PAPAU (Formally British New Guinea) 1885 - 1949 Simplified Issues Revised: 4 January 2026 -- SEARCH BY YEAR -- 1885 1901 1906 1907 1911 1916 1917 1929 1930 1931 1932 1934 1935 1937 1938 1939 1941 Notes & Abbreviations STAMP HISTORY British New Guinea - Papau 1884 ..... Papua was annexed by Britain and administrated by the Colony of Queensland. Stamps of Queensland were used from 1885 until 1901. 1901 ..... First stamps inscribed "British New Guinea" were released. 1906 ..... Country was renamed Papua and control transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia. Current stamps were overprinted "Papua.". 1910 ..... First stamps inscribed "PAPUA" were released. 1942 ..... Papua was invaded and occupied by Japan during World War II until 1944. 1945 ..... After World War II, Papua was administration by Australia, with Australian Stamps being used. 1949 ..... Still under Australian Control, Papua was amalgamated with New Guinea to form "Papua & New Guinea". 1885  STAMP ISSUES British New Guinea Stamps of Queensland Used: Stamps can be identified by an 8, 9, or 10 BNG Cancellation 1885/1901:  Some 37 different Stamp types of Queensland stamps are known to have been used.   Port Moresby cancellations had 8 bars; Samaria cancellations had 9 bars; and others had 10 Bars.  The letters could be either NG or BNG. 1 Typical 9 BNG Cancellation 1901  STAMP ISSUES British New Guinea Black & Single Colour Lakatoi: Inscribed "British New Guinea" 1901/1905 - Issued in Sheets of 30. 1 ½d.  Black & Yellow-Green 2 1d.  Black & Carmine 3 2d.  Black & Violet 4 2½d.  Black & Ultramarine 5 4d.  Black & Sepia 6 6d.  Black & Myrtle Green 7 1s.  Black & Orange 8 2s.6d.  Black & Brown 1906  STAMP ISSUES Papua Black & Single Colour Lakatoi: British New Guinea stamps overprinted large "Papua." 8 November 1906 - Issued in Sheets of 30. 1 ½d.  Black & Yellow-Green 2 1d.  Black & Carmine 3 2d.  Black & Violet 4 2½d.  Black & Ultramarine 5 4d.  Black & Sepia 6 6d.  Black & Myrtle Green 7 1s.  Black & Orange 8 2s.6d.  Black & Brown 1907  STAMP ISSUES Papua Black & Single Colour Lakatoi: British New Guinea stamps overprinted small "Papua." May 1907 - Issued in Sheets of 30. 1 ½d.  Black & Yellow-Green 2 1d.  Black & Carmine 3 2d.  Black & Violet 4 2½d.  Black & Ultramarine 5 4d.  Black & Sepia 6 6d.  Black & Myrtle Green 7 1s.  Black & Orange 8 2s.6d.  Black & Brown Papua Black & Single Colour Lakatoi: Inscribed "Papua." in large text. 1907/1910 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 9 ½d.  Black & Yellow-Green 10 1d.  Black & Carmine 11 2d.  Black & Violet 12 2½d.  Black & Ultramarine 13 4d.  Black & Sepia 14 6d.  Black & Myrtle Green 15 1s.  Black & Orange 16 2s.6d.  Black & Brown Papua Black & Single Colour Lakatoi: Inscribed "Papua" in small text. 1907/1911 - Issued in Sheets of 40.   17 ½d.  Black & Yellow-Green 18 1d.  Black & Carmine 19 2d.  Black & Violet   20 2½d.  Black & Ultramarine 21 4d.  Black & Sepia 22 6d.  Black & Myrtle Green 23 1s.  Black & Orange 1911  STAMP ISSUES Papua Single Colour Lakatoi 1910/1911 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 1 ½d.  Yellow- Green 2 1d.  Rose-Pink 3 2d.  Bright Mauve 4 2½d.  Bright Ultramarine 5 4d.  Pale Olive-Green 6 6d.  Orange-Brown 7 1s.  Yellow 8 2s.6d.  Rose Carmine 1916  STAMP ISSUES Papua Two Colour Lakatoi 1916-1931 - Issued in Sheets of 40.    1 ½d.  Green & Olive    2 1d.  Black & Red  3 1½d.  Grey-Blue & Brown 4 2d.  Brown & Purple    5 2½d.  Green & Ultramarine   6 3d.  Black & Green   7 4d.  Brown & Orange   8 5d.  Bluish Slate & Brown   9 6d.  Dull Purple & Pale Purple 10 1s.  Brown & Olive 11 1s.6d.  Claret & Pink 12 5s.  Black & Ultramarine 13 10s.  