SPECIAL STAMPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 59, 11 March 1937, Page 10

SPECIAL STAMPS

FOR THE CORONATION

KEEN DEMAND'PROBABLE

EMPIRE ISSUES

Judging by what happened over the Silver Jubilee stamps of 1935, the deImand for the forthcoming Coronation is likely to be something phenomenal. Collectors all over the world—and they must number millions by this time, so popular in the recent years has the hobby of philately become—^vill be after them, and there is every probability of another world-wide "stamp racket." Very few philatelists foresaw the enormous popularity of and demand for the Silver Jubilee stamps, but those who got in early while the going was good, and secured specimens of each of the 249 Silver Jubilee stamps, reaped a harvest. The complete set while the stamps were current cost from £2 to £3; now, less than two years later, it requires ten times that sum to acquire a complete set. But whereas the Silver Jubilee stamps were printed by the thousand only, the forthcoming Coronation stamps are likely to be printed by the million. Hence the demands of philatelists are likely to be more easily met and prices will not soar as they did in the case of the Silver Jubilee issues. The abdication of King Edward VIII naturally upset all the arrangements which had previously been in train about Coronation stamps. Up to the beginning of December last the idea had been to issue new permanent King Edward VIII stamps, for the majority of the colonies and for these new stamps to make their appearance at the time of the Coronation. These stamps would therefore not have been special Coronation stamps, to be withdrawn after a short time, but would have been the permanent postal issues of the colonies concerned. However, a short time after King George VI had succeeded his brother Edward, it was officially announced that this arrangement would no longer hold good and that special Coronation stamps would be issued for all the Crown Colonies, it being left to the Dominions to make what arrangements they liked about special Coronation stamps. WHAT THE DOMINIONS ARE DOING. As was announced in "The Post" a few days ago, New Zealand is to issue three special Coronation stamps (Id, 2£d, and 6d) in May next, these being very similar to the Silver Jubilee issue. These will be appropriately overprinted for use in the Cook Islands and in Niue, but Western Samoa is apparently to have no special Coronation overprinting, although it did at the time of the Silver Jubilee. Australia, it would seem, does not intend to bring out a special Coronation issue, but the appearance of some stamps of a new King George VI set will synchronise with the Coronation, and on at least one of this new set will appear a portrait of the Queen, whilst their Majesties will also form the basis of the design of other stamps to be issued later in the year; All these stamps, however, will be part of Australia's permanent new issue and not special Coronation stamps. Both New Guinea and Papua, which are administered by Australia, are, on the other hand,1 so it has been stated, to have a■■ special Coronation issue. Southern Rhodesia has announced a series" of four special Coronation stamps, but of what design has not yet transpired. South Africa and South-West Africa, it is expected, will also follow suit. No specific announcement has yet been made as to the intentions of Canada and India in the matter of Coronation stamps, but it is expected that they will have special issues, apart from any new King George VI stamps. A recent cable announces that Great Britain will be issuing new Kin;* .George VI stamps at the time of the Coronation and that consideration is being given to the question of having some higher value special Coronation stamps. CROWN COLONIES' ISSUES. As yet, therefore, philatelists are rather in the dark as to what 10 scramble for in May next. They know definitely that New Zealand is to have a special set of Coronation stamps, bui as will be gleaned from what has been ) stated above, the position as regards the other Dominions and Great, Britain is stiU rather nebulous. But as regards the 45 Crown colonies definite arrangements have been made for each to have a special and uniform Coronation issue, with three values in each set. Like other Coronation stamps, these will be on sale from May 12 until the end of the year, when all remainders will be withdrawn from issue and destroyed. These stamps will be of the same shape and size as the now famous 1935 Silver Jubilee issue, on which was a design of Windsor Castle, and will be printed in single colours by the recess process. The design of the stamps differs, however, from that of the Silver Jubilee issue, and includes portraits of both H.M. King George VI and H.M. the Queen in a setting of Coronation emblems, including the Crown, Orb, Sword of State, and Sceptres. The date of the Coronation is inscribed at the top of the design and the name, of the issuing territory appears at the base of the stamps, with duty labels in the lower corners. AN ADEN ISSUE. It will be noticed that in the following list of the stamps to be issued (135 in all for the Crown Colonies) the name of Aden appears. This will be the first occasion upon which this Red Sea outpost of the British Empire has been honoured with postage stamps of its own. Hitherto', it has been content to use Indian stamps. The following are the stamps to be issued:--Aden, Id, 2£d, 3£d; Antigua, Id, ljd, 2Jd; Ascension, Id, 2d, 3d; Bahamas, id, lid, 2Jd; Barbados, Id, lid, 2£d: Basutoland, Id, 2d, 3d; Bechuanaland. Id, 2d, 3d; Bermuda. Id, lid, 2£d; British Guiana, 2c, 4c. 6c; British Honduras, 3c, 4c, sc: British Somaliland, la. 2a, 3a; Cayman Islands, id, Id, 2£d. Ceylon, 6c, 9c, 20c; Cyprus, Jp, ljp, 2p; Dominica, Id, lid, 2£-d; Falkland Islands, id, Id, 2Jd; Fiji, Id, 2d, 3rt: Gambia, Id, lid, 3d; Gibraltar, id, 2ri. 3d; Gilbert and Ellice islands, Id, ijd, 3d; Gold Coast, Id, 2d, 3d; Grenada, Id, lid, 2^d; Hong Kong, 4c, 15c, 25c; Jamaica, Id, ljd, 2id; Kenya, Uganda, and Tanganyika,1 sc, 20c, 30c; Leeward Islands, Id, lid, 2id; Malta, id, lid, 2id; Mauritius, sc, 12c, 20c; Montserrat, Id, ljd, 2id; Newfoundland, 2c, 4c, sc; Nigeria, Id, lid, 3d; Northern Rhodesia, lid, 2d, 3d; Nyasaland, J'd, Id, 2d; St. Helena, Id, '2d, 3d; St. Kittes and Nevis, Id, l£d, 2£d; St. Lucia, Id, lid, 2id; St. Vincent, Id,- ljd, ;2Jd; Seychelles, 6c, 12c, 20c; Sierra Leone, Id, 2d, 3d; Solomon Islands, Id, lid, 3d; Straits Settlements, 4c,' Be, 12c; Swaziland, Id, 2d, 3d; Trinidad, lc, 2c, 8c; Turks Islands, id, 2d, 3d-; Virgin Islands, Id, lid, 2^d.

"The Post's" Dunedin correspondent states that the Northern Association Football Club, which claims to be the first club to play the round ball game in New Zealand, will celebrate its fiftieth year of existence.at. Easter.