Philatelists will have a chance to bid on New Zealand's highest mountain in Ashford's Postal Auction of stamps, for which bidding closes on September 23.
 The 'mint' condition 1911 five |
Depicting Mount Cook, New Zealand's tallest mount (pictured top right), this five shillings stamp was one of a number of pictorial specimens issued in 1898.
Aside from the Mount Cook stamp, other Kiwi stamps issued that year including the one penny stamp featuring Lake Taupo with Mount Ruapehu in the background, and the twopence stamp features Pembroke Peak in Milford Sound.
A closer look at this five shillings specimen, actually produced some years later in 1911, reveals two alpine flowers: the Ranunculus and Celmisia.
According to Ashford's catalogue, the stamp is "mint" with good centring. Listed with a catalogue price of $4,000, it will appear in Ashford's sale estimated at $3,000.
The reason for the stamp's four-figure value is its scarce upright watermark - unlike the the more plentiful sideways watermark of 1907, of which specimens are normally valued at $300.
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