Protected animals. No’s 350-361

Date of issue: 15 October 1959

Expiration date: 30 June 1960 (* see note)

Design: Jean van Noten (1903-1982)

Printer: Hélio Courvoisier, s.a., La Chaux De Fonds, Switzerland

Paper with silk threads

Perforation: 11.5 x 12

Size: 32.5 x 22.5 or 22.5 x 32.5 mm

Sheet: 100 (10 x 10) <in several catalogue wrongly as 50>

Marginal inscriptions no’s 351, 353, 355, 357, 359 and 361: in color of the stamps on right and on the left margin “Impression Courvoisier S.A., La Chaux – De – Fonds (Suisse).

Marginal inscriptions no’s 350, 352, 354, 356, 358 and 360: in color of the stamps on top and on the bottom margin “Impression Courvoisier S.A., La Chaux – De – Fonds (Suisse).

Circulation: see the series

The background color is only indicated

No 350 10c, blue. Roan antelope-Hippotragus equines, 4,000,000 stamps

No 351 20c, orange. White rhino- Ceratotherium simum, 5,000,000 stamps

No 352 40c, blue. Giraffe-Artiodactyla, 2,000,000 stamps

No 353 50c, blue. Galogo (Bush baby), 5,000,000 stamps

No 354 1F, green. Gorilla, 8,000,000 stamps

No 355 1,50F, ochre. Black buffalo-Ictiobus niger, 10,000,000 stamps

No 356 2F, red. Colobus monkey-Colobus guereza caudatus, 2,000,000 stamps

No 357 3F, lilac gray. Elephant-Loxodonta Africana, 12,000,000 stamps

No 358 5F, green. Okapi-Okapia johnstoni, 2,000,000 stamps

No 359 6,50F, brown yellow. Impala-Aepyceros melampus, 6,000,000 stamps

No 360, 8F, lilac. Pangolin-Manis temminckii, 2,000,000 stamps

No 361, 10F, brown yellow. Moose and zebra, 2,000,000 stamps

The series:

The imperforated series is in size and coloring exact the same as above:

Remark: the white border around these stamps is much larger when cut from a side, top, bottom or corner of a sheet.

There are no variations or curiosities known for any of the above shown material.

Proofs: there exist a series of proofs in color: (Sorry no image available)

* Note: The Belgium Congo stamps, without new value (overprint), were theoretically demonetized (can no longer be used as postage) on 30 June 1960

In practice many stamps of the colony could be used (and were sold) till 1965 because of lack of available values.

For example in 1964 you could still buy and use the series "masques" of 1947 without any problem in Kivu, Kasaï, and in the eastern province.

In 1965 the 3 highest values of these series were still for sale in Elisabethville.

Only certain private (or special) colonial emissions were really demonetized; for example the series with a portrait of King Boudewijn of 1955, and the series of the 50th anniversary of Belgium Congo of 1958.