** UPDATE: April 15, 2025 **
It has taken me a while to get this update ready, I have had to cope with
a couple of distractions.
As usual, the great majority again consists of undesirable issues. But
with so many issues chances are that some of them are interesting, and
I think the idea of devoting an issue to a geological period has its merits.
But I fail to understand why the Devonian, Permian, and Triassic period
issues were printed for Liberia, but the Carboniferous issue was made
for Sierra Leone. I also do not get why they did not start with the earliest
periods, instead of with the late Paleozoic and earliest Mesozoic.
This update also introduces a large number of new genera, with many of
them quite interesting. For instance, the well-known Carboniferous Sigillaria
makes its first appearance as a named subject. And for once, most of the names
provided on the stamps are actually right.
My favourite for this update is the 'Europa' issue by San Marino, with a fossil whale discovered in this
tiny country.
The name Scaphonyx is a junior synonym of Hyperdapedon.
New Issues:
Central African Republic (prehistoric reptiles)
Central African Republic (dinosaurs)
Central African Republic (Darwin)
Central African Republic (meteorite, T. rex)
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Djibouti (extinct species)
Djibouti (4 M.S., dinosaurs)
France (Chauvet cave)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Guinea-Bissau (Ch. Darwin)
Liberia (Devonian)
Liberia (Triassic)
Sierra Leone (prehistoric amphibians)
Sierra Leone (prehistoric reptiles)
Sierra Leone (Carboniferous)
Spain
Central African Republic (Darwin)
Central African Republic (prehistoric plants)
Central African Republic (extinct birds)
Central African Republic (ammonite)
Djibouti (extinct mammals)
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Finland (cartoon caveman)
Guinea-Bissau (hominids)
Guinea-Bissau (prehistoric reptiles)
Liberia (dinosaurs)
Liberia (Permian)
San Marino
Sierra Leone (Darwin)
Sierra Leone (prehistoric water animals)
Sierra Leone (dinosaurs)
Togo (fossils)
** UPDATE: December 2, 2024 **
The previous update was only three months ago, but still this is a another major one with a LOT of undesirable issues.
Just when I started working on this update a large number of new issues appeared on the market.
As usual, the fossils took a lot of time to research. The stamp designer again turned to copyright-free illustrations from old
books, available on the internet. And also as usual, used the names from these old books.
So I had to research all the names
to see if they were still valid, and find the correct names for reclassified species. At least some of the species are nice.
Only two issues are really interesting. LaPoste (France) commemmorated the 50-th anniversary of Australopithecus afarensis 'Lucy' with a stamp,
and the Swiss mail issued two stamps and a sheet depicting 'Ice Age Giants'.
And I am proud to have discovered a miniature sheet issued over thirty years ago with a Tyrannosaurus on it that has (to my knowledge) not
been noticed until now. The 1991 Grenada issue commemmorates the Disney animated classic 'Fantasia', and I knew one stamp and one miniature sheet
showed pterodactyls and a Tyrannosaurus respectively. I was quite surprised to discover that one of the other miniature sheets from the issue
shows a birthday cake with a cande in the shape of a Tyrannosaurus head. Of course, this is just another undesirable 'Agency' issue,
but discovering something like this is still rather thrilling.
New Issues:
Central African Republic (fossils)
Central African Republic (extinct birds)
Djibouti (aquatic creatures)
France ('Lucy')
Guinea-Bissau (evolution)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Guinea (aquatic animals)
Guinea (Darwin)
Niger (aquatic animals)
Niger (prehistoric humans)
Niger (prehistoric reptiles)
Peru (whale)
Sierra Leone (dinosaurs)
Togo (prehistoric reptiles)
Central African Republic (volcanos and dinosaurs)
Central African Republic (extinct mammals)
Djibouti ('flying dinosaurs')
Grenada (1991)
Guinea-Bissau (fossils)
Guinea-Bissau (aquatic reptiles)
Guinea (dinosaurs)
Guinea (hominids)
Niger (Darwin)
Niger (dinosaurs)
Niger (fossils)
Sierra Leone (prehistoric humans)
Switzerland (ice age animals)
** UPDATE: September 3, 2024 **
In spite of the summer season, the flood of new issues does not abate.
In this case, regrettably nothing but Stamperija products. I am glad I stopped buying
them a couple of years ago. At least, some of the new species are interesting.
Michael Kogan, webmaster of Paleophilately,
informed me that a plate flaw exists for the
Poland 1965 60 gr. Mesosaurus
stamp (Michel 1573, Yvert & Tellier 1426). On this stamp, the outer claw of the left hand is shorter.
