Papua New Guinea - Why? and a Yam House stamp....

Back to PNG ....

SGD1a, double overprint

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has always intrigued me. I don't know why, exactly, as I come from Wollongong, on the coast of New South Wales approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Sydney, and a long way from from the world's second largest island located off the northern tip of Australia (Greenland is the largest). Perhaps it's because my late Uncle Russell, who married my mother's sister Maisie, had a plantation in PNG after World War II. It seemed at the time, when I was a boy of 8 in 1964, to be a place of mystery and South Seas Island adventure. Perhaps that came from watching too many Bing Crosby and Bob Hope Road to Bali type movies on TV during Saturday afternoons. Anyway, as a kid I would read about PNG and go on to dream about a Pacific adventure - the closest I ever came was visiting Rarotonga in the Cook Islands during the early 2010s - and listen to any stories mum told me about Russell and Maisie's time up north. Eventually I left home, went to work, got married and had kids. Along the way I collected stamps and covers, among other things. That was partially hereditary, I think, as my father Keith (1930-2002) worked for the Post Office at Austinmer at one stage and collected first day covers during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He never spoke to me about them - he never spoke to me about anything much really - and I came across his small collection as my own interest in philately was on the rise. At the time (i.e. the early 1970s) I did not pursue my PNG interest in that area, but when I returned to the hobby recently (2021) I found myself once again intrigued by certain aspects of that country. It had come a long way since the early 1960s when I first showed an interest, gaining independence from Australia in 1975 and pursuing its own path since then. Unfortunately, the western half of the island was given, in 1963, to Indonesia and as a results its Indigenous population has suffered atrocity after atrocity, rather than being free and independent like their eastern brothers and sisters. Such is the awful legacy of colonialism. But that's another story....

SGD4a, double overprint

I came back to PNG through a rather circuitous route. At the end of 2020 I was retrenched from my job as a digital archivist at the University of Wollongong due to COVID-19 cutbacks. By the beginning of 2021 I began settling into forced 'retirement' and, after moving out west to Murrumburrah in May, found myself rifling through boxes of old 'stuff' looking for something to do. As a result I came across seven albums of Australia Post souvenir covers covering the period 1970-1996 and which I had collected during the early 1990s, in my final initial phase of interest in philately. They had not been looked at, or even thought about, since 1997, let alone worked on. Over the next 6 months I re-sorted them, purchased off eBay and dealers a few items missing from the collection, and ended up writing a substantial blog on all the uncatalogued covers issued since January 1996. The blog had almost 500 hits during its first month, upon going live on 7 October 2021. When that was finished, and despite ongoing editing and updating, I moved on - I don't know why - to doing a blog on PNG souvenir covers, as it seemed to be an area not covered elsewhere. That blog went live on 15 October 2021. This activity was followed by a brief blog on the history of postal services in Harden-Murrumburrah, where I now lived. It went live on 27 October, and yes, I was doing a lot of blogging since retiring from work. All of which brings us up to 5 November 2021 and the writing of these brief introductory reminiscences. So that is the Why? of the title; now we come to the Whereto next? .... As I write I have been working on a second, related PNG blog dealing with early first day covers, from 1952 - when the first set of definitives was issued - through to 1969, though concentrating on the years prior to 1965 when generic 'official' covers were used. Arising from that were some initial thoughts on two stamps issued in 1952 and their variants which appeared between 1957 and 1960 - one being the rarest and most desirable of the modern releases, and the other simply intriguing. In addition, and after dealing with those two, I travelled back in time to the Territory of New Guinea in the 1930s to look at another, very colourful stamp. However, this blog was getting too long, so each of the three got their own. In order to better understand the historical context of the stamps and related cover, I did some research and purchased a copy of Mark Franklin's definitive Guide to the Stamps of Papua and New Guinea (1970). It contained precise information on design, issue dates, variants and numbers printed/sold over the period 1887-1970 and was an extremely valuable resource. It should perhaps be noted that there is an emphasis within this and the other two blogs on contemporary covers, with the original stamps attached, for, as a wise philatelist once said: Stamps tell a story, but covers tell the whole story. Read on....

