Ci Stamp Oddity Fetches £70

From Our Mangaia Correspondent A COOK ISLANDS stamp of the “Cap tain Cook” variety, with a centre portrait of the great navigator, issued in the Rarotonga Post Office in 1932 to a European resident, was later found to have Cook’s head upside-down. The only stamp so distinguished in a whole sheet, the rarity was noticed by reason of the fact that, no matter which way it was ex amined, it looked reversed. The item was at length disposed of in collector channels in New Zealand, and has now reappeared at a London stamp auction, where it fetched no less than £7O.

Around the 01, stuck in old native Bibles, etc., are many old issues of postage stamps, dating back to the very first. One may assume that many a philatelic gem of purest ray serene lies thus hidden, and ignored, for the simple reason that the native heir who took over Grandfather’s “parau” knew nothing of the cash value of any old Cl stamps adorning the inside cover (old-timers often kept their “tamepa” safe that way, till they got stuck owing to the humidity).