Stamps increase

Press, 16 February 1980, Page 22

Stamps increase

Christchurch stamp dealers are charging $5 for miniature sheets of commemorative stamps that cost only 52c a week ago. On Tuesday evening at a Philatelic Society meeting a first-day cover of the sheet was auctioned for 515.50, said Mr Bruce Alexander, of Stirling and Company, Ltd. Only one of the sheets was auctioned, and it seemed there were few first-day editions of the commemorative sheet, he said. Mr Alexander said he believed the sheets were selling for $l5 in Sydney, too. Mr B. A. Caygill, who owns Avon Stamps and Coins Ltd said the price of the sheets had been forced up by the interest from overseas buyers. “I think the price is fair. It equates supply and demand quite satisfactorily,” he said.

Mr Caygill said he had no idea what would happen to the price of the sheets, because it would depend on whether the Post Office put out another supply. The Zeapex Exhibition which would be held this year might also

increase interest in the sheets.

“I think the price will be steady for a while, but anything could happen at exhibition time,” he said.

Mr Alexander said the price had been pushed up because the' Post Office did not print enough to meet the demand. Most dealers’ supplies had been reduced conisiderably. The entire supply of 14,000 sheets to Christchurch was sold out in one day. The Auckland Central Post Office sold its stock of 20,000 sheets in 90 minutes. Both dealers and Post Office officials have said that the sale of the miniatures, depicting the three stamps first used in New Zealand, were unprecedented. The Press Association reports that dealers in Auckland defended the 961.5 per cent mark-up yesterday. It was the fault of the Post Office for not printing more sheets, they said.

“Our business is one of supply and demand. At the moment, there is a high demand for the sheets,” said one dealer.