The 1969 Christmas stamp depicts the old master painting: The Nativity by Federico Fiori, who was also known as Detto Il Barocci.
Issue information
The original painting hangs in the Pinacotia Ambrosiana, Milan, Italy.
The order for the Christmas 1969 single stamps was for 29,000,000. The printers found that after printing 24,000,000 stamps on multiple NZ and star watermarked paper, the remaining stock of this paper was unsatisfactory for printing. There was not enough time to obtain more stock so the remaining 5,000,000 stamps were printed on unwatermarked paper.
Stamp Bulletin
This stamp issue first appeared in New Zealand Post Stamp Bulletin No. 2 in June 1969.
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 1969
| Image | Title | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Single Stamp |
Single 2 1/2c 'Nativity' gummed stamp. |
2 1/2c |
Technical information
| Date of issue: | 1 October 1969 |
|---|---|
| Printers: | Harrison and Sons, England |
| Stamp size: | 26mm x 41mm |
| Sheet size: | 50 stamps per sheet |
| Process: | Photogravure |
| Performance gauge: | 13.5 x 14.25 |
| Paper type: | Chalk surfaced, multiple NZ and star watermarked (part of the order was also produced on unwatermarked paper) |
| Period of sale: | This stamp remained on sale until 30 June 1970. |