The five stamps of this issue commemorate the Congress of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, held at Wellington in October 1936. The Congress, first convened in London in 1855, was a triennial event and this was the first occasion it had met in New Zealand.
Issue information
The Chamber of Commerce stamps were placed on sale on the 1 October 1936 and an unprecedented rush occured. At all the large offices queues began to form up before the doors were even opened at 8am and even at midday prospective purchasers were standing six deep at the stamp counters at the main centres.
Postal authorities were amazed at the thousands of people who purchased from one to six sets. The demand was so great that most of the larger offices had sold out of 2 1/2d stamps on the first day. The 2 1/2d and 4d values were not available at any office after the 6th October and the 6d was exhausted the following day.
Acknowledgments
New Zealand Post would like to acknowledge the following for their assistance and guidance in bringing together this stamp issue:
Historical information included on this page sourced from The Postage Stamps of New Zealand published by the Royal Philatelic Society of NZ. Their web site offers further information useful to those interested in the stamps and postal history of New Zealand. Link: https://www.rpsnz.org.nz/
Product Listing for Chamber of Commerce
| Image | Title | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Single Stamp |
Single 1/2d 'Wool' gummed stamp. Transportation of wool with an inset of shearing. |
1/2d |
 |
Single Stamp |
Single 1d 'Butter' gummed stamp. Interior of a dairy factory with an inset of cow. |
1d |
 |
Single Stamp |
Single 2 1/2d 'Lamb' gummed stamp. Droving sheep with insert of sheep's head. |
2 1/2d |
 |
Single Stamp |
Single 4d 'Apples' gummed stamp. Interior of fruit-packing shed with insert of fruit picker. |
4d |
 |
Single Stamp |
Single 6d 'Shipping' gummed stamp. Overseas liner discharging produce with inset of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire Conference logo. |
6d |
Technical information
| Date of issue: | 1 October 1936 |
|---|---|
| Designers: | L C Mitchell, Wellington |
| Printers: | Australian Bank Note and Stamp Printer, Australia |
| Stamp size: | 41mm x 25mm |
| Sheet size: | 48 stamps per sheet |
| Process: | Recess printed - Intaglio |
| Perforation gauge: | 11 |
| Paper type: | Wiggins Teape unsurfaced, NZ and star watermark |
| Period of sale: | The 2 1/2d and 4d stamps sold out by the 6 October 1936, the 6d stamp sold out by the 7 October 1936 and the remaining stamps were withdrawn from sale on the 31 October 1936. |