New Zealand 1864 1 p – orange QV Cat v 100e Used stamp

New Zealand 1864 1 p – orange QV Cat v 100e Used stamp

1864 1 penny orange Queen Victoria stamp issued by New Zealand. Here are some key details:

• It featured an engraved portrait of Queen Victoria based on the “Chalon Head” design used on early British stamps.
• The stamp was printed in orange-vermilion color on paper watermarked with a large star.
• It had imperforate edges as it was issued before perforating machines were introduced in New Zealand in the late 1860s.
• The 1d value was the lowest denomination in the second pictorial stamp series issued by New Zealand beginning in 1864.
• The inscription reads “NEW ZEALAND POSTAGE” at the top and the value at bottom with no value figures in words.
• It was printed by Richardson & Co. in England using surface printed typography methods.
• Used examples with clear cancellations are highly prized by collectors specializing in early New Zealand stamps.
• Mint unused examples are very scarce, as only 1.2 million were printed originally.

This bright orange 1864 1d Queen Victoria stamp is considered a classic rarity of New Zealand philately from the Chalon Head era. Along with the other values issued in 1864-1867, it represented the colony’s transition towards pictorial stamp designs. High quality examples can command very high prices at auction.