Early Railway Picture Postcards of New Zealand

By Lindsay | October 26, 2023 | Comments 0 Comment

This is an exhibit of Early New Zealand Railway Postcards which is being shown for the first time in Perth Stamp Show 2023. The postcards are mainly from the first two decades of the 20th Century.

The New Zealand Railways were an essential mode of transport for a developing nation. There were a number of problems associated with this in that the railway had to traverse the King Country which the Māori King Movement had been banished from the Waikato, and agreement had to be sought from the Māori people to build the railway. Also, the terrain was very difficult, and a number of world-class engineering problems had to be solved, including building the Raurimu Spiral, several large viaducts through the Central Plateau, and building the Rimutaka Incline.

I was awarded a vermeil medal

Frame 1

Frame 2

Frame 3

Frame 4

Frame 5

Maori Council Frank, Arapawa District

By Lindsay | November 23, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

I recently purchased a collection of stamps, postcards and this Maori Council Frank from a British Auction House.

The Maori Councils were originally set up in 1902 by the Government to control the “Health, Welfare and Moral well-being of Maori”. They operated at regional level, laying down rules of social control through bylaws which were valid in their own areas. They were partly funded by a “dog tax” imposed by the Government which was not universally acceptable. There were eventually 25 Maori Councils.

The Chairmen of the Maori Councils had “Free Frank” privileges, and could post letters and postcards without charge on official Maori Council business. The Maori Council Frank for their area was applied and signed by the Chairman. This is signed by Haparota Pore Pukekohatu.

Most surviving Maori Council Franks are cut-outs from covers and postcards.

Interestingly this item was featured in “The New Zealand Bulletin”, Campbell Paterson’s Newsletter, Volume XXIII, Number 12, July 1986. They state that “these franks, although actually of 20th century origin, must be among the scarcest of all N. Z. postal markings. No doubt because of their scarcity, reference information is very sketchy indeed”.

See Maoritanga, Frame 3, pages 3, 4 and 5 for other examples, and Council franks on cover and a postcard.

Type 6 Officially Sealed Label on Cover

By Lindsay | November 1, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

First Recorded Type 6 Officially Sealed Label on Cover

This cover was recently purchased on the internet. It is the first that I have seen on a cover, although there is the possibility of another reported by Andrew Dove.

The cover is registered from Mapua (Tasman Bay) to Dunedin. Postage and registration is paid with 4 x 1d Dominion stamps cancelled with 2 x “MAPUA 23 MR 26” G-class datestamps and one for the registration label. Label applied to bottom of cover, endorsed “torn” and initialed by two officers. The flap of the cover is also sealed with five selvedge pieces from a stamp sheet, one with part sheet number N58…

The Type 6 Officially Sealed label has Mail 76 (old No. P.O. 134) outside the frame of the label, bottom left.

The four other recorded Type 6 labels are undated. The challenge is to find more of these Type 6 labels on cover. While it is conjectured that these followed the type 5 labels, they are likely to be dated 1924. Because Mapua is a small Post Office, old supplies of labels were probably used.

Reference: “Post Office “Found Open – Officially Sealed Labels Part 3: 1903 – 1920 Types 4, 5 and 6 Labels” Alan Craig, Lindsay Chitty; The New Zealand Stamp Collector Vol. 97 Number 4, Dec. 2017.

M. V. Gripsholm Mail, Diplomatic Exchange Vessel, Far East WWII

By Lindsay | October 7, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

When the USA entered WWII after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, there was a need to repatriate diplomats, civilians caught in the Far East at the wrong time, and sick and wounded prisoners of war. The USA sent a message 8^th December 1941 to the US Charge d’Affaires in Berne, Switzerland to start negotiations through their Tokyo Embassy. The result of this was that the M. V. Gripsholm (a vessel from neutral Sweden) was chartered by the USA for transfers of prisoners, mail and supplies.

It was agreed that the first exchange would be at the neutral port of Lorenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique. The Gripsholm carried approx. 1500 passengers. The Japanese used two vessels, the M. V. Asama Maru with 850 repatriates from Yokohama, Hong Kong Saigon and Singapore, and the Conte Verde from Shanghai and Singapore with 640.

