2014 Legendary Landmarks.

          When I discovered that Allan had missed this 2014 stamp issue from early July, I asked him why. He said he had not intention of putting it on this blog as it 'wasn't a real stamp issue.' This issue came out as a sheet rather than as single stamps so Allan thinks it is aimed at collectors and not many will end up on common letters, therefore he does not consider it a postage stamp. I said "I'll do it." He replied, "Be my guest." So here it is.      
          Many towns and cities throughout this country have their special unique icons that reflect their character. The NZ Post Legendary Landmarks stamp issue takes a look at just 18 of these. From the well-known landmarks like the Lemon & Paeroa bottle and the Ohakune carrot, to the lesser-known Mossburn deer and the truly kiwi Taihape gumboot, these landmarks can tell you about the local history and the town’s identity without saying a word.

For those who are interested - 1998 Town Icons.

Revenue Use of Postage Stamps Around 1900.

         During our research for this current series of posts on the stamps from 1873 to 1907 we came across a number of items on which stamps had been used for revenue purposes. These have been displayed in the various posts but we have decided to put them all together here so they can be compared on one page.

First off a bit of background. In 1880 it was decided to combine the payment of postage and 'revenue' - such as government fees and import duties into a single set of stamps. All previous issues of stamps had only been usable for postage purposes or for revenue purposes. Apart from the 'Postage and Revenue' inscription, most of the second sideface stamps were modified designs from the 1874 issue stamps they replaced and are very similar. The key to telling these two issues form one another is the 1874 series carries the word "Postage" while the 1882 series carries the words "Postage & Revenue."
This opened the way for a very diverse range of documents to have 'postage' stamps attached, as can be seen in the items below. Mainly they relate to the transfer of larger amounts of money without using the money itself but there is one document, the application for a Hotel Liquor Licence included here as well.  Further down is some examples of newspaper wrappers too. If we come across any others of interest we will add them to this post. 

1900 4d Lake Taupo Invert.

        This stamp, issued August 1899 is the 4d Lake Taupo / Mt Ruapehu. The lake is New Zealand's largest lake situated in the centre of the North Island, the stamp design incorporates, Mount Ruapehu (2,797 metres) in the distance. The tree depicted is a cabbage palm, common throughout much of New Zealand.  This stamp was a reproduction, at a slightly smaller size, of the 1898 1d stamp designed by J Gaut.

See our post on the 1898 Pictorial Issue.

4d - Lake Taupo / Mt Ruapehu.

A normal mint example.

1898 New Zealand's First Variety. (Error)

       Is this an error or a variety?

       New Zealand's best-known stamp error - the name of the lake was misspelt with an ‘i’ (Wakitipu)  instead of an ‘a’ (Wakatipu.) It caused considerable interest when issued and further printings were made to satisfy the purely philatelic and speculative demand. The consequence was that in its mint form, the error is more common than the correct spelling. Most of those who bought the stamp retained them unused and genuinely used copies are not common. You can see a used copy on the cover further down but it is in very poor condition.

See our post on the 1898 Pictorial Issue.

   

1898 2½d - Lake Wakitipu/Wakatipu error.

The error is on the left and the correct spelling on the right. 

1898 The First Pictorial Issue.

Definitive Tour.

Back to Sideface Issues.                          Forward to Universal / Dominion.

       This fascinating stamp issue holds a special interest for stamp collectors as it was among the world's earliest pictorial definitive issues. The issue followed the lead of New South Wales where a similar pictorial issue had just been released. 

        The decision to break away from featuring stamps with Queen Victoria's portrait was a bold one and not without some risk of offending public opinion. A design competition was held that attracted over 2,400 entries. The selection criteria - 'to include a representation of characteristic or notable New Zealand scenery in the design and a stamp issue symbolic of the land.'

