Postage Due Issues

      
         Hi from Anne. I never had much interest in stamps until Allan showed me this blog. I asked if I could help him and he gave me all the New Issues to post. "These don't need any special knowledge. All the information available is on the NZ Post site," he said. When I wanted to do more he and Mary gave me some extra projects, the postage dues being one of them.

         This post is special in that I used Asami's Main Index, on this blog, to find the three issues rather than a catalogue as we usually have done. Once I knew there were three issues, I then went in search of the stamps. I laid these out on the page and showed them to Allan. My efforts were rejected as not interesting enough.

        So I went looking for some special items of postal history and Allan pulled a few items out of his large library of stamp images. If you are reading this, then I've been allowed to push the publish button.

 1899 Postage Due.
Postage due stamps were used in New Zealand from the 1st of December 1899 to speed up the collection of short-paid postage. The stamps were applied by the post office delivering the mail. The value that was charged was normally double the amount of postage the mail was short by. The design is simply a large figure in red or pink surrounded by a green frame. The design was copied from the postage due stamps of the Australian State of Victoria which were current when these stamps were issued.

                                        
1899 - ½d.                                                                         1889 - 1d.


   
1899 - 2d.                                             1899 - 3d.                                             1899 - 4d.                                             1899 - 5d.

  
1899 - 6d.                                             1899 - 8d.                                          1899 - 10d.

      1899 - 1/-.                                     1899 - 2/-. 

Note:- The marks on the 3d stamp do not appear to be a printing error. I believe it is dirt or grease attached to the stamp. Similar marks, although lighter, can be seen on some other values too.

Printing Errors.

 
Two printing errors when the red value was add. In the 1/- a double impression can be seen. On the 8d stamp a second impression can also be seen but this time it is shifted to the lower-left.

A major perforation shift so the word "POSTAGE DUE" now appear
at the top of the stamp rather than its usual position at the bottom.

1902 Postage Due.
 Most probably as a result of plate wear, the low value postage due stamps were redesigned in 1902 while high values from the 1899 issue continued in use until 1916.

          
1902 - ½d.                                           1902 - 1d.

          
1902 - 2d.                                                   1902 - 3d.


 
Rose shift left - used.                        Rose shift left - mint.

Two examples of a shift of the disk in the centre. In both cases the rose has shifted to the left. I am unsure about the difference in colour here. Allan and Mary think it could be an image quality problem rather than a major colour change error during printing process of the stamps.
I also notice that the rose disc centre has shifted in three of my four so call good examples as well. I am beginning to think that this was a poor design, a problem for the printer who had to try fitting a disk into a circle perfectly. It seems to have been very difficult to do.

The change in colour noted above began to bug me so I went hunting again until I found this strip showing all four stamps from the 1902 Postage Due Issue. While being a different colour for both the examples above I believe this could be closer to the correct colour. Again notice the positioning of the pink inside the green is all over the place.

The centre should have been red/carmine in colour. Notice the lack of perforations around this stamp. This is not a printers error mistakenly issued but a printer-proof intended to have been done in one colour. A proof such as this it used to check the over appearance of the design. Where this mistake was made was in allowing it to get into the hands of a collector.


1939 Postage Due.
 The plates from the 1902 issue were showing signs of wear and were replaced in 1939 by a new issue of different coloured stamps. Collectors were allowed to use the stamps for ordinary postage on the first day of issue.
From September 1951 ordinary postage stamps were used for the collection of postage due, and special stamp issues for postage due were abandoned.

          
1939 - ½d.                                           1939 - 1d.

          
1939 - 2d.                                                         1939 - 3d.


A very interesting item, I expect very rare as well. This is a First Day Cover for the third postage due issue in 1939. I checked the NZ Post web site and yes, this set was first issued on the 16th August, 1939 and the stamps were allowed for ordinary postage that day.

First Day Cover Set.
Well I thought that cover above was special but now I have found something even better. Four illustrated covers from the first day of issue.  (Anne - 13th Sept, 2016)

 16th Aug, 1939. Temuka Park illustrated cover Postage Due, ½d block of four.

 16th Aug, 1939.  1940 Centennial Exhibition illustrated cover 1d Postage Due block Four used on First Day Cover.

