In 1995, New Zealand trial AirPost International booklets were issued with the $1 Butterfly definitive se-tenant with an air mail label. A further AirPost International booklet was issued in 1996 and and an Air International booklet in 2000.
AirPost International Booklet 1995
The booklet was issued on 1 September 1995 and contained five $1 Forest Ringlet Butterfly definitive stamps. It was produced by Southern Colour Print and the stamps were of a different shade from the normal definitives which were printed by Leigh-Mardon.
The stamps are perforated 14 x 14.25 x imperf x 14.25 and each stamp is se-tenant at the top with an airPost International label. The number of booklets issued was 20,000. [1]
This was a trial and, although further airPost booklets
were produced, they did not have a se-tenant airmail label.
AirPost International Booklet 1996
This booklet was issued on 7 August 1996 and contained five $1 Pohutukawa self-adhesive stamps. The Pohutukawa tree blossoms in December and January.
The booklets were printed by Australia Post and also exist printed from a jumbo role.
Four of the five booklet stamps have vertical mesh while the fifth (which has a different orientation) has horizontal mesh as does the stamps from the jumbo roll.
The booklets contain 5 airPost International labels.
A reprint was made in 1999.
Air International Booklet 2000
This booklet was issued on 3 April 2000 and contained five $1.10 Scenic self-adhesive stamps showing the Kaikoura Coast. They were printed by Southern Colour Print.
The ordinary definitive had been issued on 6 March 2000 and was perf 13.5 x 13.75 while the booklet stamp has die-cut perfs 10 x 9.75.
This booklet does not have the airPost logo as was the case with the previous two booklets. Instead, it is New Zealand Post Air International.
Five airmail labels are included.
back
All scans were made by the author.
[1] B G Vincent (Ed), The Postage Stamps of
New Zealand Vol VIII, published by the
Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand in 1998.