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Preview of Stamps Catalogue CD : VOLUME 1

NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL STAMPS, DUE etc.

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Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: .

Some stamps (or postal stationary?) were issued with inscription 'POSTAGE FREE', 'N.Z. TREASURY FREE' or 'ON PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE BUSINESS FREE' in 1887-1891, I do not have any pictures of these stamps. However, I have a picture of some cards with similar designs:

(Reduced size)

If anybody posesses pictures of these stamps, please contact me!

1892 Postage stamps overprinted 'O.P.S.O.' (On Public Service Only) in violet or red (the 5 p brown also in green)

  1/2 p red
  1/2 p black
  1 p red (Queen Victoria)
  1 p red (Standing lady)
  2 p violet
  2 1/2 p blue
  5 p grey
  5 p brown
  6 p brown 
  8 p blue (Queen Victoria)
  8 p blue (8 with crown and canoe)
  2 Sh green

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

All these overprints are very rare, forgeries exist, example:

(Forged overprint on genuine stamp)

1907 Stamps of New Zealand overprinted 'OFFICIAL'

  1/2 p (Mount Cook) green
  1 p (Mythical figure) red
  2 p lilac
  3 p (Huia birds) brown
  6 p red (Kiwi bird)
  1 Sh red
  2 Sh green
  2 Sh blue (Stamp Duty)
  5 Sh red (Mount Cook)
  5 Sh green (Stamp Duty)
  1 Pound red (Stamp Duty)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1907 Reefton provisional stamp, 1 p stamp overprinted 'Official' in red (manuscript) and 'GREYMOUTH PAID 3' in black

(Images obtained from a Premier Philately auction)

The so-called ‘Reefton Provisionals’ were prepared at Greymouth Post Office and sent to the Police at Reefton for use on official letters and telegrams. These provisional stamps are extremely rare. It seems that only 50 of these stamps were prepared.

1909 King Edward VII, inscription 'DOMINION OF NEW ZEALAND', overprint 'OFFICIAL'

  1/2 p green
  3 p brown
  6 p red
  8 p blue (overprint red)
  1 Sh red

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1915 King George V, overprinted 'OFFICIAL'

  1/2 p green
  1 1/2 p grey
  1 1/2 p brown
  2 p yellow
  3 p brown
  4 p lilac
  6 p red
  8 p brown
  9 p olive
  1 Sh red

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Official stamps, governmental life insurance

1887 Lighthouse, inscription 'LIFE INSURANCE', 'V R' included in the design

  1/2 p lilac
  1 p blue
  2 p red
  3 p brown
  6 p green
  1 Sh red

1907 Lighthouse, but without 'V R' in the design

  1/2 p green 
  1 p blue
  1 p red
  1 1/2 p grey
  1 1/2 p orange
  2 p red
  2 p violet
  2 p yellow
  3 p yellow
  6 p red

Postage Due stamps

1900 Inscription 'N.Z. Postage Due'

  1/2 p green and red
  1 p green and red
  2 p green and red
  3 p green and red
  4 p green and red
  5 p green and red
  6 p green and red
  8 p green and red
  10 p green and red
  1 Sh green and red
  2 Sh green and red

These stamps have watermark 'NZ Star' and perforation 11. Specialists distinguish two types, differing in the size of the letters 'N.Z.' and other small details.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1/2 p	*	*
1 p	*	*
2 p	***	*
3 p	*	*
4 p	**	**
5 p	***	***
6 p	***	***
8 p	***	***
10 p	***	***
1 Sh	***	***
2 Sh	***	***

1902 New design, inscription 'POSTAGE DUE NEW ZEALAND'

  1/2 p green and red
  1 p green and red
  2 p green and red
  3 p green and red

These stamps have watermark 'NZ Star' (all values) or no watermark (1/2 p only) and exist with various perforations. The values 1/2 p and 2 p also exist with a blue 'NZ' and star printed on the backside (issued 1926).

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1/2 p	c	c	With or without watermark
1 p	*	*
2 p	*	*

Cancels

I don't have much information concerning the cancels used in New Zealand. If anybody has more information please contact me!

(Numeral cancel, here '7')

(A 'Star' cancel)

(A so-called 'Coin' cancel)

(A mute '6 bar' cancel)

Returned Letter label

A label with inscription 'OFFICIALLY SEALED NEW ZEALAND' exists. If anyone posesses a picture of this label, please contact me!

