Limited edition Invercargill stamps set to go to auction

Southland Philatelic secretary Margaret Peake proudly displays the new Southland stamp which...
Southland Philatelic secretary Margaret Peake proudly displays the new Southland stamp which features the Invercargill sundial umbrella sculpture. PHOTO: ALISHA WARD
While the days of a lick and stick stamp are long gone, new batches of the fiddly little bits of paper are still finding their way into philatelic collections.

Southland Philatelic secretary Margaret Peake was excited about the new 2025 first day release which features the Invercargill sun-dial umbrella sculpture.

The latest release was a limited run of just 200 stamps that would be available for sale at Age Concern on Saturday, from 10am.

Mrs Peake said collecting stamps was an opportunity to collect a small piece of history.

"New Zealand has produced a lot of lovely stamps in the past 10 years — including maps of New Zealand."

Some had featured sets of cakes, pictures of mountains and cities as well as native flora and fauna.

Other sets produced featured classic kiwiana items like jandals, a whitebaiter, Anzac biscuits and a man eating a sandwich on a beach.

But her personal favourite featured her favourite New Zealand bird — the pukeko on a $10 stamp.

"I particularly like the Government Life stamps but they don’t have them nowadays."

The stamps were produced before the nation changed to decimal currency in 1967.

She cannot remember how she developed her interest but she did not consider herself a stamp collector, despite confessing to owning some unique Kiwiana ones and an admirable accumulation of postcards which she started collecting as a child.

"It was a long time ago when you’re 85, what you did when you were 7 years old."

Her next few days will be spent creating about 40 First-Day covers for Saturday’s auction.

Age Concern would also be open on the Friday evening for the public to view auction items.

Dealers from Dunedin and Te Anau would also be on site.