An electrotype plate of the ½d value was produced in 1915 and a steel plate in 1919. The booklets contained both ½d and 1d stamps. The 1d stamps were initially the Penny Dominion which were replaced in 1928 by the penny Field Marshall.
Halfpenny
In booklets along with 1d Dominion
From Electrotype Plate 1915 - 1919
The first booklet plate was made from electrotypes at the Government Printing Office in Wellington in 1915 and the stamps are more blurred than those issued in sheet form or in the later steel booklet plate.
The layout was the same as the 1d Dominion booklet plates and were of 144 arranged in panes of six. There were three rows of panes with each row containing 8 panes. The panes had selvedge bars in the margin as shown in the example.
As the example pair has a postmark dated 1917, it is from the electrotype plate.
From Steel Plate without adverts 1919 - 1925
A steel booklet plate with the same layout was produced by Perkins Bacon in 1919. The arrangement of the selvedge bars in the margins of each pane were however different.
The pane on the left is from the middle row of panes and has a double row of selvedge bars in the top selvedge. The partial pane on the right is from the bottom row and the side selvedge extends into the bottom selvedge.
Stamps from both plates were printed on De La Rue paper while in 1924
stamps from the steel plate appeared on Jones paper.
With adverts 1925 - 1928
In 1925, stamps appeared on Cowan paper with adverts in the side selvedge. The adverts, which also appeared in the booklet plates of the 1d Dominion, were in panes as follows:
- Abdulla adverts in the side selvedges and Jeyes Fluid adverts in the binding selvedge,
- Dainties adverts in the side selvedges and Jeyes Fluid adverts in the binding selvedge,
- Cameron Bros adverts in the side selvedges,
- Kodak adverts in the side selvedges,
The Kodak adverts were always on Cowan paper with reversed watermark.
Panes with the Abdulla adverts, had Abdullah Virginian Cigarettes, Abdullah Turkish Cigarettes and Abdullah Egyptian Cigarettes on one side while on the other there was Abdullah No 70 Virginian, Abdullah No 7 Virginian, Abdullah No 11 Turkish, Abdullah No 16 Egyptian, Abdullah No 17 Virginian, Abdullah No 14 Egyptian - three on one pane and three on the other.
An example of a pair on cover is shown.
In booklets along with 1d Field Marshall
Until 1928, the halfpenny stamps appeared in booklets along with the 1d dominion while from March 1928 they were in booklets along with the 1d Field Marshall.
Panes from the new booklets exist both with and without adverts. The adverts were Parisian Tie adverts on the left and right selvedges while some panes also had Jeyes Fluid adverts on the binding.
Penny Field Marshall
Booklets containing 1d Field Marshall stamps were first issued in 1928 and were perf 14. There were on Cowan paper and exist both with and without adverts in the selvedge.
Parisian Tie adverts were on the left and right selvedges while some panes also had Jeyes Fluid adverts on the binding.
The Parisian Tie adverts exist with the writing both upwards and downwards.
In 1934, booklet stamps were issued perf 14 x 15
with Parisian Tie adverts in the selvedge.
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The above information is taken from The Postage Stamps of New Zealand Vol 1, published by the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand in 1938. All scans were made by the author.