Health — Boy Scouts 2d + 1d

New Zealand's annual Health issue appeared on 7 October 1953 as a pair of semi-postals, the surtax going as always to the children's health camps. For once both designs were given over to the uniformed youth movements, which is why Domfil lists the pair complete as 953.7/8 under «Pro infancia», recording the designs as «Guias / Guides» and «Cocinando / Cooking».

The 1½d + ½d blue shows a Girl Guide striding forward with the Guide colour, the trefoil clear on the flag, two more Guides in uniform behind her (Domfil 953.7, Scott NZ B42, Michel NZ 328). The 2d + 1d yellow-green shows a Scout in campaign hat kneeling to build a campfire with the billy already slung from its stick, a bell tent and two companions behind, and the World Scout fleur-de-lis at the top right (Domfil 953.8, Scott NZ B43, Michel NZ 329). Both frames carry the dot-and-dash pattern that SOSOW reads as Morse code.

James Berry designed both values; Harrison & Sons printed them in photogravure, 24.5 × 41 mm, comb perforation 14 × 14½, watermark multiple NZ and star, in panes of 20. SOSOW records sales of 6,932,962 of the 1½d and 5,213,378 of the 2d, and the stamps stayed valid for postage until 31 January 1954. Other references are Yvert NZ 323–324 and Stanley Gibbons NZ 719–720.

This is the second time Guiding reaches a New Zealand Health stamp, after the 1944 pair showing the two princesses in Guide uniform (Domfil 944.2–3), and the first on which Scouting proper appears. Both values are catalogued here in rising face-value order.