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The Glen Stephens
(monthly) |
September 2003
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By Glen Stephens. |
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Stamp News
has received a large number of enquires as to the
story behind the Lord Howe Island "Paquebot" FDC illustrated on front cover of
the "June" Magazine.
The magazine gave away 20 copies in a competition, and the winners are listed in
a recent magazine. The Editor advised me there was a huge response. He asked me
to pen this article to give readers fuller background to these stamps which seem
to have received little if any stamp media in the past.
Lord Howe Island has always been extremely popular with stamp collectors. NSW
stamps were used in the 19th century, and used on cover fetch big prices.
Australian issues were used from 1913.
The famous 1930 pen cancelled "2d Paid P.M. LHI" Postmaster Provisionals on 1½d
KGV heads and Charles Sturt issues are rare and keenly sought. Prices often run
well into 4 figures for many pieces and even Stanley Gibbons notes and prices
these legendary provisionals.
Sir Francis Chichester's flight in 1931 to Australia with a small airmail in his
Gipsy Moth cancelled at LHI are also keenly sought by aerophilatelists. Only 45
such covers were carried LHI-SYD and most if not all of which survive according
to Eustis - yet sell for about $1,000 each. These numbered covers carried by sea
in less than double that number are also potentially very valuable.
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A local service was devised where for $A1.80 any
article would be collected or delivered to you. A courier service in essence.
They exist all over Australia and NZ without incident. To cut pollution an
electric van was ordered for this purpose. They called this service Zero
Emission Mail - or ZEMAIL.
During 1998 someone decided to create a fancy label or stamp to use on this
mail. A "Cinderella" or "Local" is probably the more correct term. A
reproduction of an 1936 Gower Wilson Hospital Cinderella stamp was used - with
the addition of "Lord Howe Island Courier Post $1.80" to the original design.
There was no use of the word Australia anywhere upon it. The new stamp was very
popular, as only 200 sheets of 32 were printed, and 200 stamp booklets were made
up from this stock. All had special matt gum to combat humidity. Both sold out
in very short order, which when we look back now was self evident, as L.H.I. is
a very popular place with stamp collectors - worldwide.
The debut stamp issue quickly soared in value. Singles sell for $A30 each and
sheets of 36 fetch $A700. The $A7.20 booklets sell for $A150 each today. A good
number of stamps and booklets were bought by islanders as souvenirs and will
likely never re-enter the stamp market. Many were of course also used for the
courier service fee and discarded.
The L.H.I. Courier Service decided to print far more glamorous full colour
stamps for future use and in a much larger quantity - due to the instant
sell-out of the debut issue. One of the companies asked to tender for printing
them was the Australia Post owned Sprintpak. >From that time on, the troubles
began for this tiny island.
The heavies at the Australia Post legal department
came down in March 1999 like a ton of bricks on the L.H.I Courier Post,
demanding all sorts of undertakings in writing. They claimed the issuance of
these stamplike labels was breaking an Act of Parliament - the Australian Postal
Corporation Act (1989) and may also have been in breach of the Trade Practices
Act of 1974.
Legal action in the Federal Court of Australia seeking costs was threatened
unless 5 responses were made within 7 days, and this included details of numbers
sold and profits made. Further heavy legal letters emanated from Australia Post
Solicitors upon the hapless LHI locals again threatening Federal Count action
and damages and costs.
Now we are talking here of a little island with a total population of about 300
people. But make that 300 feisty people! The courier service has strong
community support on the island, and they fought back. They pleaded their case
to the super powerful corporate watchdog - the Australian Consumer & Competition
Commission, or the ACCC, headed by Professor Alan Fells.
Meetings were held with Australia Post staffers on June 9 1999. Discussions went
on, and on, and on. The ACCC thought L.H.I. had a strong case from the moment
they were contacted, and later wrote the LHICP in September 1999 that in their
view there was no substance to the Australia Post claim that the $A1.80
Cinderella contravened the Trade Practices Act 1974. Further, the ACCC
determined that the sale of LHI stamps did NOT contravene the Postal Act 1989.
The little LHI woodhen roared - and Australia Post needed to back right off.
