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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 7:09:57 GMT
 I didn't see a thread on the NZ Second Pictorials, so I thought it worth adding one. The Second Pictorials are, in many collectors' view, the high point of NZ stamp design and the last great recess-printed issue (but for one surface printed exception), before NZ increasingly turned to surface printing after the war.
There are 14 denominations, with numerous printing and paper variations. As their issue spans the war period, there is an interesting history of collaboration between various printers to ensure continued production despite the effects of wartime shortages and the bombing of printing facilities.
As interesting as that background is, it is the striking designs and colours that have kept this issue at the top of many NZ collector's list of favourites. I'm not a specialist on this issue (so others please jump in), but I'll post some examples from my collection to start the ball rolling.
RK
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 7:24:47 GMT
 Starting at the beginning, the ½d Fantail was produced from 1935 until 28 February 1938. There are single and multiple wm varieties (the above plate blocks are both multiple wm). There are two shades - Green and Deep Green. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 7:38:56 GMT
As with the ½d, the 1d was produced in both single and multiple wm varieties, with numerous shade and plate variations. The plate block B1 above is single WM, while the others are multiple.
The 1d was also produced for booklets, all of which featured advertising for "Parisian Ties" in the selvage, as pictured bottom right (minus the top and bottom selvage of a full booklet pane)
The 1d was withdrawn on 30 June 1938.
The stamp designer was the renowned NZ philatelist R J G Collins. Here's a 1d FDC he signed:
And a famous addressee of a 1d pictorial cover:
Even Axl Rose is a fan of the 1d pictorial:
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 8:46:55 GMT
 The 1½d "Maori Cooking" had various printings in 1935 and 1936. This example is L3d from June 1936 with a multiple wm. the first 3 printings have only one listed shade, but the fourth has 3 - red-brown, deep red-brown, & purple-brown, with purple-brown being seemingly rather rare. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 9:00:47 GMT
 The 2d stamp features another Māori-inspired design of a Whare, and is a rather striking orange, with various shades. The 2d was printed until 1941 over 6 different printings, with various line and comb perfs.
The above examples are all multiple WM (note the hand scratched 'B' on the 5 plate). |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 10:33:46 GMT
 The 2½d depicts Mount Cook (Aoraki) surrounded by lilies. There were 7 different printing/perforation variations. This example is L5e from 1938 with multiple wm and comb perforation 14 on "fine" paper. It has the distinctive reversed plate number 'Ɛ' common to the new plate printings of the late 1930s.
It is, in my view, a striking example of the line engraving craft. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 12:24:10 GMT
 Another Māori-inspired design, the 3d "Maori Girl". There were only two printings of this denomination, one each on the two different wm papers. Shades vary from Dark Chocolate to Reddish-Chocolate. This example has the full plate number 2, the only plate used, on the multiple wm paper. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 12:33:30 GMT
 The 4d features Mitre Peak. The centre plate and frame were printed separately, leading to numerous shade variations ranging from black to black-brown, over five printings This issue also features "shift dots" on the selvage of wartime printings (more on this from me later).
These two examples are from the later wartime prints on multiple wm paper. The paper was comparatively poor quality as can be seen by how clearly the wm shows in the selvage. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 13:46:40 GMT
 This is such a beautiful stamp I'll upload the first image as a single so that the brilliance of the design can be appreciated in full detail.
This stamp was designed by a pair of designers - W.J. Cooch & R.E. Tripe. It is a contender for the best stamp ever produced by NZ. The eminent NZ collector, Robin Gwynn, said of this stamp: "I grew up as a boy in Britain, and think it's the [1935 5d] stamp which first attracted me to take an interest in New Zealand. Without that impetus I might never have crossed the world years later to live here."Enough said. There were 6 printings on various papers. The plate degraded on later printings, with pitting resulting in numerous spots, as can be seen in the block above. Here are some of the shades, clustered around various tints of ultramarine:
There is a cobalt blue that I have seen only in pictures, but it is a wonderful shade. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 15, 2024 14:17:43 GMT
 Here's a late solo use of the 5d on a hand-stamped patriotic cover marking the end of WWII. |
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skid
Member 
Posts: 327
What I collect: NZ Chalons, 1800's NZ, Thames Valley NZ, and other interesting NZ stamps
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Post by skid on Apr 15, 2024 21:18:52 GMT
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skid
Member
Posts: 327
What I collect: NZ Chalons, 1800's NZ, Thames Valley NZ, and other interesting NZ stamps
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Post by skid on Apr 15, 2024 21:38:59 GMT
Being a fisheries scientists and not wanting to be embarrassed by getting it wrong, I had to look it up. (I have done stock assessments of stripped marlin) "The easiest way to tell a marlin from a swordfish is to look at its dorsal fins. Marlin have a dorsal fin that extends to the base of their tail. A swordfish has a dorsal fin that is short. The bill or sword on a marlin is often shorter than that of a swordfish." "While black marlin don't have stripes the do grow to a similar maximum size of blue marlin of around 15 feet long and over 1,500 pounds. Striped marlin are also found in the Pacific Ocean and features prominent stripes on its side along with an exceptionally tall dorsal fin." I would go with striped marlin, although the design probably does not have the dorsal fin going back far enough.  |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 16, 2024 6:22:54 GMT
 The 6d has a theme of Harvesting. In my view, it sits a little oddly with the rest of the set and does not evoke an image of NZ in the way that the other stamps in the series do. Perhaps that is because this is the only stamp in the series not designed by a New Zealander; T.I. Archer was an officer in the Stamp Printing Office in Nasik, India.
