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Story: Postage stamps

Advertisements on stamps

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Advertisements on stamps

An unusual place to display advertisements was on the back of postage stamps. People were invited to contemplate their buying needs before licking and sticking. The New Zealand Post Office introduced these in 1893, but the practice did not last as people were concerned that licking the dye might poison them.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PAColl-9379

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Postage stamps – Different types of stamps, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/32087/advertisements-on-stamps (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 29 September 2011.