Evolution of the Stamps of Papua and New Guinea

1889 cover from Meissen in Germany to "Paul Dolch/Kenea Butaritari/Macin [sic] Gilbert Inseln" by an extraordinarily circuitous route via Adelaide (!, GPO cds of AP11/89 on the face), Singapore (OC13/89) & Sydney (!, NO17/89). At least in South Australia, it would seem nobody knew the whereabouts of the Gilbert Islands!! At some point the additional information "Mulgrave Archipel" was added, this being the wider regional name for the islands comprising the Eastern Carolines, the Marshalls & the Gilberts. Presumably on arrival in the Gilberts (for which a British Protectorate was proclaimed only on 27/5/1892, and where there was no post office until 1911!), the address was crossed-out & the cover re-addressed in blue pencil to "British New/Guinea" where it received at Port Moresby a fine but overstruck backstamp of 'GRANVILLE/24DE/89/BNG' cds (Lee #4; rated F).

Herr Dolch was still not found so the cover was forwarded via Cooktown (JA27/90) to the Dutch Indies where it received backstamps of Weltevreden (10/2/1890) & Soerabaja (14/2/1890). Again no joy so it continued on to German New Guinea where a fine 'FINSCHHAFEN/24 4/90/ * ' b/s was added. Still undelivered, it retraced its steps to Weltevreden (superb b/s of 20/6/1890) & on to Singapore (JU23/90).

Dolch must have been known there because the cover was then returned to British New Guinea, receiving a largely very fine strike of the rare 'PORT MORESBY/SP17/9[0]/NEW GUINEA' b/s (Lee #1; rated F) - this being the only example recorded on cover - and then a very fine & clear 27mm 'SAMARAI/30DEC90/B.N.G' b/s (Lee #24; rated E) directly alongside. Herr Dolch was still eluding the best efforts of the numerous post offices to track him down and, at this point, defeat was accepted.

The cover bears a variety of instructional handstamps some of which are clearly of Queensland manufacture. A poor 'UNC[LAIMED]' h/s (Lee #104; ERD by 7 years; rated G) and very fine 'RETOUR' h/s (unrecorded by Lee) were both applied to the face, almost certainly at Port Moresby, where the cover then languished for years.

After almost a decade!! the cover was sent to Brisbane where a faint but legible strike of the 'DEAD LETTER OFFICE/18OC98/BRISBANE' cds was applied in violet on the reverse. The boxed 'NON RECLAME/UNCLAIMED' b/s was probably applied here, though it is unrecorded by Campbell. He also doesn't record the boxed 'REBUT/A L'ORIGINE' h/s on the face but it was also probably applied in Brisbane.

That the cover was eventually returned to Germany is evidenced by the superb 'MEISSEN/ 10.1.99 1-2N/* 1 a' & very fine 'COLLN/11.1.99/(ELBE)' backstamps, plus the partial 'KAISERL D[EUTSCH]/ 19 / BAHN[POST]' resealing labels that also indicate that our long-suffering cover had by this time, after a decade in the tropics, fallen into a state of disrepair. (Fortunately it has been expertly restored, though this has resulted in some of the manuscript markings, in particular, losing some definition.) 

1) It is the earliest recorded cover to the Gilbert Islands, a destination so remote and poorly regarded that at the time no European country had even claimed it!
2) It is one of the earliest covers into Papua and bears the only example of the 'PORT MORESBY/NEW GUINEA' cds recorded on cover, and the latest of only 4 strikes of the 'GRANVILLE/BNG' cds on cover.
3) It's journey spanned ten years - longer than even mails detained for the duration of either World War - and took in three of the six Australian Colonies, Singapore, and Pacific Colonies of the British, Dutch and Germans!

Paul Dolch really did exist! He was shipwrecked on Butaritari in 1887. He stayed and became the "harbourmaster" (which means he piloted ships within the lagoon). At the time this letter was beginning its epic but fruitless journey, Dolch was himself en route back to Germany where he stayed for at least two years. Apparently he didn't tell anyone in the Gilberts where he was going. After re-marrying, he & his bride returned to Butaritari where they lived until about 1905, at which time they returned permanently to Germany. The cover is offered with Roger Lee's historical notes, a typescript of recollections of Paul Dolch's widow Johanna, and a reproduction of a quirky double-exposure photograph of the Dolchs on both the porch and at the window of their Gilbertese home!

British New Guinea 1893 unique cover, to tiny rural Auburn, *Nova Scotia*!: Attractive cover, (reduced slightly at side) with the rare 8 Bar Port Moresby “N.G” in Bars cancellation (Lee #2, Rarity Rated D). A very fine complete strike, on 6d Queensland green QV pair, incredibly to Nova Scotia "Via Sydney & San Francisco". Crisp ”PORT MORESBY - 26 JU 92 - BRITISH NEW GUINEA” backstamp, plus transit backstamps of Cooktown, Brisbane, and a sharp crisp Ontario Canada arrival of “WINDSOR - AU 9 : 93 - ONT”.

