FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

Evening Star, Issue 20871, 14 August 1931, Page 2

FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

[By Phit.atklist.]

Any new*, quotes, and items of philatelic interest will always be appreciated. Address care Editor.

STAMPS AND ADVERTISING

It was mentioned in this column some weeks ago that a number ot years ago our Now Zealand stumps wore utilised for a short spell as an advertising medium. Wo still frequently come across these old stamps, and so little appears to bo known about them by collectors in general that it was thought a few words on the subject might not lie out of place. The idea of advertising on the backs ot stamps did not originate in New Zealand, As early as 1881 the English penny lilac appeared with an advertisement for Boar’s soap, and the half-penny vormillion of the 1887 jubilee issue is found treated similarly. In 1893 the New Zealand Government let a contract to Messrs Truobridgo, Miller, and Reich, a Wellington advertising firm, for the right to utilise the backs 'of stamps for advertising purposes. The backs of telegrams were also available for the same purpose. The contract was lot for four years lor the sum of £BOO a year. However, the idea did not catch on and at the end of a year the contractors terminated the contract, as they had a right to do if they so wished. /The reason of the failure is not lar to seek, the general public were too busy to minutely examine the hacks ol their stamps at the time of licking; but worse still, .stamp .collectors, instead of making a fuss over these varieties, if they might he called so, absolutely ignored them. It was not till 1917 that the discovery of a complete sheet and "illustration in an Australian Stamp Journal at long last roused interest in these stamps. By tjns time all knowledge of what advertisements had actually appeared, of the order in wliich they appeared, and their positions in the sheet, even knowledge ot what/ denominations had been utilised for advertising purposes, had been lost and forgotten. What an opening for Philatelic research. Innumerable pairs, strips, and blocks of these stamps were .examined; fortunately they were still plentiful and cheap, and it was soon discovered that there had been more than one setting of the advertisements that printings were to be found in several different colours. Actually, Jo different advertisements appeared; of these 20 were various advertisements for Sunlight Soap, aiid appropriated no less than 80 stamps in the sheet of 2-10. Bonnington’s Irish Mosas, various Beeeham’s products, and Kaitangata coal also appeared many times. Actually, only 18 advertisers took advantage ol this unique method of advertising, this being probably the chief factor in its failure. Three different settings are known, one in wliich certain ° advertisements lor Messrs Crease, Dodgshun, Flag brand products. and Salsaline appeared in white lettering on a 4 solid background of colour. "The public apparently objected to licking so much ink, for in a very short while, a$ a study of the postmarks of these stamps shows, they were replaced by similar advertisements lint the lettering being in ink on a white ground. Various advertisements of products also appeared, polled meats, beef extract, and table jelly being the articles concerned. A study of the postmarks of numbers of the used stamps i hows that Ponoke stamps appeared in the third and last setting, and from a study of pairs, blocks, and strips i is found that they replace one of the Cadbury advertise-ments-—namely, “ This space is reserved for, Cadbury Bros. 1 ’ 'ibis advertise-ment-appeared twenty times in the sheet, ami fhe positions are known. However, theio is still a riddle to sol\e. Can any of the readers of this column do it? Supposing you were looking at the hack of tho slieet of stumps and numbered them from 1 to 210, commencing at the top left-hand corner, and faking cadi horizontal lino in turn, the Ponoke advertisement for space No. 07 is still unknown. To find it one .would hiv'c to obtain one of the following three combinations, (a) A horizontal pair, the left-hand stamp would he the missing Ponoke, and the righthand one. (as seen from the hack) is “ For Bronchitis take Bennington Irish Moss.” Or (h) a vertical strip of tjircc, the top stamp of which is No. 07, below it “ Lattey Livermore and Co. Ltd., Wellington’. Ask for their pure Indian and Cevlon Teas,” And below this again; “ Machean Stewart’s new cure for Asthma, Diphtheria, Croup.” This third stamp is necessary, as the pair above also occurs in another part of the sheet—namely, Nos. lo and 27, lint hero the stump immediately below this (No. 39) is a .Sunlight Soap advertisement in place of Stewart’s. No, Jo, by tho way, is for Poneke Beef Extract, 1 lie same advertisement may occupy No. 07, and it may not; hence tho need ol having at least three stamps in the vertical strip. Or (c), a vertical pair of which tho advertisement above Poneke is “For Carpets and Floorcloths, \\. Strange and Co., Christchurch.” Can any reader solve the missing No. 07?

