THE 1982 MAP STAMP 1.4.1982

THE 1982 MAP STAMP: THE VALUE OF SEVEN DOTS

In April 1982 the cost of posting a standard letter within New Zealand rose from 20 to 24 cents. This necessitated the issuing of a new stamp, and so the 24 cent pale green and ultramarine map stamp was born. The stamp was designed by Allan Mitchell, and printed in Melbourne by Leigh-Mardon, in sheets of 100 stamps (10 stamps x 10).

The stamp was current for three years, from 1 April 1982 to 1 July 1985. During that time it went through seven printings and the printings are indicated in plate blocks by dots within a square outline. As Geoff Rickards has pointed out, "in some cases a printing involved more than one combination of colour plates ... thereby producing a total of 12 different plate blocks".

This stamp depicted a map of New Zealand with longitude and latitude marking the country's position in the South Pacific.

Thank you Maria for this FDC.