           The quality of the winning designs was so great that a decision was made to print the issue using the more expensive recess printing method, with the anticipation that costs would be covered many times over by sales to stamp collectors. The stamps were engraved in England along with initial printings and subsequently printed in New Zealand from new plates supplied from England. The issue featured the same denominations as the Second Side-faces with a new 9d stamp added for overseas parcels, and two and five shilling stamps added for parcels, fiscals and telegrams.

1873 Newspaper Stamp.

Definitive Tour.

Back to Fullfaced Queens.                Forward to 1874 - 1882 Side Faced Queens.

  Originally there was no charge for newspapers forwarded through the post for delivery within New Zealand. However, with the number of newspapers posted frequently dwarfing paid mail, the Post Office decided it had to charge for newspaper delivery. A rate of 1d was imposed in 1864 and dropped again in 1865 due to public pressure, only to be reinstated in 1867.

          Inspired by the English 1870 ½d newspaper stamp, a decision was made in 1872 to reduce the cost of newspaper delivery to½d  and produce a similar stamp featuring a side view of the young Queen Victoria.

          The stamp was designed by the Government Printer, John Davies based on the contemporary English newspaper stamp. A woodblock die was carved in Melbourne, Australia, and electrotypes were produced from it by W.H. Kirk in Wellington making this the first stamp where the design, printing plate preparation and printing plates themselves were completed in New Zealand.

          The stamps were printed for 22 years. For 17 of those a special purpose paper watermarked with a six-rayed irregular star was used.

1874 - 1882 The Side - Face Issues.

   Definitive Tour.

Back to 1973 Newspaper Stamp.                Forward to 1898 Pictorials.

     I have never been particularly interested in the two Queen Victoria - Side Face Issues. To me, they never compared in appearance to Queen Victoria - Full-Faced Queens, that preceded them. So, since there is a big gap in this blog where these classic issues should be, we will take the month of August to produce a short series of posts on the three major definitive issues of the late 1800s.

       In this post will feature the final two Queen Victoria stamp issues, the 1874 First Side-Face Queens and the 1882 Second Side-Face Queens. In a second post, I am going to cover the 1898 Pictorial Issue, New Zealand's first pictorial issue. Here we will also be looking at the various additions and reprints of this issue, as well as the 1900 Pictorial Centenary Issue.

         Meanwhile, our other contributor, Mary is going to do a series of three or four smaller posts featuring various subjects from these main issues and from this same time period. I must say here that she has a couple of surprise items to show you, including one of the most expensive stamps in New Zealand.

1995 New Zealand Cities at Night.

        This post has recently had a major rework taking out many of the original stamps to focus on the six stamps of the 1995 Scenic Issue.    (Kim)

       For such a small country, it often surprises visitors that New Zealand offers such a wide range of scenic attractions. Each year, New Zealand Post produces Scenic stamps which are popular both locally and internationally for their charm, beauty and variety.

      The 1995 Scenic Issue features something a bit different to the usual scenic views because this time the scenes were captured at night to bring out the night beauty rather than the day time scene. Six cities were chosen, 4 major cities and 2 tourist cities.

Armed Services 1968 - 1987

           For this post, we will feature four stamp issues with military themes. The first of these is a three value set, issued in 1968, 25 years after World War II. It featured three values, one for each of the three New Zealand Armed Forces. Then we have three sets issued during the 1980s, each with four values, each depicting one of the three armed forces.
           All of these sets are shown in my Military ANZAC collection (See the bar above) but on this post, I want to look at them in more detail along with adding a few other items of interest too.

          I personally think all the stamps shown on this page have interesting and well laid out designs. The theme is a popular one and so these sets would look good in a collection of New Zealand stamps.

1963 Crash Cover.

        Here is something a bit different.

        On 3 July 1963, a NAC Douglas DC-3 crashed into the Kaimai Ranges in New Zealand's North Island while flying in clouds and turbulence. The aircraft was flying from Whenuapai Airport, in Auckland, to Tauranga.

       The crash happened when the aircraft struck a vertical rock face after encountering a strong downdraft. The aircraft may also have commenced an early descent with the pilots unaware of the true position of the aircraft, on the wrong side of the ranges. All 23 people on board were killed. The wreckage remains on the hillside to this day, with a small memorial cairn beside it.