In recent years advertising per medium of stamps has cropped again, and I shall deal lurhhcr with this in the near future.

Writing in the New Zealand Stamp Collector.’ Air R G. Collins states; “ Various rumours in regard to the stamps of the New Zealand Repcndencies have been current for some time. At last, however, there is something concrete to go on, as 1 am in receipt of official intimation from the Cook Islands Department to the effect that it is shortly proposed to withdraw the whole of the present pictorial sets for Aitulaki, Nino .Vnrhyn, and Rarotonga, and substitute therefor one set of seven stamps for the Cook islands, and a similar sot ol seven’ for Nine. The set for the Cook Islands will be used in Rarotonga, Ailuiaki, Alangaiiii Atin, and Alankc, ail of which arc islands of the Cook Group; and also in Penrliyn, Rakahanga. Alaniliiki. and Danger Islands, which for purposes of administration arc included within the boundaries of the group. The necessity for a speeial set fe Nine is because, although Nino may b' considered to ho geographically included within the Cook Group, there is no regular sea communication between Nine and Rarotonga, and the Nine Treasury is separate and distinct from the Rarotonga Treasury. The denomination of the sets will be td, Id, ‘Jd. Is, with separate designs tor each value. As with the present pictorials, however. the same designs will bo used for both the Nine and Rarotollga.ll sots, tho only alterations being in the borders. The denominations above Is, which are used principally for radio and Customs purposes, will he supplied by overprinting the New Zeabnul issue as at present. The designs have been approved, and the sot is reported to be an attractive one. It is proposed that

the stamps shah bo printed entirely in New Zealand at the Government Printing Office, Wellington. The plates will bo engraved in London.”

.British Solomon Islands.—A now value, 4itl, Venetian red, has boon added to the current sot. Now Zealand.—The Id Government Insurance has now appeared, on Cowan paper, perl', 14. The colour is red instead of carmine, as before. As a result of tho increased postage the 2d official, which was withdrawn from sale some time ago, has now been found necessary again, hut the latest issue is on Cowan paper. The-variety without stop after official appears in the same position as on the other values. New Guinea.—The complete series overprinted in blue black with an aeroplane device and “ Air Mail ” was issued on June 9. Uruguay.-—The International Pbila-' tclic Exhibition at Montevideo was the occasion for the issue of four stamps in similar designs to the famous Diligencia series of LSoG. The values are 2c green, oe red, 8e blue, ioe violet. All imperforate. Syria.—A further new pictorial air 'stamp is of lo pi. The colour is orange, and the design is an aeroplane, over Aleppo. Cancelled.—Remainders of Mauritius stamps were overprinted (cancelled). Cancelled to Order.— Stamps which have not been actually. used in (be post, but which have been obligingly postmarked to satisfy collectors of used stamps. Generally they retain their full gum, most of ■which is lost in a genuinely used stamp. Chalky or elinik-snrfaeed paper, indicated 'in many catalogues by the initial “ This is a paper which has been coated on the printed side with a .solution of chalk and gum or size, it produces a' more brilliant hut more fugitive colour impression. Cliche,—One of the units making up a, printing plate for producing a sheet of stamps. Colour Trials.—Proofs in colour made h,v stamp printers for experimental pur* poses, and to enable officials to make a suitable selection of colours. ■

Comli Machine Perforation. —ls Dio work oj' a machine which at each blow perforates throe sides of each slump in one row ; a second blow, afior the paper has been moved up, completes the perforating of the first row, and so on to tile bottom of tlie sheet. Commemorative. —A stamp issued in commemoration of some event or anniversary. Compound Perforation.—When the gauge oi the pcrloralions on a stamp is not Dio same all round it is a compound perforation. Usually a compound perforation only consists in two differences of gauge, the top and bottom being in one gauge, and tbo sides in another. In describing such a perforation in tbo catalogue tbo 'horizontal perforation fi.e., at top and bottom) is mentioned first’and the sides next, thus—" compound perforation to .< M ”, or,“]s x M.” Control.-—A record letter or number usually printed on the margin of tbo sheet as in the, bottom margins of our. Knglisb stamps. It is not a part of tbo stamp. 1 Cut Out; (bit • Scuta re.—Stamps not adhesive stamps, impressed on envelopes. wrappers, or postcards; which have been cut out in square fashion.