PICTORIAL STAMPS

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 98, 27 April 1935, Page 15

PICTORIAL STAMPS

THE OLD AND THE NEW

SETS COMPARED

Now that the Dominion's new set of pictorial stamps has at last materialised, comparisons will naturally be made between it and the one which was issued in-1898. .Many of the present generation, unless tliey happen to be philatelists, will have but slight acquaintance with the old pictorial set. When it was issued it was regarded as a very good overseas advertisement for New Zealand, pictorial stamps in those days being much more of a novelty than they are now. During the last thirty years the art of stamp-making has made great progress, and it will generally be conceded that the new set is a great improvement on the old one, besides being a splendid example of the stamp-makers' art. The pictorial stamps of 1898, photographs of which are published today, could still be used for postal purposes, and occasionally were, up to .the end of last year, but after December 31 last they were "demonetised. The designs on them consisted mainly of scenic views and there was not the variety of subjects as is to be found in the new.set ; : Mount Cook, figured on itheid and ss;.Mitre Peak and Milfbrd/Sound on the 2d and 2s; the Otira Gorge, with a small inset of Ruapehu, on the sd; LakeTaupo on the Id; Lake Wakatipu on the 2id; and the Teffaces on.the 4d and 9d. Other designs were:—Huias on the 3d; a kiwi on the. 6d;,a kaka and a kea on the Is; and a Maori canoe and native flora on the Bd. The designs on^he Id and 4d were subsequently interchanged, and the original colours of some values were also changed after a few years. One-of the most attractive of the stamps of this old pictorial set was the original penny value, the view of Lake Taupo with the mountains- in the distance being very attractively printed in two colours, ochre and blue. The green 2s stamp, a view of Milford Sound, was another very picturesque stamp; so was the id Mount Gook when printed in green. Amongst those with birds on them, the Is stamp was easily the best, although perhaps the 6d kiwi, not too well drawn, was the most interesting. However, when compared with the new set, most stamps of the old pictorial set seem to lack clearness and finish, although at the time\of their appearance they were thought very wonderful.- . The new pictorial set has designs mostly very different from the old pictorial set. Mount Cook naturally figures in both, as does also the kiwi; otherwise, apart from the view of Milford Sound, the designs in the new set strike an entirely fresh note. A BLATANT ERROR. Whert the 1898 pictorial set first. made its appearance there was a blatant error in the blue 2Jd stamp. This purported to be a view of Lake Wakatipu, but the name was wrongly spelt "Wakitipu;" How this error escaped detection by those whose business it was to pass the eroofs' is not known, but the fact remains that it was not noticed until the stamps reached New Zealand from London and were issued to the public. Sir Joseph Ward was Postmaster-General at that time, and he immediately order-' ed a further big printing of the wrongly-spelt stamp in order to put a stop to speculators reaping a harvest from the error. At the same time a : new. plate was. made on which the /name was spelt correctly. The consequence of Sir Joseph Ward's action was that the wrongly-spelt stamp has always been as common as the subsequently corrected one, and collectors even now, after, a lapse of over thirty years, can buy eitlier for a few pence. In the new pictorial set there will be no such error, and probably not even any very minor errors such as delight philatelists, since the checking of the proofs and the completed sheets has been very thorough. The 1898 pictorial set was engraved and printed by the same London firm which has printed the 9d stamp of the new set, Messrs. Waterlow and Co. The other stamps of the new set are the work of Messrs. de la Hue and Co. Both these London firms, together with Messrs. Perkins, Bacon, and Co., have been responsible for other of New Zealand's postal issues.