Neat arrival docketing on face of "Recd/12th August 93" at lower-left. To his unmarried sister, at family home Holmworth" - Miss Frances "Fanny" Wood Musgrave. Sender was Captain Anthony Musgrave, The Deputy Government Commissioner at Port Moresby. Flap as can be seen, has his personal Crested recess intaglio printed crest, with his initials “AM” intertwined below the Family Coat Of Arms, of two armoured arms grasping a golden annulat, above the Family Motto of “SANS CHANGER”. Now 127 years old, and in far cleaner shape than usually seen from anything from this era.

This cover is generally thought to be the first day of issue of the two cancellers used on the face of the cover. There is more than one cover, of which it is believed all were addressed to the same PO Box in Brisbane.

28 August 1891.

1901-05 BNG set of 8, thick paper horizontal wmk

Registered envelopes once upon a time had crosses on them, although they were supposed to be blue, not red - one of the kids must have run off with the blue crayon.  Here's an image of a pre-stamped registered envelope nabbed from the Wikipedia article on registered envelopes.



Ryan

Port Moresby, central division.

This was the earliest post office to be opened but the exact date of opening is not known. 25 August is the earliest recorded date. Port Moresby was known as Granville from 1886 to October 1889.

The cover below represents a rare usage on cover of the "registered" canceller used at various offices in the Papuan period. There are several different types of cancellation, related to different regions of Papua. They are hard to distinguish from one another, especially if the strike encountered is not a full strike. Lee lists the following information in his book "the Postal History of BNG and Papua 1885-1942":

"From about 1908 straight line "REGISTERED" handststamps type 100 were used at some offices mostly for a few years and these were almost identical, but for some minor differences, in the size and shape of the lettering".

abpve: 8 November 1906 – The 1901-05 issue of British New Guinea overprinted at Port Moresby with the word ‘Papua’ in black, known as the ‘large overprint’.

    As existing stocks of stamps were used for this purpose, both thick and thin papers and horizontal and vertical watermarks are also found in the overprinted issues.

    Owing to exhaustion of supplies of the stamps early an 1907, additional quantities were ordered from Brisbane, Queensland. This second print is distinctive from the first, the letters of ‘Papua’ being applied in smaller, thinner letters.



above: May-June 1901-05 - issue of British New Guinea overprinted at Brisbane with the word ‘Papua’ in black, known as the ‘small overprint’.

The 1907-10 Issue of Papua

A new permanent issue began to appear in 1907. The lakatoi design was retained, featuring the inscription ‘PAPUA’ in the upper label, the stamps being lithographed by J.B.Cooke at the Stamp Printing Office, Melbourne. The first of these stamps was the black and sepia 4d denomination issued in November 1907, followed by others from June 1908 to June 1910.




Inscribed 'PAPUA' in low wide letters, known as 'small Papua' Perf 11 to 12½

Between 1907 and 1910, similar stamps were lithographed by the same printer on the same paper, but inscribed 'PAPUA' in taller letters, known as 'Large Papua'.



below 'Large Papua' (green) and  'Small Papua' (blue)

The 1917 Provisional Issue

The overprinting of the mono-coloured stamps in 1917 with the words 'ONE PENNY'
was due not to any shortage of penny stamps, but  rather as a convenient method of using the considerable stockonhand of 1911-15.



The mono-colour 'ONE PENNY' o/prints of October 1917 (SG106 to SG111):

Papua 1918 COMMERCIAL Registered "OHMS" World War I cover Port Moresby to Melbourne: Surviving commerical mail of any kind from Papua before 1920 is scarce, and many pieces auction for WAY into 4 (and 5) $$ figures, as followers of this area will realise.

Often for material that looks to be in quite appalling condition with tropical toning and heavy foxing etc. I very seldom perosoally see anything on cover from this first decade era of stamp issue.

Attractive OHMS Registered cover, Port Moresby to Melbourne, January 17, 1918. Two different Melbourne arrival handstamps. Condition good for 90 y.o. and spared from the usual heavy foxing and toning/rust. Correct 7d rate for overweight Registered letter and with really great "eye appeal" due to the mixed Lakatoi franking. The WW1 armistice was not officially signed until June 1919 so this is most certainly a war time cover.

The only cover I've seen with the full set of ONE PENNY surcharges on the monocolour series:

thanks, pilot, for the story. I have never seen anything like the lakatois. It's things like these that make Papua New Guinea so fun to collect!
I got involved in collecting PNG from several friends from where I used to work--PIONEERS mission board in Orlando. A number of people on staff had served on the field in PNG and it was love at first sight for their stamps!