EX-KIAP NETWORK FORUM

This design dates from the mid to late 1950's.

Any info on the subject greatly appreciated.

Australian dealer Richard Juzwin, rediscovers a modern rarity:
Richard Breckton reports from Melbourne.

A modern philatelic rarity of Papua New Guinea has been "rediscovered" by Melbourne stamp dealer, Richard Juzwin. The stamp concerned is the 5/- "Patrol Party" - an experimental printing that was never intended for issue, though copies did pass into private hands.

Photogravure experiment: This stamp originated from the early efforts to introduce photogravure printing in Australia. Chambon Ltd. of London had sold a photogravure printing press to the Note Printing Branch and after its installation in Melbourne, several experimental printings were undertaken.
One of these involved the 5/- "Patrol Party" stamp.

The stamp was produced in July 1961 and is referred to in an article in the September 1971 Philatelic Bulletin on early photogravure printing developments. Ray Kelly of Christies-Robson Lowe in Melbourne, is able to throw some further light on this stamp. In the 1950s, Ray lived in Port Moresby and served as a member of Papua New Guinea's stamp advisory committee.

Design rejected: He recalls the Patrol Party stamp design being rejected by the committee since the patrol was armed as this was thought to be an undesirable thing to show in a stamp. The design must have languished until it was brought out to be used for the experimental printing.

A few examples of the 5/- stamp came onto the market about 20 years ago through an English stamp auction. The quantity involved was very small and no copies seemed to be circulated in Australia.

Large block purchased: However, Richard Juxwin recently; purchased a large block of the 5/- stamps. Originally, this had been a complete sheet of 60 stamps, but 18 of the stamps had been removed by the owner and some of these may have been part of the holding released in England.

An Advertisement:
Papua & New Guinea: We can offer a rare Cinderella item from Papua New Guinea a 1961 5/- Patrol Stamp prepared but not issued due to design controversy. Fine mint unhinged ...$8750

Nancy Johnston
________________________________________

Thanks Nancy

Do you think this may have been a portrait of an actual Kiap?

The design of this stamp is also mentioned in "Franklins's Guide to the Stamps of Papua & New Guinea" Mark Franklin 1970 ISBN 0 589 07084 3 . Franklin states that during 1959 the design of a new set of stamps to replace the 1952 - 58 stamps with a set that would adapt the incoming new Australian postage rates. The existing 5/- coffee bean stamp was to give way to the design featuring the "Administrative Patrol" to match the "Native Police" design as a short set. The kiap design was abandoned but the police stamp featuring a traffic policeman on point duty with his large gauntlet style gloves. The 3/- policeman stamp was designed by Mrs Pamela Prescott and issued in 1962. The style of the kiap stamp lokoks similar to that of the policeman, so I assume that the same lady may have produced the original design
I recall a conversation I had with late William (Bill) Peckover in the early 70's when he was a senior technical executive with P & T. Bill was an enthusiatic stamp buff and had several of his own designs published. He told me that the reason that the policeman stamp got through and not the kiap, was that at the time there was a very popular image on post cards of a Solomon Islands policeman, and there was a bit of a push to have a Papua & New Guinea version.

THE AUSTRALASIAN STAMP CATALOGUE 23RD EDITION STATES THAT MRS PRESCOTT ALSO DESIGNED THE 2/3d TAPINI AIRSTRIP STAMP, ISSUED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE 3/- STAMP, WHICH IS ALL BLUE AND FEATURES A MOUNTAINOUS BACKGROUND VERY SIMILAR TO THE UNISSUED STAMP SO IT LOOKS AS IF ALL THREE STAMPS WERE SUBMITTED BY HER. CHEERS FRANK

Many thanks to you all for the information, and I apologise for not making it clear that my request for information on the "subject" referred to the Kiap, not the stamp.

Designer was not Mrs Prescott, as back in 2006 she wrote to me that she designed stamps from 1960 to 1966. Additionally, her work is incredibly detailed, whereas the unissued stamp is (to be kind) lacking this detail.

Ray Kelly, whose Commitee rejected the design, lived in PNG in the 1950's and it is my guess that the design was prepared circa 1958/9, which fits the sentence "The design must have languished until it was brought out to be used for the experimental printing (in July 1961)".

It would have been nice to put a name to the face, as this may also have lead to who was the designer. Perhaps it may jog someone's memory.

THE PORTRAIT ON THE STAMP REMINDS ME OF JOHN WEARNE WHO WAS INITIALLY POSTED TO THE SEPIK IN 1953 AND THEN AFTER COMPLETING ASOPA IN 1957 IS SHOWN AS POSTED TO THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS IN 1958 AS LISTED IN ROBSON'S HANDBOOK OF PAPUA AND HEW GUINEA 2ND EDITION 1958. THIS IS ONLY A GUESS BUT IT FITS IN THE TIME FRAME AND I KNOW JOHN WELL AS WE WERE HOUSEMATES AND PATROL COMPANIONS FOR LENGTHY PERIODS IN 53/54. CHEERS FRANK

The only infomation I have on the Patrol Stamp is the information given from "The Stamp Collector" - May 1992. A typing error occurred in the previous information, the price of the stamp is $875.

An article I have from the The Australian Philateist Summer 1989" claims the rarest stamp of Modern Papua & New Guinea is the 1960 71/2 blue Yam House stamp, overprinted postage due 6d. With the issue of about 500 copies of the 6d. on the 71/2 "obliterated" is one of the rarest British Commonwealth stamps of Queen Elizabeth's II reign. Nancy Johnston

Thanks Frank

Any chance of input from John Wearne?

Thanks to you also Nancy. A tip that I only recently learned myself is that a "half" can be created by holding down the ALT key and typing 171.

½ (voila).

I HAVE TRIED TO SEND AN EMAIL TO JOHN BUT IT BOUNCED. HE MUST HAVE CHANGED HIS EMAIL ADDRESS. SORRY FRANK

Any chance of input from John Wearne?

His postal address is: 25 Brunswick Circuit, Kaleen ACT 2617.

Nancy Johnston

Thanks for that address Nancy.

John responded, but unfortunately has no knowledge of the stamp, its subject or designer.

Back to square one.

In regard to the kiap stamp why don't you contact the PNG Philatelic Bureau in Boroko. I know they have an archive section there and perhaps maybe able to help you. I was a stamp collector in the 50's to 80's of PNG stamps and a member of the Papuan Philatelic Society. I am not sure of current addresses for this society, I think it is now based in England, but I am sure members of this society would be able to help. Perhaps the Philatelic Bureau may be able to give you a contact. George Oakes

Thanks George

I am an active PPS member and a Bureau Standing Order client.

I think I have gone as far as I can with this.