* The famous SGD1

SGD1, extended overprint

One of the rarest, most attractive, and most commonly sought after of all Papua New Guinea stamps, and therefore subject to forgery and reproduction, is the bright blue and red 1960 postal charges 6d on 7½d extended overprint Kiriwina Yam House, with the lower 7½d Postage blanked and crossed out in red ink with circles and crosses (illustrated at right). It is known by its Stanley Gibbon catalogue number SGD1, or just D1 (illustrated at right). A double extended overprint variant in red and black is also known and catalogued as SGD1a (illustrated above in a block of four). It has been estimated that only about 800 of D1 were ever printed, and 108 of D1a. Of those, many were officially used for insufficient postage duty, whilst some were collected - as mint stamps, singularly or in blocks, or on first day and other covers of a philatelic nature. The rarity of the stamp, and of the associated covers, is revealed by the prices realised at auction, ranging into the thousands of dollars Australian for covers, blocks and variants. With likewise thousands of collectors of PNG stamps worldwide, few can afford to own a genuine copy of SGD1 in order to complete their whole of country collection, and as a result the production of forgeries is an ongoing issue. Perhaps forgeries are a lesser concern when it comes to covers. In any case, as a result of my recent interest in both souvenir and first day covers of Papua New Guinea, I decided to look further into those which featured SGD1 and its variant SGD1a. The findings are reproduced below. It should be noted that Sydney expertiser Chris Ceremuga (for the Papuan Philatelic Society) and renowned researcher Dr. Geoff Kellow RDP (in the Australian Philatelist 1989) have both written important articles about these popular stamps, though the author has not sighted them at the time of writing.

So where did these stamps come from? On 1 March 1960 a group of six PNG stamps - first issued as single-colour letterpress definitives in sheets of 36 and 72 during 1952 and 1958- were released overprinted with the text 'Postal Charges' and values ranging from 1d to 1/3. A detailed description of the origin and release of the Postal Charges stamps can be found in Franklin's Guide. Their release was provisional - a stop gap measure pending the availability on 2 June 1960 of an official set of rather bland 'Postal Charge' stamps with a simple, numerical design. These stamps are also known as postage dues. The interim set of six would be used for custom clearance levies, postage due and airmail surcharges. Whilst the original stamps had been printed in Australia, the postal charges overprinting took place at the Government Printer, Port Moresby. The initial test runs involved the 7½d Yam House stamp of 1952. When the extended, 2-part print proved unworkable due to difficulties in lining up the bottom section, it was abandoned after the approximately 800 were printed. A single Postal Charges / Denomination overprint in a contrasting colour - black, blue, orange or red - was then applied across the series and the original, large, denomimation at the base or upper right was left exposed.

SG D1-D6, SG D7-D14

Due to their oddity, limited use, and short term nature (replaced in June 1960 by the Postal Charge series, but not actually withdrawn until the introduction of decimal current on 12 February 1966), the set of six stamps immediately interested collectors. A detailed listing is provided below, along with the number sold at both Territory post offices and by the Philatelic Bureau, Port Moresby:

The 1960 Postal Charges

* SGD1 - 6d on 7½d - Kiriwina Yam House - blue - extended overprint with the lower 7½d Postage section blanked and crossed out - overprinted in red on the original SG8. This was the result of the first overprint testing, as mentioned above. A rare triple overprint in red and black is also known, identified by the display of two 6d and catalogued SGD1a. It has been suggested that three such sheets were printed, and most known used copies derive from the Goroka post office. Total number printed / sold of SGD1, including SGD1a: approximately 800 (20 sheets + 3 sheets). Refer Stampboards discussion here.

