Sunday 21 September 2014

Horns Out of Africa

Eastern Transvaal and Kwa/Zulu Natal
Two of the 1995 South African 'Tourism' series featuring one of the top reasons I would want to travel there, the wildlife.  Helpfully the stamps include a map so I'll know exactly where to head for.   The artist is the South African wilderness sculptor and painter Alan Ainslie who has designed stamps for various countries not only featuring wildlife but also well know people.
In the same decade as the 'Tourism' stamps South Africa's definitives were featuring endangered animals and these are ones from the 3rd series.

 For the completist the various South African definitives series throughout its history offer a dizzying variety of printings, gum, perforations, booklet and sheet stamps.  I noticed that the impala on the right has a franking date of 2000 which is the year when South Africa definitives changed to the wonderfully colourful birds, fish and flowers series. 
Waterbuck and Blue Wildebeest
An entry to Viridian Postcard's Sunday Stamps theme of - Mammals

8 comments:

Bob Scotney said...

My animal stamps from South Africa are of a much older period. Those you have shown us are magnificent - they would make any collector drool.

viridian said...

Beautiful stamps. Wish I received more postcards from South Africa! thank you for participating this week.

Unknown said...

Amazing. I never saw a stamp of South Africa. They are beautiful.

Unknown said...
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VioletSky said...

I notice that all the animals you've featured have horns. And quite an interesting display of horns, too.

This is also one reason I would love to travel there as well.

♥ Willa @ Postage Journal♥ said...

wow! you have quite a selection here. really nice.

Willa @ Postage Journal

Dănuţ Ivănescu said...

I really like the first two, primarily due to the format, but also for the concept.

agi said...

the panoramic stamps are gorgeous! but also the set with horns looks impressive all in one place. i hope none of these have become extinct in the meantime :/