New Zealand Express - Revenue Stamps.

 
      New Zealand Express was a company created to be an express forwarder of parcels, both throughout New Zealand and overseas. Set up in 1877 under the name Campbell and Crust, in 1895 it changed its name to New Zealand Express. The company seems to have had a good working relationship with New Zealand Railways which apparently included special drop boxes on certain trains, and parcel transfer arrangements.

        This set of five value stamps appeared sometime in the last few years before the turn of the century. They were used in much the same way as similar NZ Railways revenue stamps, to show payment had been made on items being transported. The stamps ranged in value from ½d to 6d. Later another 1/- appeared in a different design and larger format.

2014 Personalised Stamps.

        This one of a series issues that began in 2001 with new issues, new values, appearing regularly. For an over view of all of these issued see our thematic collection Personalised Stamps.

        In May 2014 New Zealand Post issued a new range of Personalised Stamps to meet changes in postal rates. The stamps feature a picture provided by the purchaser combined with a design from NZ Post to create a Personalised Stamp. Using a simple three step process, they can be ordered to your requirements and delivered quickly. A sheet of 20 stamps will cost you $23.90. They can be ordered via the NZ Post Web Site http://stamps.nzpost.co.nz/

          NZ Post describes these:-
          This vibrant range of Personalised Stamps has been issued to reflect the upcoming changes to postage rates. It allows you to give your mail that special touch by featuring your favourite photo or image alongside one of the gorgeous stamp designs.
          These Personalised Stamps are the perfect way to spread the good news about a wedding, an engagement, a new baby or a new pet. Use them on your Christmas cards, invitations or anything else you like! Alternatively, a sheet of 20 Personalised Stamps makes a great gift or a keepsake for yourself to remember a special event or occasion.

        These stamps are also offered in two sheets for collectors, one of eight stamps and one of four. The eight stamps all have a value of 80c while the four stamp sheet had two $2.00 stamps and two $2.50 stamps. Each sheet came with its own First Day Cover.
     
2014 All Blacks Rugby.
       I have also included the 2014 All Blacks Miniature Sheet as these stamps can be used as part of the 2014 Personalised Stamps issue.

Wildlife - Game Bird Habitat.

         The New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust, established under the 1953 Wildlife Act, exists primarily to improve New Zealand game bird habitat, and secondarily to improve the habitat for other wildlife. The key purpose of the Game Bird Habitat Trust Board is to distribute funding for the development and enhancement of wetland habitat for the benefit of game birds and other wetland inhabitants.

         The New Zealand Fish and Game Council commenced issuing $10 license stamps in 1994.  The stamp is affixed to the game bird hunter's license thus validating the license for the current year. $2 of the license fee goes towards establishment and protection of Game Bird Habitats. The stamps and related products such as miniature sheets and First Day Covers are also marketed by NZ Post with funding received going back to the Habitat Trust.

          I first saw these stamps on the NZ Post website a few months ago. A web search revealed a few extra years to the ones offered by NZ Post. Since it seemed an impossible exercise to find all of these stamps, or for that matter even establish how many years they had been issued, I dropped the project in favour of many others I could complete. Yesterday I found them all except the year 2011 which I just happened to have already so now I am able to feature them in a post on this blog. 

          The date shown under each stamp relates to the year of issue of the stamp, not the year the license expires as shown on the stamp itself.

Railway Charge Stamps.

          Although not technically revenue stamps, the Railways Charges stamps were introduced in 1890 to facilitate prepaying of charges for the carrying of newspapers, parcels and freight by train. The stamps were issued as proof payment had been made.

          I first included these on my Trains of New Zealand page and at that time I thought I had found the entire sets but recently, I discovered there were actually a lot more. This separate post was created to tell the story behind these issues and display them to their best advantage. I have left some charge stamps on my trains page as examples but they are not full sets.