The second voyage exchange was at the neutral port of Marmagao (Portuguese India). The Gripsholm carried 1513 from New York, Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo, and the Teia Maru about 1500 from Yokohama, Shanghai, Hong Kong, San Fernando (Philippines), Saigon and Singapore.

Items of mail from the first voyage are particularly scarce. There was little time from the end of the negotiations to the sailing of the ship from New York to advertise that mail would be carried. Tett records 10 known items of mail carried on the first voyage.

This 16 page exhibit is a new exhibit and has been entered into the Ausvipex 2020 virtual one frame exhibition for its first showing. I am pleased to say I gained a Gold award with 86 points.

Repatriation Mail, Japanese Occupation of the Far East WWII 1942 – 46

By Lindsay | June 4, 2020 | Comments 1 comment

Introduction

This is a five frame exhibit, and I am currently in the process of extending it to 8 Frames.

Awards

The following awards have been given for this exhibit:

China 2016: Asia International Stamp Exhibition: Large Vermeil. With Felicitations

Hong Kong 2015: Large Vermeil

Capital Stamp Show 2015: Gold, 88 points

Canberra Stamp Show 2014: Large Gold, 90 points. Special Prize, Best First Exhibit

Frame 1

Frame 2

Frame 3

Frame 4

Frame 5

New Zealand Irregular Use of Stamps and Other Items for Postage

By Lindsay | June 4, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

This is the beginning of a collection of interesting Postal History items. They are the irregular use of stamps and other items for the prepayment of postage. In most cases, Postage Due or Tax was incurred.

The American Great White Fleet Voyage 1908-09

By Lindsay | June 4, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

Introduction

The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the powerful Naval battle fleet that completed a journey around the globe from 16 December 1907, to 22 February 1909, by order of United States President Theodore Roosevelt. Its mission was to make friendly courtesy visits to numerous countries, while displaying America’s new naval power to the world.
Since Japan had arisen as a major sea power with the 1905 annihilation of the Russian fleet at Tsushima, the deployment of the Great White Fleet was therefore intended, at least in part, to send a message to Tokyo that the American fleet could be deployed anywhere, even from its Atlantic ports, and would be able to defend American interests in the Philippines and the Pacific.
My interest in The Great White Fleet started because it has a connection with my family. My Great Grandfather, Campbell Johnstone, and his three brothers were a tug-of-war team. The Great White Fleet had a tug of war team which had not been defeated until it met the Johnstone Brothers. The four brothers were very large men, solidly built, and tall with it.

Awards

Sharjah 2023: 85 points, Large Vermeil

Frame 1

Frame 2

Frame 3

Frame 4

Frame 5

Correspondence and Photographs Stalag VIIIB, WWII

By Lindsay | June 4, 2020 | Comments 1 comment

My interest in Stalag VIIIB, German Prisoner of War Camp, started with the fact that many New Zealand POWs ended up here, including some friends of my family.
Stalag VIII-B Lamsdorf was a German Army prisoner of war camp, later renumbered Stalag-344, located near the small town of Lamsdorf (now called Łambinowice) in Silesia. The camp initially occupied barracks built to house British and French prisoners in World War I. At this same location there had been a prisoner camp during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.
It was opened in 1939 to house Polish prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive. Later approximately 100,000 prisoners from Australia, Belgium, British India, British Palestine, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the United States and Yugoslavia passed through this camp. In 1941 a separate camp, Stalag VIII-F was set up close by to house the Soviet prisoners.
In 1943, the Lamsdorf camp was split up, and many of the prisoners (and Arbeitskommando) were transferred to two new base camps Stalag VIII-C Sagan (modern Żagan and Stalag VIII-D Teschen (modern Český Těšín). The base camp at Lamsdorf was renumbered Stalag 344.
The Soviet Army reached the camp on 17 March 1945.
Later the Lamsdorf camp was used by the Soviets to house Germans, both prisoners of war and civilians. Polish army personnel being repatriated from POW camps were also processed through Lamsdorf and sometimes held there as prisoners for several months. Some were later released, others sent to Gulags in Siberia

Cover to meet “Gripsholm”

By Lindsay | June 1, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

When the USA entered WWII after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, WWII, there was a need to repatriate diplomats, civilians caught in the Far East at the wrong time, and sick and wounded prisoners of war. The USA sent a message 8^th December 1941 to the US Charge d’Affaires in Berne, Switzerland to start negotiations through their Tokyo Embassy. The result of this was that the M. V. Gripsholm (a vessel from neutral Sweden) was chartered by the USA for transfers of prisoners, mail and supplies. It was agreed that the first exchange would be at the neutral port of Lorenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique.

