For 165 million years dinosaurs ruled the earth with unparalleled strength and power. To date, some 500 types of dinosaur have been identified, but this is believed to be only a fraction of the species that actually existed. They came in all shapes and sizes (some were as small as chickens, while some were as tall as five-storey buildings) and they displayed a wide range of social behaviour patterns (some were gentle in nature and ate plant life, while others were violent and threatening, and ate those that ate the plant life!).
Issue information
The name 'dinosaur' originates from a combination of two Greek words: 'deinos' meaning terrible and 'sauros' meaning lizard. It is these 'terrible lizards' - in particular those that once walked on New Zealand soil - that are the subject of this stamp issue.
Exhibition Miniature Sheet - $1.50
Between 1-10 October 1993 stamp collectors, postal administrations and exhibitors flocked to Thailand to attend Bangkok '93 World Philatelic Exhibition. New Zealand Post produced an overprinted 1993 Dinosaur miniature sheet to commemorate the event.
Issued 1 October 1993.
Product Listing for Dinosaurs
Click on image to enlarge.
| Image | Title | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
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Single Stamp |
Single 45c 'Sauropod' gummed stamp. A giant herbivore that used its long giraffe-like neck to graze on lush tree top vegetation. Apatosaurus (also called brontosaurus) and diplodocus are among the best known of this group of dinosaur. |
$0.45 |
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Single Stamp |
Single 80c 'Pterosaur' gummed stamp. The pterosaurs were the first animals (other than insects) to take to the air and fly. Their wings were large membranes of skin which measured four metres across. The pterosaurs diet consisted of fish and other marine life. |
$0.80 |
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Single Stamp |
Single $1.00 'Ankylosaur' gummed stamp. Up to three metres long and weighing around half a tonne, the herbivorous ankylosaur was well protected from predators with a heavy bone armour which plated its back and head. |
$1.00 |
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Single Stamp |
Single $1.20 'Mauisaurus' gummed stamp. Mauisaurus was a plesiosaur - a marine reptile that swum with its head above the water and fed on fish and other prey. Measuring nine metres long, mauisaurus was the largest plesiosaur to be found in New Zealand waters. |
$1.20 |
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Single Stamp |
Single $1.50 'Carnosaur' gummed stamp. The large meat-eating carnosaur was among the most terrifying of all dinosaurs. It walked on its hind legs, had powerful clawed hands and may have been capable of speeds of up to 40 or 50 kilometres per hour! |
$1.50 |
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Single Stamp | Single 45c 'Carnosaur Sauropod' gummed booklet stamp. | $0.45 |
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Miniature Sheet | Mint, used or cancelled miniature sheet featuring $1.50 stamp. | $1.50 |
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First Day Cover | First day cover with six stamps affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue. | $5.65 |
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Miniature Sheet First Day Cover | First day cover with miniature sheet affixed. Cancelled on the first day of issue. | $1.75 |
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Gummed Booklet | Booklet containing 10 x 45c gummed stamps. | $4.50 |
Technical information
| Date of issue: | 1 October 1993 |
|---|---|
| Designer: | Geoffrey Cox, Auckland, NZ |
| Printer: | Southern Colour Print, Dunedin |
| Stamp size: | 28mm x 40mm |
| MIniature sheet size: | 124mm x 99mm |
| Sheet size: | 100 stamps per sheet; 10 stamps per booklet; Miniature Sheets of one stamp |
| Process: | Lithography |
| Perforation gauge: | Sheet stamps: 13.5; Booklet stamps: 12; Miniature Sheet stamp: 14.5 x 14 |
| Paper type: | Harrison and Sons, red phosphor coated, unwatermarked |
| Period of sale: | These stamps remained on sale until 1 October 1994. |