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Fascinating facts about stamps
Stamps have been used to pay for the delivery of mail for over 160 years. Before stamps, people wrote letters on large pages of paper. They folded the pages several times and wrote the name and address on the outside. The more pages used, and the further they were sent, the more the letter cost. Postage stamps were invented in Great Britain in 1840. The first stamp was the Penny Black and showed the head of Queen Victoria. New Zealand’s first stamps were designed in Great Britain and issued in 1855. The first New Zealanddesigned stamps were issued in 1873 and also showed Queen Victoria. Until about 60 years ago, most New Zealand stamps still had a picture of the King’s or Queen’s head. Except for the colour and price of the stamp, they all looked the same. Today, New Zealand stamps are all very different – showing animals, cars, ships, flowers, birds, pretty scenes, famous people, and more. Because they don’t cost very much, and are bright and attractive, New Zealand stamps are popular with collectors around the world.
New Zealand’s clever stamp ideas
New Zealand was also the first country in the world to use advertising messages on the back (sticky side) of gummed stamps. This is printed using a food-based ink. New Zealand was one of the first countries to have a penny universal stamp – from 1 January 1900. The idea of this stamp was for all countries to charge the same amount for postage, making it easier to send letters from one country to another. New Zealand was one of the first countries to put pictures of the countryside, birds and animals on stamps.
Traditional favourites
Some stamps have been issued every year in New Zealand for a long time. They’ve become a tradition.
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Health stamps have been issued each year since 1929. Some of the money from
the sale of these stamps goes to the Children’s Health camps around New Zealand. Most years from 1972 New Zealand Post has issued a scenic or tourist set of stamps. Since 1960 New Zealand Post has had special Christmas stamps. These have featured Christmas scenes, churches, the pohutukawa, the words of Christmas carols, and the ways New Zealanders celebrate Christmas Day such as picnics and surfing. Since 1997 there have been stamps to celebrate the Chinese lunar year.
Good question!
Q. What happens if I don’t put a stamp on a letter? A. It is called a ‘short-paid item’. The Postie puts a small card in the letterbox of the person receiving the letter, asking them to come to the local Post Shop and collect your letter. They have to pay for the postage. Q. When don’t I need to use a stamp? A. Letters to Parliament don’t need a stamp. Also, when there’s a FreePost address the company you’re sending the letter to will pay for it. Q. What do you call a stamp collector? A. A philatelist, pronounced fill-at-ell-ist.
Join the club
To become a stamp collector, write to New Zealand Post (it’s a FreePost address so you don’t need a stamp): Stamp Hunters FreePost no 1 New Zealand Post Limited Private Bag 3001 Wanganui New Zealand Or visit their web-site at www.nzstamps.co.nz
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The story of a stamp
How does a stamp become a stamp? And how does New Zealand Post decide what to show on a stamp? Here’s what happens… 1 – The topic is decided Every year people around New Zealand and the world write to New Zealand Post with ideas. New Zealand Post has people who use the ideas – and their own research – to decide topics. They consider popular themes, subjects of general interest, anniversaries and occasions of national significance. Every year a wide variety of topics are featured. 2 – The designer is selected Two or 3 designers are usually invited to produce a concept of the stamp. The concept is 2-4 times larger than the actual stamp size. The designers write a summary that explains their design. 3 – The artwork is developed The successful designer produces colour artwork of the stamp. The artwork is a painting, drawing, photo or computer illustration. It includes the value of the stamp, the country of origin (New Zealand) and often a short description. 4 – The printer is picked Printing a stamp takes special equipment, a lot of checking and very high standards. This means there are only a few stamp printers in the world. The designer’s artwork is much larger than the stamp so the printer reduces its size. The design is then copied so many stamps can be printed on one sheet of paper. 5 – Proofs are produced For each stamp, a full colour proof is produced so New Zealand Post can check for errors before printing. 6 – The printing process Stamps are printed on paper that is pre-gummed or self-adhesive. The paper is mixed or coated with phosphor to allow the Culler Facer Cancellor and letter sorter machines in the Mail Service Centres to detect the stamps. 7 – Perforations are added Perforations (the small holes punched around each stamp) are added to the printed sheets of gummed stamps. Perforations help stamps to be pulled apart. For self-adhesive stamps a perforated shape is cut using a special knife.
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8 – The finished stamps There are many shapes and sizes of stamps including round and triangular stamps. There are also hologram stamps, ‘scratch and win’ stamps, greeting stamps… the list is endless. With so much variety, the hobby of stamp collecting has become even more exciting. Maybe you could start a stamp collection!
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