Lot 346

Early 20th C. N.W. Pacific Islands Overprint Stamps - Group of 18 Used

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Lot 346
Early 20th C. N.W. Pacific Islands Overprint Stamps - Group of 18 Used

Early 20th C. N.W. Pacific Islands Overprint Stamps - Group of 18 Used

Estimate: $300 - $450

Starting Bid: $150

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
June 25, 2026 9:00 AM MDT (In Progress)
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Oceania, Australian Administration, North West Pacific Islands, ca. 1915–1924 CE. A philatelic assemblage of eighteen used postage stamps issued for the North West Pacific Islands, the Australian-administered former German territories of New Guinea and adjacent islands following their capture in the First World War. Each is a contemporary Australian definitive, the kangaroo-and-map and King George V profile types among them, overprinted "N.W. PACIFIC ISLANDS" in stark sans-serif capitals to mark its use in the occupied territory. The little engravings carry crisp cancellations, several with legible circular date stamps, and span a range of denominations and printing colors, from rose and carmine to deep green, slate, and brown. Mounted in glassine on a collector's stock card, the group records a brief and consequential moment when wartime conquest redrew the postal map of the Pacific. Size (all about the same): 0.9" W x 1.2" H (2.3 cm W x 3.0 cm H).

The North West Pacific Islands issues were a wartime expedient. When Australian forces occupied German New Guinea in 1914, the administration overprinted standard Australian stamps rather than commission a distinct series, and these "N.W. PACIFIC ISLANDS" overprints served the territory from 1915 until the Mandated Territory of New Guinea began issuing its own stamps in the mid-1920s. Because they were printed in modest quantities and used in a remote theater, well-cancelled examples, particularly those tied to a piece with a clear circular date stamp, are prized by specialists. The collector's annotations note the lot as fifteen different among eighteen used, including a copy of Scott number 40.

Provenance: private Sheffield, Massachusetts, USA collection, by inheritance, collected 1970's

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Item # 199714

  • Condition: Excellent. All are cancelled, but otherwise in very good to excellent condition.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000