New Issues:
Central African Republic (dinosaurs)
Djibouti (Darwin)
Guinea-Bissau (earth history)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Liberia (dinosaurs)
Liberia (prehistoric humans)
Niger (extinct birds)
Sierra Leone (extinct species)
Togo (prehistoric humans)
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Guinea-Bissau (Darwin)
Guinea-Bissau ('flying dinosaurs')
Guinea (extinct reptiles)
Liberia (extinct species)
Niger ('flying dinosaurs')
Niger (prehistoric humans)
Sierra Leone ('flying dinosaurs')
Togo (meteorites)
** UPDATE: July 16, 2024 **
Less than a month and a half since the previous update, and still this update consists of more than 20 issues. Although with far fewer new genera this time. As to be expected, most are more of the same by a familiar mass producer of stamps.
The French decided to commemmorate the fiftieth year of the discovery of Australopithecus afarensis 'Lucy' with the issue of a stamp. This although she was discovered by an American-led team in Ethiopia. Still an interesting issue.
About the Indonesian issue I do not know anything except that it exists.
And during my internet browsing I came across a 2014 Luxembourg stamp that seems to show an ammonite. This although the subject is the soil as vital ecosystem.
New Issues:
Central African Republic (meteorites)
Central African Republic (hominids)
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Djibouti (fossils)
Guinea-Bissau (hominids)
Guinea-Bissau ('flying dinosaurs')
Guinea-Bissau (hominids)
Liberia (meteorites and dinosaurs)
Luxemburg 2014 (ammonite?)
Sierra Leone (dinosaurs)
Central African Republic (extinct mammals)
Central African Republic (aquatic animals)
Djibouti (meteorites)
France ('Lucy')
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Indonesia
Liberia (Ch. Darwin)
Niger (meteorites and dinosaurs)
Sierra Leone (fossils)
** UPDATE: June 6, 2024 **
Whew. Only two months have passed since my previous update, but the amount of work that has gone into this one is huge. This is mainly due to an unprecedented number of new genera that have made their debut. Most of these have appeared on Stamperija products, but many of them mark the premiere of unusual prehistoric species in philately. Regrettably, some others are based on very little material and knowledge, such as Dravidosaurus.
Of the more respectable issues, the Chinese use of Chengjiang Early Cambrian fossils is worth noting.
And Mary Anning finally gets some well-deserved recognition with the issue by the British Royal Mail.
The theme for the 2024 'Europa' issue is aquatic flora and fauna, and unlike all other countries, Luxemburg decided to depict prehistoric aquatic animals on its stamps.
New Issues:
Djibouti (prehistoric humans)
Guinea-Bissau (aquatic animals)
Guinea-Bissau (fossils)
Guinea (meteorites)
Kyrgyzstan
Liberia (extinct birds)
Liberia (water animals)
Moldavia (museums)
Niger (extinct mammals)
Romania (extinct species)
Sierra Leone (Wallace)
Sierra Leone (Darwin)
Sierra Leone (dinosaurs)
Togo (flying dinosaurs)
Togo (flying reptiles)
Togo (prehistoric life)
United Kingdom (dinosaurs)
Faeroe Islands (coal)
Guinea-Bissau (extinct mammals)
Guinea (fossils)
Guinea (prehistoric humans)
Liberia (fossils)
Liberia ('flying dinosaurs')
Luxembourg (Europa issue)
Niger (birds and fossils)
Niger (dinosaurs)
Russia (Arctic tourism)
Sierra Leone (extinct species)
Sierra Leone (extinct species)
Sierra Leone (stamps on stamps)
Togo (dinosaurs)
Togo ('aquatic dinosaurs')
Togo (Darwin)
** UPDATE: April 21, 2024 **
Well, this time I succeeded, only a small update.
A few Stamperija products, I have to say I like the fossil Calceola coral because it is a distinctive shape, common and (relatively) easy to find.
I discovered that I had overlooked a 2022 Russian miniature sheet with a mammoth on the margin.
And the final installment of the Dutch prehistoric animals issue is there.
New Issues:
Central African Republic (extinct birds)
Netherlands
Togo (extinct birds)
Guinea Bissau (lighthouses)
Russia (2022)
** UPDATE: March 1, 2024 **
I really did intend to update my site more often.
But two things interfered. In October I did something I have been wanting to do for decades, I made a trip to Peru and Bolivia, and finally got to see Machu Picchu. I was just as magnificent as I have always imagined it. I also got to see a lot of geology, but very little paleontology.