The second L.H.I. issue (June 10th 1999) was thus a monocolour black $1.80
Emergency label stamp, created because the legal position with the AP heavies
was still not resolved at the meeting a day earlier. This Emergency issue had a
very limited print run and I feel is under-rated by the market, especially on
FDC. They also come (only) in booklets, and again, complete booklets at $A25
each are very under-priced compared to the initial issue, as the 4 colour issued
followed very soon after.
Full
colour issue in 1999
A very pretty 4 colour, 4 stamp set of $1.80 local marine and bird
life issues was then designed on LHI and printed in Dunedin New Zealand to
ensure Australia Post did not get stirred up again. LHI became a "World Heritage
Site" mainly because of the unique marine and bird life.
For anyone who collects this sort of thing - go for it. The stamps are not
terribly expensive, and they are the forerunners of a regular and long running
issue plan. And we all know what usually happens to the "First" of anything that
gets widely overlooked! New Issues of LHI island stamps can I understand be
ordered from P.O. Box 105 Lord Howe Island, NSW 2898. Australia.
The covers given away in a 'Stamp News' competition were carried in huge seas by
Alan Pitt - Managing Director of Renniks Lighthouse Publications. See the 2 page
feature story on Alan's stamp dealing career in the "June 2003" magazine. Alan
is also a Past-President of the ASDA/APTA dealer body.
These basic underlying covers themselves are scarce as the printer omitted the
words "First Day Of Issue" at lower left on the first batch of envelopes. These
were destroyed, and all the normal FDC's have this wording. Alan bought 100 of
the first version, had the stamps cancelled, designer signed, and sailed them
back to Australia in the small 33 foot sloop "TARANAKI".
100 numbered covers exist
There were only 100 of this design existing - No. #1 was presented to the NSW
Governor - Gordon Samuels AC who officially launched the stamps on LHI. They
were then actual yacht carried to Australia by Alan Pitt and crew - and are
covered both sides in colour cachets inc 'Paquebot' &c.
Other cachets inc a boxed red "Damaged By Sea Water In Transit". Each was hand
numbered by Alan #1 to #100 in the style 077/100. Fifteen were presented to
dignitaries and officials at the launch or retained by the crew. Only 85 then
existed for sale. A detailed letter is inside each one from Alan Pitt re the
voyage.
Alan Pitt at the wheel of the Taranaki
Most were slightly salt water wettened in the hold
in the violent storm on the return. Storms were so rough on the voyage
across, a experienced crew member FLEW home as he could not face the trip back!
Each cover is also signed by stamp designer Margaret Murray and all the 4 crew
members, all on the face - crew names are listed on reverse.
Each cover also has a large green ink handstamp on reverse stating carried on
sloop "Taranaki" and listing dates, times, latitude and longitudes and duration
involved, all crew etc. This was no Sunday afternoon fun sail, as LHI is over
700 Km from Sydney, and return journey took well over 3 days in the very heavy
seas.
The Editor advises me that Stamp News received many requests from readers who
had not seen them and were interested in purchasing them and they are offered
below. These may well be valuable Limited Edition postal history of the future
from this SUPER popular island, and until now this cover has received no
magazine coverage anywhere in the world.
First Mail of this Millennium
As LHI is over 700 km from Sydney, it was the first PO in
Australia to usher in the new Century. A small quantity of 500 special flown
covers were created to commemorate this. A beautiful envelope was created,
inscribed "New Day - 1st January 2000".
An Eastern Australian Airlines (Qantas) flight departed Sydney December 31 with
all 500 bearing the Australia 45¢ Millennium stamp cancelled Sydney airport
pictorial "Smithy" cancel of December 31, 1999. Each were signed by the pilot
Peter Gavin, also the Chief Pilot of Eastern Airlines, Stewart Boyd.
LHI PO staff cancelled the 500 covers after midnight, with "1 Jan - 2000" cds -
on a single stamp on front of envelope, and on a block 4 on reverse. The sun
rose at Lord Howe Island at 5.22am January 1, 2000 to perfect conditions. At
10.00 am on Saturday January 1, 2000, the local Courier Post Managers - Peter
Phillipps (General Manager), Chris Murray (Courier Services Manager), Margaret
Murray (Stamp artist) and Helen Hall (Office Manager), arrived outside the
Island Post Office to distribute pre-ordered and now cancelled covers to Island
residents and visitors.
