Explore stamps
Philately is still the world’s most popular and enjoyable hobby and is an interesting way to travel the globe. You cannot collect stamps without gaining knowledge about nearly anything you can think of such as geography, biography, history, culture etc
Well designed and superbly printed miniature works of art, each one tells a story with its own characteristics such as color changes, interrupted printing, perforation differences, design differences and printing errors to name a few
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Stamps
Union of South Africa
CURRENCY
12 pence (d) = 1 shilling (/-)
20 shillings = 1 pound (£)
The Union of South Africa came into being on 31 May 1910 with the unity of the 4 previously separate colonies namely the Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange River Colony
Issues of the colonies were valid for use throughout the Union until they were demonetized on 31 December 1932
Undoubtedly every intention was to issue postage stamps on Union day to commemorate the event. Unfortunately, the death of King Edward VII on 6 May 1910 necessitating the preparation of a new die showing the portrait of the heir to the throne, King George V
The time left towards the 31st May 1910 made preparation of a new die impossible
However, a 2½d recess printed Commemorative stamp was issued to commemorate the opening of the first Union Parliament in Cape Town on 4 November 1910
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First Definitive Issue
It was not until 1913 that definitive stamps were issued with the Mackennal head design of King George V and in total comprised 15 values
The stamps were printed by Thos. De La Rue & Co. Ltd. of London, England using the typographic printing process and was inscribed bilingually
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Air Mail stamps
The Union’s first Air Mail stamps were issued on 26 February 1925 when a three-month Experimental Air Mail service were instituted. The issue consisted of four denominations – 1d, 3d, 6d and 9d and was printed using a lithography process
A second set of two stamps with values 4d and 1s were issued on 16 August 1929 and marked the inauguration of the permanent Air Mail service by the Union Airways (Pty) Ltd. Stamps were printed with the typographic printing process
The words “AIR MAIL” does not appear on the third issue. Upon operation of the Empire Flying Boat service in 1937, a special 1½d stamp were prepared and placed on sale in 1936 and printed in rotogravure. Under the Empire Air Mail Scheme all first-class mail was conveyed over Empire air routes at a rate of 1½d per half ounce
See more
The Air Mail Stamps of the Union of SA
Varieties: Air Mail Stamps of the Union of SA
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Pretoria Pictorials
After the import and installation of a Goebel AG 930 printing machine in 1929, all Union stamps were henceforth printed by the Government Printing Works in Pretoria using the rotogravure process
In rotogravure printing a photographic glass plate is used in the production of the printing plate which is known as the multipositive. As the same multipositive is used to etch more than one cylinder, it follows that any flaw that appeared on it during the preparation stage will be repeated. Also with each new use, ones would appear or removed. One cylinder was used to print the frame (exterior cylinder or frame plate) and a separate one for the vignette (interior cylinder or head plate)
Stamps were inscribed alternately in English and Afrikaans throughout the sheet and are preferably collected in bilingual horizontal pairs
The UNHYPHENATED “SUIDAFRIKA” definitive issue consisted of eight values and was similar in design and colors of those of the London Pictorials of 1926/27. The color of the 3d in later printings was changed to blue
To see more, go to exhibit:
Made in the Union of South Africa
STAMPS AND VARIETIES OF THE UNHYPHENATED ISSUES 0F 1925 – 1952
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The HYPHENATED “SUID-AFRIKA” definitives were the last of the Union’s first series of pictorial stamps and there were fourteen denominations in total
The first stamp to appear was the 5/- value in 1933 from unscreened cylinders
Some values had a long lifespan with numerous issues and some underwent design and size changes, providing wider perforation gutters
½d 1d 1½d 2d 3d 4d 4½d 6d 1s 1s 3d 1s 6d 2s 6d 5s 10s
To see more, go to exhibit:
Made in the Union of South Africa
STAMPS AND VARIETIES OF THE HYPHENATED ISSUES OF 1933 – 1954
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Online Resources
The library of the Royal Philatelic Society of Cape Town indexed well over 3 000 books and, where permission have been obtained, will link electronically to the magazine you are looking for
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To visit the library click here
Contact person: Victor Millard at royalphilct@gmail.com
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SA POSTAL RATES
2024 Postal rates
Publications
Compilation of Philatelic Exhibitions in Southern Africa and Official South African Involvement in Stamp Shows (354 pages)
by Errol van Greunen and Marge Viljoen
World War II: Prisoner of War and Internment Camps in South Africa and their mail
by J B R Findlay and Rory Ryan, 2003
After the start of the Second World War in September 1939 suspected ‘enemies of the state’ were interned in South and South West Africa, and their mail was censored. Later, prisoners of war were brought to South Africa from war zones, including 97 000 Italians from north-eastern Africa. All known camps are listed and camp marks and postmarks shown
Censorship of Civilian Mail in South Africa during World War II
by Tom Mullins, February 2001
Censorship of civilian mail is an irritating but necessary procedure in maintaining National Security during any period of hostilities and can take many forms. The author was a specialist in this area and this previously unpublished article is a comprehensive and excellent reference on the topic
The Stampless Air Mail Letter Cards and Air Letters used by South African Troops 1941-1945
by Tom Mullins, April 2001
South African Military Abbreviations and Acronyms
by Jim Findlay RDPSA, 2009
This pioneering manual lists thousands of South African (and East African) unit and other abbreviations which may be found on military mail, from the Imperial occupation (1902 on), the Union (1910), both world wars, the Berlin airlift and Korean campaign, the Border War and in peacetime. An important key for both postal and military historians