         Railway Charge Stamps can be classified into two time periods. From 1890 - 1921 then from until they were discontinued. After 1925 the second series was usually overprinted with the station name in an attempt to prevent forgery. A third series was designed in 1904 but never issued.

         The 1890 stamps were issued for three separate purposes although they were commonly interchanged as required. The later 1921 series was a general "all purpose" series used for smaller railways charges.

2014 Matariki - Papatūānuku and Ranginui.



The Rising of Matariki.        

        For the Māori people, the night skies in June traditionally has huge significance as the dawn of a new Māori year. The annual appearance of the seven stars of ‘Matariki’, also known as the star cluster 'The Pleiades' in the constellation Tauris, or by its common name 'the seven sisters', signals a time for renewal, reflection and celebration! This celebration is something unique to New Zealand.

        Each year New Zealand Post  issues a set of postage stamps to mark this event. These stamps always feature some aspect of Maori culture. The 2014 Matariki issue was about the well known story of Papatūānuku and Ranginui. The set of six stamps show how six famous artists used this story to inspire their art.

See our Matariki Collection.                      See our Index - New Zealand Maori.

2014 Scenic Definitives

  Definitive Tour.

Back to 2012 Scenic Definitives.                                        Forward to 2016 Scenic Definitives.

      May 7th, 2014 saw the release of a set of five definitive stamps to meet planned changes in postal rates. Three of these stamps were produced using the normal gummed format while another two were produced as adhesive stamps. One of these adhesive stamps was also produced in a gummed version as part of a special miniature sheet. Sound confusing? I will explain this further when we begin looking at the individual stamps.

        There have been a lot of these scenic definitives over the years and many have turned out to be terrible looking stamps. The small format of a postage stamp does not show a lot of detail so what I think makes a good scenic stamp is to capture an interesting foreground combined with a not too crowded distant scene. Some of the stamps below achieve this very well while others don't.

         For me the best was $2.00 - Mount Taranaki, with the cows grazing in the foreground and the mountain behind, this makes a great scene of typical New Zealand. $1.60 - Moeraki Boulders is good too as it captures these unusual boulders. On the other hand I believe the $2.50 - Pancake Rocks do not show us the full effect of this amazing place.

2009 Giants of New Zealand.

          I found an interesting collection of abandoned art work that had been prepared for the 2009 Giants of New Zealand issue by the designer Dave Gunson, from Auckland. I thought it would make a great subject for this blog. First we are going to look at the set as issued then we will go through this small collection of art work trials.

          The 2009 Giant Issue featured five creatures from around New Zealand, that were extra large for their kind. They were displayed using a cartoon form of drawings on five extra large postage stamps. Two of the creatures shown have long been extinct while the other three still survive, although they are all on the rare or endangered list.

          These are very colourful stamps with their larger format being used to its full potential. Personally, I would have rather seen the drawings being closer to real life, particularly on the Giant Eagle. It appears the design selection for this issue was partly driven by the need to produce stamps that would stand out, almost shock, in their appearance.

1900 Boer War.

        As I was working on my Military ANZAC - Part One page I found this 1900 stamp, commemorating New Zealand's involvement in the South African, Second Boer War. My usual source of stamp images didn't have a copy so I went in search of a suitable image. Instead of finding just one I discovered a small collection showing a variety of aspects concerning this stamp. 

        I began researching the stamp itself and also the war depicted and when both revealed interesting stories so I have decided to create a full page on just this one stamp. First, I will give you some background information on the stamp as I display a series of examples illustrating my comments. Included in this will be some errors and variations etc, Secondly, I will feature a small collection of stamps also depicting the Bore War. Finally, we will look at the war itself and the caused behind it.

        Several of the 1898 Pictorials were reissued in different colours and size in late 1899 -1900. A new stamp was also issued in December 1900 commemorating the departure of New Zealand troops to the South African War. See our post on the 1898 Pictorial Issue.

