The 47th Feria Nacional del Sello in Madrid and the dinosaurs of Portugal

One year on, and Correos / Spanish Post organized the National Stamp Fair at the Plaza Mayor of Madrid, in collaboration with ANFIL and FNMT. The 47th fair was held from Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th of May 2015, and was dedicated to the world of Dinosaurs. Without doubt it was a great topic to attract not only those interested in philately, but also many young (and young at heart) people who are passionate about these extinct creatures. The philatelic meeting was held in a large temporary structure, with multiple entrances from the square.

Inside, the organization had arranged a large interactive space with a Jurassic setting, where younger visitors could participate in different activities related to dinosaurs and philately, and who had a warm welcome. Probably, this was one of the most visited fairs of recent years.

Unfortunately, the chosen weekend was extremely hot and the pavilion did not allow for any air conditioning. So, during the hottest hours of the day the temperature inside was unbearable. The Fair hosted 20 commercial stands, plus ANFIL (Spain’s National Association of Philatelic and Numismatic Entrepreneurs), and two institutional stands for Correos (below) and Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (the Spanish Mint). For the first time, the organization gave a stand to a guest country, Portugal.

During the Fair, Correos released a series of four stamps, printed using different special techniques, a book, and other souvenir items devoted to dinosaurs, though not related to our field of study.
Meanwhile, Correios de Portugal responded to the invitation by releasing a new ATM series, also dedicated to dinosaurs.

After more than 10 years of ATM issues devoted to spreading social subjects, normally with simple and unattractive designs, the new series was especially well received by all collectors. Furthermore, it is the second time that Correios de Portugal dedicated an ATM series to dinosaurs. The previous one was released in 1999, and consisted of four designs with images of these prehistoric animals (right).

	The new series went on sale on May 4th 2015, just a few days before the National Stamp Fair in Madrid. The selection and the design of the three dinosaurs featured in the series is by Fernando Correia, who is a biologist a scientific illustrator and a professor in the department of biology at the University of Aveiro. There are three large carnivorous dinosaurs of the Jurassic period, from which fossils have been found in Portugal in recent years - Allosaurus europaeus, Ceratosaurus sp., & Torvosaurus gurneyi. The composition includes a complete picture of the dinosaur at the left side of the design, and the head detail on the right. The rolls of self-adhesive labels, with the three repeated designs, were printed by offset, and manufactured by the Portuguese company Litho Formas Portuguesa. The size of the labels is 55 x 30 mm., and include a preprinted sequential number on the back of the waxed paper.
	The Allosaurus europaeus is one of the best-known dinosaurs in Portugal. Discovered in 2006, it could reach up to nine meters long and four meters high, with a weight of up to two tonnes. This species also appeared in one of four ATMs released in 1999. The ceratosaurus sp. is a genus of dinosaur that lived in Portugal and North America, 150 million years ago. The Torvosaurus gurneyi is the largest land predator known which lived in Portugal and Europe, with a weight that could reach five tonnes.

		On the date of issue, Newvision E-Post 2000 postal kiosks allowed the direct printing of stamps (ATMs) with 7 pre-programmed values (see table below) - 5 for ordinary mail or Correio normal (0.45 - 0.57 - 0.62 - 0.72 - 0.80 EUR), and two for urgent mail or Correio Azul (0.55 - 2.35 EUR), using push button selection. However, it is possible to obtain stamps with other values from the E-Post 2000M postal kiosks. These kiosks are fitted with a scale, and users can buy stamps according to weight, destination, and type of shipping required. ATMs with the first values of Correio Normal and Correio Azul, issued by a Newvision E-Post vending machine, black printing.

Official first day cover with the three designs of the series, and Lisboa commemorative postmark. There are first day postmarks for Lisbon and Porto.

The Portuguese philatelic service produced a first day cover, illustrated with a picture of Torvosaurus gurneyi and, for the first time, three postcards showing a representation of the dinosaurs in their habitat. The design of the postcards is also by Fernando Correia, in collaboration with paleontologist Ricardo Araújo, by the Instituto Técnico Superior de Lisboa and the Museum of Lourinhã.

Besides the two first day postmarks for Lisbon and Porto, the philatelic service prepared a third special postmark for this series, on the occasion of the National Stamp Fair in Madrid. All the postmarks are illustrated with a drawing of the head of Torvosaurus gurneyi.

During the Fair, visitors showed huge interest in the new series of Portuguese automatic stamps, as well as for the covers and maximum cards produced on-the-spot by the two friendly philatelic service stand attendants.

Postal rates (EUR) programmed into the Amiel, NewVision and SMD vending machines

,	Correio normal						Correio Azul
Change of postal rates	Domestic, up to 20 g. normalized	Domestic, up to 100 g.		Spain, up to 20 g.	Europe, except Spain, up to 20 g.	Rest of the world, up to 20 g.	Domestic, up to 20 g. normalized	International up to 20 g.
1.01.2002	0.27	0.45		0.46	0.54	0.70	0.43	1.75
1.01.2003	0.30	0.46		0.47	0.55	0.70	0.43	1.75
	Domestic, up to 20 g. normalized	Domestic, from 20 to 50 g. normalized	Domestic, up to 100 g. *	Spain, up to 20 g.	Europe, except Spain, up to 20 g.	Rest of the world, up to 20 g.	Domestic, up to 20 g. normalized	International up to 20 g.
1.01.2004	0.30	0.45	0.48	0.48	0.56	0.72	0.45	1.75
1.01.2005	0.30	0.46	0.49	0.48	0.57	0.74	0.45	1.75
1.05.2006	0.30	0.48	0.50	0.52	0.60	0.75	0.45	1.80
1.01.2007	0.30	0.50	0.55	0.52	0.61	0.75	0.45	1.85
1.08.2008	0.31	0.55	0.60	0.57	0.67	0.80	0.47	1.85
1.01.2009	0.32	0.54	0.60	0.57	0.68	0.80	0.47	1.85
1.06.2010	0.32	0.53	0,60	0.57	0.68	0.80	0.47	1.85
1.04.2013	0.36	0.57	0.70	0.60	0.70	0.80	0.50	1.90
1.11.2013	0.40	0.57	0.70	0.60	0.70	0.80	0.50	1.90
7.04.2014	0.42	0.57	0.75	0.62	0.72	0.80	0.50	2.20
1.03.2015	0.45	0.57	0.75	0.62	0.72	0.80	0.55	2.35
* This value appeared from 2005, programmed into some of the Amiel, NewVision and SMD ATM vending machines, instead of the value of Domestic Correio normal (inland normal mail) between 20 and 50 g.