A century of stamp collecting celebrated through postal vans

From Royal Mail delivery vans to NZ Post Paxster buggies, Manawatū philatelists have been fascinated by the stories behind stamps.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of their society, they have chosen delivery vehicles from the 1920s and today to feature on personalised stamps they hope will become valued collectables.

Manawatū Philatelic Society president Colin Dyer and newsletter editor Bruce Graves are looking forward to the limited edition release at a centenary dinner on Saturday.

There will be a separate public unveiling, complete with centenary postmarks and envelopes, at a Stamps, Coins and Postcards expo at the Palmerston North Community Leisure Centre on Saturday, October 15.

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Graves, and fellow collector Tony Thackery, have written a history of the society, from 1922, and through its heyday in the 1980s when there were more than 300 members.

It was a time when people had disposable income and time for the hobby, usually collecting by themes – Graves was fascinated by anything to do with space – and before the digital age reduced mail volumes.

As some 262 post offices across Manawatū reduced to a handful of outlets, postmarks became just as valuable and interesting as the stamps themselves, as reminders of the Post Office’s role in a small community, through to tracking the journey of an important letter.

Some bore many postmarks, illustrating the lengths post workers went to in order to get redirected letters to their intended recipients.

The practise of soaking stamps off the paper and hinging them into albums remained, but collectors were finding new ways to display the complete package, and tell stories from history through stamps.

“It’s not just stamps on a page any more.”

Graves said whenever people came to him about selling or disposing of collections, he advised them to hold on to any addressed envelopes which could provide a valuable insight into family history.

The society now had about 60 members, with infectious enthusiasm for their hobby.

While many young people hardly knew what a postage stamp was any more, collectors were sorting, displaying and telling the stories behind the stamps and their postmarks and envelopes in ever-changing ways.

They had noticed an upturn in interest, and signed up new members, as a result of Covid-19 lockdowns that gave people the time at home to explore the contents of their cupboards.

The men said the death of Queen Elizabeth II would draw a line under some collections specialising in stamps depicting the monarchy, while other philatelists would be looking forward to the first release of stamps featuring King Charles III.