        This stamp was designed by James Nairn of Wellington and engraved by H G Thomas of New York, with the printing being done by the Government Printing Office. The stamp had a value of 1½d, which met a change in the postal rate of printed matter. it featured the inscription "The Empires Call" which shows New Zealand's determination to assist the British Empire in this war. The scene shows a contingent of 210 mounted officers and men in South Africa.

The collection of postal cancellations on this stamp has been moved to its own page 1900 Boer War Thematic Collection.

2014 ANZAC WWII Poster Art.

         2014 is the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II. – a war in which nearly 200,000 men and 10,000 women served for New Zealand both overseas and at home and nearly one in every 150 New Zealanders lost their lives. It was a big effort for such a small country, that like of which has never been seen before or since.
         World War II was a war that engulfed the globe, with fighting seen in many countries and parts of the would. The conflict was fought on land, in the air and across the oceans. 50 million people lost their lives, millions more were effected by losing loved ones and with many more becoming displaced and homeless as the fighting raged across their towns, cities and countries.
        The 2014 Anzac stamps depict six war effort WWII posters produced during the war.  Between 1939 and 1945 New Zealand produced hundreds of thousands of posters, window stickers and cards in support of its involvement in World War II. The purpose of these posters was to raise funds, recruit New Zealanders and give advice and information about the war. They helped to create a war-like atmosphere at home and keep people focused on the war effort.

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.')

2014 Construction of a Nation

       On the 5th of March, NZ Post will issue this set of five values depicting early New Zealand residential architectural beginnings. I am unsure if this will be a one off issue or part of a series. The NZ Post we site doesn't mention much about the reason why these houses were chosen or if it will be the beginning of a series on New Zealand architecture.

70c - Colonial Cottage.

2006 Hawke's Bay Earthquake

75th Anniversary of the Hawke's Bay Earthquake.

          The 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake, also known as the Napier Earthquake, occurred in New Zealand at 10:47 am on Tuesday 3 February 1931, killing 256 and devastating the Hawke's Bay region. It remains New Zealand's deadliest natural disaster. Centred 15 km north of Napier, it lasted for two and a half minutes and measured magnitude 7.8 M_s (magnitude 7.9 M_w). There were 525 aftershocks recorded in the following two weeks. The main shock could be felt through much of the southern half of the North Island.
         In 2006, 75 years after the main earthquake, NZ Post issued this set of stamps remembering this event in New Zealand's History. The stamps appeared in their own sheet of 20 stamps, each depicting some aspect of the earthquake and its effects on the people of the region. What I like about this set is that when put the stamps together they tell the story of this event.
         That is what I intend to do with this post. First, we will view the whole sheet of 20 stamps then I will display each stamp separately and show you the part it plays in the story.

Stamp Configurations Saved by Collectors

        "Stamp configurations saved by collectors", what does that mean? Basely this post is going to take all the items and various packs on sale by NZ Post, for the 2014 New Zealand Native Seaweed Issue, and see how they would be added to a collection. A lot of the comments in this post is my personal opinion and I realise that many stamp collectors will disagree with my likes and dislikes.

          The 2014 NZ Seaweed Issue consisted of five values each featuring a seaweed found in New Zealand waters. They were, of course, sold as single stamps and so many collectors will purchase individual stamps for storage in a stock book or for mounting in an album or other display.

2010 Shanghai World Expo.

        This must be one of the more unique issues New Zealand has ever done. They are almost like two stamps from two different countries which have somehow found themselves joined, grafted together, making one stamp.

        These stamps were issued to coincide with the opening of ‘Expo 2010 Shanghai China’. The theme of the Expo was ‘Better City, Better Life’ and New Zealand's pavilion follows this with the theme ‘Cities of Nature, Living between Land and Sky’.
        The issue draws on five parallels between New Zealand and Chinese culture and geography, and features illustrations inspired by some of the items in the New Zealand Pavilion. The stamps are double length and designed to be folded over the edge of special first day covers with two fronts and no back. See this cover further down.