A Rare Postmark with a Treaty of Waitangi Connection
An important philatelic item, a letter from 1846 featuring one of only two known examples of the RUSSELL postmark and a connection to the Treaty of Waitangi, will be offered for sale in Mowbray Collectables’ 49th International Stamp Auction on Saturday 19 September, with an estimate of $10,000.
It is not simply the rarity of the postmark that makes this 1846 letter exceptional. The correspondence is between two men who were both present at the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi just six years earlier. The letter is addressed to Gilbert Mair, a prominent early trader, and was written by Richard Taylor, the missionary who transcribed the final version of the Treaty we all know today.
Reverend Richard Taylor, ca 1860-1873
Richard Taylor (1805–1873) was an Anglican missionary who arrived in New Zealand in 1839 and became closely involved with Māori and Pākehā communities. He was present at the discussions at Waitangi on 5 February 1840, when the proposed Treaty was debated by representatives of the British Crown and numerous Māori rangatira. That evening, he was given the rough version of the Treaty and asked to prepare the final copy on parchment. Throughout his life, he wrote many books about New Zealand’s nature and Māori culture.
Gilbert Mair (1799–1857) was one of New Zealand’s early European settlers, arriving permanently in 1824. A sailor, trader and community leader, he witnessed some of the defining events of early New Zealand, including the Musket Wars, the 1835 Declaration of Independence and the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. He built a successful trading business in the Bay of Islands and Whangārei, and his family went on to play a notable role in New Zealand’s history.
The Letter
Written from Whanganui on 12 October 1846, the letter was sent by Taylor to Mair in Paihia, Bay of Islands. Taylor starts by mentioning that he had that day just received Mair’s letter, sent to him on 29 June, describing his unsettled circumstances and financial losses.
(That’s 105 days for it to travel 670 km from Paihia to Whanganui!)
We know that at this time, Mair had to move away from his family home in Whangārei due to the Flagstaff War and was residing in Paihia, just across the bay from Russell, until 1847.
Taylor expresses sympathy for Mair’s situation and writes of his hope that Mair will find the strength to endure his difficulties. Mair had offered to settle a debt owed to Taylor by transferring four town allotments in Auckland. Taylor, however, declined the offer:
“Far be it from me to increase your difficulties…”
As a Christian minister, Taylor explained that he could not accept the property while Mair was experiencing financial hardship. Instead, he told Mair that, should prosperity return in the future, he could then remember the debt.
It is a small but revealing window into life in New Zealand just six years after the Treaty of Waitangi, when both Māori and European communities were navigating a rapidly changing country with the start of what we know today as the New Zealand Wars.
Signing of the treaty of Waitangi 6 February 1840
This 1846 cover predates New Zealand’s first stamps by almost a decade, with our first stamps being issued in 1855. Before the introduction of stamps, postal charges were generally indicated by manuscript markings applied to letters by postmasters.
Upon arriving in the Bay of Islands, the letter received a RUSSELL postmark. The only other known example of this postmark is on an outgoing letter, making the cover a true rarity.
This letter (lot 279) will be going under the hammer on Saturday 19 September 2026 in Mowbray Collectables’ 49th International Stamp Auction with an estimate of $10,000. The auction comprises 913 lots with total estimates of approximately 1.3 million dollars.