5959SHARE YOUR COLLECITON! If you would like to have your collection featured here, e-mail: [email protected]http://www.stampandcoin.co.uk FEBRUARY 2016^59Expert opinion
Sandy McCulloch has chosen an interesting, relatively modern, issue for his
specialist study, and his choice provides a lesson for collectors of this kind of
material, writes Chris King, Chair of ABPS National Exhibitions and International
Committee. It’s easy to offer advice in hindsight, but if you are going to exhibit,
you have to choose something with lots of complexity, and the pictorial issues of
New Zealand offer this in depth.
New Zealand issued the photogravure sterling denominated pictorial series from
11 July, 1960, with values from ½d to £1. Printing was by Harrison and Sons on
Guard Bridge chalk-surfaced, multiple NZ and star watermarked paper, and Thomas
De La Rue, on Wiggins Teape ‘Esparto’, multiple NZ and star watermarked paper
with later printings on chalk-surfaced paper. In addition there were multi-value
booklets containing both ½d and 1d stamps, and 1d and 3d stamps.
The same designs and colours were used when decimal currency was introduced on 10
July, 1967, although Sterling values could be used for postage until 1 August, 1971.
Both printing companies retained the contracts for the decimal currency
set. The ½c, 1c, 2c, 2½c, 3c, 5c and 7c stamps were printed by Thomas De
La Rue & Co Ltd and the 4c and 6c values printed by Harrison and Sons Ltd.
Subsequently there were additional values and colour changes
The printing methods also gave rise to significant errors and varieties such
as missing colours, together with many lesser varieties including colour shifts.
There’s a large trade in these and it’s best to seek expert advice before venturing
into this market. There are, for example, colour separation sheets broken into
smaller units and passed off as missing colours.
With two printers, many values, booklet panes, a variety of papers, errors and
varieties of printing, colour separations, plate blocks, perforation varieties, rate
changes and interesting usages, what more can a stamp issue give a collector?
This is a great area for study and there are many more such, particularly in the
period 1960-1980, from all over the world. Variety makes for an interesting display,
but it’s also essential for a good traditional exhibit. The ABPS is always willing to
advise on exhibiting; if you are interested, contact us at [email protected]From left: errors from the 1967 pictorial issue: buff colour missing; blue colour missing, yellow colour missing1960, black colour missing1960, carmine colour missingp58 Reader stamps.indd 59 21/12/2015 11:49