Census of Known Dated Items from the New Zealand Chalon Era

Built on the census compiled by Robin Gwynn for the first year of stamps in NZ, last published in The NZSC 85(2), 33-37 (June 2005) - now extended to the whole of the Chalon era (1855-1873).

For further background and explanations see "Census of Dated Items Bearing New Zealand Chalons", published simultaneously in The New Zealand Stamp Collector Vol. 100, No. 2, June 2020, and in The London Philatelist, Vol. 129, No. 1474, June 2020, and "Chalon Census Guide" published in The Kiwi, Vol. 69, No.5, September 2020.

Last Updated: 6 May 2022.

Some Explanations:

1. Only items involving the use of stamps have been included. Pre-stamp items, and items requiring the recipient to pay the full fee have been excluded.

2. Only items bearing at least one Chalon, and showing a date, have been included in the census.

3. The date format “YYMMDD” has been used in the dates of despatch, receipt and transit, in order to facilitate sorting and entry of new items. The actual date formats vary, but the most common one at the time was Month (two letters), Day (one or two digits) and Year (two or four digits).

4. Question marks have sometimes been used to denote unknown / indistinct / indiscernible / indecipherable dates, or to denote another uncertainty. Where specific dates of despatch or receipt are partially unclear, the items are listed with question marks at the end of the period (year, month, day in multiples of 10) for which they almost certainly belong. Hopefully, new information about some of these will enable them to be moved to a more specific date at a later stage.

5. The names and addresses of recipients have been provided where they are reasonably discernible. But old handwriting is not always easy to decipher, so some errors are inevitable here (corrections welcomed!).

6. A yellow background highlights items that have been exposed as fakes, or that are suspected as having been manipulated. They have not been excluded altogether because readers may not be aware of their status, and could therefore be tempted to buy them or have them listed in the census as genuine items.

7. Images are available for items highlighted with green background, and can be requested from moller.stamps@gmail.com.

Abbreviations Used:

Back/Reverse Side

Cover / Envelope

Front/Obverse Side

Mourning Cover / Envelope

Horizontal

Part Cover / Envelope

Vertical

Registered Cover

Single(s)

Entire (Letter)

Pair(s)

Part Entire

Strip(s)

Mourning Entire

Block

Bisect

Registered Piece

Newspaper Wrapper

Circular Date Stamp (c.d.s.)

"Ship Letter" Wrapper

Crowned Circle Date Stamp

"Ship Letter" (Cover)

Manuscript (cancellation)

"Ship Letter" Entire

London Paid (CDS)

"Ship Letter" Piece

Goldfield (CDS)

Part "Ship Letter"

Obliterator

Part Letter Sheet

Australian Liverpool Packet

Front (Outer)

Perkins, Bacon (Obliterator)

Concessionary Letter

Province of Auckland (CDS)

Registered Wrapper

Newspaper

Registered Entire

Book Post

Concessionary Front

Mail Bag (seal)

On Public Service Only

From the Literature

Note: A "Ship Letter" is a letter carried by a private ship, while letters carried by ships in packets are referred to as "Mail Ship Letters".

Despatch (origin):

Arrival (destination):

Stamp(s) Used:

Adressee (if discernible, and often with uncertainty):

Liverpool ("AUSTRALIAN PACKET/DE 28") transit mark on reverse. Endorsed "Mrs Martin". Now in Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa collection. Earliest recorded use of the 1d London, and now regarded as the earliest recorded use of a New Zealand stamp (see previous item). The 'd6' indicates 6d to be paid by the recipient for a mail ship letter.

b/s ("SHIP LETTER/SYDNEY")

Probably carried on "The William Denny", which was due to sail for Sydney on 18/8-55 (The New Zealander, 18/8-55, Page 1). Possibly the same item as 1933(1) Lot 11, as "on original letter". Earliest recorded usage of a NZ stamp in private hands. Take a closer look at this item, in particular in Vol X of handbooks, as one of the Part Ship Letters to Australia.

"The William Denny" was due to sail for Sydney on 18/8-55 (The New Zealander, 18/8-55, Page 1). It arrived in Sydney on 25/8-55 (Sydney Morning Herald 27/8-55). In Tapling Collection in the British Museum, which is why it can't be the same item as 550818(1). There are strong suspicions that the item has been fabricated - perhaps "modelled on" 550818(1)?

See The NZSC 95(1):11-15 (March 2015). Ex Lewin correspondence. Contains letters written by William and Emma Maxwell, Otengi Farm, Awanui Block, near Mongonui. Emma wrote her letter before the first stamps were issued in NZ. Probably carried on Algerine from Auckland (1/9-55) to Sydney (11/9-55), Telegraph from Sydney 12/9-55 to Melbourne 14/9-55, Burra Burra from Melbourne 15/9-55 to Adelaide 18/9-55.

1993(1) Lot 118; 1999(1) Lot 228; 2000(5) Lot 257; 2000(6) Item 49

Dorotheum Auctions, Vienna, 16 June 2021, Lot 524c; 2021(17) Lot 20002

2d rate to pay for carriage to Sydney (within the Colony), with 6d to be claimed from the recipient for a mail ship letter. Endorsed "3(r)d Oct. 1855 / My Son Will. / Nelson / New Zealand". One of only three known covers carrying SG1 pair. Earliest known cover bearing 1d value in private hands.

1951(A) Lot 376; 1963(1) Lot 29; 2000(3) Lot 259; 2019(14) Lot 6018

Rangiawhia (Rangiaowhia)

M/S departure mark on reverse reads: "P.O. Ahuriri 30/10/55". "Lighting" was a ship in the Black Bull Line. Earliest recorded stamped item from Ahuriri, and fifth earliest recorded stamped cover from New Zealand. The 'd6' indicates 6d to be paid by the recipient for a mail ship letter.

1946(B) Lot 346; 1960(1) Lot 9; 1977(1) Lot 542; 1982(A) Lot 1019; 1988(2) Lot 3150

Venerable Archdeacon Brown

"Registered 365" M/S in red crayon on f/s

RPSNZ (1991); Odenweller (2014)

f/s (Port Victoria)

5 Fell St, Wood Street, Cheapside

Clipper Ocean Queen of the Black Ball Line.

1933(A) Lot 30; 1975(A) Lot 1445; 1977(1) Lot 1; 1985(A) Lot 530; 2019(14) Lot 6023

b/s ("Ship Letter/Free/Vic" in red)