Pacific Islands Stamps Are

Valuable

AT stamp auctions held in Melbourne in early November, four mint Ger man New Guinea stamps, part of a set issued in 1900, were sold for £lO6.

The design of the stamps depicts Kaiser Wilhelm’s yacht “Hohenzollern.” Follow ing the AIF occupation of New Guinea in September, ±914, the stocks of German stamps were seized and overprinted with the letters GRI and a new value in British currency. The four stamps, which bear this overprint, have a face value of 11/-.

All Pacific Islands stamps have appre ciated in value since the war —partly due to re-awakened interest in the Pacific, and partly due to the fact that much of Europe has been shut off from the rest of the world.