2018 Royal Visit.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have visited New Zealand for the first time together, as part of their Pacific tour. This commemorative set of stamps captures some memorable moments from their time in Aotearoa.
2018 Royal Wedding.

NZ Post followed the same format they have used on other recent issues where the six stamps are included in a miniature sheet. While it makes for a very attractive presentation as can be seen above, there are no captions for the stamps once they have been removed from the sheet. 

1949 3d HMS Vanguard.

Here she is - 1949 3d HMS Vanguard.
Scroll down this page to see her and her six sisters, the only seven known examples.

1997 Royal Golden Wedding Anniversary

        Princess Elizabeth was born on 21 April 1926, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York. In 1936, on the abdication of King Edward VIII, the Duke and Duchess became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother) and Princess Elizabeth heir presumptive to the throne.

        The Duke of Edinburgh, formally His Royal Highness Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, was born on 10 June 1921, on the Greek island of Corfu. He is the only son of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. His mother was the sister of Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

        On the 20th of November 1947, cheered by the teeming throngs lining the entire length of the processional route, supported by crowned heads and invited dignitaries at the ceremony itself, and before millions more through the medium of television throughout the United Kingdom and abroad, Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh were married at Westminster Abbey, London.

        In January 1952 The Princess and Duke, on behalf of the King, left England for a tour of East Africa, Australia and New Zealand. However, on 6 February, while holidaying in Kenya, King George VI died. Princess Elizabeth immediately returned to England as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and she was crowned on 2 June 1953 in Westminster Abbey.
       In 1997 the couple celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, 50 years of marriage. To mark this special anniversary, NZ Post issued a single stamp showing Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The stamp was only issued on special miniature sheets of 10 x 40c stamps.

2018 The Royal Wedding.

Anne here.
      Early this evening, (Sun 20th May 2018) I got a text from our blog owner, Allan. 
               "NZ Post just issued stamps for Royal Wedding. Do you want to run with it?
                           Min sheet and six stamp images in our drop box.    Allan."

The opening for this issue on the NZ Post Website was: -

Millions around the world watched and celebrated as His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms Meghan Markle wed on 19 May 2018 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. New Zealand Post is honoured to mark this special occasion with celebratory stamps.

NZ Post website. 

       Last night, we held a Royal Wedding Party and some of us watched well into the early hours of the morning. The day was beautiful and the wedding set in the chapel of a historic English castle. It was the true fairy story where the girl from America found and married her real prince.

      This wedding was different from the formal wedding of William and Kate, held in the centre of London in 2011. It was less formal, held in Windsor Castle rather than London. I felt it fitted the couple so well. Some have said her dress was plain and she wore hardly any jewellery but couldn't that be what she intended? This couple is no longer in the direct line to the throne so in many ways will have a freedom that William and Kate will never have. It seems like the Queen cut them some slack and allowed the royal protocol to be bent a bit too. But for a wedding of a modern couple in a family steeped in traditions, I think they got the balance about right. 

      We enjoyed those special moments of the wedding. The looks between them all the way through the wedding service. That look on the young page boy as he saw inside the chapel. It was like, "Wow!" The first married kiss. (I don't think it was as good as Kate and William's) The sermon by the charismatic preacher from the USA. I think he might have shocked a few royals. Ha! Ha! Those beautiful horses pulling the carriage. Yes, they know how to do it with flare in England. 

Also, see 2018  Royal Visit.

2007 Royal Diamond Wedding Anniversary

          In 1947, as the people of Great Britain were rebuilding their lives after the devastation of World War II, a Royal celebration heralded nationwide rejoicing throughout the Commonwealth. On 20 November, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary (the elder daughter of King George VI, and soon to be Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II) married the Duke of Edinburgh – an occasion we remembered in New Zealand as the couple celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.

         New Zealand Post released this two value stamp issue commemorating this momentous milestone for New Zealand's Head of State. For not only was it a personal achievement for the couple, but Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England in 1066, was the first reigning sovereign to reach a 60th wedding anniversary. Included in this issue were a miniature sheet and two first day covers.

