Pigeon Post Stamp Sales

Stamp Collectors

 

It has to be acknowledged that the collection of stamps as a hobby was a huge rage in the world at this time.  Since the first stamps were issued in 1840 they proved immensely popular to collect.  So much so that used copies almost instantly sold for the same as unused copies of less common stamps.

 

It was in fact this market that appealed to Mr Bolitho when he recommended the first stamps to Samuel H. Howie.  The stamps themselves were not required for the sending of the flimsies - they were a fad.  Mr Fricker from the Agency immediately saw them for what they were - a novelty that was taking business away from his own service, which is why he quickly followed suit.  

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The number of stamps that were never to even get close to Great Barrier Island is staggering.  Of the original 1800 VP1 stamps only 300 were earmarked for actual use.  Used on flimst examples of VP1 are exceptionally rare which begs the question how many were actually used.  Record keeping 

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The below letter from the Pigeongram Agency alerts us to the fact that many stamps were cancelled to order, and in fact are not used.  I have always considered the catalogues of these should have an additional price for CTO and that used stamps need to be on piece and should demand a premium compared to CTO.  Both pigeongram services were guilty of mass sales of both unused and used stamps.  The letter below which was sending 10/- worth of stamps clearly highlights that cancelled stamps were receiving face value in the NZ market.  

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Unused stamps in the UK were fetching 3/6d.  Not a bad profit margin for a 1/- stamp that cost little to produce.  The main stamps used in this collector's feeding frenzy were the VP1 and VP4 from the 'Original Pigeongram Services' and the VP7 and VP* from the Agency.  

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