Robert,
Enjoyed these descriptions very much. Very charming creatures, and I think the stamps are quite clever. Hats off to whoever designed them.
The "flora" stamps, also part of the 1959-64 issues, including of course Golden Wattle, are also interesting. Look forward to your description of those, assuming you haven't covered them in the past.
Queen Elizabeth II designs are also part of this series. Not fauna or flora, she would be the bi-pedal hominid representative, royal variety.
Cheers,
Eric
Hi Eric
"Enjoyed these descriptions very much. Very charming creatures, and I think the stamps are quite clever. Hats off to whoever designed them.
The "flora" stamps, also part of the 1959-64 issues, including of course Golden Wattle, are also interesting. Look forward to your description of those, assuming you haven't covered them in the past.
Queen Elizabeth II designs are also part of this series. Not fauna or flora, she would be the bi-pedal hominid representative, royal variety."
A brief history of Australia's unique animals.
ACSC 357A) 1960. Banded Anteater. 6d. Perforation 15 x 14. No watermark. Brown
The numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), also known as the banded anteater, marsupial anteater, or walpurti, is a marsupial found in Western Australia. Its diet consists almost exclusively of termites.
Once widespread across southern Australia, its range is now restricted to several small colonies, and it is listed as an endangered species. The numbat is an emblem of Western Australia and protected by conservation programs.
The banded anteater is the first in the fauna series, it replaced the Kookaburra which had been in use since 1937 (23 years). Issued September 30, 1960, it was printed on unwatermarked paper with a perforation of 14.82 x 14.10 (15 x 14). Total printed 1960 - 1964: 69,400,000 stamps, of which 64,839,840 were delivered to the Post Office.
ACSC 358A(i)) 1960. Tiger Cat. 8d. Perforation 15 x 14. No watermark. Red-Brown
ACSC 358A(ii)) 1961. Tiger Cat. 8d. Perforation 15 x 14. No watermark. Light Brown
The tiger quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), also known as the spotted-tail quoll, the spotted quoll, the spotted-tailed dasyure or the tiger cat, is a carnivorous marsupial of the quoll genus Dasyurus native to Australia.
With males and females weighing around 3.5 and 1.8 kg, respectively, it is mainland Australia's largest carnivorous marsupial, and the world's longest extant carnivorous marsupial (the biggest is the Tasmanian devil).
Two subspecies are recognised; the nominate is found in wet forests of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania, and a northern subspecies, D. m. gracilis, is found in a small area of northern Queensland and is endangered. The first master die used two satisfactory alto plates which were derived from which four nickel electrotype plates were manufactured, two of which were used for printing.
Stamps from this master plate show a characteristic "halo" effect over the animal's back, and the tail has a relatively smooth outline. The second master plate lacked the "halo" effect and the tail has a "ragged" appearance. Both were printed on unwatermarked paper. Printed by Rotary-recess on May 11, 1960. Quantity printed were 98,880,000 of which 88,872,160 stamps were delivered to the Post Office.
ACSC 360A) 1959. Kangaroos. 9d. Perforation 15 x 14. No watermark. Sepia
Macropods are marsupials belonging to the family Macropodidae, the kangaroo family, which includes kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, pademelons, quokkas, and several others. Macropods are native to the Australian continent (the mainland, Tasmania, New Guinea and nearby islands).
Before European settlement of Australia, about 65 species of macropods existed. Six species have since become extinct and a further eleven have been greatly reduced in numbers. Other species (e.g. Simosthenurus, Propleopus, Macropus titan) became extinct after the Australian Aborigines arrived and before the Europeans arrived.
The 9d Kangaroo definitive replaced the 9d Platypus design which had been in use since 1938.Printed on unwatermarked paper with 14.84 x 14.10 (15 x 14) perforation. There were three printings, in September 1959 (issued October 21, 1959), December 1960 & June 1963, totalling 16,000,000 stamps, of which 14,215,680 were delivered to the Post Office.
ACSC 361) 1963. Rabbit Bandicoot. 11d. Perforation 15 x 14. Helicon paper. No watermark. Deep Blue
The greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis), often referred to simply as the bilby since the lesser bilby (Macrotis leucura) became extinct in the 1950s, is an Australian species of nocturnal omnivorous animal in the order Peramelemorphia. Other vernacular names include dalgyte, pinkie, or rabbit-eared bandicoot. Greater bilbies live in arid areas of central Australia.
Their range and population is in decline. The 11d Rabbit bandicoot definitive was a new denomination required for certified mail following the October 1, 1959 rates increase. Printed on unwatermarked paper with Helicon incorporated in the surface coating and with a 14.88 x 14.10 (15 x 14) perforation.
The first Helicon printing was made in November 1963, and comprised 4,480,000 stamps; the quantity delivered to the Post office is unknown,but has been estimated at 4,000,000 stamps. The second printings were made in April 1965 and December 1965 and comprised 5,600,000 stamps, of which 4,491,360 stamps were delivered from the Note Printing Branch. Following withdrawal at the introduction of decimal currency, 2,859,342 stamps were destroyed, giving a total of 2,740,658 stamps issued.
ACSC 363A) 1959. Platypus. 1/-. Perforation 15 x 14. No watermark. Deep Dull Green
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth.
The animal is the sole living representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species have been found in the fossil record. The first preserved platypus body was thought to have been a fake, made of several animals sewn together,when it was first looked at by scientists in 1799.
The 1/- Platypus definitive replaced the 1/- Lyrebird design which had been in use since 1937. Issued on September 9, 1959, the paper was unwatermarked and perforated 14.80 x 14.05 (15 x 14). There were four printings made between July 19589 and April 1961, totalling 30,400,000, of which 24,490,720 were delivered to the Post Office.
ACSC 364A) 1962. Tasmanian Tiger. 1/2d. Perforation 15 x 14. Helicon paper. No watermark. Purple
The thylacine, Greek for "dog-headed pouched one") was the largest known carnivorous marsupial of modern times. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger (because of its striped lower back) or the Tasmanian wolf.
Native to continental Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea, it is believed to have become extinct in the 20th century. It was the last extant member of its family, Thylacinidae; specimens of other members of the family have been found in the fossil record dating back to the late Oligocene.
There have recently been purported sightings of them. issued on Match 21, 1962, the stamp was printed on unwatermarked paper, perforation 14.10 x 14.80 (14 x 15). There were three printings made in January 1962 (issued in March), January 1963 and January 1964, totalling 19,200,000 stamps, of which 18,271, 840 were delivered to the Post Office.
re: Zoological Fauna (1959-1963)
Robert,
Enjoyed these descriptions very much. Very charming creatures, and I think the stamps are quite clever. Hats off to whoever designed them.
The "flora" stamps, also part of the 1959-64 issues, including of course Golden Wattle, are also interesting. Look forward to your description of those, assuming you haven't covered them in the past.
Queen Elizabeth II designs are also part of this series. Not fauna or flora, she would be the bi-pedal hominid representative, royal variety.
Cheers,
Eric
re: Zoological Fauna (1959-1963)
Hi Eric
"Enjoyed these descriptions very much. Very charming creatures, and I think the stamps are quite clever. Hats off to whoever designed them.
The "flora" stamps, also part of the 1959-64 issues, including of course Golden Wattle, are also interesting. Look forward to your description of those, assuming you haven't covered them in the past.
Queen Elizabeth II designs are also part of this series. Not fauna or flora, she would be the bi-pedal hominid representative, royal variety."