Postage Stamps and Postal History of Australia Overview

Australia's postal history dates back to 1809 when the first postage stamps were introduced, featuring the image of King George III.

The first stamps were printed in England and featured the image of King George III, reflecting the British colonial rule at the time.

The first Australian postage stamp, the "Australian Penny", was introduced in 1913 and featured the image of King George V.

The Australian Penny was the first stamp to be produced in Australia, marking a significant shift in the country's postal history.

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Australian postal history is a fascinating topic, and it all began with the six self-governing Australian colonies that formed the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. They operated their own postal service and issued their own stamps, with the first stamps issued in 1850 in New South Wales and Victoria.

The Commonwealth of Australia took over responsibility for postal services in 1901, and the Postmaster-General's Department became effective on 1 March 1901. This marked a significant shift in postal history, as all then-current colony stamps became de facto Commonwealth stamps.

The introduction of a uniform postage stamp series in 1913 was a major milestone, with the first uniform postage stamp series issued in 1913. This series featured a "Kangaroo on Map" design by Blamire Young, which was used on envelopes, registered envelopes, and newspaper wrappers.

The six self-governing Australian colonies that formed the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901 operated their own postal service and issued their own stamps. Each colony had its own system, with the first stamps issued in New South Wales and Victoria in 1850.

The Commonwealth's Postmaster-General's Department took over postal services on 1 March 1901, and all then-current colony stamps became de facto Commonwealth stamps. This change allowed people to use the same stamps across the country.

The introduction of decimal currency in 1966 made all stamps bearing the earlier currency invalid for use. This was a significant change that affected many people who had accumulated these stamps.

The Postage Due series was introduced in July 1902, with designs based on the current New South Wales postage due stamps. This series was an important part of Australia's postal history.

One penny became the uniform domestic postage rate in 1911, and one penny postcards and lettercards also appeared that year. This change made sending mail more affordable and convenient.

The Postmaster-General's Department held a Stamp Design Competition for a uniform series of Commonwealth postage stamps in 1911, attracting over one thousand entries. This competition led to the creation of many iconic Australian stamps.

Australia's first commemorative stamp was issued on 9 May 1927 to mark the opening of the first Parliament House in Canberra. This marked the beginning of a long tradition of commemorating Australian achievements and landmarks in Australian history.

The first Australian multicoloured stamps appeared on 31 October 1956 as part of the Melbourne Olympic Games commemorative issue. These were printed by a foreign company.

The first Australian-printed multicoloured stamp, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Australian Inland Mission, was issued on 5 September 1962.

Australian postage stamps have a rich history, with the first stamps issued in the six self-governing Australian colonies that formed the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. These colonies operated their own postal service and issued their own stamps, with the first stamps issued in New South Wales and Victoria in 1850.

The Commonwealth's Postmaster-General's Department became effective on 1 March 1901, and all then-current colony stamps became de facto Commonwealth stamps. Some of these stamps continued to be used for some time following the introduction in 1913 of the Commonwealth's uniform postage stamp series.

The first definitive stamp inscribed "Australia" was a red 1d "Kangaroo and Map" stamp, issued on 2 January 1913. This design was adopted in part from the entry that won the Stamp Design Competition, and it featured a kangaroo and map of Australia.

The introduction of decimal currency in 1966 led to the issue of 24 new definitives, featuring the monarch on the minor values and Australian birds, marine life, and explorers on the rest. Since then, the designs of all Australian definitive values have focused on fauna, flora, reptiles, and other themes, with a stamp issued annually to commemorate the monarch's birthday.

The Roo stamp, also known as the Kangaroo and Map design, was the first definitive stamp inscribed "Australia".

It was adopted in part from the entry that won the Stamp Design Competition.

The design was ordered by the Fisher Labor Government, which had a strong opposition to any inclusion of British royal symbols or profiles.

This design was kept on issue for 38 years.

The first definitive series, issued on 2 January 1913, comprised fifteen stamps, ranging in value from ½d to £2.

The Kangaroo and Map design was replaced by a new series featuring the profile of George V, which was ordered by the Cook Liberal Government.

The first of these stamps, an engraved 1d carmine-red, appeared on 8 December 1913.

Typographed values of the George V design ranged from ½d to 1/4d.

