When the first New Zealand Christmas stamp appeared in 1960 the necessity for its issue was questioned in various circles including the House of Representatives. However, the issue proved to be a popular one and no fewer than 20,000,000 copies of the stamp were issued.
Issue information
The success of the first stamp encouraged the Post Office to produce a second Christmas stamp in 1961. The stamp depicted the painting The Adoration of the Magi by Albrecht Dürer, the original of which is in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. The stamp was issued two weeks earlier than in 1960 to meet with the demands for overseas postage.
Stamp Bulletin
This stamp issue first appeared in New Zealand Post Stamp Bulletin No. 24 on 25 September 1961.
Acknowledgments: Bulletin scanned and provided by John Biddlecombe of the New Zealand Society of Great Britain. Their web site offers further information useful to those interested in the stamps and postal history of New Zealand. Link: http://www.nzsgb.org.uk/
Product Listing for Christmas 1961
| Image | Title | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Single Stamp |
Single 2 1/2d 'The Adoration of the Magi' gummed stamp. |
2 1/2d |
Technical information
| Date of issue: | 16 October 1961 |
|---|---|
| Designers: | New Zealand Post Office, Wellington |
| Printers: | Harrison and Sons, England |
| Stamp size: | 33mm x 38mm |
| Sheet size: | 60 stamps per sheet |
| Process: | Photogravure |
| Perforation gauge: | 14 |
| Paper type: | Chalk surfaced, multiple NZ and star watermark |