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Philatelic
Fact of the Week
Philatelic Fact of the Week is aimed at making our website even more interesting and informative.
Every week we'll be posting a new philatelic fact about Australian philately or philately in general. This page will maintain an ongoing archive of all the philatelic facts we list, building over time into a fabulous store of useful stats and facts you can use to test others, make up philatelic quizzes or just reflect on at your leisure.
#84 (Week
Ending 12 September 2010):
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) convenes a Congress every
four years. The
next Congress will be held in September/October 2012 in the Qatari capital
of Doha.
#83 (Week
Ending 5 September 2010):
The Universal Postal Union (UPU) has 191 member countries which in 2008 employed
more than 5 million people, operating a global network of more than 600,000
post offices and almost one million postal vehicles.
#82 (Week
Ending 29 August 2010):
The selection process for Australian stamps begins at least two years before
the stamps are issued (to allow for research, design, printing and production).
#81 (Week
Ending 22 August 2010):
Definitive aerogrammes are issued by Australia Post every two years for ongoing
postal requirements. One aerogramme is issued every year in association with
the Christmas postage stamps.
#80 (Week
Ending 15 August 2010):
Current Australia Post policy states that anniversaries of the death of any
individual may not be
featured on Australian stamps.
#79 (Week
Ending 8 August 2010):
Different perforations are used for self-adhesive (peel-and-stick)
stamps which are designed to allow you to identify this style
of stamp. Self-adhesive
stamps currently have a flat section at their top and bottom.
#78 (Week
Ending 1 August 2010):
An Australia Post Collector Pack contains
a number of self-adhesive stamps cut from a roll of 100 or 200 and includes
the various message tabs that appear on the rolls.
#77 (Week
Ending 25 July 2010):
Australia Post commenced using a Seal of Authenticity sticker
on the back of some products in 2008. The
Seal was introduced to ensure that collectors know they are buying an official
Australia Post product.
#76 (Week
Ending 18 July 2010):
The Annual Collection of Australian Stamps has
been produced by Australia Post every year since 1981.
#75 (Week
Ending 11 July 2010):
In 1847 Mauritius became the first British Colony to issue postage stamps.
#74 (Week
Ending 4 July 2010):
The basic letter-rate within Australia increased from 55c to 60c on 28 June
2010.
#73 (Week
Ending 27 June 2010):
Australian Antarctic Territory stamps are valid for the prepayment of postage
within Australia; Norfolk Island stamps are not.
#72 (Week
Ending 20 June 2010):
Only Christmas Island stamps issued since March 1993 and inscribed "Christmas
Island Australia" are presently valid for the prepayment of postage within Australia.
#71 (Week
Ending 13 June 2010):
A key principle of the Thematic Philately class is that exhibits should use
the widest range of appropriate postal-philatelic material.
#70 (Week
Ending 6 June 2010):
The first rocket ever to carry letters was launched by an Austrian named Schmiedel
in 1931.
#69 (Week
Ending 30 May 2010):
Exhibits that do not principally follow the special rules of other philatelic
classes are judged as traditional philately exhibits.
#68 (Week
Ending 23 May 2010):
Items such as maps, photographs and timetables are permitted in aerophilately
exhibits as long as they are considered vital to illustrate or draw attention
to a particular point or situation.
#67 (Week
Ending 16 May 2010):
Posta Aerea is
Italian for airmail.
#66 (Week
Ending 9 May 2010):
In 1879 Liege, Belgium employed 37 cats to carry bundles of letters to villages.
This service didn't last long as cats proved to be thoroughly undisciplined.
#65 (Week
Ending 2 May 2010):
The Literature class is the only class in philately that does not have to conform
to FIP Official Language Rules - it can be presented in any language.
#64 (Week
Ending 25 April 2010):
The term 'crash cover' refers to a cover saved from a plane, train, or other
vehicle with a postal marking explaining the damaged condition.
#63 (Week
Ending 18 April 2010):
The term 'paquebot' meaning 'packet boat' refers to letters posted on ships
at sea and to the form of postmark used.
#62 (Week
Ending 11 April 2010):
Exhibits in the Maximaphily class should be composed exclusively of maximum
cards.
#61 (Week
Ending 4 April 2010):
The term 'Postal Stationery' refers to postal matter which either bears an
officially authorised pre-printed stamp or device or inscription indicating
that a specific face value rate of postage has been pre-paid.
#60 (Week
Ending 28 March 2010):
Marcophily, a branch of Postal History, is the study of postal markings related
to official, local or private mails on covers, adhesive stamps and other postal
items.
#59 (Week
Ending 21 March 2010):
The world's first stamp magazine was the short lived British
Monthly Intelligence, first published in 1862.
