1999 APEC New Zealand

What can you do when an issue only includes one stamp and a First Day Cover? 
The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) is an opportunity for economies in the region to work together to improve stability, security and prosperity for their respective peoples.

40c - Real Colours of New Zealand. (Mint & New).

It came as a pleasent surprise when I discovered the unique design of this stamp I have always overlooked as being a dull and uninteresting. The logo was designed to depict the ‘Real Colours of New Zealand’ – nine images and colours that represented distinct aspects of the New Zealand way of life. They were: White (our Aotearoa); Silver (our potential); Black (the colour our athletes wear with pride); Green (our wonderland); Blue (our lack of limits); Teal (our pioneering spirit); Red (our diverse culture); Ochre (where we live); and Brown (those unique and shared New Zealand experiences).
That is so clever, each colour having a meaning like that.

First Day Cover - 21 July 1999.
New Zealand hosted the 10th annual meeting of the group. This meeting offered opportunities to showcase the country to the 10,000 people who visited, including the leaders of China, the United States, Japan and Canada. In recognition of the importance of this event, New Zealand Post issued a 40c stamp on 21 July 1999, featuring the APEC logo.

Special Pairs.
Here are four pairs from special parts of the sheet. Many collectors find blocks such as these to be of interest.
Barcodes are printed in the sheet selvedge to assist post office staff. Some like to collect them but they don't appeal to me.

These are marks used by the printer to establish that he is applying the correct strength of colour as this often cannot be established in the design. Often this is included as part of the Plate Block.

This could be called a Plate Block although I'd call it a pair rather than a block. A Plate Block usually shows the designer, the printer and sometimes other information as well. It used to show the plate number, hence the name "Plate Block." A proper Plate Block will usually consist of 6 or 8 stamps. 

In the opposite corner from the Plate Block is the Value Block where the total value of the sheet is shown. Of course, a true Value Block would be bigger than just a pair.



Technical Information.
Date of issue: 21 July 1999.
The number of stamps: One.
Stamps and first-day cover designed: Stephen Fuller, Wellington, New Zealand.
Printer and process: Southern Colour Print, Dunedin, New Zealand by lithography.
The number of colours: Four process colours.
Stamp size and format: 30mm x 35.71mm vertical.
The number of stamps per sheet: 100.
Perforation gauge: 14.
Paper type: 103 gsm red phosphor coated stamp paper.
Period of sale: These stamps remained on sale until 20 July 2000.



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

Information & images for this post came from.