Green & Ultramarine 1917  STAMP ISSUES Papua One Colour Lakatoi Surcharges: "ONE PENNY" October 1917 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 1 1d. on ½d. Yellow-Green 2 1d. on 2d. Bright Mauve 3 1d. on 2½d. Ultramarine 4 1d. on 4d. Pale Olive-Green 5 1d. on 6d. Orange-Brown 6 1d. on 2s.6d. Rose-Carmine 1929  STAMP ISSUES Papua Two Colour Lakatoi Air Mail Overprints: "AIR MAIL" 1929/1930 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 1 3d. Black & Blue-Green 1930  STAMP ISSUES Papua Two Colour Lakatoi Air Mail Overprints: Red "mono-plane" image with "AIRMAIL" printed across wings 15 September 1930 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 1 3d. Black & Blue-Green 2 6d. Dull Purple & Red-Purple 3 1s. Brown & Yellow-Olive 1931  STAMP ISSUES Papua Two Colour Lakatoi Surcharges: Small Stamp typeface "TWO PENCE" 1 January 1931 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 1 2d. on  1½d. Cobalt-Blue & Brown Papua Two Colour Lakatoi  Surcharges: Larger Stamp typeface with "number value" and "written value" 1 January 1931 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 2 5d. on  1s. Brown & Yellow-Olive 3 9d. on  2s.6d. Maroon & Pink 4 1s.3d. on  5s. Black & Deep-Green Papua Two Colour Lakatoi Official Stamps: Overprinted wide "O  S" 29 July 1931 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 5 ½d.  Green & Olive 6 1d.  Black & Red 7 1½d.  Blue & Brown 8 2d.  Brown & Red 9 3d.  Black & Blue-Green 10 4d.  Brown & Orange 11 5d.  Grey & Brown 12 6d.  Dull & Pale Purple 13 9d.  Lilac & Violet 14 1s.   Brown & Olive 15 1s.3d.  Lilac & Blue 16 2s.6d.  Maroon & Pink 1932  STAMP ISSUES Papua Two Colour Lakatoi: Additional Values 1932 - Issued in Sheets of 40.   1 9d.  Lilac & Violet 2 1s.3d.  Lilac & Greenish Blue   Papua Pictorial Definitives 14 November 1932 - Issued in Sheets of 40.   3 ½d.  Motuan Girl   4 1d.  Chieftain's Son   5 1½d.  Tree Houses   6 2d.  Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise    7 3d.  Papuan Dandy    8 4d.  Native Mother & Child    9 5d.  Masked Dancer 10 6d.  Papuan Motherhood 11 9c.  Papuan Shooting Fish 12 1s.  Ceremonial Platform 13 1s.3d.  Lakatoi Trading Boat 14 2s.  Papuan Art 15 2s.6d.  Pottery Making 16 5s.  Native Policeman 17 10s.  Lighting a Fire 18 £1.  Delta House 1934  STAMP ISSUES Papua 50th Anniversary of British Protectorate 6 November 1934 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 1 1d.  Hoisting the Union Jack 2 2d.  H.M.S. Nelson 3 3d.  Hoisting the Union Jack 4 5d.  H.M.S. Nelson 1935  STAMP ISSUES Papua His Majesty's Jubilee: Pictorial Stamps Overprinted "His Majesty's Jubilee  1910  1935" 6 July 1935 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 1 1d.  Chieftain's Son 2 2d.  Raggiana Bird of Paradise 3 3d.  Papuan Dandy 4 5d.  Masked Dancer 1937  STAMP ISSUES Papua Coronation of King George VI 14 May 1937 - Issued in Sheets of 40. 1 1d.  Green 2 2d.  Scarlet 3 3d.  Blue 4 5d.  Purple 1938  STAMP ISSUES Papua 50th Anniversary of Declaration of British Protectorate: View of Port Moresby Harbour 6 September 1938 - Issued in Sheets of ? 1 2d.  Rose-Red 2 3d.  Bright Blue 3 5d.  Green 4 8d.  Brown-Lake 5 1s.  Mauve 1939  STAMP ISSUES Papua Air Mail Stamps: Natives Poling Canoes 6 September 1939 - Issued in Sheets of ? 1 2d.  Red 2 3d.  Bright Blue 3 5d.  Green 4 8d.  Brown-Lake 5 1s.  Mauve 1941  STAMP ISSUES Papua Air Mail Stamps: Additional Value 2 January 1941 - Issued in Sheets of ? 1 1s.6d.  Olive-Green Still under Australian Control, Papua was amalgamated with New Guinea to form "Papua & New Guinea", later renamed "Papua New Guinea". 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