New Zealand 1898 Pictorials

New digital stamp art created in celebration of the New Zealand 1898 Pictorial stamps. New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to put pictures of the countryside, birds, and animals on its stamps. These stamps became known as pictorials, and the first were issued on 5 April 1898, selected from around 2,400 that had been entered into a public competition. Now the art from these historical collectable stamps is available as another world-first-New Zealand’s first NFT stamps.

Series 2

New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to put pictures of the countryside, birds, and animals on its stamps. These stamps became known as Pictorials, and the first were issued on 5 April 1898, selected from around 2,400 that had been entered into a public competition. 

At the time of issue, these stamps represented a departure from the almost universal use of portrait designs of monarchs or presidents. Each denomination had its own unique design, and they were more attractive and interesting to consumers and collectors. The advantages from both financial and general points of view had been submitted to the Postmaster-General as early as 1894 for a stamp issue that was “symbolic of the land”.

The stamps were all engraved, and their first issue printed by Waterlow and Sons, England, with later supplies being printed in New Zealand from new plates. At the time of issue, New Zealand used British currency, and the original face values of the stamps range from a half penny to two shillings.

VeVe Collectible Breakdown

Welcome to our video breakdown series where we give you everything you need to know about digital comics and collectibles that are dropping on VeVe! Historical context, artist background, cover art breakdowns and more. Let us know in the comments what else you want to see in future breakdown videos!

Single 6d 'Kiwi' Stamp
‍Kiwi (Apterygidae) are endemic to New Zealand. They have probably been here for 70 million years and, because they are unique to this country and a highly distinctive family, they have become a national symbol. Like the extinct moa, the kiwi is unable to fly and has no keel on the sternum (breast bone). The birds stand about 31cm tall, and use their long, sensitive bills to find their food - worms, grubs and ground insects, and fallen fruit.

Drop Date: 2 December 2023, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 1,898
Rarity: Uncommon
Edition Type: First Edition
First Edition for Public Sale: #41
License: NZ Post
Brand: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials
Series: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials - Series 2
Available: Globally

Single 5s 'Mount Cook' Stamp
Aoraki Mount Cook is New Zealand's highest mountain, over 3,700 meters in height, situated in the South Island's Southern Alps. New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary acquired his technical mountaineering skills by climbing peaks such as Aoraki ahead of joining Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay to become one of the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

Drop Date: 2 December 2023, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 1,898
Rarity: Uncommon
First Edition for Public Sale: #41
License: NZ Post
Brand: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials
Series: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials - Series 2
Available: Globally

Single 5d 'Otira Gorge' Stamp
‍The Otira gorge is situated in the Southern Alps on the main route from Canterbury to Westland in the South Island of New Zealand. Inset within the design is Mount Ruapehu (2,797 meters).

Drop Date: 2 December 2023, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 1,498
Rarity: Rare
Edition Type: First Edition
First Edition for Public Sale: #41
License: NZ Post
Brand: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials
Series: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials - Series 2
Available: Globally

Single 8d 'War Canoe and Crown' Stamp
This stamp features a graphic eight with a Māori waka (canoe) on the lower circle of the eight and a crown in the upper circle. Tree ferns are depicted on the left with cabbage palms on the right. This stamp was the first New Zealand stamp to recognise Māori culture.

Drop Date: 2 December 2023, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 1,498
Rarity: Rare
Edition Type: First Edition
First Edition for Public Sale: #41
License: NZ Post
Brand: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials
Series: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials - Series 2
Available: Globally

Single 3d 'Huia' Stamp
Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) became extinct in 1907 because of hunting, clearing of their forest habitat and over-zealous specimen collecting for museums. The huia was noted for its green-black plumage, its rounded orange wattles and white-tipped tail. The female had a long, slender curving bill which made it easily distinguishable from the male, which had a much shorter but more powerful beak. Almost always seen in pairs, they normally bounded along the ground or from branch to branch, flying only when necessary. Huia tail feathers were greatly prized by the Māori as symbols of rank and used as adornment by chiefs.