* SGD2 - 1d on 6½d - Kiriwina Chief's House - dull purple - overprinted in black on the original SG7; uncatalogued triple overprint variant in carmine and black also known (this stamp and its variants is discussed in more detail below). Number sold: (at Territory Post offices) 2,364 / (at Port Moresby Philatelic Bureau) 17,410 = 19,774

* SGD3 - 3d on ½d - Tree Kangaroo - green - overprinted in black on the original SG1; double overprint variant also known SGD3a. Number sold: 6,261 / 12,799

* SGD4 - 6d on 7½d - Kiriwina Yam House - blue - overprint in red on the original SG8; double overprint variant also known SGD4a. Number sold: 3,912 / 14,736

* SGD5 - 1/3 on 3½d - Papuan man with headdress - black - overprinted in orange on the 1958 SG6a. Number sold: 5,040 / 12,443

* SGD6 - 3/- on 2½d - Bird of Paradise - orange - overprinted in black on the original SG4. Number sold: 2,829 / 12,226

The Yam House varieties

It can be seen that there are five variants of the original blue SG8 7½d Kiriwina Yam House associated with the 1952 and 1960 releases:

1) SG8 - the original 1952 7½d Kiriwina Yam House - 532,248 stamps sold.

2) SGD1 - the 1960 Postal Charges 6d. / O |X|X|X|X|X extended overprint in red - c.20 sheets (720 stamps) sold.

3) SGD1a - a 1960 Postal Charges 6d. / O |X|X|X|X|X / Postal Charges 6d. / O |X|X|X|X|X double extended overprint in red - c.3 sheets (108 stamps) sold.

4) SGD4 - a 1960 Postal Charges 6d. overprint in red - > 500 sheets (>18,000 stamps) printed.

5) SGD4a - a 1960 Postal Charges 6d. / Postal Charges 6d. double overprint in red - 2 sheets (72 stamps) sold - likely part of the 500 sheet print run.

As noted above, SGD1 has traditionally been Papua New Guinea's most highly sought after rare stamp, and the first day cover dated 1 March 1960 undoubtedly the most valuable of all such covers, with one having sold at auction in 2012 for Aus$1,500. Whether that cover is the rarest is open to debate, as numbers of first day covers created for any individual stamp issue are not available. Other covers bearing the stamp have sold for a premium (see below), just as unrelated PNG covers have reached prices far beyond that, based on their postal history significance. Many covers bearing the stamp were of a philatelic nature, specially created at the relevant post office at the time of the initial release of the stamp, whilst others were part of the general mail. Known first day of issue and other covers featuring SGD1, SGD1a, SGD4 and SGD4a are listed below. SG8 and its covers are not referred to in any detail herein.

Covers

1) SGD1 - a generic aerogramme first day cover which contains five stamps from the set of six, including the 6d on 7½d extended overprint (SGD1) but not the normal overprint SGD4, and which sold at auction for $1,250. Postmarked at Port Moresby, 1 March 1960. If SGD4 was included, this cover would be classified as including a complete set of the 1960 Postal Charges overprint as catalogued, namely SGD1 - SGD6.

2) SGD1 - an official generic first day cover with 2 stamps, including the 6d on 7½d postal charges extended overprint (SGD1) and an ordinary 1952 2½d (SG3). Also includes insufficient postage markings. This cover sold at a Prestige Philately auction in 2012 for $1,500. It was postmarked at Port Moresby, 1 March 1960.

3) SGD1 + SGD4 - a cover dated Goroka, 2 March 1960, bearing both SGD1 and SGD4 plus Deficient Postage Tax ink stamp, which sold at auction for $350. The cover includes the complete set of the six overprints, though they are located on both the front and back of the cover. This was possibly the first day of issue at Goroka for these stamps.