There were 5 printings on three plates, with a range of scarlet shades. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 16, 2024 14:44:40 GMT
 The 8.d is a personal favourite of mine - see my avatar. I like the theme of the Tuatara and the detailed Māori-inspired scroll-work in the border. This stamp says "New Zealand" to me.
There were five printings on various papers, leading to a range of brown - sepia shades. This is also one of the pictorial denominations that features 'shift dots' in the selvage (see two examples below). These are marks made by Waterlow's printers during the period they collaborated with De La Rue & Co. on emergency production due to the effects of the blitz. What they signify is not fully understood, but they have become increasingly of interest to collectors as understanding of their significance and comparative rarity has grown.
FDC |
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rod222
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Post by rod222 on Apr 16, 2024 19:48:17 GMT
There were five printings on various papers, leading to a range of brown - sepia shades. This is also one of the pictorial denominations that features 'shift dots' in the selvage (see two examples below). These are marks made by Waterlow's printers during the period they collaborated with De La Rue & Co. on emergency production due to the effects of the blitz. What they signify is not fully understood, but they have become increasingly of interest to collectors as understanding of their significance and comparative rarity has grown. Sheesh! the penny finally dropped  "Shift Markings" I was trying to understand how the stamps "shifted" ?  Now I realise it was the "Worker's shifts" indicated by the dots link |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 17, 2024 7:33:31 GMT
There were five printings on various papers, leading to a range of brown - sepia shades. This is also one of the pictorial denominations that features 'shift dots' in the selvage (see two examples below). These are marks made by Waterlow's printers during the period they collaborated with De La Rue & Co. on emergency production due to the effects of the blitz. What they signify is not fully understood, but they have become increasingly of interest to collectors as understanding of their significance and comparative rarity has grown. Sheesh! the penny finally dropped "Shift Markings" I was trying to understand how the stamps "shifted" ? Now I realise it was the "Worker's shifts" indicated by the dots linkGood that this thread helped clarify that! "Shift dots/markings" is certainly an ambiguous term. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 17, 2024 8:10:18 GMT
The 9.d is an oddity among the second pictorials. It was the only stamp design not recess printed, indeed two different printing processes were used for two different versions of this stamp over the course of its production and issue. The above example is the first design issued in 1935, offset printed by Waterlow. The design is another that was inspired by Māori art, and is the only stamp in the series that does not depict a photo-realistic image.  In 1941 the stamp was re-designed by Coulls Somerville & Wilkie Ltd. in Dunedin and was surface printed. This version replaced the grey features with black, and is also smaller than the original issue, as can be seen in the two examples of the Official overprint, below:
 The selvages of the 9d often featured black bars at the top and bottom of the sheet:
In total there were 5 printings of the 9d between 1935 and 1941.
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 17, 2024 9:28:59 GMT
On to the higher values of the set now.
The 1/- features a nice engraved image of a Tui (sometimes called a Parson Bird in early descriptions of the stamp). The stamp is apparently modelled on (or closely resembles) bird designs in other countries, but nevertheless is another highpoint in the second pictorials. There were four printings, with only two listed shades - green and dark green. |
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rod222
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Post by rod222 on Apr 17, 2024 10:09:52 GMT
Good that this thread helped clarify that! "Shift dots/markings" is certainly an ambiguous term. Still intrigued by "15 shifts" ? what company has 15 shifts? It also suggests, the first 8 shifts were careful professional gentle printers. As it got to the 15th shift, they were hitting the pin punch on the plate increasingly harder, and more lackadaisical. (maybe from lack of sleep ) |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 17, 2024 10:23:05 GMT
Still intrigued by "15 shifts" ? what company has 15 shifts? It also suggests, the first 8 shifts were careful professional gentle printers. As it got to the 15th shift, they were hitting the pin punch on the plate increasingly harder, and more lackadaisical. (maybe from lack of sleep ) Yes, it's not clear what these marks actually mean. There's a good article in a recent edition of the NZSGB's The Kiwi that outlines a bit about these marks. They apparently persisted on some post-war issues, too. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 17, 2024 12:26:07 GMT
The 2/- depicts Captain Cook landing at Poverty Bay. There were 7 different printings of this stamp up until later 1942, leading to numerous variations, in various olive-green shades. The paper quality on later printings was poor, as can be seen on the block of L13g, above.
Personally, I find the design rather unimaginative, and the one that has aged the least-well of the second pictorials. Nevertheless, it was (and is) popular with collectors. It is one of the few NZ stamps that has its own plating guide due to the numerous retouches and re-entries.
