1992 - Second Heritage Series - Emerging Years 1920s.

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The 1920s.
         The 1920s were a good time to be alive. Sandwiched between World War I and the Great Depression, they were an oasis of peace and prosperity. They were boom years in New Zealand. The toll from war and disease touched countless homes and the losses would never be forgotten. But in this war-weary country, youth, both male and female, were ready to rebel a little, to test the limits of social customs. It was youth that became a force of its own for the first time. The arrival of the 'wireless', reliable motorcars, the cinema, The Invincibles and increased leisure time, combined with a post-war mood of release and optimism, created a period known for its love of fun and leisure activities.
       That is how NZ Post describes it on their website.  This is a period that stood-out between two decades of doom and gloom. With the appearance of radio, cars and air travel, it is easy to see why this generation stood out as different. They had things their parents never had and so they wanted to experience this new era of new ideas, new technology and new freedoms. 
       My parents were born in the twenties, Mum in 1926 and Dad in 1929. They never remembered much, being so young, their first real memories were from the thirties and the Great Depression.
      I like the stamps of this issue, they are interesting, like they are calling me to tell their stories. Each stamp gives me a feeling of boldness and confidence. The words 'New Zealand' and the value is shown clearly with the stamp's title in smaller text across the bottom. A simple, yet effective design repeated over all six stamps. They even have a twenties look about them too.



                     
      45c - Flaming Youth.                                              50c - Birth of Broadcasting.

Flaming Youth - 45c
Overseas styles in music, dance, dress and behaviour, particularly from the United States and Britain, were embraced by New Zealand youth in the 1920s. The Charleston became the social dance of the era, and the 'flapper' - meaning a woman who was considered bold and unconventional - became a symbol of the decade.
Birth of Broadcasting - 50c
Radio in New Zealand was born on the night of 17 November 1921 when Dr Robert Jack, Professor of Physics at Otago University, switched on a small transmitter in his Dunedin laboratory and began broadcasting music from gramophone records. The country promptly became wildly enthusiastic about the new-fangled 'wireless' that could pick up voices and music from the air, and by the end of 1927 more than 30,000 homes had radio licences. The Radio Broadcasting Company of New Zealand was established in 1925 with stations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. This became a tightly controlled monopoly that would years to break into with private radio stations.

                    
80c - The Invincibles / All Blacks.                                             $1.00 - The Swaggie.

The Invincibles - 80c
The 1924 All Blacks earned the title 'The Invincibles' with an unbeaten 28-match tour of the British Isles, France and Canada. The team was studded with stars, including fullback George Nepia, who played in every game. Among the other legendary players on the tour were the brothers Maurice and Cyril Brownlie in the forwards and brilliant backs Mark Nicholls and Bert Cooke.
The Swaggie - $1.00
The 1920s were the swan song years for the New Zealand swaggies, who had opted out of society and its work ethic to drift around New Zealand exchanging labour for food and a bed, or simply begging for handouts. The dusty, often unkempt figure, trudging along a country road, swag over his shoulder, a figure familiar to generations of New Zealanders, disappeared into history.

                    
$1.50 - Motorcar for the Masses.                                      $1.80 - Arrival of the Air Age.

The Motorcar Brings Freedom - $1.50
The age of mass motoring was underway. The revolutionary Ford Model T was introduced in 1908, and New Zealanders bought more than 90,000 of them before they were superseded by the Model A in 1929. Local assembly of cars and trucks began in 1926, and total production reached 12,000 by 1929.
The Arrival of the Air Age - $1.80
The last years of the decade were a boom for the aviation industry. With the arrival of better and less expensive aircraft from overseas, new airline companies sprang up and aerial pageants became popular entertainment.
On 11 September 1928 a three-engined Fokker called 'The Southern Cross', flown by Charles Kingsford Smith landed in Christchurch after setting off from Australia. The country went aviation mad - the air age had arrived.


First Day Cover - 4 November 1992.


Technical information


             Date of issue:4 November 1992
             Designers: Terry Crilley, Marlborough Sounds, NZ
             Printer: Southern Colour Print, New Zealand
             Stamp size: 28mm x 40mm
             Sheet size: 100 stamps per sheet
             Process: Lithography
             Perforation gauge:   13.5mm
             Paper type:Peterborough Paper Convertors, red phosphor coated, unwatermarked
             Period of sale:These stamps remained on sale until 4 November 1993.

Overview of the Complete Series.               Forward to Emerging Years 1930s


Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their website and On-line Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/