King Edward VII and Dominion

The 1d Universal stamp had at that time just been issued and as the new pictorial stamp issues were only three years old, it was decided not to issue stamps depicting the new monarch till 1906.

Edward VII who was born on 9 November 1841, was nearly 60 years old when he succeeded his mother as British monarch. As Prince of Wales, he acquired a reputation as a playboy and was heartily disapproved of by his mother, but he was also a noted sportsman, traveller, and patron of the arts. Edward and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark, presided over an unconventional social set that included members of the upper middle classes as well as the traditional aristocracy.

Although when he succeeded to the throne he had little experience in Government, Edward was extremely popular during his short reign - he died on 6 May 1910.

In June 1906 it was decided to issue a series of stamps depicting Edward VII but at the same time retaining the Penny Universal design. The following year the status of New Zealand changed when the country was proclaimed a Dominion as opposed to a Colony.

As a result of the above in March 1908 the Postmaster-General announced that the 1d Penny Universal would be reissued with the words 'Dominion of New Zealand' in place of 'New Zealand' and that King Edward VII stamps would be issued in 1/2d, 2d, 3d, 4d, 5d, 6d, 8d, and 1s values.

Stamps depicting Edward VII continued to be produced for over a decade after his death, and the 1d Dominion was not replaced until 1926.

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 1909 King Edward VII and Dominion

Click on image to enlarge.

Image	Title	Description	Price
	Single Stamp	Single 1/2d 'Green Edward VII' gummed stamp.	1/2d
	Single Stamp	Single 1d 'Penny Dominion' gummed stamp. The female figure of 'Zealandia' represents New Zealand with a background scene of a steamer, representing a mail boat, sailing past Mount Egmont (Taranaki).	1d
	Single Stamp	Single 2d 'Mauve Edward VII' gummed stamp.	2d
	Single Stamp	Single 3d 'Brown Edward VII' gummed stamp.	3d
	Single Stamp	Single 4d 'Orange Edward VII' gummed stamp.	4d
	Single Stamp	Single 4d 'Yellow Edward VII' gummed stamp.	4d
	Single Stamp	Single 5d 'Brown Edward VII' gummed stamp.	5d
	Single Stamp	Single 6d 'Red Edward VII' gummed stamp.	6d
	Single Stamp	Single 8d 'Blue Edward VII' gummed stamp.	8d
	Single Stamp	Single 1s 'Orange Edward VII' gummed stamp.	1s