Stamps of Bruce Henderson

This set was issued on 5^th November 1986.  It took an immense effort in both composing and printing to achieve.  The set was primarily issued to test out my plan to use ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs printed in colour on modern letterpress equipment.

In ancient Egypt, the Heb Sed was celebrated as a festival to rejuvenate the Pharaoh, and featured (among the usual feasting and imbibing) the King sprinting!  It was often celebrated on the 30^th anniversary of the King’s coronation, or at any other time the King may decree.

The centre register has six hieroglyphic signs, which show the six main events associated with the festival.  From left to right, they are:

GIVE PRAISE TO THE GODS.

GET SHOWERED & BE PURIFIED.

GET HIGH.

SING.

EAT & DRINK.

(and finally, when all that is done,)

BE WEARY.

For more information on the Heb Sed Festival, click here.  For more information on Egyptian hieroglyphs, click here.  To learn hieroglyphs, enrol in a course of Near-Eastern Studies at your local university, or buy the textbook: “Egyptian Grammar” by Sir Alan Gardiner (Oxford University Press.)

NZ  Bicycle Posts

In 1968 Timaru was  a small sleepy town in New Zealand’s South Island.

Bruce Henderson, an entrepreneurial 18 year old school boy, and junior stamp collector, enlisted the help of 2 school mates to start a local bicycle delivery.

The new service was called ‘Moulins Services’. There was popular support by local businesses as they allowed good savings for the local delivery of receipts and accounts. There were 5 collecting points ranging from shops to actual residences. Mail that was ‘posted’ before 3:30pm would be picked up after school and delivered later in the day by the boys. The deliveries were shared around among the boys, but at busy times the deliveries continued into the evening.

The delivery rates were:
1¢ - unsealed invoices and receipts
2¢ - sealed letters [Official PO rate of 3¢]
5¢ - small packets
15¢, 30¢ - larger packets
Registered mail was an additional 7¢.[Official PO rate of 18¢]

Stamps were issued. The first issues were 1¢ and 2¢.

As the service grew extra 3¢, 5¢, 7¢ and 15¢ values were printed. While there was no 3¢ rate this was to be used in multiples to make help make up other values in time of shortage.

The first printings of the 1¢, 3¢ and 7¢ were on orange paper. Later printings were on similar but lemon paper.

The 2¢, 5¢ and 15¢ were on red paper.  All stamps had shiny gum, and were rouletted.

The printing was in black on the 1¢ and 2¢, and dark blue on the 5¢, while a blue-ish green on the 3¢. The 7¢ is in two colours: red printing [POSTES MOULINS] and black. 

The 15¢ appeared with raised gold [embossed] printing on a dark red paper and on the standard gummed paper like the other values. Some proofs printed on thin red card and imperf were also used as stamps when supplies of the gummed stamps ran low.  These vary in size.

The sheets were singly printed in two parts which gave tête-bêche pairs at the centre of the sheet. Like the half sheet printing by the Lunds Lokal Post of 1945.

The Moulins Service started on 2^nd December 1968 and continued until 12^th April 1969. Only 4 months over the school holiday period and summer. The early closing was the result of a David and Goliath like confrontation against the giant Post Office monopoly. In this case Goliath won! The school boys were threatened with huge personal fines per each letter carried and the Service closed immediately.

There are few actual used covers from the period. Perhaps the more label-like appearance than stamp appearance may account for this scarcity.

All letters were hand stamped with one of four cancellations. Bruce Henderson used the letters BRH within a circle with a date, Sandy Stewart used REC and Geoff Mills used SJY. Another combination sometimes used was ANS which was in the office and could be likened to “paquebot” or “loose-letter” mail.

Unaddressed special cancelled to order [CTO] covers do exist.

The tropical coloured covers exist inscribed with MOULINS SERVICES  and plain white envelopes with and without girl with bike logo.

Records were not kept of numbers printed or used. The stamps had worldwide philatelic interest and to this day sets are very rare with few collectors having the printings on both lemon and orange paper, tête-bêche pairs, let alone CTO covers. 

A souvenir folder exists  with a tropical yellow cover [228 mm x 98 mm] which contains a 1¢ on orange paper and a 2¢ on red paper, both cancelled.

In 2009 the New Zealand National Stamp Exhibition, Timpex, was held in Timaru. This gave a suitable opportunity for a 40 year re-enactment. A special souvenir sheet was printed and Bruce returned to his old delivery ground. Special covers [500] were carried and some suitably signed by both the postie and local officials.  The 30¢ stamp design shows Bruce on his bike (photographed by Micki Flavell) and an orchid blooming in Bruce’s garden (photographed by Bruce.)

The souvenir sheet had one stamp inverted and caused much interest with both the old and new collectors. Some covers had tête-bêche pairs on them.

There had been only a few earlier local posts in NZ. Starting with the Pigeon Posts linking Great Barrier Island with Auckland in 1898 (which are often considered the world’s first airmail stamps), the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands for the “General Grant” 1915 expedition, and some special Airmail Services of 1930. All of these labels were evidence of a semi-approved local post. At this stage the NZ Post Office had a well-protected monopoly. The Timaru Bicycle Post was not an official service.

Bruce Henderson has been involved in many Cinderella issues subsequently, for specially created ‘States’ like Queen Maud Land, Occussi-Ambeno, and Free Vinland. One issue of Occussi-Ambeno commemorated the Moulins Service and another 21 years later it’s anniversary.

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