Pacific Stamp Box

Edited by John Hunter

Talk about the cat among the pi geons! Australia has really done it this time: Stamp News magazine’s November issue used three reporters, each contributing three full pages, to attack Australia Post.

Furthermore, stamp or coin dealers in Australia are sure to attack Australia Post immediately, in no uncertain terms.

The issue is this: Australia Post in Sep tember began a campaign whereby at least 500,000 glossy brochures were posted out accompanied by a letter signed by John Power, manager of Stamps and Philatelic Branch of Australia Post in Melbourne.

The brochure advertises a set of gold plated sterling silver stamp replicas in honour of the bicentennial. There are 25 replicas in the set, available at the rale of one per month at a cost of $9B each.

The letter from Mr Power gave Aus tralia Post’s full endorsement of the set, and I must admit I was first led to believe Australia Post had produced the set as part of its official philatelic program and ob taining a set was a must to complete my Australian collection.

A second, careful look at the fine print assured me that the issue was a sales gim mick. Nowhere, however, is there an ex planation that the set is not official.

The stamp world is furious that Aus tralia Post is promoting a gimmick as if it were an official Australia Post philatelic promotion. There is outcry that Australia Post is also encouraging people into be lieving the set has great investment poten tial, whereas experts have calculated that out of the set that will cost the collector al most $2500, he or she will have silver worth little more than $lOO. Further, several companies market this type of material and any attempt to re-sell the material nets the collector the only metal content of the

set. The stamp world now fears overseas collectors will be confirmed in their belief that Australia is becoming a philatelic “banana republic”. Marketers of the col lection stand to make $2 million to $3 mil lion for its promotion.

We complain about some questionable stamp deals in the Pacific, but say angry collectors, nothing could compare with this ripoff. Stamp News ended its comments by stating: “JUDAS ISCARIOT SOLD

Out For 30 Pieces Of Silver.

Australia Post seems to have negotiated a discount rate ... they have sacrificed their integrity, on a universal scale, for a

Mere 25 Pieces Of Silver;’

The worst is not over either: Stamp News claims evidence that more such “of fers” are in the Australia Post pipeline.

SINCE THE last issue of Pacific Stamp Box it has been announced that the British Post Office will have a joint issue with Australia Post on June 21, 1988, to mark the bicentenary of European settlement in Australia. Already some dealers are ad vertising sets of bicentennial issues as a special collection. My advice is to pul aside a set of issues for investment. They should be sought-after in years to come.

ON 6 DECEMBER Norfolk Island issued a sec of three stamps as its fourth Bicen tenary issue La Perouse’s visit to Nor folk Island. La Perouse could not land because of heavy seas, but he caught and recorded several species of fish and birds before sailing on to Botany Bay.

THERE IS talk of recession, and allerna live areas of investment away from the

stock market. Already people are moving money into property banks and the like, and many are moving money into stamps. As this happens, prices will climb again; already prices have firmed for good scarce material. My ad vice for the investor is to gel a portfolio of scarce material. Shop around among reputable dealers and put aside some pieces. You can’t lose.

THE NEWLY formed Philatelic Distri bution Company of Eastleigh has taken over from the defunct firm of Philatelists Ltd of Fritham to keep the flow of the se ries Leaders of the World flowing to those agencies who have contracts for the series.

Unfortunately, we have to put up with these “stamps” until people refuse to buy them. I have spoken about the Pacific countries that issue the series before: I don’t want to bore you further or to give further publicity to them.

NEW CALEDONIA has issued a stamp to mark the 40th Anniversary of the South Pacific Commission. The stamp features the flags of member nations.

STOP PRESS! Papua New Guinea has an nounced that due to a printing delay, its 1987 Year Album will not be released until January 23, 1988. □

Above: Western Samoa celebrated the 25th anniversary of independence with

a stamp issue showing islands flora and traditions. Left: Four new stamps from Tuvalu recall the development of trade and communications, from early steam and sail vessels to recently constructed vessels such as the John which is the Williams IV, proud inheritor of a century-old tradition.