Pacific stamp box

A time when there are no more postmen, stamps or letters is a time philatelists think of only in their night mares. Most people would think it quite unlikely to arrive. And yet, there was a warning in this vein given at Ausipex by the director of Australia Post. He suggested that the time could come when electronic mail would make se rious inroads into the mail service as we know it now.

Japan has now launched an in ternational electronic mail service using facsimile transmission. Other countries, including Australia, have similar, if yet perhaps not quite so highly-developed, systems. Additionally, in the United States, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Europe, where personal com puters abound, bulletin board services, by which computer owners and oper ators may call up each other to exchange messages, or leave messages for anyone to read and act upon, are beginning to burgeon. Australia, also a country where personal computing is big business, now has more than 30 public systems and the list grows almost weekly.

The basic public facsimile system, such as the Japanese and many other countries are now using for internatio nal mail, delivers a letter within 24 hours ... sometimes within just a few hours ... to any country which has a similar system. While much of the facsimile business is done at the ex pense of more costly telex and tele grams, it is also, although yet only in a very small way, eating into air mail services.

The director also warned about the loss to electronic entertainment of the young generation of stamp collectors.

Television, video games, proliferating personal computers, and the like are tempting away youngsters who might otherwise have gone into stamp collec ting. The industry would have to be on its toes to promote the hobby, he said.

The Universal Postal Union recently completed its five-yearly congress. De velopments from the conference that will affect the philatelic scene include a recommendation to include in stamp designs the year of issue for that stamp.

Perhaps in future we will have a sort of stamp vintaging ... you know, ”1985 was a very good year for those cheeky little ten-cent stamps. ”

Already there are some possible, and good, themes for a 1985 stamp vin tage; the Japanese Expo, 1985, the

International Year of Youth, Papua New Guinea’s Tenth Anniversary, the World Stamp Exhibition in Israel, and the fifth anniversary of Vanuatu’s inde pendence.

Another recommendation adopted at the conference was that stamp designs should not include anything which might be objectionable to any other postal administration. Included in these might be, for example, stamps featuring disputed territories, or scenes depicting political events of a con troversial nature. Non-UPU countries are not bound by this, however.

Tip Of The Month

This, our newest service to collectors, appears here, and will appear every month from now on. It is intended as advice only, and I accept no re sponsibility for the tip. All I plan to do is offer some suggestions on stamps which might just be worth putting aside for a rainy day. No-one in this field is infallible, primarily because anything is only worth what someone is willing to pay. Also, investing in stamps requires a holding period of at least five years.

Over-night fortunes are no longer pos sible; the stamp ’’bubble” burst in the early Eighties.

TIP ONE... Cocos (Keeling) Island $2 miniature sheet for Ausipex ’B4.

These sold out at Australian Philatelic Centres within two weeks and are already commanding premium prices from dealers.

TIP TWO...Put aside a few of the Australian Post Bicentennial books, featuring Aboriginal art. By 1988, the Bicentennial Year, collectors will realise they have missed out and the present book will be difficult to track down. (The 1981 Australia Post Collection Book of Australian Stamps now sells at $BO, compared with an original price of about $2O).

New Issues

Christmas is a quiet period in the stamp business and few new issues are being made. However, the following have recently appeared; FIJI:- Ausipex, 1984. September 17, 1984. 8c Yalavao Cattle Scheme; 25c Wailoa Power Station; 40c Air Pacific Boeing 737; $1 Fua Kavenga ship.

Federated States Of Mic

RONESIA:- Ausipex, 1984. September 21, 1984. 20c, the Post Office at Truk; 28c A replica of the 3 pfennig ‘Karo linen’ Stamp of 1901; 35c, replic of an 1899-1900 German stamp; 40c, a

replica of the 5-mark ’Karolinen’ design for 1901.

PITCAIRN;- Ausipex, 1984. Septem ber 21, 1984., Miniature sheet of longboats at sea.

NAURU;- New definitive series ..

September 21, 1984. A new 12 value definitive series replacing the 1978 definitives featuring scenes, people, sports and services in Nauru.

French Polynesia;- Flowers.

October 24, 1984. 46f Ylang Nylang flower 47f Pitate Lei vine 53f Bougain villea VANUATU;- Ausipex, 1984.

September 7, 1984. Sailing ships. 25vt The Makambo 45vt The Rockton lOOvt The Warroonga TUVALU:- Christmas, 1984 - Children’s drawings selected from a national competition.

November 14, 1984. 15c Trees and stars 40c Fishing scene. 50c Presenta tion of gifts to Jesus 60c Nativity.

Issues Promised For 1985

JANUARY 16- New Zealand will pro duce three values commemmorating the centenary of St John Ambulance Brigade. Pitcairn will issue four values (6c, 9c, 35c and $2) of 19th century paintings. January 22 - Vanuatu - Traditional Costumes, 20vt, 25vt, 45 vt, 75vt January ?? - Cocos (Keeling) Islands - Cocos-Malay culture, three values.

Vanuatu - Traditional costumes Australia - birth centenaries of Curtin and Chifley, pre-stamped envelope, 30c.

Australia - Australia Day: two values tete-beche FEBRUARY: Kiribati - reef fish: four values.

Christmas Island - Crabs, part one.

Australia - International Youth Year: one value.

Australia - Bicentennial Collection Series II: Terra Australis (Part One): four values and miniature sheet.

Australia - Fifth Women’s World Bowls Championships: pre-stamped envelope, 30c.

Papua New Guinea - Scenes; lOt, 25t, 40t, 60t.