Papua New Guinea - Philatelic Bureau covers, postmarks & packs 1956+
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Philatelic Bureau covers and postmarks
The Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau appears to have been in place since 1956 when the first covers and postmarks referring to it appeared. It was based in Port Moresby. For many years it operated within the Department of Posts & Telegraph, initially under the auspices of Australia until independence in 1975. Around 2016 it became known as Post PNG. It has been responsible for the issue of all philatelic material, ranging from stamps and covers through to individual and yearly stamp packs, information leaflets, philatelic bulletins, and an assortment of related materials of an administrative, promotional or philatelic nature. In this regard it has issued a variety of postmarks, post paid stamps, general purpose covers for use by both the organisation and the general public, alongside purely philatelic material such as stamp packs. Covers and related material are listed below. Though the various covers are not souvenir covers as such, they are, in some instances, utilised as special event covers and for special postmarks. This is similar to the situation in Australia where, since 1970, both souvenir covers and special event general purpose covers have been produced.
A number of variants of the Philatelic Bureau general purpose cover are known, including overprints of first day covers and localised covers for the Philatelic Bureau office at Boroka. The covers were printed to support special postmarks, the official mail of the Philatelic Bureau, and other philatelic-related or promotional events. In recent years they have included special Christmas covers for standing order customers. The size, colour and design of the covers has varied over time, though the stamp-based logo on the left featuring a Bird of Paradise in a perforated stamp frame would remained with most from 1968, being a variant of the earlier 1965 logo. A Philatelic Bureau hand stamp accompanied by a Postage Paid P.N.G. hand stamp was also utilised on some first day covers during the 1970s. The following is a chronological listing of covers, postmarks and overprintings known to the author. The first day cover information leaflets made available to standing order customers are described elsewhere. Items below marked * are from the author's collection.
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* PB1 - An official, general purpose cover featuring a Philatelic Bureau Pt. Moresby T.P.&N.G.
circular date stamp and postmarked 20 December 1956(?) (illustrated below). This is the earliest known reference on
cover to the Philatelic Section / Bureau. The envelope bears a label: Philatelic Section, Department of Posts and Telegraphs, Port Moresby. The postmark was utilised through to the 1980s. *
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| Earliest known cover featuring a Philatelic Section label and Philatelic Bureau postmark, dated 20 December 1956. |
* PB2 - A cover featuring a Philatelic Bureau Pt. Moresby T.P.&N.G. circular date stamp and postmarked 1962.
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| Philatelic Bureau postmark, 1962. |
* PB3 - A cover featuring a Philatelic Bureau Pt. Moresby T.P.&N.G. circular date stamp and type 1 registration label Philatelic Bureau Port Moresby No.8164. Postmarked 19 October 1965.
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| Cover with Philatelic Bureau postmark and registration label, Port Moresby, 19 October 1965. |
The high numerical value of the registration label - no.8164 - suggests that the Philatelic Bureau had been in operation for many years. The label was upgraded by April 1968.
* PB3 - 31 December 1965 - Airmail / Papua & New Guinea / Philatelic Bureau / Port Moresby. Status: Official general purpose cover. Bird of Paradise logo image on the left and Service des Postes stamp on the upper right. Printing in pale brown. *
* PB4 - 26 January 1966 - Airmail / Papua & New Guinea / Philatelic Bureau / Port Moresby. Status: Official general purpose cover. Logo image on the left and Service des Postes stamp on the upper right. Printing in green. *
* PB5 - 28 February 1966 - By Airmail / Par Avion green label, with registration label Philatelic Bureau / Port Moresby / T. P. & N. G. Status: General purpose cover to Victoria, Australia. Standard sized envelope with text in green at lower left referring to the Philatelic Bureau, a green By Air Mail Par Avion label upper left and a green Service des Postes (postage paid) printed stamp at upper right. Earliest known example postmarked Port Moresby, 28 February 1966, with Philatelic Bureau, Port Moresby, registration label No.2163. An example sent to England on 12 April 1967 is also known. *
* PB6 - 24 April 1968 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover on a greenish checkered paper, with a type 2 Philatelic Bureau Port Moresby T.P. & N.G. registration label #1266. Variant in envelope size. Postmarked Port Moresby. *
[IMAGE]
* PB? - 23 September 1968 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover. Standard sized envelope with a dark maroon stamp-like label at left bearing the Philatelic Bureau insignia, printed on a white paper envelope. Earliest known example postmarked Port Moresby, 23 September 1968. The use of this design would continue through until at least 2016. *
* PB7 - 22 May 1970 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover on a greenish checkered paper. Variant in envelope size. Postmarked Port Moresby, 22 May 1970. *
* PB8
- 16 September 1970 - George Stilphen, Port Moresby CDS. - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose
cover. Standard sized envelope with a dark maroon stamp-like label at
left bearing the Philatelic Bureau insignia, printed on a white paper
envelope. Similar to PB6.
[No image]
* PB10 - 9 June 1971 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover on a brown paper, of similar design to PB2 though with a Postage Paid / Port Moresby / T.P.&N.G. print upper right. Postmarked Port Moresby, 9 June 1971. *
* PB11 - 8 September 1971 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover. A long cover of similar design to PB2. Postmarked Port Moresby, 8 September 1971.
* PB12 - 19 October 1971 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover. A standard size cover on white paper similar to PB4, though with the addition of a square box Postage Paid / Port Moresby / T.P.&N.G. imprint upper right. Postmarked at Port Moresby, 19 October 1971. *
* PB14 - [?] 1972 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover. Standard size cover on yellow-brown paper with new postage paid circular imprint upper right.
