This is New Zealand's largest and highest valued stamp. It is also one of the most controversial as many stamp collectors believe that rather than responding to demand for a high value postage stamp for documents and parcels, the stamp was a ploy to fleece collectors.



Recess printed in a dull blue with gold leaf embossing, this design incorporates several New Zealand icons - Mt Cook, the native Ponga fern and the Kowhai tree flower. A Maori rafter pattern in gold leaf borders at the top while the New Zealand flag is also woven into the engraving.

The same stamp design printed by offset lithography, pre-cancelled and overprinted 'SPECIMEN' was included in the 2009 Timpex Stamp Exhibition miniature sheet.



The stamp was printed on water-marked paper with a special fluorescent surface printed security pattern as shown in the above photograph which is visible under long wave (around 420 nanometre) ultraviolet light.