The Postmaster-General's Department kept both basic designs on issue for a significant period of time.

The "Roo" stamp marked the beginning of Australian philately in 1913, featuring a red 1d Kangaroo and Map design that was adopted from the Stamp Design Competition.

The first definitive issue had fifteen stamps ranging in value from ½d to £2, but was later replaced by a series of postage stamps with the profile of George V in 1913.

The Postmaster-General's Department kept both designs on issue for 38 years and 23 years, respectively.

With the accession of George VI in 1936, Australian definitives featured the monarch, Australian fauna, and Australian flora until the early 1970s.

The depiction of the monarch on Australian definitives became confined to the base domestic letter rate and the preceding minor values in the late 1950s.

In 1966, 24 new definitives were issued with the introduction of decimal currency, featuring the monarch on minor values and the base domestic letter rate, and Australian birds, marine life, and maritime explorers on the remainder.

The Scarlet Robin definitive, issued in 1965, became the new 25c decimal currency value, while the £2 Phillip Parker King definitive became the new $4 decimal currency value.

The last base domestic letter rate definitive stamp featuring the monarch appeared on 1 October 1971.

Since then, Australian definitive values have focused on fauna, flora, reptiles, butterflies, marine life, gemstones, paintings, handicrafts, visual arts, community, and more.

A stamp has been issued annually since 1980 to commemorate the monarch's birthday, and in 2019, a stamp commemorating the legalisation of same-sex marriage was released.

Self-adhesive stamps have been a game-changer for Australian stamp collectors. They were first issued in 1990.

These stamps have become incredibly popular with users, and it's no surprise why - they're easy to use and don't require the mess of gummed stamps. Self-adhesive stamps have proved popular with users and very soon came to be in more common use than gummed stamps.

Interestingly, Australia issues gummed versions of all self-adhesive stamps. This means you can choose to use either type of stamp, depending on your preference.

Prior to 1997, there was a bit of a rule about not depicting living persons on stamps, except for members of the royal family. However, this rule was relaxed in 1997, allowing Australia Post to issue stamps commemorating living Australians.

The first living Australian to be depicted on a stamp was Gwoya Tjungurrayi, an Anmatyerre man, in 1950.

In 1947, Australia issued a series of postage stamps featuring a portrait of the King. The King George VI definitives were released in May 1947.

These stamps were designed to replace the existing King George VI stamps, which were issued in 1937. The new stamps featured a more modern design.

The King George VI definitives were printed in sheets of 12 stamps, with each sheet containing 4 rows of 3 stamps. This was a common printing format for Australian stamps at the time.

The stamps were printed in various colors, including red, blue, green, and violet. Each color featured the same portrait of the King.

The King George VI definitives were widely used for mail sent within Australia and to other countries. They were also popular among stamp collectors.

Norfolk Island, a small Australian external territory, has a unique postal and philatelic history. The first postage stamps used in Norfolk Island were those of Van Diemens Land, later known as Tasmania, issued on November 1, 1853.

These stamps were intended to be sold in Norfolk Island, but due to a mutiny on the government barque Lady Franklin, they didn't become available until 7 months later. A new consignment of stamps was sent to the island in either February or July 1854.

Norfolk Island used stamps of Australia between 1913 and 1947, before attaining postal independence and issuing its own stamps on June 10, 1947. However, the island lost its postal independence in 2016.

The first Cocos stamps were issued in 1963, but the Cocos Islands used stamps of Australia from 1952 until its postal independence in 1979.

Australian postal services have a rich history, and one of the most interesting aspects is the transition from colonial to Commonwealth responsibility. This occurred on 1 January 1901, when the six self-governing Australian colonies formed the Commonwealth of Australia.

The Commonwealth's Postmaster-General's Department became effective on 1 March 1901, and all then-current colony stamps continued to be used for some time after the introduction of the Commonwealth's uniform postage stamp series in 1913.

One of the biggest changes to Australian postal services was the introduction of a uniform postage rate in 1911, making one penny the standard domestic postage rate. This rate was extended from the United Kingdom's Imperial Penny Post, which was also a member of the British Empire.

The first Christmas stamp was issued on 6 November 1957, marking a new era in special issues.

Australia's first airmail-designated stamp appeared on 20 May 1929.