#58 (Week
Ending 14 March 2010):
Because light and heat involved in the photocopying process can have a deleterious
effect on philatelic materials, photocopying of philatelic materials at institutions
such as the British Library is not allowed.
#57 (Week
Ending 7 March 2010):
The term 'fiscal stamp' refers to a stamp used for the collection of taxes
or fees for a non postal purpose.
#56 (Week
Ending 28 February 2010):
The introduction of a standard postage rate of one penny in May 1911 was great
news for NSW where previously postage had cost two pence outside the limits
of a town or city.
#55 (Week
Ending 21 February 2010):
Australia has the world’s longest mail run – a two-day 2,400-kilometre trip
by plane from Port Augusta (SA) to Birdsville (Qld).
#54 (Week
Ending 14 February 2010):
The first self-adhesive stamp to be sold in dispenser boxes of 100 was the
41c Cycling stamp.
#53 (Week
Ending 7 February 2010):
Rolls of self-adhesive stamps in a dispenser box (100 stamps per box) were
first issued in Australia in May 1990.
#52 (Week
Ending 31 January 2010):
Tom Keneally was one of the special group of designers who designed the 1970
Captain Cook Bicentenary stamps.
#51 (Week
Ending 24 January 2010):
Perforation measurements list the horizontal perforation first followed by
the vertical.
#50 (Week
Ending 17 January 2010):
J B Cooke was Australia's first Commonwealth Stamp Printer holding the post
until he retired in 1918.
#49 (Week
Ending 10 January 2010):
When FRAMA vending machines were first introduced in 1984, they were initially
only installed in Australia's 6 State capital city GPOs and Canberra.
#48 (Week
Ending 3 January 2010):
A concessional rate for christmas cards posted within Australia was introduced
in 1975 (15c) - the same year the basic letter rate was increased from 10c
to 18c.
#47 (Week
Ending 27 December 2009):
Until June 1925 it was compulsory to pay double the parcel rate for any item
marked 'fragile' - this paid for special protection of parcels in transit.
#46 (Week
Ending 20 December 2009):
Whilst most Australian decimal stamps have been issued in sheets of 100 or
50, some of the early 1966 issues were issued in sheets of 48 (12 rows of 4).
#45 (Week
Ending 13 December 2009):
Perforation measurements should always be taken on mint stamps as stamps can
shrink after having been immersed in water.
#44 (Week
Ending 6 December 2009):
The Postmaster-General's Department began experimenting with stamp vending
machines as early as 1903 but coil stamps from vending machines only became
available from 1938.
#43 (Week
Ending 29 November 2009):
The practice of recognising the responsible private artist on Australian stamps
commenced in September 1966 with the first series of AAT decimal stamps.
#42 (Week
Ending 22 November 2009):
The first stamp booklets were introduced by Luxembourg in 1895.
#41 (Week
Ending 15 November 2009):
Pre decimal stamps could still be legally used for postage in Australia for
a full two years after the introduction of decimal currency in February 1966.
#40 (Week
Ending 8 November 2009):
Different quantities were printed of each of the seven 7c non-Olympic
sport stamps issued in 1974 (Tennis
the most, Lawn Bowls the least).
#39 (Week
Ending 1 November 2009):
The first official air stamps were issued by Italy in 1877.
#38 (Week
Ending 25 October 2009):
Concessional postage rates for the Armed Forces which had applied since 1939
were abolished in 1961 after which they applied only for personnel serving
outside Australia.
#37 (Week
Ending 18 October 2009):
In philately the abbreviation 'PC' means Pen
Cancelled.
#36 (Week
Ending 11 October 2009):
On 9 October 1874, the Treaty of Berne convened in Switzerland
established the General Postal Union. Its
name was changed to the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1878.
#35 (Week
Ending 4 October 2009):
The term 'blind perforation' refers to perforation holes that have been only
lightly impressed and not actually punched out leaving the paper in tact.
#34 (Week
Ending 27 September 2009):
In philately the term 'imprint' refers to the name of the printer or issuing
authority printed on the sheet margins or on the stamps themselves.
#33 (Week
Ending 20 September 2009):
QANTAS launched Australia's second regular aerial air mail service in November
1922 in Queensland.
#32 (Week
Ending 13 September 2009):
Australia's first regular inland air mail service began in December 1921 between
Geraldton and Derby in Western Australia.
#31 (Week
Ending 6 September 2009):
The 4d and 5d values are unique to the 1st watermark series of the first Commonwealth
Kangaroo and Map stamps.
#30 (Week
Ending 30 August 2009):
In 1930 during the Depression, sheets of the £2 kangaroo were divided down
the centre as it took too long to sell 60 stamps.
#29 (Week
Ending 23 August 2009):
Unlike the other Australian colonies, Western Australia's first
stamp issue consisted of only one denomination - the 1d "Black
Swan" issued on 1 August 1854.