The Japanese had two exchange vessels. The M. V. Asama Maru left Yokohama with 416 repatriates, picking others up at Hong Kong and Saigon. The Conte Verde left Shanghai with 640 repatriates and picked others up at Singapore.

This cover was purchased in a lot of three, on E-bay. With the COVID-19 lock-down and disruption of international postage, the item was sent March 18th from the USA, with a transit time of 9 weeks.

This cover is addressed to Wilhelmina Kuyf who was a passenger with the first Diplomatic Exchange voyage leaving Lourenco Marques July 28^th 1942 arriving New York August 25 1942. The passenger manifest lists her as United States Citizen. Her passport was issued Tientsin, China March 21 1941, recorded as a female aged 41.

Her address was recorded as 626 W. Allegheny Ave Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, the return address given on the cover.

The cover has a 3c USA adhesive with “PHILADELPHIA PA AUG 16 1942” slogan cancellation; Cover opened by Customs and resealed with brown tape; Purple boxed cachet “PORT of “NY” AUG 19 1942 Examined and passed “152” U.S. Customs Officer”.

Exhibiting Classes

By Lindsay | May 2, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

Introduction

This is by no means an extensive explanation on the different classes of collecting and exhibiting, but is a help to those starting.

Traditional

Traditional philately is mostly about the study of postage stamps. Traditional Philately has the broadest scope of all the exhibiting categories, allowing all aspects of philately to be included in one form or another. However, the focus remains the postage stamps, and all other aspects should support the basic story of the postage stamps in some way.

Check the following link:

FIP Traditional Philately

Postal History

Postal History is mostly about the routes, rates and marcophily associated with delivery of mail. Marcophily is the specialized study and collection of postmarks, cancellations and postal markings applied by hand or machine on mail that passes through a postal system.

Check the following link:

FIP Postal History

Postal Stationery

Postal stationery is a postal item such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, post card lettercard, aerogramme or wrapper with an imprinted stamp on it indicating prepayment of postage. In other words, they are large stamps.

Check the following link:

FIP Postal Stationery

Youth

This is the class that encourages youth in philately. There are three classes for youth, and these are dependent on age:

Age Class “A” – 10 – 15 years (1 to 3 frames)
Age Class “B” – 16 -18 years (2 to 4 frames)
Age Class “C” – 19 – 21 years (3 to 5 frames)

New Zealand has a Youth Council and the following link to the website is full of interesting material. There are Youth Groups in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

Youth Council of New Zealand

FIP Youth Philately

Aerophilately

Airmail as a collecting area is about aviation history and the impact on communication that aeroplanes and other aerial machines have on the delivery of mail.

Check the following link:

FIP Aerophilately

Thematics

Thematic Philately is collecting stamps and other philatelic items that illustrate a theme. Thematic Philately is dynamic in that it allows for continuous improvement.

Check the following link:

FIP Thematic Philately

Open Class

Open Class is a relatively new class. It broadens the range of philately in that it allows philatelists to include objects from other collecting fields in support of the philatelic material shown. Philatelic material must be at least 50%.

Check the following link:

FIP Open Philately

Picture Postcards

Picture Postcards is the class that is growing in popularity for a number of reasons. They provide a social historical aspect which is of great interest to the general public, and they are relatively inexpensive.

The following two links provide more details.

FIP Picture Postcards

Postcard Society New Zealand

Frugal

The Frugal Philately class is not an FIP class. The value of the exhibit at the time of exhibition should not be more than NZ$250.00 per frame.

Frugal NZPF

One Frame

A One frame exhibit is about a subject that is restricted in scope that it can best be exhibited in one frame only. It is often the way that a beginner to exhibiting can put something together with a minimum of cost compared to multi-frame exhibits.

Check the following link.

FIP One Frame