2017 Platinum Wedding Anniversary

New Zealand Post has created this special commemorative stamp issue to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh’s platinum wedding anniversary. Over their 70 years of marriage, they have achieved many remarkable milestones, of which family feature prominently. The stamps capture some of these magical moments.

While the Queen and Prince Philip were engaged in 1946, their engagement was not formally announced to the world until the following year – 10 July 1947 – when Elizabeth turned 21.

On Thursday 20 November 1947, the royal couple were married in Westminster Abbey. Despite all their royal responsibilities, some of the most significant moments in their lives are family occasions. The births of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are sure to have been among the highlights. The fourth generation of the royal family continues to grow, with another great-grandchild expected in the first half of 2018.

Together, the Queen and Prince Philip have broken many records. She is the longest-serving – and longest-living - sovereign in New Zealand’s history, and the first to visit this country while reigning. He is the longest-serving consort and the longest-lived male member of the royal family. They are the first royal couple to see three generations of successors to the throne. No other members of the royal family have ever celebrated a platinum wedding anniversary, which makes this a very rare and remarkable milestone by any standard.

2017 Royalpex National Stamp Exhibition

         Royalpex 2017, (24th - 26th November) was held in Hamilton this year and attracted stamp collectors and dealers from around the country. The national stamp exhibition showed works and collections from around the country. Sometimes known as a ‘half national’ due to it having less classes available than a typical national exhibition.

        The event was ran by the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand and was proudly sponsored by New Zealand Post. As an official sponsor, New Zealand Post had a central stand at the exhibition for those wishing to purchase stamps and coins, or arrange for the special daily cancellations to be applied to mail items.

       It was an impressive event, well worth the trip down from Auckland. It was the first time all five writers of this blog attended a stamp exhibition together. We stayed at a farm near Cambridge, driving up to the exhibition each day.

Special Exhibition Collectables.
In honour of the city this year’s show was held on Hamilton. New Zealand Post created two unique products featuring imagery of Hamilton in the background. The miniature sheet features the idyllic Waikato river and three stamps from the popular 2017 Recovering Native Birds issue. The First day cover shows an aerial shot of the city as it stretches away in the distance.

2012 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee

        2012 marked a significant year for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as she celebrated 60 years as a dedicated monarch. New Zealand Post was proud to present the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee stamps to mark this prestigious anniversary. Official portraits (70c stamps) of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh wearing their New Zealand honours have been released to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

A used copy of the $2.40 stamp.

        The 60th anniversary of a monarch’s accession is known as a ‘Diamond Jubilee’, and it is certainly an occasion worth celebrating. Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee is only the second in the past 1,000 years of New Zealand and British history. The first was Queen Victoria's in 1897. Queen Elizabeth II’s coincided with Waitangi Day on 6 February 2012.
        Queen Elizabeth II has close links to New Zealand and is the first monarch to adopt the title Queen of New Zealand. She has visited New Zealand on ten separate occasions, both officially and informally, and in the past six decades she had been actively involved in all aspects of New Zealand life.
         Featuring silver foiling on metallic silver ink, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee stamps reflected this prestigious anniversary. Each of the six stamps in this highly collectable stamp issue reflected Her Majesty's close association with a dedication to Aotearoa. From the official 2012 portraits to photographs of the Queen's various tours of New Zealand, this was a stamp issue worth celebrating.
        This stamp issue wouldn't be complete without a miniature sheet and first-day covers. The first-day covers featured the official New Zealand portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as the official New Zealand Diamond Jubilee emblem. They were the perfect accompaniments to the set of stamps.

2011 Royal Wedding

 
      For millions of people around the world, 29 April 2011 was a day of jubilation. Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of London and television audiences globally tuned in to watch the much-anticipated wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales KG and Miss Catherine Middleton.

       The Royal wedding took place at the 1000-year-old Westminster Abbey – the coronation church since 1066 and the venue for 15 Royal weddings, including that of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Once married, the couple returned to Buckingham Palace where The Queen hosted a reception, followed by a private dinner hosted by The Prince of Wales.

