NEW STAMPS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 112, 13 May 1937, Page 8

NEW STAMPS

A HECTIC RUSH

CORONATION ISSUE

Probably all stamp-selling records were broken today at the post offices, so-keen was,'the demand for the New Zealand Coronation stamps which were issued this morning. Extra sellers were on duty in the Chief Post Office, but even then long queues were lined up at each stamp-selling counter waiting for their turn to be served. Although the three stamps will be on sale for a long time yet, this morning's rush was due to the desire of

many philatelists to get their stamps postmarked on the first day of issue: hence the amount of mail matter handled today was far above the normal figure.

The three special Coronation stamps are very similar in appearance to those that were issued at. the time of the Silver Jubilee, the heads upon them, of course, being different. But the slight alterations in the general design make the new stamps even more attractive than the Silver Jubilee issue of two years ago, arid the Dominions Coronation stamps will probably be found to rank amongst the best of the Empire's Coronation issues. The penny is a pleasing shade of red, nearly claret- colour. The twopencehalfpenny is blue, and the sixpenny is orange. ' . That the new Coronation issue win be sold out within a few days, as was the case with the Chamber of Commerce issue, is by no means probable. A big demand has been anticipated by an initial printing o£ no fewer than 60 000 000 of the penny stamp, 2,000,000 of' the twopence-halfpenny, and 3,000,000 of the sixpenny. Great Britain according to yesterday's cable news, sold over thirty million special Coronation stamps on the first day. compared with a normal daily sale of twenty to twenty-five million pennyhalfpenny stamps. But then her stamp-buying population is considerably larger than New Zealand s. Probably when today's sales are added up it will be found that several million stamps have been sold. Orders for large quantities from dealers and others overseas have been sent to the Post Office. COMPARATIVE FIGUBES. It is interesting to compare ttte figures of the New Zealand Coronation stamps with those of the Silver Jubilee and. Chamber of Commerce issues. The. number actually sold of the three values of the. New Zealand Silver Jubilee stamps were 4,800,000 of the halfpenny, 8,400,000 of the penny, and 320,000 of the sixpenny. These three stamps, which, two years ago could be. purchased at any post office for the modest sum of 7Jd. are now, difficult to acquire for less than ten or' twelve shillings. • .' " ' The Chamber of Commerce issue resulted in phenomenal sales, 3,504,096 halfpenny, 5,976,096 penny, 357,696 two-pence-halfpenny, 364,896 fourpenny, and.-441,696 sixpenny stamps being disposed of in a day or two. SPECIAL ISLAND STAMPS. ■In addition to the-three New Zealand .Coronation stamps, there were on' sale today three speciall''Coronation stamps for 'Niue... These1 were simply the New Zealrnd stamps overprinted with the word Niue in black capitals. Similar stamps for the Cook Islands will not be on sale until >Jurie 1- . . ....-..■..

For some reason not yet explained Western Samoa is not having any special Coronation stamps, either overprinted New Zealand ones or otherwise.

No official first-day covers were issued by the P. and T. Department in conjunction with , the Coronation stamps, but plenty of unofficial ones have been printed, by enterprising firms.