Look for beautiful Papua 1932 pictorial set of 16

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

Papua was a British territory occupying roughly the southeastern third of the island of New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean north of Australia. Papua became a British protectorate in 1888. The northeastern third of the island was the colony of German New Guinea, while the western half of the island comprised the colony of Netherlands New Guinea. In 1902, Great Britain transferred administration of Papua to the Dominion of Australia.

In 1914, after the outbreak of World War I, Australia invaded and occupied German New Guinea. After the war, the League of Nations assigned the former German New Guinea to Australia as a mandate. Although Australia was directly administering Papua and the former German colony of New Guinea, they had entirely separate administrations. Both continued to issue their own stamps until after World War II.

In 1949, the two territories were combined to form the Territory of Papua New Guinea. On Sept. 16, 1975, Papua New Guinea became an independent parliamentary monarchy in the British Commonwealth with the sovereign of the United Kingdom as its head of state.

On Nov. 14, 1932, Papua issued a set of 16 pictorial definitive stamps (Scott 94-109). The Art Nouveau-influenced designs are among the most beautiful British Commonwealth stamps ever issued. The engraved stamps were printed on unwatermarked paper and perforated gauge 11. Most of the stamps in the set are bicolor.

The exotic design subjects include a Motuan girl, a bird of paradise and a boar’s tusk, a mother and child, Papuan motherhood, a dubu (ceremonial platform), a fire maker, tree houses, a Papuan dandy, a masked dancer, shooting fish with a bow and arrow, pottery making, Major Simo of the native constabulary, and a delta house.

The Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps and Covers 1840-1940 values the set in very fine grade and unused, hinged condition at $639.75. Most collectors are happy with fine-very fine grade, and a set in that grade and unused, hinged condition is a good buy at $350 to $400. Most of the value is in the top three face-value stamps, the 5-shilling, 10sh and £1 stamps. Short sets without the three high-value stamps abound at less than Scott catalog value.

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