1981 Royal Wedding

Like many other British Commonwealth countries, New Zealand issued stamps to commemorate the Royal Wedding of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales in July 1981.

Two se-tenant stamps, one stamp depicting the Royal couple, with the other depicting St Paul's Cathedral where the wedding took place. 

2016 Queen Elizabeth 90th Birthday.

          On 21 April 2016, Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 years old, making her the first British monarch to reach this impressive milestone. Queen Elizabeth II has achieved many incredible milestones as the reigning monarch, including being New Zealand’s and Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, being the longest-lived sovereign in history and being married longer than any other monarch.

         To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, New Zealand Post created this very special stamp issue. Included in this issue are three stamps, housed within a unique miniature sheet. Each stamp contains three images ‒ simply tilt the miniature sheet and watch the images change! The images take us from the Queen’s christening in 1926 right through to her attendance at the 2015 Anzac commemorations in London. As you tilt the miniature sheet, the captions beneath the stamps change too ‒ resulting in a comprehensive view of the Queen’s lifetime. The stamps are featured in a classic stylised gold-gilded frame against a royal purple background, making this a truly regal stamp.

2015 - Queen Elizabeth II.

New Zealand's Longest Reigning Monarch.

        As New Zealand did not become part of the British Empire until three years after Victoria’s accession to the throne in 1837, Queen Elizabeth II has been New Zealand’s longest-reigning monarch for some time. Queen Elizabeth II is the only ‘Queen of New Zealand’ we’ve ever known, as during Queen Victoria’s reign New Zealand was a British colony rather than a Realm. On 28 May 1953, Her Majesty formally became ‘The Queen of New Zealand’ - the first Sovereign to hold this title.
        During her reign Queen Elizabeth II has maintained close links to New Zealand, and has visited ten times since her inaugural tour in 1953/54. Although her last visit was in 2002, we still maintain a strong bond with the monarchy, with more recent visits made on her behalf by William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who last visited in 2014 along with their son Prince George of Cambridge.
        On 9 September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II succeeded Queen Victoria as the longest reigning British monarch. To celebrate this amazing milestone, New Zealand Post is issued a special set of seven stamps, each value representing a different decade of her reign.

1955 Stamp Centenary

      This set has already been shown on this blog, in our post 2005 - 150 Years of New Zealand Stamps, but considering the importance of this issue to the history of New Zealand Stamps, we felt it deserved its own page. I believe the clever way these three stamps were designed is often over looked by collectors in their search for more attractive and exciting stamps. I hope this page below might go some way to correcting this.

         The 1955 featured the three values shown above. While appearing to be simple designs, I will show you below that some thought has gone into them, cleverly linking the stamps and postal system of 1855, with the stamps and postal system of 1955.  

1935 Silver Jubilee.

Silver Jubilee of King George V.

Victoria          Edward VII          George V          Edward VIII           George VI           Elizabeth II.

        When doing a post on a 1935 issue, I begin with a 1990 miniature sheet. "Why?" You maybe asking. Well my goal is first to give you the background story of the Royal Family before we focus in the George V Silver Jubilee issue. What better way to do it than this miniature sheet.
        After the very long and successful reign of his mother Queen Victoria, Edward VII came to the throne. Already being an old man, his reign didn't last long before he was succeeded by his son, George V. Three of the George V Definitives can be seen below.

                               

George V Definitives. (Three Examples)

1926 King George V Admirals.

1926  New Values.

    King George V Admirals. 

           By 1924 the demand for two and three shilling stamps was high enough that postal authorities considered it was worth producing new stamps rather than using 'Duty' stamps of those values. It was also decided to replace the one penny dominion with a new stamp as the plate needed replacing and the universal/dominion design had been in use for twenty-five years. Therefore these stamps must be considered as definitive stamps, usually seen by collectors as an addition to the 1915 King George V Definitives.

