Sunday, 25 February 2024

3204) Extinct Species of the Fauna of Romania, Romania: Romfilatelia (Romanian Post) has issued a set of four stamps of 4.60 Lei, 5.00 Lei, 6.00 Lei, 13.00 Lei: Date of Stamp set issue: 22.02.2024:

 3204) Extinct Species of the Fauna of Romania, Romania: Romfilatelia (Romanian Post) has issued a set of four stamps of 4.60 Lei, 5.00 Lei, 6.00 Lei, 13.00 Lei: Date of Stamp set issue: 22.02.2024:

About Extinct Species From the Fauna of Romania:

Romfilatelia has brought out for collectors and the general public, a new issue with the Fauna theme, under the generic title “Extinct species from the fauna of Romania”, composed of four stamps, a First Day Cover and a special product in a limited edition. 

The issue has been introduced into circulation on 22.02.2024.

Romfilatelia has brought attention to five of the species of large herbivores, until recently part of the existing fauna on the territory of present-day Romania.

The Vânători-Neamț Nature Park is the only protected area that has assumed, through the management plan, “the reintroduction of large wild herbivores that have disappeared from Romania’s fauna”.

On the stamp with the face value of Lei 4.60 is illustrated the Tarpan - wild horse (Equus ferus)

The wild horses were present in the frozen steppes stretching from the Northern European Plain to Siberia. They also existed on the territory of present-day Romania, the archaeological evidence covering almost the entire country.

Moose / Elk (Alces alces) is depicted on the stamp with the face value of Lei 5.

The historical spread area of the species extended from the Pyrenees to the Russian Plain, if we refer to the European space. In fact, as proof of their expansion to the south, moose are represented alongside bison or aurochs in the famous prehistoric drawings from the caves of Altamira, Lascaux or Chauvet.

Beyond the Carpathians, in Moldavia, the moose, called “plotun” by Romanian ancestors, was also noted in the chronicles of the time.

On the stamp with the face value of Lei 6 is illustrated the species Saiga (Saiga tatarica), spread from Western Europe to the extreme northwest of the American continent, being adapted to a cold and dry climate. 

The presence of the saiga on the territory of Romania is certified in the chronicles of the 16th century. The Moldovan peasants have known it for a long time under the name “wild sheep”.

Aurochs (Bos primigenius) is depicted on the stamp with the face value of Lei 13.

Except for the north of the continent, the aurochs was present in Europe, historically speaking, over large areas. The presence of the aurochs was certain in the 12th century in the Pannonian area, the Baltic territories, where the aurochs lived until the 14th-15th centuries, so that in Poland, where it benefited from a special protection status, it was conserved until the beginning of the 17th century.

There is an assumption that the aurochs disappeared from Moldavia sometime in the 15th century, remaining in a state of freedom longer than in other parts of Europe. As proof of the presence was the using of the seals on which were clear representations of the aurochs, with long horns, in the shape of a lyre.

Khulan / Mongolian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus) is illustrated on the First Day Cover (FDC), its fossils being found in large areas - around the Mediterranean, at the North Sea, in the Caucasus or on the banks of the Volga. 

At left on the FDC is seen a Mongolian Wild Ass facing right.

Human interventions caused the species to disappear relatively quickly from the European landscape, small numbers remaining in southern Europe and the Caucasus, until around 500 BC.

The Mongolian wild ass has been reintroduced in Ukraine in the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve in the Kherson Region, since the 1950s and in the Tarutino Steppe, in Bugeac, since 2020.

At top right are affixed the four stamps issued in the set by Romfiletalia. The Special Cancellation Stamp bears an Aurochs in the centre. The Cancellation is of Bucharest Post Office and the date of Cancellation is - "22.02.2024".

A Souvenir Sheet (SS) of five stamps and a coupon/label of the four variants.

Full Sheets of the four variants bearing 40 Stamps of each variant.

A Special Philatelic Folder

The philatelic folder was created into a limited run printing of 186 pieces and has been equipped with the special philatelic block of four imperforated stamps of the issue. 

Its graphics is complemented by decorative elements with round perforations in which are inscribed the title of the issue and the First Day postmark, printed in gold foiling. 

The special philatelic block is numbered from 001 to 186.

Technical details:

Issue Date: 22.02.2024

Designer: George URSACHI

Process: offset, in 4 colours, paper for stamps, gummed, produced by Tullis Russel (UK origin), purchased by the Stamp Factory; weight: 112 ± 4% g/m2

Colours: 4 Colours (CMYK)

Size(s):

Stamp Sizes: 42.00 mm x 27.00 mm, 

Block Sizes: 120.00 mm x 140.00 mm (in philatelic folder), 

Minisheets Sizes: 105.00 mm × 125.00 mm

Stamp Values: 4.60 Lei, 5.00 Lei, 6.00 Lei, 13.00 Lei











Links to Posts on "European Year of Rail":


Links to some posts on Romanian currency and philately on this Blog:


























Fantasies and Flora Stamp Series, Romania:


5 comments:

  1. Rajan Trikha has commented:
    "Very detailed."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mita Banerjee has commented:
    "Unique!"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Santosh Khanna has commented:
    "A VERY interesting and informative post. Thanks for sharing."

    ReplyDelete