With international stamp and coin auction events coming up in central Wellington later this month, one thing that veteran auctioneer John Mowbray has noticed is that as a side effect of Covid New Zealanders have had more time to re-discover the collectable items they have.

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New Zealand’s first postage stamp is now 167 years old and could fetch around $10,000 in the upcoming international stamp auction.

“The fact that people have spent more time at home in the last two years has meant our levels of inquiry have lifted significantly and some very interesting items have come to light.” “The sale we organised of 1905 All Black Alex McDonald’s jerseys and memorabilia for $125,000 recently shows that seeking expert advice is vital when assessing the value of collectable items” John Mowbray says.

A total of $1.3 million worth of stamps and coins will be part of the auction events held at Wellington’s West Plaza Hotel on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th March, and online, an element which facilitates international interest. Viewing is from 10am on Thursday 17th March.

Along with some high grade British coins, the auction features some very rare New Zealand trial coins and one of the first Reserve Bank 1934 notes, a pound with serial number ‘1A 000001’, according to Mowbray’s Director of Coins and Banknotes, David Galt.

John Mowbray says the $800,000 worth of stamps include treasures from more than 100 private collections. “What will be on offer includes an example of the very first postage stamp from 1855 and a very rare penny claret stamp which was a special issue for the huge 1906 Christchurch Exhibition” he says.

John Mowbray is looking forward to fronting this stamp auction (his first auction was in 1974) because the live online bidding facility will enhance the possibilities of interest from buyers all over the world. “I believe the already strong market for stamps, coins, and collectables in general will only get stronger as spending more time at home means people begin picking up their former hobbies again” he says.

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