STAMP COLUMN

Southland Times, Issue 25312, 15 June 1935, Page 13

STAMP COLUMN

OLD AND NEW ISSUES (By Hinge.) In February Persia issued a new air stamp, the design showing an “Allegary of Justice,” with the value shown in squares at the bottom. . This design is used also in the series to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Shah Pahleois accession by demonstrating Persias progress. It should be noted that although the official name of the country is Iran, the stamps still show “Poster Persanes. The 5d uses the Allegory of Justice in green and brown lake. Justice holds the scimitar of freedom ana the lion of Persia is docile at her feet. Two symbolic figures in the frame have the appearance of portly gentlemen, lhe 10d shows the ruins of Persipolis in gray and orange. For the 15d, in blue and carmine, Allegory of Education is used, 30d (green and black) aeroplanes over the Teheran aerodrome; 4ba (claret and deep green) sanatorium at Satchtesser; 75d (sepia and yellow green), cement works of Chah-Abdul-Azim near Teheran; 90d (carmine and blue), the gunboat Palang, built m Italy in 1931; lr (violet and claret), railway bridge over the river Karoun, celebrating the Shah’s extension of Persias 150 miles of railway in 1929; lr. 50d. marine and mauve), the palatial new General Post Office and Customs House in Teheran. January saw Honduras make a new issue. These are all longitudinal. Four “ground” varieties for ordinary postages bear the words “correo terrestre. Between two broken pillars is a circle, the scene in which changes for the different denominations. 1 centavo (green). Masonic Temple, Tegucigalpha. 2c. (carmine), Pres. T. Carias; sc. (deep blue) National Flag; 6c. (violet brown) Pres. T. E. Palma. The broken columns appear in the air mail stamp, which bear the words “correo aereo interne e international, 1935-1938.” There are two types, one with the pillars near the edges giving space for a broad picture. 10 centavos (grey) and 40c. (red brown) views of Tegucigalpa; 15c. (olive grey) map of Honduras; 20c (Mu e -green) Presidential Palace and Mayol Bridge. The columns are closer in, flanking a “window” bearing different designs; Bc. (light blue), G.P.O. and Congress Building; 50c. (orange-yellow) Owl; H. (green) National arms. NEW ZEALAND ISSUES. In 1863 the original plate for the 2d was showing signs of wear and a year later the deterioration was very noticeable. In 1863 two issues of 2d in deep blue, one imperforated and one perforated to gauge 13, were printed mostly in Dunedin. A watermark N.Z. appeared in the 1864 printing, which covered Id (carmine vermilhon), 2d (pale blue), 6d (red brown), and Is (green) and some of these are valuable. Imperforated varieties run from 35/- to £lOO, the top figure for the 6d (red brown); but in the rouletted issues the unused Id is worth £l5O, while the others run from £lO to £BO. Perforated at 13, the Dunedin printings, 2d and Is, are valued at from £l2 to £45, while the Auckland section (the Is is yellow green), shows values ranging from 25/- to £75. Then for three years the stamps were printed in Auckland, the paper carrying a large star as a watermark. In this period there were variations in tints. In 1864 the Id retained its carminevermilion shade, but later it paled to an orange vermilion, and then to orange. There is an imperforated orange Id printed from a worn plate worth 70/-. The 2d pale blue is from one plate, the deep blue is from another (1866), but varieties with no perforations between pairs are worth £75. In 1867 Plate II was retouched, and one kind, perforated 10 x 12J are worth £l5O used. The 3d was brown-lilac in 1864 and changed to lilac, the former is now worth £3O unused, £2O used, while the deep mauve’ printing which came later are listed at £l2 unused, and 15/- used, though imperforated varieties go at £5O unused. The 4d changed from deep rose in 1865 to yellow, and then to orange, the last named being now the rarest (£4O unused, £2O used). In the first of these three years the Is was a deep green but it paled in succeeding printings and came to yellow-green. Although the plates were worn there was no change in them, but in 1871 the perforation changed, on some varieties from Id to 6d. This time the Id is brown’ and the 2d is vermilion or orange, while the 6d is blue. The 1872 printings, same colours, show no watermark or “N.Z.” and later the watermark changed to lozenges. A year later the newspaper postage of Jd brought in the first New Zealand stamp of this value. The die was engraved on wood in Melbourne and was printed from Electrotypes at the Government Printing Office, Wellington. The design is severe, the Queen’s head, appearing much older, is in profile in an oval with a white background. Across the top is “New Zealand” on a straight white band, and below “Newspaper Postage” on a scroll. The value in elongated figures, flanks the oval. This was printed in dull rose and there are three types of perforations, the most valuable being the 121, which is worth 85/- unused and 25/- used. These stamps were printed on paper originally intended for fiscal stamps and so there are some varieties which show no watermarks, about one-third of the impressions having fallen on parts of the sheets on which no watermark ajopeared. There is no marked change in the value because of this.

(To be Continued.)