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A "VERY PRETTY" 2nd WATERMARK 5/- GREY & CHROME: OVERPRINTED "NORTH WEST PACIFIC ISLANDS" (NWPI) - TYPE B - VERY FINE OVAL VIOLET "MADANG" CANCEL - SG: 92 CV£120

The 2nd Watermark 5/- Kangaroo stamp was produced in one single printing on 1915 'emergency paper' by J.B. COOKE in August 1914, but the stamps were not issued until 12 February 1915. The frame Plate was 120-stamps-on, in two Panes of 60 each with 10 horizontal rows of 6 (issued to Post Offices in sheets of 120). They were used as the 'make-up' rate for higher telegram, parcel and bulk postage charges of the time. The single August 1914 printing produced only 720,000 stamps (of which 40,080 were spoilt leaving just 679,920 for issue). The 1915 2nd Watermark issue of Australian Kangaroos is far more scarce than the 1913 1st Watermark and the later 3rd Watermark & Small Multiple and CofA Watermark Kangaroo issues. The 2nd Watermark Roos were printed by the Government Printer J.B. COOKE in one single printing for each value during the period December 1914 through to early-to-mid 1915 (the 5/- was printed in August 1915). This was one of the shortest definitive printing runs in the world. THE AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH SPECIALISTS’ CATALOGUE “KANGAROOS” (ACSC 2025) states: "Second Watermark (Type2) - An emergency issue on Georgian paper due to the non-arrival of stocks of the First Watermark paper"… There were only 679,920 5/- stamps issued.

NWPI HISTORY: AUSTRALIAN FORCES landed at Herbertshohe, a settlement on the island of New Britain, on 11 SEPTEMBER 1914. By the end of the following two weeks, all of the German colonies in the neighbourhood were effectively occupied. A military administration was set up, with headquarters at Rabaul, under a military Governor (appointed in November 1914). This new government continued until May 1921 and through that time, transitioned from a military regime to a ‘mandatory’ of the ‘League of Nations”. During this time, the territory was called NEW BRITAIN, from the name of the Island on which the chief settlement stood. In May 1921, when a civil administration was set up for the first time, it was announced that the new name of “TERRITORY OF NEW GUINEA” was to be used. At no time was the area known as N.W. PACIFIC ISLANDS. Interestingly, the stamps of the Commonwealth overprinted “NWPI” were never meant to describe use in New Guinea. The major part of the territory is not an Island and no part of the group is North of the Equator.

The new military Governor took the overprinted stamps with him to Rabaul in Late 1914 and they were placed on sale for the first time in January 1915. The first stamps included 10,080 1d Red KGV and 8,160 of the 2½d Indigo Kangaroo value. The overprinted stamps continued through to the Spring of 1925 when they were withdrawn and replaced by the first 'permanent issue' for Papua.

THE OVERPRINT was first made ( in Melbourne) the stamps were intended for other ex-German colonies in the Pacific mainly; The MARSHALL Islands, MARIANNE Islands and the CAROLINE Islands and were to have been issued at JALUIT in the Marshall Islands. THEY were the THEN 'NW Pacific Islands'. But by the time the issue was ready, the Islands had passed into the hands of the Japanese and therefore the stamps became redundant before being circulated! It was decided to send the stamps to Rabaul for use in that part of the former German colonies which still remained in Australian ‘possession’. Even though the overprint was not really relevant to the area, it was used due to an Australian reluctance to use our un-overprinted stamps and the significant pressures faced by the Commonwealth Printing Office at the time.

This 2nd Watermark Kangaroo was overprinted "NWPI" in TYPE A for use in the Islands with the distinctive "MANUS" BULLS-EYE (SOCKED-ON-NOSE) postmark. This postmark has (probably) been applied to the stamp "PER FAVORE" and is magnificently centered as you can see. STANLEY GIBBONS SG:92 lists at £120 for fine used ($240AU). This lovely "BRIGHT YELLOW" example is 2nd Watermark. There are some 'fluffy perforations" (very typical of the time and the papers used) to this one and I suspect a pulled (ragged) perf at the top. After saying that, the postmark is beautifully applied and the stamp is well centered and dated 27 NOVEMBER 1916. The ACSC lists this 2nd Watermark stamp (non-overprinted) at $675! This is Ideal for the NWPI POSTMARK and DATE collector.

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