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Comox Valley Elasmosaur Dinosaur

Dinos of Canada

Stamp Info

Name Value
Date of Issue May 26, 2016
Year 2016
Quantity 660,000
Denomination
PERMANENT™ (P).
Current monetary value: $0.92.
Perforation or Dimension 40 mm x 40 mm
Series Dinos of Canada
Series Time Span 2015 - 2016
Printer Lowe-Martin
Postal Administration Canada

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Stamp Price Values

Condition Name Avg Value
M-NH-VF
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Fine Only available to paid users
U-VF
Used - Very Fine Only available to paid users
* Notes about these prices:
  • They are not based on catalogue values but on current dealer and auction listings. The reason for this is that catalogues tend to over-value stamps.
  • They are average prices. The actual value of your stamp may be slightly above or below the listed value, depending on the overall condition of your stamp. Use these prices as a guide to determine the approximate value of your stamps.

Stamp Supplies on Amazon

Layouts

Booklet of 10 stamps

Quantity Produced - 260,000
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Original Purchase Price: $8.50
Dimension: 40 mm x 40 mm
Printing Process: Lithography in 4 colours + 1 varnish
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Souvenir sheet of 5 stamps

Quantity Produced - 140,000
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Original Purchase Price: $4.25
Dimension: 160 mm x 110 mm
Printing Process: Lithography in 4 colours + 1 varnish
Gum Type: PVA
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Uncut press sheet of 7 souvenir sheets, 1 x Permanent™

Quantity Produced - 2,500
Original Purchase Price: $30.60
Dimension: 648 mm x 481 mm
Printing Process: Lithography in 4 colours + 1 varnish
Gum Type: PVA
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Souvenir sheet Official First Day Cover

Quantity Produced - 10,000
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Original Purchase Price: $5.25
Cancellation Location: Courtenay BC
Dimension: 191 mm x 113 mm
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About Stamp

Comox Valley elasmosaur (this fossil has not yet been given a scientific name) – The vicious marine reptile had a neck nearly seven metres long that helped it hunt its prey 83 million years ago. It was discovered in 1988 by a father and his 12-year-old daughter prospecting for fossils in the Comox Valley.

Our Dinos of Canada stamp series isn’t extinct just yet. This exciting sequel breathes new life into five more fossilized finds that are part of Canada’s wealth of paleontological discoveries. In Alberta, we unearth two traditional dinosaurs: the tiny, bird-like Troodon inequalis and the boneheaded Acrotholus audeti. In British Columbia, we find the Comox Valley elasmosaur, a vicious marine reptile, while in Saskatchewan, we dig up the relatively recent Cypretherium coarctatum, one of a group of mammals nicknamed “terminator pigs.” Moving east, to Prince Edward Island, we come across an ancient, mammal-like reptile called Dimetrodon borealis.

This rock-solid issue took shape thanks to a team from Vancouver-based Subplot Design Inc. that included Roy White, Matthew Clark, Steph Gibson and Liz Wurzinger.

“We knew this project would be illustration-heavy and the subject matter would be very specific,” says White. “Our first challenge was to find an engaging illustrator – one who was also an expert in the subject.”

The search for such a specialized artist led the team to Ukrainian Sergey Krasovskiy who, as one of the world’s best paleo-artists, specializes in the illustration of dinosaurs and other extinct creatures. Although Krasovskiy’s work has graced the pages of many textbooks and popular magazines, including National Geographic, these are his first stamps.

“When I start an illustration, I visualize it in a magazine,” explains Krasovskiy. “I couldn’t do the same with a small stamp, so I printed a stamp-sized frame to actually see the size I was working with.”

“Steph [Gibson] came up with the idea of showing the reflection of the creature through the eyes of another. Each eye is a unique frame, so it helps to create an interesting storyline for the stamp. Who’s watching? Predator? Prey? They inspire the imagination without having to depict an entire scene,” says White.

The captivating design presented some unusual challenges. The creature needed to appear as a reflection on a curved surface, making it difficult to balance the distortion in the perspective with the very technical – and scientifically accurate – details.

For White, the Dinos of Canada issue comes together best when all of the products are side by side.

“The repeating eye motif comes roaring back on the uncut press sheet as the eye of a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex and as the frame for a single stamp among seven other souvenir sheets.”

“It’s not just an illustration to me,” adds Krasovskiy, “I enjoy the process. I hope that it reflects in my work, and that the audience feels that passion.”

Creators

Design: Subplot Design Inc. Illustration: Sergey Krasovskiy.

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