Auckland – North Auckland The route of the survey flight on April 30, 1932 was Auckland, Dargaville, Russell, Whangarei and back to Auckland. Again, the company involved was Air Travel, the pilot was M.C. McGregor and the plane was a Simmonds Spartan. An official airmail was delivered and picked up at each stop with the […]
Christmas Eve Flights 1932 The 1932 Christmas Eve airmail flights were organised along the same routes as in 1931. The mail was smaller (6,709 compared with 16,836). A much fancier cachet was applied compared with the earlier survey flights. Once again, Palmerston North was the centre of operations. Mail from Auckland was sent by the
Dominion Airlines 1930-31 Dominion Airlines ran a weekday passenger and airmail service between Gisborne and Hastings in December 1930 and January 1931. The service began on 22 December 1930 with airmail payment by a special 6d label. Letters were posted on arrival and so there was also the ordinary 1d postage. Sixpence label 44 letters
Christchurch-Dunedin, 1930 Air Travel operated a daily passenger service between Christchurch and Dundedin from 6 November 1930 until April 1931. The plane was a DH 50 and the pilot was Sq-Ldr M.C. McGregor. An official airmail was carried on the first day flights: from Christchurch in the morning and the return from Dunedin in the
Hawkes Bay Earthquake 1931, Emergency Flights On 3 February 1931 there was a devastating earthquake in the Hawkes Bay area killing 161 people in Napier, 93 in Hastings and 2 in Wairoa. As the road had been badly damaged, special emergency flights took place to carry emergency medical supplies although mail was also carried. Mail
Gisborne Air Transport Gisborne Air Transport ran a Gisborne – Hastings airmail service from March 1931 to December 1932. Gisborne Air Transport took over the Dominion Airlines route with the first flight being on 10 March 1931. The plane was a DH 60 Moth and the pilot was W.H. Lett. The airmail cost was 6d
Survey Flights 1930-32 Although New Zealand is larger than the United Kingdom, its population is less than 3.5 million. The distance by road from the north of the North Island to the south of the South Island is greater than the distance between Edinburgh in Scotland and Milan in Italy. The combination of it being
The Full Face Queens The Chalon Heads (also known as the Full Face Queens) were the first postage stamps issued in New Zealand. These classic stamps were first issued in 1855 and were not replaced until 1874. The first printing of the 1d, 2d and 1/- values was in London and the stamps were issued
New Zealand Stampless Entire Until 1 April 1862, postage in New Zealand could be prepaid in cash instead of by postage stamps. In such cases, the amount paid was written on the front of the cover or folded letter in red ink. The following stampless entire (a folded letter) was sent from Otago to Irvine
The Full Face Queens John Davies began his employment as the Postage Stamp Printer on the staff of the Postmaster General’s Department in February 1862. The previous printer, Richardson, had been a private contractor and had been able to insist on his choice of paper. The first Davies prints As Davies was an employee he
George V Fourpence Two plates were used for the 4d value. The yellow printings were from plate 20 as were the violet printings from 1916 until the middle of 1926. From July 1926 printings were from plate 44 and were usually in a deep purple. 4d yellow Shades The date of issue was 30 July
ANZAC Plates 1936 One plate was produced for each value with the number 1 appearing in the four corners of the plate. The plate was composed of 4 panes, each of 48 stamps. After printing, the large sheet was split into four before distribution to post offices. For each value, the plate number appears in
1920s Commemoratives There were only three commemorative issues in this decade: the Victory issue, the map stamp and the Dunedin Exhibition. Victory Issue 1920 The dies and plates were produced by De La Rue. The stamps were issued in London on 9 November 1919, but not in New Zealand until 27 January 1920. There was
1930s Commemoratives The only George V commemorative issue in the 1930s was the Silver Jubilee. The ANZAC and Commerce issues of 1936 were during the short reign of Edward VIII. Silver Jubilee 1935 Recess printed stamps commemorating the Silver Jubilee of George V were issued on 7 May 1935. They show George V and Queen
George V Fivepence The 5d value was not issued until April 1922 with the Edward VII issue remaining in use until then. The colour was light blue until 1930 when the colour was changed to pale ultramarine. Then, in March 1932, a further change was made to steel blue. The plate had number 43. Like