#28 (Week
Ending 16 August 2009):
In 1850 NSW issued its first postage stamps but it wasn't until 1852 that their
use became compulsory.
#27 (Week
Ending 9 August 2009):
Until 1975 mail circulation in Australia was based on a single Mail Exchange
in each State capital city.
#26 (Week
Ending 2 August 2009):
Delivery of mail by rail from Australia's east coast to west coast commenced
in 1917 with completion of the Port Augusta - Kalgoorlie link.
#25 (Week
Ending 26 July 2009):
Priority Paid mail services between Australia's capital cities was introduced
in 1970.
#24 (Week
Ending 19 July 2009):
Mail delivery by horse drawn coach between Melbourne and Sydney commenced on
1 January 1845. Four days and 16 hours was allowed for each trip.
#23 (Week
Ending 12 July 2009):
Melbourne's GPO was built in 3 stages between 1859 and 1867, officially opening
on 1 July 1867.
#22 (Week
Ending 5 July 2009):
By 1998 Australia was producing on average more than one billion stamps per
year.
#21 (Week
Ending 28 June 2009):
The 1970 Captain Cook Bicentenary Miniature Sheet was the first (either perforate
or imperforate) since the 3d Kookaburra mini sheet issued in 1928.
#20 (Week
Ending 21 June 2009):
The term Tete-Beche refers to two similar
stamps joined together (se tenant) upside down each to the other.
#19 (Week
Ending 14 June 2009):
The 1977 $10 'Coming South' Australian Paintings stamp was
originally issued in sheets of 50 (10 rows of 5). A
later reprint contained 5 rows of 10 stamps.
#18 (Week
Ending 7 June 2009):
The 1934 Centenary of Victoria stamps were the first Australian Commonwealth
stamps to be recess printed on a rotary machine.
#17 (Week
Ending 31 May 2009):
The 1/- and 2/- multicolor Australian stamps produced for the 1956 Melbourne
Olympics were printed in England and Switzerland respectively.
#16 (Week
Ending 24 May 2009):
Australia's domestic letter rate increased from 10c to 18c on 1 September 1975.
#15 (Week
Ending 17 May 2009):
The first Australian Antarctic Territory stamp, a 2/- denomination, was issued
in 1957.
#14 (Week
Ending 10 May 2009):
The first form of official Business Reply Post in Australia
commenced on 1 July 1929. Businesses paid ½d
in addition to normal postage for each reply received.
#13 (Week
Ending 3 May 2009):
The term FRAMA label comes from the name of the Swiss company that manufactures
the vending machines.
#12 (Week
Ending 26 April 2009):
Australia's first airmail stamp - a threepence value - was issued in 1929 for
use on the Perth - Adelaide service.
#11 (Week
Ending 19 April 2009):
In 1948 it was decided that all Australian Commonwealth stamps of the general
series with face value lower that the current letter rate would be printed
on unwatermarked paper.
#10 (Week
Ending 12 April 2009):
The highest denomination value of the KGV definitive series (1 shilling 4 pence)
was brought about by an increase to the interstate telegram rate in October
1920 from 1 shilling 3 pence.
#9 (Week
Ending 5 April 2009):
Domestic air mail surcharges were abolished in Australia in 1959 after which
all letter mail was carried by air where appropriate at the basic postage rate.
#8 (Week
Ending 29 March 2009):
'Australia Post' as we know it today came into being on 1 July 1975 as a result
of the recommendations of the Vernon Commission formed in 1973.
#7 (Week
Ending 22 March 2009):
Souvenir Post Office Packs were introduced in Australia in
1969. The
first few packs were enclosed in plastic bags and sealed with sticky tape.
#6 (Week
Ending 15 March 2009):
On conversion to decimal currency in 1966, the new basic letter rate of 4 cents
actually represented a reduction from the previous 5 pence.
#5 (Week
Ending 8 March 2009):
Australia's first Christmas stamps were issued in 1957.
#4 (Week
Ending 1 March 2009):
The design of our first Commonwealth stamps issued in 1913 (commonly known
as 'the kangaroo and map' series) was the result of a public stamp design competition
held in 1911.
#3 (Week
Ending 22 February 2009):
There are only 20 stamps in a complete sheet of the 1932 5/- Sydney Harbour
Bridge (sheets contained four rows of five).
#2 (Week
Ending 15 February 2009):
In 1809 Isaac Nichols, an ex-convict, became Australia’s first postmaster.
He was the only person allowed to meet arriving ships in Sydney to take charge
of the mail, making sure the letters were delivered properly to the people
concerned.
#1 (Week
Ending 8 February 2009):
The four digit postcode was introduced throughout Australia on 1 July 1967.