Pacific stamp box

Michel Rundschau’ is a monthly magazine of the German cata logue publishers. Each year it publishes an accurate and re vealing survey of the stamp issues of the world. I have quoted their surveys before. The purpose of the survey is to warn collectors of the cost factors involved in collecting issues of various countries so that stamp collecting re mains a fun hobby. The survey of the 1985 stamps has just been released.

The total number of stamp and minia ture sheets for 1985 shows the steady and every increasing number of issues.

Unfortunately postal authorities in far too many countries, in an effort to catch the ever elusive stamp dollar, believe that by increasing the number of issues, they can make profits. This proves not to be the case. What happend is that greater financial pressure is put on the collector to buy more stamps. This he or she cannot do and usually buys less stamps from these countries or perhaps stops buying stamps from these coun tries altogether.

In 1976 there were 7047 stamps and 673 miniature sheets produced at a total cost of DM25,296. In 1985 there were 9141 stamps and 915 miniature sheets produced to the value of DM42,009.

I will detail some of the figures that affect the Pacific area.

Top place in the number of new stamp issues is Tuvalu and its islands with a total of 373 stamps and 11 miniature sheets in the year to the value of DM1,025.85. Of the top 16 countries each issuing over 100 stamps and miniature sheets, Tuvalu was the only Pacific country represented.

At the rate of 373 stamps a year this works out to be over one stamp a day.

A closer look at the Pacific reveals the following:

It is good to see quite a number of Pacific countries with marked reduc tions in the number of stamps issued and value of stamps, but there is still a long way to go for some countries. As I have pointed out before moderate stamp issue policy with quality stamps and good promotion is the only way to save the slide in stamp revenue which makes up an important part of the

revenue of so many smaller Pacific countries.

I am indebted to Michel Rundschau for their information.

The collapse of Philatelists Ltd., of Hants, U.K. was recently announced.

The company is best known through its issues of “Leaders of the World” thematic series. It is believed that about $ A 1.5 m is owing to the House of Questa, Format International and Stamp Printers. Tuvalu and several Caribbean countries were featuring the series “Leaders of the World”.

Sydpex ’BB will be held in Sydney, NSW from 30th July to 7th August, 1988. It will be a National Exhibition and has been officially endorsed by the Australian Bicentennial Authority. The venue is the Showground, special park ing and bus services have been organ ised.

Fiji issued a set of 6 stamps featuring Cone shells of the country. One fea tured is the Geography Cone, perhaps the most deadly of the deadly beauties.

The tragedy of the Cook Island’s hurricane and tidal wave of January has produced some philatelic emergency overprints. The quantities of stock avail able after the disaster were not sufficient to meet demands. Quantities of old stock were overprinted with commonly used postal note values. New Zealand offered to do the work and did so within two weeks in the middle of a tight schedule. These overprints will only be supplied to standing accounts as supplies are primarily to relieve the shortage of stamps to be used in normal postal services. Although much destruc tion was caused to crops and property through the disaster, fortunately there was no loss of life.

Country Stamp Min.

Value Sheet DM.

Australia 42 1 83.65 Cocos (Keeling Is.) I 13 1 41.50 Cook Islands 44 17 275.00 Fiji 20 1 72.25 French Polynesia 27 0 93.35 Kiribati 18 1 56.70 Micronesia 17 0 85.40 Nauru 14 0 29.90 New Caledonia 25 1 103.90 New Zealand 27 1 41.25 Ninafo’ou Island 20 1 79.60 Niue 24 15 196.70 Norfolk Island 28 3 106.70 Palan Islands 37 1 101.70

Png

25 1 37.60 Penrhyn 37 14 219.75 Pitcairn 16 1 45.00 Samoa 24 3 79.95 Solomon Islands 16 3 48.50 Tokelau Islands 12 0 13.40 Tonga 52 2 209.20 Tuvalu 373 11 1025.85 Vanuatu 26 2 115.25