Samoan stamps

Press, 23 August 1977, Page 15

Samoan stamps

This set of four stamps will be released by the independent state of Western Samoa on August 29, to commemorate the centenary this year of the State’s first stamps. The stamps were designed by John Cooter and printed in multicolour lithography in Britain. Each has a reproduction of the Samoa Express stamps. The values of the stamps are: 12 sene, 13 sene, 26 sene, and 50 sene. The 12-sene stamp bears a reproduction of the first mail notice announcing this postal service, which apeared in the Samoa “Times” on October 13, 1877. Letters and parcels bearing the "Samoa Express” stamp could be sent only to New Zealand, Australia, and some ports on the west coast of the United States. Items with other destinations required additional postage from one of these three coun-

tries. An early cover showing this ' feature appears on the 13-sene stamp.

The 26-sene stamp shows the Chief Post Office at Apia as it is today. It was built in 1932 and houses plant and equipment for postal, telephone. and banking services for Western Samoa.

The ship Energy is featured on the 50-sene stamp. This 72-ton fore-and-aft schooner was registered in New Zealand and was the first vessel to carry Samoa’s mail. Souvenir first-day covers of these stamps, with a distinctive postmark, are available from the Philatelic Bureau, G.P.0., Apia, Western Samoa.

They can also be obtained, unused, from the philatelic sales points of the New Zealand postal department at Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin.