Monday Morning Brief | Norfolk Island’s final stamps

Linn’s Stamp News and Scott catalog editorial director Donna Houseman discusses the end of an era on Norfolk Island, and the many changes collectors will notice in Vol. 4 of the 2017 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue that is now available.

Full video transcript:

Good morning and welcome to the Monday Morning Brief for July 18.

Norfolk Island, a tiny island in the South Pacific, discontinued issuing its own stamps on July 1. That is the date the island became a regional council of the Australian state of New South Wales and therefore ceased having its own postal service and postage stamps. Norfolk Island Post issued its final stamp June 7, a $5 souvenir sheet honoring the 160th anniversary of the landing of Pitcairners on Norfolk.

The island has been issuing its own stamps since it issued a set of 12 stamps in 1947 featuring a view of Ball Bay.

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Norfolk Island joins other Australian overseas territories, including Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island and Australian Antarctic Territory whose stamps are conceived, designed and issued by Australia Post. Future Norfolk stamps will be inscribed “Norfolk Island, Australia.”

Australia Post has reported that the first two stamps to be issued under its umbrella are scheduled for release in September and will feature what it refers to as two “iconic birds” of the island: the red-tailed tropicbird and the masked booby.

Vol. 4 of the 2017 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue is now available. More than 13,600 value changes are recorded for this edition of the catalog, which includes countries of the world J-M.

The Federated States of Malaya received a thorough vetting this year, resulting in 430 value changes with many increases among them.

A full line-by-line review of Malta results in almost 1,600 value changes. The many increases in the classic period of this country reflect the demand for high-quality stamps up to the mid-1930s.

A number of editorial additions and enhancements also have been made among the Vol. 4 listings.

If you haven’t already done so, order you copy today. Vol. 5 will be published in early August, followed by Vol. 6 in September, the Scott U.S. Specialized catalog in October and the Scott Classic specialized in November.

For the most up-to-date stamp news, visit Linns.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For Linn’s Stamp News and Scott catalogs, I’m Donna Houseman. Enjoy your week in stamps.