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 17, 2024 12:39:53 GMT
And last, but not least ...  The 3/- depicts Mt. Egmont (now Taranaki). There were 7 printings - including a rare, experimental "wet print" - between 1935 and 1942. The two colour combination of sepia and bistre-brown is, in my view, quite effective. It evokes the 1930s for me (not that I was there  ).
Again, this stamp is popular with collectors with numerous variations, REs, and retouches.
And that's it, the basic set of the second pictorials. Would be great to see others' varieties/covers, etc., and hear views on the designs.
RK |
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hdm1950
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Posts: 1,604
What I collect: I collect world wide up to 1965 with several specialty albums added due to volume of material I have acquired. At this point I am focused on Canada and British America. I am always on the lookout for stamps and covers with postmarks from communities in Queens County, Nova Scotia. I do list various goods including stamps occasionally on eBay as hdm50
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Post by hdm1950 on Apr 17, 2024 16:20:30 GMT
Thanks redkiwi for your posts on these sets and providing interesting background information on each stamp. Having moved onto other areas I have not paid much attention to my New Zealand collection the last 20 years. I may have to make a list and try and fill the gaps in the basic sets. I doubt I will chase shades but maybe known perforation variations should be added.  |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 17, 2024 16:27:39 GMT
Thanks redkiwi for your posts on this set and providing interesting background information on each stamp. Having moved onto other areas I have not paid much attention to my New Zealand collection the last 20 years. I may have to make a list and try and fill the gaps in the basic sets. I doubt I willl chase shades but maybe known perforation variations should be added. Thanks for reading and for the comments. I'm pleased you found it useful. It is a great NZ set. You have some nice examples there. Working out which watermarks you have (single or multiple) might be a good place to start. You may have a couple of different printings of the 3/- looking at your picture. |
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 17, 2024 16:42:08 GMT
Thanks redkiwi for your posts on this set and providing interesting background information on each stamp. Having moved onto other areas I have not paid much attention to my New Zealand collection the last 20 years. I may have to make a list and try and fill the gaps in the basic sets. I doubt I willl chase shades but maybe known perforation variations should be added. Thanks for reading and for the comments. I'm pleased you found it useful. It is a great NZ set. You have some nice examples there. Working out which watermarks you have (single or multiple) might be a good place to start. You may have a couple of different printings of the 3/- looking at your picture. Sorry, I see now you may have already sorted for watermarks. Then, indeed, knowing what perfs you have is the next step. |
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DK
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What I collect: Classic NZ, Closed NZ Post Offices, New Zealand Postal History, Classic Br. Empire, Pacific Islands, France
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Post by DK on Apr 17, 2024 21:45:45 GMT
A great thread Klem. I have enjoyed the posts made to date.
Is the 1935 Pictorial set a big focus for you? I know many collectors do have an emphasis on them, for sure.
Personally, I think of this set forward as being 'modern' and therefore have not paid much attention to them, until now.
I am still in Auckland and away from my collection but will, this weekend, get my books out and take a closer look at them.
I do not possess much but have a couple of blocks and booklet panes so hopefully something of interest to post.
Dave
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Post by redkiwi on Apr 18, 2024 4:53:07 GMT
No, the second pictorials aren't a big focus of my collecting. About 70% of what I showed above came in a single folder that I purchased on eBay for $200. When I started collecting a few years ago I brought up bulk lots when I saw them to help build up my collection and deepen my knowledge. My primary interest is still FSFs, with a secondary interest in the first pictorials. But with my bulk buys I ended up with some areas where I have extra depth. For example, I have quite a few interesting SSF 4ds, but no so much else in the SSFs. I have some nice Chalon 1 & 2ds, but not much else of interest to serious Chalon collectors.
I just thought the second pictorials are a great NZ issue and worthy of a thread to help build on the nice work that others have done on this board.
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DK
Member
Posts: 1,245
What I collect: Classic NZ, Closed NZ Post Offices, New Zealand Postal History, Classic Br. Empire, Pacific Islands, France
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Post by DK on Apr 19, 2024 23:07:16 GMT
Here is an uhm block of 24 of SG581 - 2½d Chocolate & Slate p13-14x13½ wmk.98 multiple NZ & Star:  Dave |
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DK
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Posts: 1,245
What I collect: Classic NZ, Closed NZ Post Offices, New Zealand Postal History, Classic Br. Empire, Pacific Islands, France
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Post by DK on Apr 19, 2024 23:15:49 GMT
Here is an uhm block of 18 of SG579 - 1½d Red-brown p14x13½ wmk.98 multiple NZ & Star:  Dave |
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DK
Member
Posts: 1,245
What I collect: Classic NZ, Closed NZ Post Offices, New Zealand Postal History, Classic Br. Empire, Pacific Islands, France
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Post by DK on Apr 19, 2024 23:25:18 GMT
Here is an uhm block of 4 of SG590c - 3/- Chocolate & yellow-brown p14x13½ wmk.98 multiple NZ & Star:  Dave |
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"Shift Markings" 
). 
