[?]Rliest Island

[?]Amps Are

[?]Luable To-Day

By K. Norman.

)SE among us who collect or jisplay an interest in stamps Eanating from countries of the ic, find it difficult to secure all s of stamps issued over the tecially is this so, if we are raverage philatelists,” and can tfford to purchase the higher hination issues. nrever, there are many who some, and a number of col 's who would give a lot, to re the original issues brought when particular Pacific Gov jnts put their countries for the time on the philatelic map. first stamps, for example, of ew Guinea in 1897 were over rinted German issues, bearing inscription: “Deutsch-Neu >a,” and it was not until 1925, ■ Australian Mandate, that the definite series made their ranee. ise ranged in value from Id to I stamps in all, and gave a ■e of a typical street in a i village in the territory, ly Papuan stamps went under itle of “British New Guinea” they first went on issue in The peculiar lakatoi, familiar ilatelists the world over, was pictured, passing by the village nuabada. Values ranged from • 2/6. y in 1952 did stamps under the ned title of Papua and New Ja appear on the philatelic it. Still current, the fifteen >s, from Id to £1 gave interest spects of New Guinea life and ties.

SLVE stamps, all possessing le common design of Ball ay, with its “Whispering Pines” e background, was the motif he stamps first provided for Ik Island during 1947. ! of the longest-running stamp is was that in use on the “per nt” stamps from Nauru, first I in 1924. This was of a phos -carrying steamer offshore, tn 1916 to 1920 the stamps of Britain overprinted “Nauru” used at Nauru. very primitive drawing of eon 111 (1803-1873) figured on rst stamps circulated by New onia in 1860. The value was nts. • first issues made by New des were Fijian issues over sd, appearing in 1911. The same “definitive” labels were dis ed, being printed and en d by the English stamp-print rm of de la Rue and Co.

The centrepiece for the designs showed an array of weapons, native implements and idols, with the French Coat of Arms at the left and the British at the right.

Pitcairn Islands Came On

issue in 1940, and the designs related to personalities of the armed vessel Bounty. Portrayed were Lieutenant Bligh and the mutineers Fletcher Christian and John Adams.

There were eight denominations in the series, priced from Id to 2/6.

Clusters of oranges, and pictures of the Bounty were also featured.

France circulated stamps for use in its Oceanic Settlements, the scattered French-owned islands of the Pacific. Although overprinted Issues appeared in 1892, the first permanent stamps of 1913 pictured a woman, a group of men and a view of the Valley of Fautaua, in Tahiti.

Fijian stamps were employed by the postal authorities in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1911. Stamps under Gilbert and Ellice Islands control were printed the same year, and were four in number, id, Id, 2d and 2ld, when a fine pandanus was the illustrated topic.

The British Solomon Islands re leased its first stamps in 1907, and on that occasion the designs in use featured a huge, fully-manned war canoe. There were seven stamps in the series.

THE first stamps of Western Samoa were lithographed by S. T. Leigh and Co., of Sydney, in 1877, and were in value Id, 3d and 6d. The design included the words “Samoa Express” with the value be low.

King George Tupou I graced the original stamps of Tonga in 1886,

which were printed at the Stamp Printing Office, Wellington, New Zealand.

Similarly, in 1892, the first Cook Islands stamps were printed at Wellington. They included Id, lid, 2ld and lOd values. The words, “Cook Islands Federation,” with the value below, was the subject of the design.

Niue, until 1920, used New Zea land stamps overprinted, on the latter occasion using Cook Island issues specially titled, “Niue.”

Tokelau, the former Union Islands, did not enter the stamp world until 1948, when three stamps character ised maps and the villages of Nukunono, Atafu and Fakaofo.

The Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) first circulated stamps in 1864, and these portrayed King William 111 of Orange.

THE Hawaiian Islands had their own stamps before using chose of the United States. The first issue appeared in 1851, and was printed locally in three values. The

design included an ornate fi work, the value and the “Hawaiian Postage.”

These stamps were know?

“Missionaries,” since they mostly used on letters sent hon missionaries. To-day a copy fetch good money.

The first stamps from Fiji in were printed at the office oc Pip Times , Levuka, and comp stamps for Id, 3d, 6d and 1/- ■ newspaper established its own vate post.

The design was a square witl words: “Fiji” and “Express” i the sides and the values in centre. A copy to-day is * over £2O.