Half a stamp stirs a whole lot of interest

The bisected old stamp could fetch more than $30,000.

It may be only half a stamp, but it's worth the price of a new Toyota Corolla.

Organisers of a major auction next weekend expect its star exhibit, half of a New Zealand one-shilling stamp of Queen Victoria, could sell for $30,000 or more.

"We will have around 1300 lots worth more than $1.7 million - but as an individual item, this one's right up there," auctioneer John Mowbray said.

The story of the stamp goes back to 1858, when it was used to post a letter from Otago to England.

"It comes from the period when postage rates changed and it cost six pence to post a letter - only they didn't have any six-penny stamps," Mr Mowbray said.

"So some enterprising post office down in Port Chalmers decided to cut the shilling stamp in half and sell them each as six-pence ones.

"We certainly don't get this sort of thing sent to us every day."

The halved stamp, just one of eight of its kind, is expected to attract strong international interest when it goes under the hammer at Wellington's West Plaza Hotel next Saturday.