          The former Governor-General, Viscount Jellicoe, had been the commander of the British fleet at the Battle of Jutland in 1916, and so it was decided that the two and three shilling stamps would feature a portrait of King George V wearing the uniform of Admiral of the Fleet. General Sir Charles Fergusson, who had succeeded Viscount Jellicoe as Governor-General, was a distinguished soldier so the penny stamp was designed depicting King George V in the uniform of an Army Field Marshall.
          I have never paid much attention to these three stamps, while they are included in my collection, I didn't know much about them. When I discovered the story behind these designs I realised what a clever idea it was. Here is an issue that pays tribute to both the previous and current Governor-Generals of New Zealand, and the current King George V. 

1913 Auckland Exhibition Overprint.

          Encouraged by the success of the Christchurch Exhibition seven years earlier, the 'Auckland Industrial, Agricultural and Mining Exhibition' was held between the 1st of December 1913 and the 18th of April 1914. Unlike the Christchurch Exhibition, however, the issue of commemorative stamps was an afterthought.

          On the 29th of October 1913, the Auckland Philatelic Society wrote to the Postmaster-General suggesting the overprints. This was hastily approved and on the 11th of November the Government Printer was instructed to overprint 'AUCKLAND EXHIBITION, 1913' on four of the Edward VII definitives. There was insufficient time to inform the Universal Postal Union of the issue, and so the stamps were only valid for postage within New Zealand.

          Few stamps were printed and even then, a large number were left unsold at the end of the exhibition and destroyed. Since higher values were usually used for overseas postage, the set being restricted to New Zealand has made the 3d and 6d the scarcest New Zealand commemoratives.

1977 Definitive 10c QE II

       This post is something a bit different. Instead of featuring a set or series of stamps I am going to be looking at only one stamp and an overprint added two years later. So first, lets me introduce you to our stamp. There she is to the right - the '1977 10c QE II.' 
        Intended as an addition to the 1975 Definitives, the 10c depicting Queen Elizabeth II, was issued in 1977 to meet a demand cause by a change in postal rates. Valued at the new letter postage rate of 10c meant this was a very common and well used stamp.
       In 1979 another change in postal rates meant the 10c value was no longer used for ordinary letters so the stamp was overprint with two solid bars over the old value and a new value of "14c." This type of stamp is commonly known as a Provisional.
       So that is the basic story of the stamp. One design and value overprint two years later. Since both these stamps were commonly used, large numbers printed and further reprints required. What makes this stamp so interesting is the large number of printing errors which can be found in both the original stamp and in its provisional sister.

The Design.

               The design was a simple portrait taken from the 1977 Silver Jubilee Issue which can be seen above. The second photo from the left was used which shows the Queen's facing towards the right, wearing a crown. When you compare this stamp below with the definitive versions you will notice that the Queen's shoulders has been trimmed off, making the picture more square than rectangle.

2014 Royal Visit.



          For the first time the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge go on an official Royal Tour as a married couple. They will be accompanied by their young son Prince George. Part of their time on tour will be spent in various parts of New Zealand.
         Prince William will be acting on behalf of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, as her representative so New Zealand will consider him in the same official capacity as they would the Queen. It will be Catherine's first visit to this country.

        To mark this important royal event, NZ Post will be issuing two values on the 7th of April. This issue will also include a First Day Cover a special cancel strike. The designs showed two lovely photos of the royal couple with their baby. (You may wish to visit my post '2013  Prince George of Cambridge.')

1949 - 1952 Cancelled Royal Visits.

1953 Royal Visit.

The 2001 Royal Visits Issue.

2013 Prince George of Cambridge

           On the 11th September, 2013, New Zealand Post is going to issue a set of four stamps and a special coin to mark the birth of the royal baby, His Royal Highness - Prince George of Cambridge. Born on 22 July, 2013, to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George is third in line to the throne and will one day become ‘King of New Zealand.’

           When I was thinking about how I could present this set I decided it might be nice to also show those who were in the line of the throne before him. So I have included the baby photos of both Prince William and Prince Charles. At the bottom is the 1940 British Sovereigns stamp which takes the line all the way back to Queen Victoria. But first lets see the stamps and coin of Prince George.
          You may wish to visit my post 2014 Royal Visit to New Zealand.