The other thing was the really dreary, dark, grey, wet weather we have been having for the last four months. It made a recurring problem I have, depression, a lot worse.
As a result, I again have a large number of issues to add. Of course, a lot of them are just more colourful pictures. Exceptions are only the issues from Mongolia and from Peru.
My home country has added two more issues of personalized stamps with prehistoric animals from the Netherlands. One more will appear in March.
New Issues:
Central African Republic (hominids)
Central African Republic (fossils)
Central African Republic (Darwin)
Central African Republic (Wallace)
Chad (Darwin)
Chad (extinct mammals)
Djibouti (extinct species)
Guinea ('flying dinosaurs')
Guinea (dinosaurs)
Guinea-Bissau (Darwin)
Mongolia (ice age animals)
Netherlands
Peru
Sierra Leone (flying dinosaurs)
Sierra Leone (aquatic animals)
Central African Republic (aquatic animals)
Central African Republic (hominids)
Central African Republic (extinct fishes)
Chad (dinosaurs)
Chad meteorites and dinosaurs)
Djibouti (Darwin)
Djibouti (Wallace)
Guinea (Darwin)
Guinea (extinct species)
Guinea-Bissau (aquatic animals)
Netherlands
Niger (Darwin)
Sierra Leone (fossils)
Sierra Leone (elephants and Neanderthals)
Sierra Leone (Darwin)
** UPDATE: August 21, 2023 **
A smaller update this time, I want to update my site more frequently.
And this time there are a couple of more interesting issues to report.
The Dutch mail (post.nl) has issued the first part of a series of issues on prehistoric animals. The bad news is that they are personalized stamps, which in my opinion are about as much 'real stamps' as the Stamperija products. The good news is that they depict animals and fossils actually found in the Netherlands (or the Dutch part of the North Sea), and include some unusual and interesting species. In all, there will be 12 sheets, each containing five different stamps.
The Mexican issue also depicts unusual species discovered in the country.
The New Zealand issue deserves praise for not just depicting female scientists, but a paleontologist as well.
The ammonite on the Manx stamp is most likely Dactylioceras, both M. Kogan from paleophilately.eu and Gus Knapp passed me this information.
Andreas Franze informed me that the animal on the 2022 Peru sheet is NOT a Plesiosaurus, but an unidentified member of the plesiosauroidea.
Thanks guys!
New Issues:
France
Jersey
Liberia (dinosaurs)
Madagascar
Netherlands
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Liberia (prehistoric humans)
Liberia (extinct mammals)
Mexico
New Zealand
** UPDATE: July 23, 2023 **
Michael Kogan of paleophilatelie.eu informed me that in my last update I had added the Spanish franking machine labels to the issue list, but had neglected to put them in the update. With some delay, here they are.
I also forgot to mention that Andreas Franze had kindly informed me that the theropod on the 2010 Swiss stamp now has a name. When the stamps were designed, scientists were still busy preparing and studying the then newly-found (2006-2008) theropod fossil. It was finally named Notatesseraeraptor frickensis in 2019.
The rest of this update has only two 'real' issues, for the Isle of Man and for the United Nations, the remainder being Stamperija again. And, again, with quite a number of new species. Which (also again) kept me busy for a while, looking for their correct names and classification. Regrettably I was unable to find the name of the ammonite on the Guinea fossil issue and the Isle of Man Wildlife Trust issue.
New Issues:
Djibouti (extinct mammals)
Djibouti (hominids)
Guinea-Bissau (cave paintings)
Guinea (extinct mammals)
Guinea (hominids)
Guinea (aquatic animals)
Niger (extinct mammals)
Sierra Leone (Wallace)
Djibouti (extinct birds)
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Guinea (dinosaurs)
Guinea (fossils)
Guinea (Nobel prize)
Man, Isle of (wildlife trust)
Sierra Leone (extinct birds)
United Nations
** UPDATE: May 22, 2023 **
A mega update due to me having been busy with other things and Stampera having been very busy printing more stamps. Only a few items are worth noting, such as the Liopleurodon franking machine labels issued by Spain.
I have also added the expected Australian stamp booklets, plus a couple of nice postcards from Colombia, Hong Kong and Spain.
The list of new genera is particularly long this time. It has taken me quite a bit of time to find data on some of the more obscure ones, and I have not been successful for all of them. I did like the graptolite, the first one to appear on a stamp (there was already one on a Czech label).
