A New Zealand Post Office employee, R. J. Dickie, was the inventor of the stamp-selling machine. Stamps were inserted into the machine in a roll and were delivered singly through an aperture, following the insertion of a penny in a slot. In partnership with J. H. Brown, a photographer, Dickie produced a machine which began its first public trial on 15 June 1905. Improvements were gradually made and in 1909 the first permanent installation took place. The machine was patented throughout the world and today improved designs are in service in most countries. The first machine in Britain was installed in the House of Commons in 1907.
Co-creator
Arthur Stanley Helm, M.B.E., M.A., Investigating Officer, Tourist and Publicity Department, Wellington and Campbell Walter Watts, Secretary, Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand, Wellington.