Tonne of stamps going

Otaki-based stamp dealer Mowbrays is sending a record shipment of 11.5 million New Zealand stamps to the United Kingdom.

The stamps weigh a tonne and have been packed into 160 cartons on pellets for export by sea. "This is unique," said managing director John Mowbray. The stamps came from the giant Stirling collection bought out by Mowbrays three years ago.

That stock included stamps from the Laurie Franks 1950s Christchurch stock and the Wilcox Smith collection from Dunedin in the early 1900s. Mowbray said the stamps were basically the stock collection from these dealers. He declined to state the value of the collection, saying it was confidential.