New Issues:
Central African Republic (aquatic animals)
Central African Republic (mammoths)
Central African Republic (dinosaurs)
Central African Republic (dinosaurs)
Central African Republic (extinct birds)
Chad (hominids)
Chad (aquatic animals)
China
Djibouti (fossils)
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Guinea-Bissau (Darwin)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Guinea-Bissau (fossils)
Guinea-Bissau (aquatic animals)
Liberia (extinct mammals)
Liberia (dinosaurs)
Liberia (hominids)
Liberia (aquatic animals)
Liberia (extinct birds)
Niger (dinosaurs)
Peru
Sierra Leone (extinct mammals)
Sierra Leone (Nobel prize)
Sierra Leone (extinct birds)
Spain (Liopleurodon)
Togo (Darwin)
Togo (extinct species)
Central African Republic (extinct insects)
Central African Republic (extinct fishes)
Central African Republic (extinct mammals)
Central African Republic (extinct mammals)
Chad (Nobel prize)
Chad ('flying dinosaurs')
Chad (extinct birds)
Colombia
Djibouti ('flying dinosaurs')
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau (Nobel prize)
Guinea-Bissau (hominids)
Guinea-Bissau ('flying dinosaurs')
Hong Kong
Liberia (Darwin)
Liberia (meteorites)
Liberia (Nobel prize)
Liberia (fossils)
Monaco
Niger (extinct animals)
Russia
Sierra Leone (aquatic animals)
Sierra Leone (Neanderthal man)
Sierra Leone (dinosaurs)
Spain (Aragosaurus)
Surinam (dinosaurs)
Togo (aquatic animals)
** UPDATE: November 15, 2022 **
History repeats itself: another long, long list of undesirable issues, and another long, long list of new species in paleophilately.
Some of these are quite nice, I will admit, others took a lot of reseach to get the name and taxonomy more or less right, yet others are of rather dubious value, being based on very poor and / or incomplete remains.
Fortunately, there are a couple of 'real' issues as well. I like the one from Slovakia best, with fossils actually found in the country. Fossil Vexillum snails can be found in the Netherlands as well, I have specimens of Vexillum gliberti that I dug up myself.
Australia has a nice new Australian dinosaurs (and pterosaur) issue. I have not seen the stamp booklets for sale yet, but I suspect these will become available soon.
New Issues:
Central African Republic (dinosaurs)
Central African Republic (extinct animals)
Central African Republic (fossils)
Djibouti (fossils)
Djibouti (aquatic animals)
Djibouti (extinct mammals)
Guinea-Bissau (extinct animals)
Guinea (aquatic animals)
Guinea ('flying dinosaurs')
Korea, North
Mozambique ('flying dinosaurs')
Niger (fossils)
Niger (aquatic animals)
Sierra Leone ('flying dinosaurs')
Sierra Leone (small dinosaurs)
Togo (dinosaurs)
Togo (hominids)
Togo (sharks)
Togo (fossils)
Central African Republic (extinct birds)
Central African Republic ('flying dinosaurs')
Chad (fossils)
Djibouti (hominids)
Djibouti (meteorites)
Djibouti (extinct birds)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Guinea (meteorites and dinosaurs)
Japan (Toy Story)
Liberia ('flying dinosaurs')
Mozambique (dinosaurs)
Niger ('flying dinosaurs')
Sierra Leone (ammonites)
Sierra Leone (big dinosaurs)
Slovakia (fossils)
Togo (meteorites)
Togo ('flying dinosaurs')
Togo (extinct birds)
** UPDATE: July 17, 2022 **
Again, a long list of objectionable issues with many bad pictures, but also some nice ones of fossils. These fossils contribute heavily to the list of new genera.
Fortunately, there are also some very legitimate issues by Japan, Mongolia, and Portugal. With the help of a countryman in Ulan Bataar, I received two beautiful covers with the Mongolian issue as franking.
By the way, Petra is wonderful, I can recommend a visit to Jordan.
New Issues:
Central African Republic (fossils)
Central African Republic (Darwin)
Central African Republic (hominids)
Djibouti ('flying dinosaurs')
Guinea (dinosaurs)
Guinea (birds)
Japan
Liberia (fossils)
Mongolia (dinosaurs)
Niger (hominids)
Russia
Sierra Leone (aquatic animals)
Sierra Leone (Darwin)
Togo (fossils)
Central African Republic (meteorites)
Central African Republic (aquatic animals)
Djibouti (fossils)
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Guinea (Darwin)
Guinea-Bissau (meteorites)
Liberia (dinosaurs)
Mongolia (centenary)
Niger (dinosaurs)
Portugal
Sierra Leone (dinosaurs)
Sierra Leone (hominids)
Sierra Leone (fossils)
Togo (aquatic animals)
** UPDATE: May 2, 2022 **
History repeats itself. Another way-too-long list of Stamperija issues.
