Stamp One Auctions & Searches is proud to feature this series of stamps which was issued in Darwin's honor - for his contributions to geology and the Galapagos Island research. Each item is featured as the stamp and also as an enlargement on a card. The stamps were issued by the British Post Office on February 10, 1982 - and were designed by David Gentleman and printed in photogravure by Harrison and Sons.

Animals isolated within different islands developed into new species! Darwin noted this evolution at his favorite place - the Galapagos Islands.

Royal Mail Mint Stamps

Charles Darwin should be remembered not only for his theory of evolution, but also for the outstanding contributions he made to geology, soil science, experimental botany and the study of animal behavior. During his life, Darwin became known as Britain's greatest biologist as he produced several books and wrote thousands of letters commenting on many aspects of biology and geology. He kept notes on the natural history and geology of the countries he visited.

Darwin devoted years of study to collecting information about problems within various species. Furthermore, he developed explanations and mechanisms for what he considered the "transmutation of species." His Theory of Evolution is widely recognized - although he rarely used the term himself.

One of his favorite countries of study was the Galapagos Islands. This is a group of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean on the equator and 600 miles west of Ecuador. The land animals and plants that were able to colonize there in isolation have developed into new species. Not only are these species different from nearby continents, but they also exhibit differences among the various islands.

The word Galapagos means tortoise,
and the giant tortoises of the various islands
have become adapted to feed in different ways
to exploit the available food.
The tortoises were an important source of food
to passing ships as they could be kept alive
for a long time aboard the ships and provided much-needed fresh meat.
(Click Image to see enlarged card.)

Aside from the tortoise,
there are two types of iguana on the
Islands, the dark marine iguana
and the land iguana.
(Click Image to see enlarged card.)

The main small land birds on the islands
are a complex, inter-related group of species
now called "Darwin's Finches."
(Click Image to see enlarged card.)