Stamps

Stamps

The first Norfolk postage stamps were issued in 1947. Up until 2016, Norfolk Island was a postal issuing authority, operating its own postal services independently.

There was no mail delivery service. Articles received in the post were put into private boxes or held for collection. The rate in 1986 for local postage was five cents.

Prior to 2016, Norfolk stamps were widely collected, and the sale of stamps for collectors was an important part of the island’s revenues. The local Administration’s Philatelic Bureau to handle direct enquiries for stamps from collectors. As a postal issuing authority, Norfolk Island provided one sheet of each new stamp issue to every other postal issuing authority in the world. They in turn would provide sheets of all their new issues for Norfolk.

Norfolk Island stamps are sought after by many within the philatelic world, and the territory has a long established and active participation in the collector market. Tasmanian stamps were used on Norfolk Island from 1853 until 1856, but after the abandonment of the convict settlement and the transfer of the Pitcairn Islanders in 1856, postal services were practically non-existent on the Island for the next 40 years, although New South Wales stamps were used from 1877 until the early 1880’s.

The first recorded use of Norfolk Island’s own distinctive postmarker ocurred on 13th March 1891 but there was little opportunity for it to be used, as postage stamps were not available for purchase on the Island. The situation improved around 1898 when NSW stamps were placed on sale and this continued on until 1913 when they were replaced by the first Commonwealth issue the Kangaroo series of 1913.

About 1923, the first of the unsuccessful efforts was made to obtain distinctive postage stamps for Norfolk island, but the issue lapsed until 1937. Norfolk Island secured final approval to have distinctive postage stamps in late 1939. The stamps were printed by the Note Printing Branch in Australia in 1940, but because of wartime conditions the issue did not proceed. In 1947 authorisation for the destruction of the printed stock was completed but some were stolen before destruction was completed and these subsequently reached the philatelic market. They are readily distinguishable as they are perf 11 while the initial issue of 1947 was perf 14.

During most of the period of World War II Norfolk Island was garrisoned by New Zealand Army and Airforce units which established their own postal service.

Norfolk Island assumed full control of its postal affairs along with the first issue of Norfolk Island stamps on 10 June 1947. Since then the territory has had complete control and responsibility for its stamp issues. Designs are predominantly of island interest and include convict heritage, Pitcairn heritage, tourism, local fauna and flora and special events.

The Norfolk Island Philatelic Bureau was previously responsible for:

 • the research, design, production and supply of Norfolk Island postage     stamps for the Post Office and the stamp collector

 • producing First Day Covers, postcards and maxicards along with souvenir sheets and sheetlets

 • mailing stamps to standing customers upon release

The Philatelic Bureau was closed in 2016.

From 1 July 2016 Australia Post provides local postal services to Norfolk Island

Credit : Bounty Museum