Philatelists bullish for buffalo stamp

Philatelists bullish for buffalo stamp

By Fredrich C. Kuan

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (Antara): International and local
stamp collectors are in the hunt for a limited edition stamp
featuring the striped buffalo from Tana Toraja.

State-owned postal service PT Pos Indonesia will issue 100,000
of the stamps in conjunction with the official opening of the
International Philately Makassar '97 exhibition in Ujungpandang
tomorrow to Wednesday, Oct. 15.

First day covers commemorating late singer Nike Ardila as well
as stamps collections from all provinces in the nation will be on
sale.

The president of the World Philately Organization, Tay Peng
Hian from Singapore, vice president Raymond Todd from Australia
and chief of the organization's Indonesian chapter, Mashudi, are
scheduled to attend.

The South Sulawesi capital will be the first venue for the
marketing of the stamp, which has a nominal value of Rp 2,000.

Stamps are usually issued in mass quantities of two million.

The secretary of the international philately exhibition
organizing committee, Husin Mardjun, said the new stamp was
unique in depicting the buffalo, known locally as tedong bonga.

The animal is essential in traditional ceremonies and rituals
in Tana Toraja and sells for between Rp 15 million and Rp 30
million.

"Nineteen stamp traders have already made orders for 1,000
stamps each, and there are hundreds nationwide who have sent
money orders to the Ujungpandang post office," he said.

"The new stamps at the exhibition will attract traders and
collectors from all 27 provinces of the country and also from
abroad."

To collectors, the allure of the exhibition lies in the direct
selling of the stamps and the signatures of officials
inaugurating the event.

The stamps promise handsome prices in the future for traders.

Pos Indonesia will also place purchase quotas on each buyer to
ensure even distribution of the new stamps.

An executive of the organizing committee, Sudirman, predicted
the new stamps would be sold out within the first two days of the
exhibition, after which their value on the free market would
rise.

The world's most valuable stamp was issued by Mauritius in the
1850s. A Japanese bank is believed to possess the only remaining
example of the stamp, whose price is estimated at Rp 14 billion.

Sudirman said the most expensive Indonesian stamp was known as
Militer Surakarta (Military in Surakarta) and was valued at Rp 14
million each. It will be exhibited in Ujungpandang.

Values of stamps are determined by their age, rarity, themes
and events leading to their publication, and changes in their
color.

Flawed stamps -- such as those with printing errors -- are
extremely valuable because they are usually quickly removed from
distribution, which ensures limited numbers in circulation.

Diana

Sudirman said exhibition participants included 139 local and
international collectors, 12 stamp traders from Jakarta, Bandung
and Surabaya, and eight from Germany, the Netherlands, Britain,
Australia and Malaysia.

British participants will sell a series issued in 1981 for the
marriage of Prince Charles to the then Lady Diana Spencer.

Before the death of Princess Diana on Aug. 31, the 40 stamps
were worth about Rp 300,000 per series. They are now priced at Rp
3 million.

Sudirman said the exhibition will also have stamps collected
by L.B. Vosse of the Netherlands. These show the history of
Ujungpandang, or Makassar as it was formerly known, during the
Dutch colonial era, Japanese occupation in World War II and the
early days of Indonesia's independence.

There will also be stamps illustrating Java's historical
progress belonging to Indonesian collector Didiek Djarwadi.

All stamps in the exhibition are covered by insurance of Rp 1
billion to Rp 2 billion.