Story: Postage stamps

Rare and valuable stamps

This video clip shows an auction of a New Zealand stamp collection that was owned by Major Henry Dumas, who was a British tank commander in the Second World War. The auction took place at Christie's auction room, London in March 2000. His collection included a two New Zealand one-penny stamps on an envelope from 1855, which sold for £15,000 pounds (around NZ $45,000 in 2000). Additionally a one-shilling stamp cut in half by a Dunedin postmaster and attached to an envelope sold for 12,000 pounds because of its uniqueness. Ironically, despite his extensive New Zealand stamp collection, Dumas only visited New Zealand once.

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TVNZ Television New Zealand
Reference: 1999 Scenic Walks stamp issue

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How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Postage stamps - Stamp collectors and dealers', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/32098/rare-and-valuable-stamps (accessed 25 April 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 20 Jun 2012