* PB18-21
- 26 November 1974 - Philatelic Bureau overprints. Status: On 26 November 1974 a number of PNG first day covers were stamped with the Philatelic Bureau addresses at Port Moresby (lower left) and Postage Paid PNG (upper right). They were sent to addresses in the U.S.A.
* PB22
- circa 1974 - Boroko Philatelic Bureau. Status: Air Mail / First Day Cover to America with local Boroko Philatelic Bureau stamp lower left and Postage Paid P.N.G. stamp upper right. No date.
* PB23 - 22 July 1976 - Status: General purpose cover. Standard size cover on pale brown paper with postage paid imprint upper right, covered by stamp. Similar to PB12.
* PB24 - circa 1977 - Boroko Philatelic Bureau. Status: Air Mail / First Day Cover to America with local Boroko Philatelic Bureau stamp lower left and Postage Paid P.N.G. stamp upper right. No date. Cover issued 1977.
* PB25 - circa 1981 - Boroko Philatelic Bureau. Status: 1981 Corals Air Mail / First Day Cover to America with local Boroko Philatelic Bureau stamp lower left and new circular Postage Paid Papua New Guinea stamp imprint. No date.
* PB26
- 8 February 1984 - Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover. Address label missing. An undated cover with a sea turtle crawling on the sand image at the left and a new prepaid postage stamp design upper right. This is a variant of the first day cover for the sea turtle stamp release of 8 February 1984, with a Philatelic Bureau overprint and circular Postage Paid stamp. *
* PB27 - 1 June 1986 - Ameripex '86 - Overprint.
[No image]
* PB28 - 15 June 1988 - Overprint - 25 Years of Guiding. Status: Overprint of official souvenir cover with the Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau logo in black and Postage Paid circular imprint upper right.
* PB30
- 19 September 1988 - Olympic Games, Seoul 1988. Status: Overprint of official Seoul Olympics first day cover to America with the Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau logo and Postage Paid stamp. *
* PB31 - 19 September 1988 - Olymphilex '88. Status: Overprint of official Seoul Olympics souvenir cover with the Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau logo and Postage Paid stamp. *
* PB32
- 1988 - Brisbane Expo Souvenir Cover. Status: Overprint of souvenir cover with Air Mail / Philatelic Bureau P.O. Box 1 Boroka PNG / Postage Paid Papua New Guinea in blue stamp.
* PB33 - 7 March 1990 - Boroko Philatelic Bureau. Status: Local cover to Boroko with low quality (?photocopied) copy of Philatelic Bureau logo. Used for first day of issue of 1c frama label.
* PB37 - 4 October 1994 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose cover to Australia. Large cover with bird of paradise logo, PNG Port Moresby registration label #40913, postmarked Port Moresby, 4 October 1994. Copy of this cover also seen with postmark 18 July 2014 indicating official usage over a long period.
* PB38 - 12 December 1996 - Australasian Stamps monthly magazine. Status: Official Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau special event souvenir cover. Issued to original subscribers of the magazine. Generic Port Moresby postmark dated 12 December 1992. Not available for general sale. Similar basic design to Philatelic Bureau cover #1 of 1971 described above, though with brown colouring. *
* PB39 - circa 2000. Status: Official Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau cover. Printed in black ink. Long envelope. Source: Steven Zirinsky - PNG Stationary.
* PB40 - circa 2000 - official Posts & Telecom envelope, with Postage Paid label.
* PB41 - circa 2000 - official Telikom PNG Ltd envelope, with Postage Paid label.
* PB42 - 2005. 30th Anniversary of Independence.
* PB44 - 25 February 2011. Official postcard - Owens Corner Memorial, Central Province.
* PB45 - ? 23 June 2011 - International Orchid Spectacular.
* PB46 - 19 December 2013 - Meri Kirisimasi / Seasons Greetings. Status: Special event Christmas cover. Postmarked at Port Moresby, 19 December 2013. Source: Steven Zirinsky - PNG Stationary.
* PB47 - December 2014 - Meri Kirisimasi / Seasons Greetings. Status: Special event Christmas cover. Not used. Source: Steven Zirinsky - PNG Stationary.
* PB48 - 23 March 2015 - Papua New Guinea Philatelic Bureau. Status: General purpose special event cover to Austria. Medium size cover in pale brown, with yellow and black stamp at bottom left and two coloured blue and red postage paid stamp at top right, postmarked 23 March 2015.
* PB49 - December 2015 - Bilas Hamamas Krismas Singsing / Seasons Greetings. Status: Special event Christmas cover. Not used. Source: Steven Zirinsky - PNG Stationary.
* PB51 - 19 December 2017 - Merry Christmas... Status: Special event Christmas cover. Source: Steven Zirinsky - PNG Stationary.
Australia: Airmail 1931 | Australia in Space 2024 | Souvenir Covers 1970-1997 | Souvenirs Covers 1997+ | WWF 50 Years |
Papua New Guinea: 1934 3½d Pink | 1952 6½d | 1952 7½d | 2/6 Lakatois | FDCs | Forgeries | Hutt PNCs | Japan | Leaflets | OS Lakatois | Overprints | Peter & Horse | Philatelic Bureau | PSEs/PSPs/Aerogrammes | Rare | Revenue & Postage Due | Souvenir Covers |
Last updated: 28 February 2023
Michael Organ
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