Stamps

Lot 4054    Session 12 (11:30am Thursday)    Stamps

Estimate $1,200
Bid at live.noble.com.au

AUSTRALIA, Australian Gold medallists sheet collection in a cliplock folder, a complete set of 16 x 6 sheets (A4 size with 20 stamps), each sheet has 2 sheetlets each of 10 stamps; each of the digital Fuji Xerox printed sheets contained the image of each gold medallist award; each set of 16 sheets came from each state with the state logo twice on each sheet; NSW (platypus), Victoria (possum), ACT (kookaburra), Queensland (koala), Western Australia (swan), South Australia (kangaroo); each sheet comes with its black printed interleaf backing sheet placed behind it when each sheet was digitally produced as part of the manufacturing process. Although 96 sheets make up the complete set in this lot there are only 95 different sheets as one Western Australian sheet has a separation error (See next lot). MUH. (95 sheets, 190 sheetlets)

Australian Gold Medallists Stamps

Much of the work required to produce this stamp issue had been done over an eighteen month period leading up to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The concept, project and basic designs for the sheetlet and stamps had been approved by all the relevant organisations, including the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG).

When a medal was won, the final stamp and sheetlet had to be designed, and that design approved, before any printing could take place. Once the medal was won, however, the clock was ticking, and speed was essential. Another Australian team, not of athletes, but of designers, printers and researchers, gathered in Alexandria NSW on Saturday 16th September, waiting for their chance to test themselves against the clock. This team had spent months preparing to achieve a goal that had started with an audacious idea, 'to celebrate each gold medal won by an Australian individual or team during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games with a stamp, available for sale from 12 noon the day after the medal is won'. There was more than 10 months of research and development, which in turn was to be refined that ultimately led to a very improved process. The design, technology and logistics was tested again until everyone involved was sure the goal they had set was achievable. But on Saturday 16 September, this team, like everyone else in Australia, waited anxiously for the first Australian to win a Gold Medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The wait was mercifully short. Saturday evening saw not one, but two gold medals for Australia. Ian Thorpe won Australia's first, in the 400 m freestyle. Not long after that Michael Klim, Chris Fydler, Ashley Callus and Ian Thorpe won Australia's second gold medal, this time in the men's 4 x100 m freestyle relay.

The process Australia Post's designers utilised involved an online library with images of the competitors, with a preference for a photograph taken on the podium. However other action photographs were also considered. Once the designers had selected the image, extraneous background details were removed and the colour was corrected as required. Researchers provided the designers with the correct name of the athlete(s), the relevant discipline and the name of the event. This information was added to the stamp in the area below the photograph. A second, alternative image was also selected. Then both images were transmitted to the AOC for approval. The use of a pre-designed template, which appears along the right hand and lower edges of the stamp, reduced the number of variables to be considered and enabled the designers to meet the tight schedule required to achieve the goal of next day availability.

Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Australian Gold Medallists was the official name of the issue. The imprint identifies both the type of printing used to produce that sheetlet and the print site for that sheetlet.

Two organizations teamed up (Fuji Xerox Australia and Australia Post) to create postage stamps depicting in all the 16 Australian gold medal winners at these games. Fuji Xerox printed up to 52,500 sheets of stamps per winner on digital colour printers. Overnight, nine colour machines printed with these four colour printers, stamps on pre-glued paper. Australia Post staff then delivered them to major postal outlets, in key cities which made them available by noon the next day for collectors. The first issue of the Ian Thorpe win made his issue the first Olympic stamps to be produced by this quick process. Previous technology relied on offset print technology, making customers wait for several weeks for the printing to be completed.

The digital printing runs for each state can be distinguished by the state Fauna emblem printed in the lower right corner. NSW a platypus; Victoria a possum; Queensland a koala; South Australia a kangaroo; Western Australia a swan; ACT a kookaburra and needed supplies to Tasmania coming from Victoria and to Northern Territory coming from South Australia.

Offset printed Olympic Games winners can be distinguished by a map of Australia at the bottom right.
The following collection is probably unique for its completeness and the very rare errors as well as the several very special issues made in very limited numbers by Fuji Xerox Australia as test runs or for use by other clients.

Fuji Xerox printed up to 52,500 sheets of stamps per winner and these were all split into sheetlets. Only 3 or 4 complete sets of sheets it is believed were put together and as such this set very rare.