Stamp Investment Tip: New Zealand 1946-47 Life Insurance Stamps (Scott #OY24-28)

  New Zealand began issuing stamps for use by its  Government Life Insurance Department in 1891.  From 1946 to '47, New Zealand issued a set of five Life Insurance Stamps (Scott #OY24-28), utilizing the same Lighthouse common design that had been used in its earlier 1905-32 set (Scott #OY10-23). 13,800 of the were issued, and Scott '13 prices the unused set at $ 24.55 ($42.50 for NH)  .           

All of the early New Zealand Life Insurance sets are scarce and undervalued - possibly because they are neglected as obscure back-of-book issues.

New Zealand is a modern, prosperous nation of about 4.3 million people, with a GDP of $115 billion. Over the last 10 years, annual GDP growth has averaged about 3%. The economy was hurt by the recent global financial crisis, and is beginning to recover. In 2005, the World Bank praised New Zealand as being the most business-friendly nation in the world. The nation has a stamp collecting demographic similar to Great Britain's, and the demand for better material should increase dramatically as population aging accelerates. The percentage of New Zealanders aged 60 and over will rise from 18% in 2009 to 29% in 2050.

I've begun a new blog, "The Stamp Specialist", which features wholesale buy prices for stamps which I am interested in purchasing, as well as links to other dealers' buy lists. Viewing dealers' buy lists every now and then is an excellent way to keep current on the vagaries of the stamp market.