New Zealand 1898 Pictorials Series 1

History

New Zealand Post issued a digital re-release of the 1898 Pictorial Definitives on 10 June 2023 through the VeVe platform. The edition sold out in 2 hours. This marked New Zealand Post's entry into crypto stamps, preceding Australia Post's 2026 launch.

Technical Specifications

Series 1 comprises seven stamp designs — half of the 14 designs of the original 1898 set; the other seven followed in Series 2 on 2 December 2023. The stamps were issued on Immutable X, an Ethereum Layer 2 network, at USD 6 each. Mintages per design range from 2,898 (Common) to 598 (Secret Rare), 12,586 in total. The stamps are viewable through the VeVe mobile application with 3D augmented reality functionality.

Original 1898 Pictorials Context

The 1898 Pictorial Definitives were among the earliest pictorial definitive stamp series globally. Waterlow and Sons printed the originals in England using recess printing. The series departed from monarch portrait conventions typical of the period, instead featuring New Zealand landscapes and fauna. New Zealand was a British colony at the time.

Stamp Designs

The seven designs of Series 1:

• Mount Cook (½d) - New Zealand's highest mountain · Common, 2,898
• Lake Taupo (1d) - Features Mount Ruapehu, first two-color New Zealand stamp · Common, 2,898
• Pembroke Peak (2d) - Milford Sound view · Uncommon, 1,898
• Lake Wakatipu (2½d) - the corrected re-issue of 5 May 1898 · Secret Rare, 598
• White Terraces (4d) · Rare, 1,498
• Pink Terraces (9d) · Ultra Rare, 898
• Milford Sound (2s) · Uncommon, 1,898

The remaining seven designs — among them the Huia (3d), the Kiwi (6d) and the 2½d with the original “Wakitipu” error — are part of Series 2.

Wakatipu Typography Error

The first 2½d of 5 April 1898 misspelled the lake as Wakitipu; a corrected stamp reading Wakatipu was issued on 5 May 1898. Series 1 reproduces the corrected version (Secret Rare, 598); the error stamp followed as the Secret Rare of Series 2. Original error stamps in mint condition have limited value due to surplus printing; used examples are more sought after by collectors.

Platform Infrastructure

VeVe operates on Immutable X, processing up to 9,000 transactions per second without gas fees. The platform reports 99.9% reduced energy consumption compared to Ethereum mainnet. Stamps are purchasable globally through iOS and Android applications.

Secondary Market Structure

VeVe's secondary market charges:

• 2% license fee to New Zealand Post
• 2.5% VeVe platform fee
• Total: 4.5% per transaction

VeVe withheld 90 editions per rarity level for license, promotional, and team distribution.

Reception

The edition sold out in 2 hours on 10 June 2023. As the first New Zealand crypto stamp release and first Oceania crypto stamp before Australia Post's planned 2026 entry, it established New Zealand Post's position in digital philately.