Telegraph stamp

I've been told that the next label with inscription 'POST OFFICE TELEGRAPHS NEW ZEALAND' was issued in 1912. I have no further information:

Railway newspaper stamps

1890 Inscription 'N.Z RAILWAYS NEWSPAPER' with a crown in the center

I have seen the values 1/2 p black, 1 p lilac, 2 p blue, 3 p orange, 4 p red and 6 p green in the same design. There are two types of the 1/2 p and 1 p, differing in the wavy lines below the word 'NEWSPAPER'. They were no longer used after 1925. Much more information concerning these stamps can be found at: http://www.nzstamps.fsnet.co.uk/revenue/rail/index.html.

1925 New design, inscription 'N.Z.R. RAILWAY CHARGES'

I have seen the following values: 1/2 p black, 1 p violet, 2 p blue, 6 p green, 1 Sh violet, 1 Sh 6 p blue, 2 Sh red and 5 Sh red. They always seem to bear an overprint of the station they were used. More information can be found at: http://www.nzstamps.fsnet.co.uk/revenue/rail/charges.html. According to this website these stamps were used until 1959.

GREAT BARRIER ISLAND

Great Barrier Island Island is situated 50 miles north-east of Auckland. Before 1897 there was no regular communication with the mainland and in May of that year a pigeon post was established. This lasted until 1908 with the installation of a telegraph service. More information about these stamps can be found on: http://www.pww.nl/magazine/linkpage/

Walter Fricker agreed in 1897 to establish a pigeon service between Okupu and Auckland at a rate of 2/- per message. This was to service the newly established gold and silver mines of Okupu and Oreville. The service provided a more rapid communication between Great Barrier Island and Auckland. A few years earlier, a ship the SS Argyle shipwrecked and the news only came through after 75 hours. Another pigeon service was provided by Mr J.E. Parkin engaged by the mining companies on the island.

The first stamps were issued in November 19th, 1898 a printing of 1800 at 1/- by Parkins' "original service", now run by Mr H. Howie. The inscription of these stamps reads 'GREAT BARRIER ISLAND SPECIAL POST'. The second issue on March 2nd, 1899 included 4800 stamps in a new design. By this time the New Zealand Government, who had the monopoly on postal services, objected tothe use of the word 'POST' appearing on the stamps so that the third issue of stamps had in July 7, 1899 the words 'Pigeongram' overprinted; 960 stamps were overprinted in total.

(Fricker triangular stamps, reduced sizes)

Fricker then issued a triangular stamp at 1/- (5000 stamps) from Auckland to Great Barrier Island and a 6d stamp (10000 stamps) to be used from Great Barrier Island to Auckland. In August 24th, 1899 saw Parkin-Howie service issued stamps overprinted 'MAROTIRI' (240 in total) for a service between the copper mines on Marotiri Island and Auckland, which was superseded in September of the same year with a printing of 600 specially designed stamps (inscription 'MARATOPI ISLAND COPPER MINES').

(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)

These stamps are very rare in used condition and forgeries exist (see below). These stamps seem to be described in the book 'Cinderella stamps of Australasia, first edition'. However, I haven't seen this book personally.

1898 First Parkin-Howie issue

(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)

(Forgery, reduced size)

The aboved stamp is a forgery: circular date stamp Apr.3, 1899, Pigeon Service. The genuine stamp has a line before the letter "G" of "GREAT" and a dot after the word "POST". These are both missing in one of the two best known forgeries.

Another forgery of this stamp:

(Forgery)

I've seen the above forgery in a sheetlet of four stamps (two printed upside down), with large empty spaces between the stamps.

1899 Great Barrier Island, Marotiri, pigeongram, second Parkin-Howie issue

(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)

1899 overprinted 'Pigeongram'

(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)

(the word 'POST' overprinted with 'Pigeongram' and 'MAROTIRI' overprint)

1899 4th issue, inscription 'PIGEON GRAM'

(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)

Literature:

Pigeon Mail through History by Salvador Bofarull, 184 p (I haven't read this work personally).

Postage Paid Permit

Inscription 'POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO 341 WELLINGTON', with kiwi bird:

(1878)

Postal Stationery

Examples:

(Reduced sizes)

NEWSPAPER WRAPPERS

Newspaper wrappers in a similar design as the postage stamp of 1873 were issued in 1878 (two types, differing in the text, in 1892 the word 'WITHIN NEW ZEALAND' was added).

I know that a newspaper wrapper was issued with the head of King Edwards VII in 1903 (sorry, no picture available).

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer

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