Drop Date: 2 December 2023, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 898
Rarity: Ultra Rare
Edition Type: First Edition
First Edition for Public Sale: #41
License: NZ Post
Brand: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials
Series: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials - Series 2
Available: Globally

Single 1s 'Kea and Kaka' Stamp
Kea (Nestor notabilis), on the left, is a parrot about 46cm long with olive-green feathers and scarlet under wings. It is a bird of great personality, raucous and inquisitive. Kākā (Nestor meridionalis), on the right, is a parrot about 45cm long, often heard before being seen - its loud, harsh call traveling some distance. Its appearance is striking - bright red-orange neck, abdomen and rump, olive-green above, with scarlet under wings which can be seen when the bird is in flight.

Drop Date: 2 December 2023, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 898
Rarity: Ultra Rare
Edition Type: First Edition
First Edition for Public Sale: #41
License: NZ Post
Brand: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials
Series: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials - Series 2
Available: Globally

Single 2 1/2d 'Lake Wakitipu' Gummed Stamp

This version of the stamp featured a spelling mistake, ‘Wakitipu’ instead of ‘Wakatipu’. Due to this spelling mistake in the stamp, this was reissued on the 5th May 1898 with the correct spelling. Both stamps are considered as part of the 1898 Pictorials release.

Wakatipu is the second largest lake in the South Island, after Lake Te Anau, and covers 293 square km. It lies at the southern end of the Southern Alps in Central Otago. Mount Earnslaw (at over 2,400 meters) is depicted in the background of the design, also illustrated, at the left, is New Zealand flax, and, at right, cabbage palms and toitoi. A sheep drover, Nathaniel Chalmers, is believed to have been the first European to sight the lake, arriving there with two Māori guides in 1853.

Drop Date: 2 December 2023, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 598
Rarity: Secret Rare
First Edition for Public Sale: #41
License: NZ Post
Brand: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials
Series: New Zealand 1898 Pictorials - Series 2
Available: Globally‍

‍<sub>A total of 90 editions from each rarity will be withheld by VeVe for licensor, promotional, team and comp distribution.

© 2023 NZ Post Collectables</sub>

‍Waitlist Drop - Blind Box

Waitlist will open 30 minutes before drop time for verified/KYC'd users. If you enter the Waitlist and are lucky enough to secure a reservation, you will have 15 minutes to complete the purchase process. If you do not complete the purchase, your collectible reservation will be returned to the public pool and be available for users to purchase directly from the VeVe Store. More info on Waitlist Drops HERE.

‍These digital collectibles will be available for purchase as a blind box, meaning you won’t know which rarity you have acquired until after your successful purchase. From there, you can continue to expand your collection with additional blind boxes, or interact with other users in the Market to complete your set.

_{Secondary Market Fees
A 2% licensor fee will be applied to all NZ Post sales in the secondary market in addition to the existing VeVe 2.5% secondary market fee.}

_{NZ Post
NZ Post is the only official issuer of New Zealand postage stamps. The first New Zealand postal stamps were issued on 18 July 1855. Today’s stamp programme reflects the unique history, culture, taonga (treasures) and people of Aotearoa New Zealand.}

_{VeVe
Founded in 2018, VeVe was created by collectors, for collectors to bring premium licensed digital collectibles to the mass market. With over 8 million NFTs sold, VeVe is the largest mobile-first digital collectibles platform and one of the top grossing Entertainment Apps in the Google Play and Apple stores.}

_{VeVe’s 3D augmented reality photo mode allows collectors to interact with every digital collectible, as well as share their collectibles through VeVe’s in-app social feed, or on external social platforms.}

_{In addition, VeVe uses Ethereum’s layer 2 scaling protocol, Immutable X, which provides instant trade confirmation, scalability (over 9,000 trades per second), zero gas fees, and a 99.9% reduction in environmental footprint. More on carbon neutrality 🍃}