George V Recess Definitives This issue is one of the glories of New Zealand philately. It shows that beautiful stamps do not have to be multi-coloured or pictorials. Linley Richardson from Wellington was commissioned to produce the design of the new King George V stamps in 1911. Several alternatives were explored and rejected. When Sir
George V Recess Officials The 3d, 6d and 1s values were issued overprinted OFFICIAL in 1915 / 1916 while the 4d, 8d and 9d were issued in the 1920s. None of the other recess printed values were overprinted. The stamps The 3d value was issued overprinted OFFICIAL in December 1915, the 6d value in June
George V Booklets An electrotype plate of the ½d value was produced in 1915 and a steel plate in 1919. The booklets contained both ½d and 1d stamps. The 1d stamps were initially the Penny Dominion which were replaced in 1928 by the penny Field Marshall. Halfpenny In booklets along with 1d Dominion From Electrotype
First Pictorials: reduced format 1907 New plates for the ½d, 3d, 6d and 1/- values were produced by Perkins, Bacon & Co in 1907. The new 3d, 6d and 1/- values were in the reduced size previously used for the ½d, 1d, 2d and 4d values. In my opinion, stamps in the reduced format, especially
First Pictorials: officials Stamps overprinted Official were issued for the first time on 1 January 1907 as, from that date. all Government mail had to be stamped with stamps overprinted Official. The first pictorials overprinted Official were the ½d, 2d, 3d, 6d, 1s, 2s and 5s values on Cowan watermarked paper perf 14 were overprinted.
First Pictorials: local prints The second-sideface definitive issue had been surfaced printed and the Government Printer in Wellington did not have the facilities for recess printing. There was therefore a delay before the printing of the first pictorials was transferred to New Zealand. Local issues, 1899 Instead of sending out the plates used in London,
Covers: New Zealand to/from UK Until 1866, the route between New Zealand and Great Britain was via Australia. Then, between 1866 and 1868, the standard route was via Panama. That route ceased in December 1868 and, as the route via San Francisco did not open until 1870, the only route was via Australia in 1869-70.
The Full Face Queens When the printings on star watermark paper resumed in August 1864, the Government perforating machine had been installed. The use of the NZ watermark paper therefore forms a neat interlude between the imperforate issues and those on star watermarked paper perforated 12½. At the end of 1864, stamp production was moved
New Colours 1871 The colours of the 1d, 2d and 6d were changed in 1871 with the new stamps being issued on July 1. The paper had the large star watermark. The 1d was changed to brown, the 2d to orange and the 6d to blue. The 1d plate was very worn by this stage.
Chalon Reprints: Hausburg and Jolliffe In April 1906, reprints from the various plates of the Chalon Heads (full-face Queens) were made for LR Hausburg on white card. In 1913, further reprints on white paper were produced and included in the History of New Zealand Stamps [1]. Hausburg reprints On a visit to New Zealand in
Exhibition Commemoratives New Zealand’s first two commemoratives were for the Christchurch Exhibition in 1906 and for the Auckland Exhibition in 1913. Christchurch Exhibition 1906 W. R. Bock produced the dies in Wellington and electrotype plates were produced at the Government Printing Office. There were four values: ½d, 1d, 3d and 6d. The sheets were arranged
Edward VII Definitives Edward VII was King from 1901 until 1910, but the definitives were not issued until 8 November 1909. The stamps were withdrawn after a few weeks so that remaining stocks of the first pictorials could be sold. Few were therefore sold during the lifetime of Edward VII. The stamps The halfpenny was
First Pictorials: fiscals Like the second sidefaces, the first pictorials were used for both postal and revenue purposes. Due to its high value, there was little genuine postal demand for the 5/- value and so most were used fiscally. Hence collectors must be wary about cleaned fiscals, especially those that initially had a pen cancel.
First Pictorials I am sometimes asked why I collect New Zealand stamps. A major reason is the four classic definitive issues: the Chalon Heads, the first pictorials, the GV recess printed and the second pictorials. London prints, 1898 In 1895, the New Zealand Post Office opened a competition for a new issue stating that the
George V Surface Printed As surface printing is cheaper, the 1½d, 2d and 3d values of the George V definitive issue of 1915 were changed from being recess-printed. The ½d value had always been surface printed. The stamps Except for the local 1½d, the dies and plates were produced in London by Perkins Bacon. The
