Dutch New Guinea under United Nations care....

[Rein]

The Dutch New Guinea stamps with "overprints" UNTEA in 1962-1963 have not been catalogized properly.
The Dutch dealers association NVPH issues an annual Specialized Catalogue that also encompasses the UNTEA!

But, alas, the catalogue is a disaster! Not just UNTEA, All over!

As the UNTEA stamps were a big hype late 1962, quite some collectors have bought as many stamps as they could get and everything that was flawed in particular!

The original set came in two parts and was made up of locally present stamps that were overprinted! All types of printings of the original stamps can be met with the UNTEA overprint!

There are NO experts on these stamps apart from a particular collector who claims to have the best of contacts with the UN and hence knows best! But unfortunately he doesn't have any knowledge of printing methods and types of paper, which is absolutely necessary to recognize the original stamps....

The SECOND set of UNTEA consists of stamps WITHOUT an overprint! They have never been overprinted but they are NEWLY printed stamps - in Haarlem, the Netherlands by Joh. Enschedé and Sons, with an extra layer of black print reading UNTEA! This is a fact that catalogues prefer not to know let alone mention!

The so-called THIRD set does not have any legal background! They were just remainders of the original NNG stamp left around for Indonesian buaya's (jacare's) to play with and have any typographical jokes passed onto them! Do no buy them as they are fake stamps! Of course the Indonesians that prepared them had good friends to back them up and give these fakes some official flavour!

In short, only the first set of UNTEA can be found having proper cancellations - even nice ones - as Dutch officials were still around and very helpful. The second set can never have been properly used unless by means of "helpful" Indonesian people....

We are still miles away from a proper catalogue listing anywhere!!

to be continued ....

[Rein]

Of the Haarlem printings we have the official records and we know many stamps have bween issued:



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[Rein]

Local overprint:



Haarlem-print:



with slightly whiter paper!

But the main characteristic of the stamp itself [Queen] is the direction of paper! Vertical for 1962, horizontal for 1963!

to be continued ....

[Rein]

Local overprint:



Haarlem-print:



with slightly whiter paper! And a different shade of green!

But the main characteristic of the stamp itself [Queen] is the direction of paper! Vertical for 1962, horizontal for 1963!

to be continued ....

[Rein]

Local overprint in details:







Haarlem-print:







Look at the bottom serif of the "T" and to some extent of the "A"!

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[Rein]

Local overprint in details:







Haarlem-print:







Look at the bottom serif of the "T" and to some extent of the "A"!

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[Rein]

Haarlem-print:















The relative height of the characters in NOT decisive!

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[Rein]

But ...

Hollandia-overprint:





Haarlem-print:





the N is lower than the U for the local overprint, but for the Haarlem print the N may be as high or higher than the U!

to be continued ....

[Rein]

Some technical information you need to know to understand what you should be looking for!

Printing sheets used to be as large as the counter sheets that is 29.5x36.5cm! That goes for all the birds and all the Queens!

But from the orders of 21.05.1962 onwards the sheet-layout for Joh. Enschedé en Zonen, Haarlem, changed!!

Printing sheets are now 2x10x10 or 60x40cm! With 2 counter sheets next to each other.

Which stamps got ordered in May 1962 and reaching New Guinea in August?

Birds of paradise: 10c, 15c
Kroonduif: 17c
Queen Juliana: 25c, 30c, 45c, 55c, 1guilder

Whereas the earlier printings had a direction of paper running vertically - i.e when moistened the stamps they curl and form a long cylinder!

The May printings had the direction of paper run horizontally - resulting in a short cylinder after moistening!

All values - 10, 15, 17, 25, 30, 45, 55c and 1gld - may have been available to Dutch stamp collectors through the Philatelic Counters in Summer 1962! No one realised what he had got then!

Now they are extremely scarce! I just have a single copy of the 10c, 15c and 17c

All 8 values of this type have been overprinted in Hollandia. Dutch collectors of UNTEA probably never realised they can be distinguished!

For the Haarlem printing of UNTEA the new printing sheet layout had been used - at least for the photogravure and recess! That is why all the Haarlem-printings can be so easily recognized!

As to the offset-litho birds it is strange that the 17c still has a "short cylinder" whereas the 7c and 12c comply and have a "long cylinder"!

to be continued ...

[Rein]

Local overprint:





Haarlem-print:





with slightly whiter paper!

But the main characteristic of the stamp itself [Queen] is the direction of paper! Vertical for 1962, horizontal for 1963!

to be continued ....

[Rein]

Local overprint:





Haarlem-print:





with slightly whiter paper!

But the main characteristic of the stamp itself [Queen] is the direction of paper! Vertical for 1962, horizontal for 1963!

to be continued ....

[Rein]

Local overprint:



May 1962 order for the base stamp. See the grooves in the paper surface run horizontally:





to be continued ...

[Rein]

Local overprint:





Haarlem-print:





with slightly whiter paper!

The direction of paper is vertical both for 1962 as well as for 1963!

to be continued ....