And it is not even complete, the first issues for 2022 have hit the market. I will present these in the next update.
Again, I will admit that some of the 'fossils' issues show nice images of intersting and / or unusual fossil species.
On the 'plus' side: not buying these things has already saved me almost 1000 Euros - in a few days I will be off to Jordan to see Petra!
New Issues:
Central African Republic (dinosaurs)
Central African Republic (extinct birds)
Chad (fossils)
Chad (dinosaurs)
Djibouti (aquatic animals)
Guinea-Bissau (aquatic animals)
Guinea-Bissau (extinct species)
Guinea-Bissau (extinct birds)
Guinea-Bissau (hominids)
Guinea-Bissau ('flying dinosaurs')
Mozambique (dinosaurs)
Sao Tome e Principe ('flying dinosaurs')
Sao Tome e Principe (fossils)
Sao Tome e Principe (aquatic animals)
Togo (dinosaurs)
Togo ('flying dinosaurs')
Central African Republic (dinosaurs)
Chad (hominids)
Chad (fossils)
Chad ('flying dinosaurs')
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Guinea-Bissau (hominids)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Guinea-Bissau (fossils)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Mozambique (aquatic animals)
Mozambique (fossils)
Sao Tome e Principe (extinct birds)
Sao Tome e Principe (dinosaurs)
Sao Tome e Principe (hominids)
Togo (prehistoric man)
Ukraine
** UPDATE: December 14, 2021 **
What a surprise. Another huge lot of Stamperija issues.
But I'll be honest, I do feel a few have something going for them. The 'fossils' issues for the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, and Sao Tome e Principe depict interesting species and have nice images.
For the fossil fishes issues, the designer elected to use illustrations from the classic work by Louis Agassiz 'Recherches sur les poissons fossiles' (1833-1843). This was a good decision, in my opinion, it gave him wonderful images to work with. Of course, he also copied the names that Agassiz used. And thát has caused me hours of work. Over the years, most of the species have been assiged to other genera as taxonomic knowledge grew. Finding my way through the resulting maze of obsolete names was quite hard, especially because my favourite taxonomy website (www.fossilworks.org) seemed to be offline for a while. But I do think I finally got them all sorted.
Some of the other issues feature little (and sometimes poorly) known species. As a result, the list of new genera is impressively long.
There is only one non-Stamperija issue, from the Czech Republic. And even that is a bit of a borderline case, it shows the aurochs as re-bred from old breeds of cattle and now living in the Milovice nature reserve.
On the 'cinderella' page, I have added a 'real' aurochs, a skeleton as depicted on an issue by a German private mail company.
New Issues:
Central African Republic ('flying dinosaurs')
Central African Republic (hominids)
Chad (Turritella agate)
Chad (aquatic animals)
Chad (meteorites)
Djibouti (dinosaurs)
Djibouti (fossil fishes)
Guinea-Bissau (fossil fishes)
Guinea-Bissau (dinosaurs)
Niger (aquatic animals)
Niger (extinct species)
Niger ('flying dinosaurs')
Sao Tome e Principe (extinct animals)
Sao Tome e Principe (fossils)
Togo (dinosaurs)
Central African Republic (fossils)
Chad ('flying dinosaurs')
Chad (extinct species)
Chad (dinosaurs)
Czech Republic
Djibouti (hominids)
Djibouti (extinct species)
Guinea-Bissau ('flying dinosaurs')
Liberia (Lascaux)
Niger (dinosaurs)
Niger (fossils)
Sao Tome e Principe (aquatic animals)
Sao Tome e Principe (dinosaurs)
Togo (extinct species)
** UPDATE: August 25, 2021 **
Another update dominated by Stamperija issues. And the Penrhyn issue is no better.
Fortunately, there are a couple of 'real' issues as well. The Italian issue is interesting, featuring both dinosaur trackways and a hominid skull.
But the most remarkable is a 1989 Hungarian issue that had escaped my attention - it features a Neanderthal skull!
New Issues:
Central African Republic (dinosaurs)
Chad (dinosaurs)
Guinea ('flying dinosaurs')
Guinea (fossils)
Guinea (extinct species)
Italy
Mozambique
Penrhyn
Togo (aquatic animals)
Chad (hominids)
Djibouti ('flying dinosaurs')
Guinea (hominids)
Guinea (Spielberg)
Hungary (a new find from 1989!)
Kazakhstan
Niger (hominids)
Sao Tome e Principe (dinosaurs).