Great Barrier Pigeongram:
VP 7 - Agency 6d Blue

Great Barrier Pigeon Post

1898 - 1904

VP 7 - Agency 6d Blue

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The Agency 6d Blue 

The relationship between the two Pigeon Post services was very combative, or maybe competitive is a better word, and I don't use competitive as a constructive term. Fricker was still very active and decided to follow suit with an issue of stamps.  But he also decided to up the ante and compete on price.  He halved the price of the Great Barrier Island to Auckland to 6d and retained the 1/- cost for Auckland to Great Barrier.  For this he developed two stamps accordingly.  These actions must have had a bearing on the profitability of both businesses.  One might get more business with the cheaper price, but would make less.  The other would have less business but make a little more per transaction.  Either way you look at it, not very smart business - but that's what a competitive mindset does - clouds rational thinking.  Back to the stamps.

Although the Agency stamps were issued as the 4th and 5th stamps respectively they are known as VP7 and VP8.  It must have been convenient for stamp collectors to think of the Original Pigeongram Service stamps as one cluster (VP1-6) and the Pigeongram Agencies as another (VP7-8).  It must also have compounded the view that the Original Service was in fact, the original.  But was it.  You could argue that it was, as Fricker had set up the first business and flown the first flimsies.  But when he left the business to establish another, was it the business he left that kept the honour of first, or Fricker himself?  That he had moved on and the business passed to Parkin and then Howie gave the impression the Agency was second to establish.  You could go either way.

Nonetheless, Howie with Bolitho's assistance had issued the first stamps so they come first in the catalogue.  Fricker's stamps are known as VP7 and VP8 but were actually the 4th and 5th stamps produced and were on sale on 7 July 1899, just four days after the Services 'Pigeongram' overprint (VP3) was issued on 7 July.  It gets even more confusing with the catalogue numbers, because the subsequent Marotiri overprint (VP5) was used from the Copper mines the day before the 'Pigeon Gram' stamp (VP4)  was issued.  The Marotiri red (VP6) was the last stamp to be issued.  

Whatever.  

Fricker engaged a well known artist, a Mr. Wrigg of Maori War fame.  He had won the New Zealand Cross, our then equivalent of the Victoria Cross (although that is a story in itself - controversy surrounds his award but that's not for us to deal with).  He was no doubt a talented artist.  He designed the stamps with a pigeon (finally!) flying over buildings. The design had been used before on certificates issued by the Auckland Flying Club of which Parkin had been secretary! Got to love Fricker's sense of humour.  Given Richard Pearse* had yet to fly the first powered plane down Canterbury way we can conclude that this club was a pigeon flying club!  It was rumoured that Richard Seddon (known as King Dick - a beloved Premier of NZ) had suggested the triangular shape, which were then lithographed by the Brett Publishing Company who published the Auckland Star.  They were supposed to be printed at 3/4 their design size as it was thought they were too big - but the instruction was not followed and so we got these beauties below.

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'The Collection'

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'The Collection' has numerous copies of the Agency 6d blue.  The 6d blue was printed in sheets of 20 and I am currently reconstructing a plate from mint singles.  This is not very hard due to the number produced (10,000), however it is a game of patience waiting for the right stamps to turn up.  Reg Walkers seminal work on Great Barrier Island Pigeon Post identifies how to plate each stamp.

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'The Collection' has numerous used on piece and used on complete flimsies, as shown below.  Their are also some imperforate copies - these are not thought to be proofs but just the normal stamps without perfs.