The special 3d airmail stamp was available for mail sent on the Perth-Adelaide air service, with a cost of 3d per ½ oz plus normal postage.

Airmail service was a significant innovation in Australia's postal history, allowing for faster and more efficient mail delivery.

On 19 March 1931 and 4 November 1931, two more airmail-designated stamps were introduced, both 6d.

General definitives were eventually used for mail sent by air after the introduction of these airmail stamps.

Official Service stamps were used by Commonwealth and State Government agencies from 1913 to 1930, featuring a perfine punctured with "OS" for "Official Service".

These stamps were used for government mail during that period.

The puncturing system was abandoned in 1931 and replaced with overprinted OS stamps for government mail.

Government agencies no longer required postage stamps for mail after February 1933.

The exception was the 4 November 1931 6d airmail stamp, which was valid for all types of mail.

Australian postal products have a rich history, and one of the earliest examples is postal stationery. Postal stationery was first issued by the Commonwealth of Australia in April 1911.

The first postcards issued in 1911 were based on the design of South Australia's 1893 postcards and featured a "Stamp" design of a full face of King George V, engraved by Samuel Reading. Letter Cards with the same design were also issued in 1911.

Envelopes, Registered envelopes, and Newspaper wrappers were first introduced in 1913, using the "Kangaroo on Map" "Stamp" design by Blamire Young.

Australia issued its first postal stationery in April 1911.

The first postcards were based on the design of South Australia's 1893 postcards and featured a full-face portrait of King George V, engraved by Samuel Reading. This design also appeared on Letter Cards issued in the same year.

Envelopes, Registered envelopes, and Newspaper wrappers were first introduced in 1913, using the "Kangaroo on Map" design by Blamire Young.

Aerogrammes, a type of lightweight airmail stationery, were first issued in 1944.

The designs of these postal stationery items have been a significant part of Australia's postal history and continue to be collected and used today.

Booklets were reintroduced after being discontinued in 1973, although the exact date of their reintroduction is not specified.

One notable example of a booklet stamp issue is the triangular stamp issue, which was available from Advance Bank ATMs from 1984 until the bank's merger with St George Bank in 1996.

Booklet stamps were also issued by Frama vending machines, which were first introduced in 1984 and discontinued in 2003.

Australia Post has produced a vast array of postage stamps since the first issue in 1855.

The first commemorative stamp, the 1935 Silver Jubilee, was a significant issue that sparked the interest of collectors.

Many collectors focus on specific themes, such as the Queen's portrait, which has appeared on numerous stamps since 1937.

Norfolk Island had a moderate number of issues when it came to new stamps. This was particularly evident in the five-year period from 1961 to 1965, where only twenty-six stamps were issued.

The trend of few new stamps each year has been maintained to the present time. This is a notable aspect of Norfolk Island's philatelic history, and something that collectors may find interesting.

Here are the new definitive series stamps issued between 1961 and 1962:

The 1960-62 definitive series was quickly augmented by six further stamps, all with designs illustrative of fish endemic to the area.

Collectors are a unique breed, driven by passion and a desire to own rare and valuable items. They often spend years building their collections, pouring over market trends and scarcity reports to find the perfect addition.

Some collectors focus on rare coins, like the 1804 Draped Bust dollar, which is considered one of the rarest and most valuable coins in the world. This coin is highly sought after by collectors, and its value can range from $3 million to $4 million.

Collectors of art and antiques often seek out items with a rich history, such as a 19th-century painting by a famous artist. A painting like this can increase in value over time, making it a valuable investment for the collector.

Other collectors focus on sports memorabilia, like a signed jersey from a famous athlete. This type of item can be highly valuable, especially if it's in good condition and comes with documentation of its authenticity.

Collectors must be willing to spend time and money to find and purchase the items they want, often traveling to auctions and estate sales to find unique pieces.

Australia's first commemorative stamp was issued on 9 May 1927 to mark the opening of the first Parliament House in Canberra. This marked the beginning of a long tradition of commemorating Australian achievements and landmarks in Australian history.

The first Australian multicoloured stamps appeared on 31 October 1956 as part of the Melbourne Olympic Games commemorative issue. These stamps were printed by a foreign company.

The first Australian-printed multicoloured stamp was issued on 5 September 1962, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Australian Inland Mission.