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.