A 20c stamp featuring Matthew Flinders will be issued on 23 January 1980 to commemorate Australia Day 1980.
Although Matthew Flinders was not personally involved in the landing of the First Fleet and the commencement of the permanent settlement in the colony of New South Wales on 26 January 1788, his subsequent contributions as discoverer and cartographer have established him as one of the major figures in the history surrounding Australia Day.
Details
- Date of Issue: 23 January 1980
- Withdrawn Date:
- 16 February 1980 (FDC)
- 21 January 1981 (stamps)
- Designer: Bruce Weatherhead, Melbourne
- Printer: Asher and Co., Division of Leigh Mardon Pty Ltd, Melbourne
- Process: Photo-lithography on a 4 colour Roland Rekord press
- Colours: Black – Magenta – Yellow (50% process yellow, 50% transparent bolder chrome) – Dark Blue-Brilliant Blue (1st plate 50%, 2nd plate 50%)
- Paper: 104gsm litho-chromo paper with helecron
- Perf: 13.25 x 13 (comb)
- Sheet: Printed in sheets of 300 and issued as 100 stamps (R10 x 5) printed in two panes, separated by horizontal gutter.
- Quantity: 23,718,000
Gutter
First Day Cover
Two first day covers were available at $0.32 each and unserviced covers for $0.12 each (available 16 January 1980). Cover No.135 features Matthew Flinders’ ship Investigator (illustration by Robert T. Sexton of Gilberton, South Australia) and cover No.137 features a portrait of Matthew Flinders.
Stamp Bulletin
Australia Stamp Bulletin No.144 (January 1980)
