Australia postage stamps year 1995 stamps Opals Minerals MNH set

The Australian postage stamps you are referring to are the special issue featuring Opals which came out in 1995.

This issue is notable as it was the first time Australia Post used a holographic printing process on its stamps to capture the unique brilliance of the gemstones.

Here are the specific details of the stamp set:

• Issue Name: Opals (often referred to as the Precious Gems series)
• Date of Issue: April 5, 1995
• Set Composition: A set of two (2) different stamps.
• Denominations and Subjects:
  1. $1.20 stamp: Depicts a Light Opal.
  2. $2.50 stamp: Depicts a Black Opal.
• Printing Feature: Holographic printing (Offset lithography and embossed).
• Catalogue Information (for the 2-value set):
  • Scott Nos.: 1429-1430
  • Stanley Gibbons Nos.: 1518-1519
  • Michel Nos.: 1466-1467

The issue celebrates Australia’s national gemstone, the opal, for which the country is the world’s leading supplier.