4) SGD1a - a generic aerogramme containing the extended double overprint SGD1a, postmarked Goroka, 4 March 1960 plus bearing a 'Deficient Postage Tax' hand stamp, and which sold at a Prestige Philately auction for $3,000. This is one of two known covers containing the double extended overprint SGD1a. Two sheets of this stamp were printed, and one was purchased at Goroka on 4 March. The purchaser then created the two covers and had the stamps postmarked. It is strange that both bear low value stamps postmarked Goroka 2 May 1960, two months after the SGD1a postmark. It has been suggested that the owner returned to the post office on 2 May 1960 to have the other stamps postmarked. In all other instances of SGD1 covers, both sets of stamps are postmarked on the same date, or the postal charges stamps are postmarked later.

5) SGD1a - an aerogramme with SGD1, dated Goroka, 4 March 1960, with Deficient Postage Tax stamp plus 2½d stamp with CDS 2 May 1960. Offered at auction in March 2022 for $750-$1000.

6) SGD1 - a cover with 2 stamps, including the 6d on 7½d postal charges extended overprint (SGD1) and an ordinary 1952 2½d (SG3). Includes insufficient postage markings. This cover was offered at a Grosvenor auction on 19 September 2018 and sold for £260. It was postmarked at Port Moresby on 4 March 1960 and the insufficient postage identified at Konedobu on 8 March 1960.

7) SGD1 + SGD4 - a cover dated Port Moresby, 10 March 1960, and including both the 6d on 7½d Kiriwina Yam House extended overprint (SGD1) and the single overprint (SGD4), thus indicating that they were contemporaneous. Though not a first day cover as such, it is the earliest - and only - known cover to contain all six stamps of the Postal Charges series on the front of the cover. It was originally posted to Port Moresby from Konedobu (date unclear), and the postal charges and tax stamp were added upon arrival there.

8) SGD1 - an official generic first day cover with 2 stamps, including the 6d on 7½d postal charges extended overprint (SGD1) and an ordinary 1952 2½d (SG3). Includes insufficient postage markings. This cover was offered at a Grosvenor auction on 25 May 2016. It was postmarked at Konedobu, 14 March 1960.

9) SGD1 - a blank commercial cover dated Tapini, 17 March 1960, with three items from the set of six (SGD1, SGD2 and SGD3), and which sold at auction for $4,400 in 2012. Due to the small size of the envelope, two of the stamps were applied horizontally.

10) SGD1 - an aerogramme with SGD1, dated Konedobu, 28 March 1960, and which sold at auction for $750.

11) SGD1 - an ordinary cover bearing three stamps from the Postal Charges series, including SGD1, dated Rabaul, 30 March 1960. Refer Stampboards discussion here for reference to SG catalogue value of the cover £650.

12) SGD1 - ordinary cover with Postage Due, 1960, 6d on 7½d, used with a pair of 1962 1d brown, the pair and the 6d Due tied by "Konedobu, Papua-New Guinea, 29AP60" c.d.s, on a locally addressed cover with hand stamped "T6d" in circle ("6d" in manuscript).

13) SGD4 - an ordinary cover bearing five stamps from the Postal Charges series, apart from SGD1, dated Port Moresby, 1 June 1960, and which sold at auction for $260.

14) SGD1 - a blank OHMS cover dated Kerema, 26 June 1960, and which sold at Leski's for $750.

With only ten extant contemporaneous covers identified by the author bearing the Yam House stamp overprints, their rarity is obvious. Only a single example of SGD1a (double overprint) on cover is known, though a used copy of SGD1a is also known partially on paper, cut from the original letter or package and dated Kavieng, 21 April 1960. It is illustrated below from a UK auction listing, which therein notes that the SGD1a double extended overprint is usually only found postmarked at Goroka.

SGD1 and its variant will continue to intrigue and entice collectors as the PNG stamp to own, along with an accompanying Certificate of Authenticity (sample reproduced below). Surviving contemporary covers from the period March - June 1960 will obviously be much more difficult to secure.

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Last updated: 2 January 2023

Michael Organ

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