Nostalgia - The Millennium Series Part Four

Single 40c 'Toys' gummed stamp.

'Fun Ho!' were New Zealand's own brand of long lasting knock-about sandpit toys. Their origins go back to the 1930s, when Jack Underwood began turning out moulded lead toys in the basement of his home. Throughout the 1940s, the scarcity of imported toys meant the makers of 'Fun Ho!' enjoyed an almost captive market. Today, they are still sought after as collectors' pieces.

Single 80c 'Food' gummed stamp.

From the 1920s right through to the 1950s, Creamoata was the national breakfast cereal. Every morning, thousands of youngsters up and down the country would eat their way to the bottoms of their breakfast bowls in order to come face to face with the picture of their hero - Sergeant Dan, the Creamoata Man.

Single $1.00 'Transport' gummed stamp.

Trams came into their own in New Zealand once they could be powered by electricity first in Dunedin in 1900, then in Auckland in 1902 and in Wellington in 1904. During the second and third decades, the tramways were the main means of transport for those in cities and large towns. During the 1950s and early 1960s, trams were gradually superseded by trolley buses and motorised buses.

Single $1.20 'Household' gummed stamp.

It is amazing that television has only been part of our lives since the 1960's. Before then, the radio played an important role, as did the Woman’s Weekly, to entertain the family and ensure they maintained contact with the ‘outside world’. Founded in 1932, the New Zealand Woman's Weekly, at the time the stamp was released, had just celebrated 65 years of readership.

Single $1.50 'Collectables' gummed stamp.

New Zealanders collected then, just like they collect today. The range of collectibles is now far greater, from phonecards to Kinder Surprise toys, but the time-honoured favourites like stamps, postcards and coins remain a popular and enjoyable hobby.

Single $1.80 'Gardening' gummed stamp.

We have always been a nation of gardeners. Leading the market, the origins of Yates, dates back to 1879 and the arrival of a Mr Arthur Yates in New Zealand. Whilst working on farms in those first years, he saw the opportunity for supplying seeds locally and established Arthur Yates & Co Ltd in 1883. Meanwhile, our most famous mower had its origins in 1910 when Reuben Porter and Harold Mason went into business together as Mason & Porter. In 1930, Masport (as it is now known) launched its first hand-push mower, the Cleveland.