The queue of customers almost blocked the main road outside the Post Office, and
it took two hours to fill all orders. This was followed by a special Courier
Post ZEMAIL run in the electric vehicle in the afternoon to deliver those covers
not collected by residents outside the Post Office.
The face value of issues on each envelope is $9.45 and they sold for $15 to
cover the flight, autographs and special cover. Demand greatly exceeded the
small supply. The great majority stayed on the island with residents and
visitors as souvenirs and likely will not enter the philatelic market.
They have also proven to be popular with Aerophilatelic collectors, due to the
very unusual nature of the flight. I understand it was the last flight of the
century to leave Australia.
Lord Howe Island Courier Post
I have been fortunate to secure a small stock of
early material from this exciting Pacific island. These date from the very
scarce FIRST issue for which I have one sheet still intact. Only 200 sheets were
EVER printed and most were bought by the islands as souvenirs! At $A700 a sheet
of 32 this might be a superb item to tuck away for a rainy day, as older Lord
Howe Island material is highly sought after and VERY pricey.
The debut issue is now 5 years old. There are NO other dealer stocks of this
material extant. This range of material has not been offered before by myself.
Indeed I have never see this material offered ANYWHERE for sale by another
dealer.
See above for my detailed history of how these issues came to exist, and their
titanic battle with the giants of the Australia Post legal department to release
them.
 First Issue. $1.80 - December 31,1998. (Only 200 sheets 32 issued!) Single - $A30. Block 4 - $A100. Sheet 32 (1 only) $A700 The $7.20 stamp booklet - only 200 ever made! $A150 each. |
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 Second Issue. $1.80 - June 10, 1999. Emergency label issued only in booklets 4. Booklet - $A50. 4 booklets for $A120 First Day Cover (very few serviced) $A35 - or 4 for $A100. |
 Third Issue. October 11, 1999. Marine & Bird Life Issue, 4 x $1.80 MUH block 10 - $A50. Sheet 40 x $1.80 stamps with all imprints - $A130 |
 Colourful stamp booklet. Each $A20 - or 5 for $A75 |
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"First Mail of this Millennium special flown
cover" |
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"Damaged By Sea Water" Paquebot FDC - Yacht
carried to Australia in storms. |
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First Mail of this Millennium (Pictured above
right) |
Place your order by E-mail "Click here"
or use our Order Form below.
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IMPORTANT NOTE
... all my stamps - on this page or other pages are charged in
AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS at the $A prices shown. Where I have used a
£Stg or $US price etc conversion in text on any offer at any time - that is to
be treated as very APPROXIMATE as it may have been computed a while back.
It was correct at that time, but $A exchange rates have been VERY volatile in
recent times. Please use the spinning gold currency converter found on Home
Page of my website to ascertain the current EXACT amount in your own currency
according to today's mid-rate. Remember - I will
always charge your credit card the $A sum
shown for each lot, (plus shipping and insurance) and NOT the sum shown
as rough approximation in a non-Australian currency.
There are NO nasty 15% "Buyer's
Commissions" or other such outrageous fees added to the price YOU pay
when you deal with Glen Stephens. A $1,000 Kangaroo stamp from me
costs $1,000 plus shipping. You could bid "$1,000" for the same Kangaroo
stamp from an "Auction" house (who in Sydney OFTEN owns the stamp
themselves anyway!) and it might cost $1,000 plus 15% "Buyer Fee" plus 10%
GST on that $1,150 =
the "$1000" stamp is now often invoiced at $1,265.
All depends on whether possibly saving $265 is important to you I
guess.
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GLEN $TEPHEN$ Full Time Stamp Dealer in Australia for over 25 years.
Life Member - American Stamp
Dealers' Association. (New York)
Also Member - Philatelic Traders' Society. (London) ANDA. (Melbourne) American Philatelic Society, etc
"Lothlórien," No. 4 The
Tor Walk, CASTLECRAG (Sydney), N.S.W. 2068 |
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