Stamp Booklet Catalogue
MH1
- date of issue: 28.01.1970
- printing: 19 750
The first booklet was very popular and sold out quickly. Nearly the whole printing was sold to regular postal customers. Even swiftly acting collectors who ordered booklets in Port Moresby already got booklet number 2.
MH2
- date of issue: 25.05.1970
- printing: 50 000
Both booklets, number 1 and 2, contain 10 5-cent stamps Michel number 142 with matt gum, as noted in a footnote under the Shell set (Michel number 139-153) in the Michel catalogue.
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Booklet 2 comes in four different varieties which may be distinguished by the relevant distances of the printing, which is easily visible in the attached illustrations.
Only booklet 2 has an imprint "G.P. - P&NG/B1112"
A variety of booklet 2a shows a mis-aligned cut of the booklet covers. The imprint appears on the top instead of the bottom of the cover.
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MH X
Booklet 2 sold out quickly, too. Therefore a new booklet was prepared, which should contain stamps of the prevailing inland and Australia standard letter rate of 5 cents. But during the preparation postage for the standard letter was increased from 5 to 7 cents. Therefore the booklet was not issued. The whole printing of the booklet covers, which is said to have been 10 000, was destroyed. Only very few booklet covers survived. To date only four such covers are reported.
MH3
A similar booklet was issued on 1 April 1971, which had slight changes in the colour design and, of course, the new value and different stamps.
MH3
date of issue: 01.04.1971
printing: 72 000
MH4
The next booklet followed only one year later. It contained 5 pairs of 7 cent stamps, Michel number 215-16.
MH4
date of issue: 14.02.1972
printing: 50 000
MH4 X
A variety of booklet 4 contains stamps of the Missionary issue of 25 October 1972.
Daneben ist eine Bestückung mit Marken zum Nationalfeiertag bekannt geworden.
Whether the booklet was officially issued in this form or whether this is a private re-fill of the booklet can not be clarified to-date.
MH5
The next booklet was issued in 1973.
content: setenants 7 cent, MiNr. 234-237.
There are three varieties of booklet 5, which may be distinguished by the advertisments on the inside and the reverse of the booklet cover.
MH5a "TAA"
date of issue: 16.02.1973
printing: 48 000
MH5b "Olivetti"
date of issue: 02.07.1973
printing: 25 000
MH5c "Burney"
date of issue: 02.07.1973
printing: 25 000
As with all PNG booklets, regular printings of stamps in sheet format were used to fill the booklets. For booklet 5 Michel numbers 234-37 were used, which were printed se-tenant in blocks of four. So 25 se-tenant blocks of four make up one sheet of 100 stamps. The strips that were separated out of these sheets had selvedge on the left and the right side. Therefore there are different ways to affix the stamps to the booklet cover.
"middle" normal
"middle" inverted
"right side"
INTERPEX - booklet
On the occasion of th INTERPEX Stamp Exhibition in New York 1000 booklets 5a (TAA advertisement) were overprinted with the logo of the exhibition.
MH5d "New York"
date of issue: 09.03.1973
printing: 1 000
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To fulfil the demand of collectors all over the world, who could not attend INTERPEX, the overprint was re-printed in Port Moresby with another printing of 1000.
MH5d "Port Moresby"
date of issue: ????.1973
printing: 1 000
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The "New York" print may be distinguished from the "Port Moresby" print. The "Port Moresby" print is aligned a bit more to the left. Therefore the "perforation" of the INTERPEX overprint stretches into the flag of the booklet cover. On the "New York" print, the "perforation" of the INTERPEX overprint just touches the flag of the booklet cover.
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There are two additional specialties of the INTERPEX booklets, which are worth mentioning.
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A rubber stamp was available at the booth of the PNG Philatelic Bureau at INTERPEX. It is not clear what the purpose was.
This rubber stamp was struck on some regular booklets 5a (approximately 30 pieces) and on very few INTERPEX booklets (approximately 10 pieces).
BALPEX - booklet
On the occasion of the BALPEX stamp exhibition in Baltimore in September 1973 booklet MH5a (TAA advertisement) was overprinted with the exhibition logo.
Until now only one of these booklets is known.
MH5e "Balpex"
date of issue: ? .09.1973
printing: ??
The next booklets were not issued until 1993, twenty years after this issue.
MH6
The subsequent four booklets (booklet 6 -9) were offered in two styles.
- in a short version for sale at the counter
- in a longer blister version for sale from a shelf in a shop
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Content of the booklets: 10 x MiNr. 647 Bird of Paradise
The booklets were most likely issued on 14 April; 5 000 of each version were produced.
First day of issue cancelled booklets are known, as well as, with dates of 7 April and 15 April.
The stamps in the booklet my be found with marginal inscription "MAY 1992" and "1993". The booklet with the "1993" stamps should be rarer.
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MH7
Like booklet 6, there is short regular version (7a) and a longer blister version (7b). Number produced 5000.
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MH7aX
In 1998, by accident, some collectors realised that at Port Moresby a provisional stamp booklet was sold. Booklet 7a was filled with additional 5t emergency overprints. So the booklet could be used for standard letters to Australia, which cost 50t at the time, made of a 45t stamp plus the additional 5t emergency overprint. The stamps were added with a staple to the booklet cover.
It can be proved that this booklet was an offiical emergency measure by the testimony of the collectors who discovered the emergency booklets and by postal receipts that were issued when such booklets were purchased at the post office counter.
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MH8
date of issue: 09.06.1993
printing: in each case 5 000
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MH9
date of issue: 09.06.1993
printing: in each case 5 000
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MH10
date of issue: 11.05.1994
printing: 10 000
MH11
date of issue: 11.05.1994
printing: 10 000
MH12
date of issue: 21.06.1995
printing: 10 000
content: 10 x MiNr. 750
From this booklet pieces are known that contain the reprint of the 25t stamp of 1996 (Michel number 771) which may be identified by the smaller font used for the value print.
This issue was not confirmed by the Philatelic Bureau in Port Moresby.
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MH13
date of issue: 21.06.1995
printing: 10 000
MH14 - 17
In October 1998 stamps were issued featuring "canoeing".
There are stamp booklets of this issue with the Shell advertisement (booklets 14-17)
It is not surprising that these booklets were especially offered at Shell gas stations.
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The numbers produced are not known.
It is thought that 13 November 1998 was the date of issue. Collectors first noticed the existence of this booklet, when it was offered at the booth of the Philatelic Bureau of PNG during AUSTRALIA 99.
MH18 + MH19
date of issue: 24.07.2003
printing: unknown
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MH20 + MH21
date of issue: 19.11.2003
printing: unknown
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MH22 + MH23
date of issue: 30.01.2004
printing: unknown
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MH24 + MH25
date of issue: 02.06.2004
printing: unknown
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MH26 + MH27
date of issue: 17.11.2004
printing: unknown
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Since then, no further booklets have been recorded.
If you know of other booklets, have additional information or illustrations, please do let us know.
