow collector Dr. Jon Noad from Canada, for sharing a scan of the Artworks from 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.


<prev back to index next>