16th Aug, 1939.  1940 Centennial Exhibition illustrated cover 2d Postage Due block Four used on First Day Cover.

 16th Aug, 1939. 3d Postage Due block of four on an illustrated cover showing Maoris at the Temuka River.

Postal History Examples.
I found a few hundred postal history examples of Postage Due Covers but could only use a few here. They could be divided into three different types as can be seen below.

Postage Due Paid Without Stamps.
 Not all postage due was paid for using stamps. Sometimes just a hand strike was used.

 New Plymouth local cover sent on 27th July, 1961. The cover was sent stampless and 4d postage due was charged.

Postage Due Paid with Postage Due Stamps.
Next we have three examples showing postage due stamps from each of the three Postage Due Issues. Again I had many examples to choose from but only selected three. 

 
This 1903 Postage Due item is a postcard sent from Sydney Australia, to Gisborne New Zealand, without stamps. A 1899 2d Postage Due was used with a Gisborne cancel. Notice the squared circle cancel on the right-hand side. See how long the letter took, leaving Sydney NSW on 24th March and arriving in Gisborne on the 12th April.

This 1936 ½d green ANZAC FDC did not have enough postage. A 1d stamp was actually needed so the letter was short half a penny. Following the Post office practice of charging double the amount due, 1d was charged useing a 1902 1d Postage Due stamp.

1940 Postage Due airmail cover sent from Henderson to Nelson. The paid postage was 3d, consisting of a 1940 Centennial 2d and a 1936 Chamber of Commerce 1d. The red hand stamp bottom right tells us there was 6d left to pay. This was done useing 1939 2d Blue Postage Dues in a irregular strip of 3.

Postage Dues 1939 ½d green & 1d used on Business Reply Card sent locally in Christchurch on the 24th Nov 1939. It appears that the ½d was damaged by the Post Office before applying to this card because the cancel runs through damaged area.

Postage Due Paid with Other Stamps.
Not all postage due was paid with Postage Due stamps. Sometimes the local post office would use whatever stamps were on hand for the required value. After 1951, only other stamps were used anyway as the postage due stamps were withdrawn.

Here is something different, a First Day and Postage Due Cover.
Here is what happened. A First Day Cover, was sent from Australia without enough postage. It had received the Australian 7d stamp plus two cancels. Upon reaching New Zealand it was discovered extra postage was required. This was noted in pencil at the bottom centre. Later a hand stamp was added top centre with 2d written in ink, making the postage due official. The extra postage was paid with a 2d NZ stamp which was cancelled with red hand writing.

 Postage Due Rural Mail Delivery Docket Label applied on cover front stating there is 1d extra postage charged. This was paid using a 1953 Queen Elizabeth II 1d, applied at the top centre.  

Technical information.
1899 Postage Dues.
Date of Issue:
     1 December, 1899,
Designers:
     Government Printer, Wellington,
Printers:
     Government Printing Office, Wellington.
Stamp Size:
     25mm x 20mm.
Sheet Size:
     120 stamps per sheet (2 panes of 60).
Process:
     Surface printed - Typography.
Perforation Gauge:
     11.
Paper Type:
     De La Rue, NZ and star watermark.

1902 Postage Dues.
Date of Issue:
     28 February, 1902.
Designers:
     W R Bock, Wellington.
Printers:
     Government Printing Office, New Zealand.
Stamp Size:
     25mm x 20mm.
Sheet Size:
     120 and 240 stamps per sheet, initially in panes of 60, later in consolidated sheets.
Process:
     Surface printed - Typography.
Perforation Gauge:
     Various combinations.
Paper Type:
     Various papers used, unwatermarked and NZ and star watermark.

1939 Postage Dues.
Date of Issue:
     16 August, 1939.
Designers:
     J Berry, Wellington.
Printers:
     Government Printing Office, New Zealand.
Stamp Size:
     24mm x 20mm.
Sheet Size:
     120 stamps per sheet.
Process:
     Surface printed - Typography.
Perforation Gauge:
     15 x 14.
Paper Type:
     Wiggins Teape chalk surfaced, single and multiple NZ and star watermark.