Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

GRIQUALAND (WEST)

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase it.

In 1874 a 4 p stamp of Cape of Good Hope (with frameline, watermark 'Crown CC') was surcharged (also in red?) with '1d' by the postmaster of Kimberley and the 'FOUR' was barred to be used in Griqualand:

Image reproduced with permission from: http://www.sandafayre.com

This stamp is very rare.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 p on 4 p	RRR	RRR

Forgeries exist, example:

(The colour of the overprint is too light on this forgery)

1877 Stamps of Cape of Good Hope overprinted "G.W."

Second stamp with "KIMBERLEY" cancel

  1 p red
  4 p blue (overprint red)

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 p	RRR	RR
4 p	RR	R

1877 Stamps of Cape of Good Hope overprinted "G"

  1/2 p grey (overprint red or black)
  1 p red
  4 p blue (overprint red or black)
  6 p lilac (overprint red or black)
  1 Sh green (overprint red or black)
  5 Sh orange (overprint red or black)

For the specialist; all the overprints should be on stamps of Cape of Good Hope with 'Crown CC' watermark. Apparently, when Griqualand was incorporated with the Cape Colony in October 1880, the remainders were re-distributed over other Cape post offices.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
Cheapest types
1/2 p	***	***
1 p	***	**
4 p	R	***
6 p	RR	***
1 Sh	RR	***
5 Sh	RRR	***

Bogus issue, 'G' overprint on '3' on 3 p red, the 'G' overprint was never issued for this stamp!

Forged overprints, examples:

Forgery!

The next stamp is probably a forgery too, I've never seen a small 'g' overprint:

(forgery?)

Forged Fournier overprints, images taken from a 'Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries'.

Fiscal stamps

1887 Queen Victoria, inscription "PROVINCE OF GRIQUALAND WEST"

  1 p brown
  4 p green
  6 p blue
  1 Sh green
  1 Sh brown
  1 Sh 6 p green
  2 Sh green
  3 Sh blue
  4 Sh grey (?)
  5 Sh orange
  10 Sh black
  1 Pound red
  5 Pounds blue
These stamps were sometimes used as postage stamps

Fiscal stamps of Cape of Good Hope overprinted with "G"

Small 'G'

I have seen this and other overprints (different 'G') on 1 p lilac, 6 p lilac, 6 p brown on yellow, 3 Sh red and 5 Pounds lilac. Many more values exist. There are 19 types of the 'G' overprint.

The 'G' overprint is known to have been forged, even on these fiscal stamps.

MOUNT CURRIE EXPRESS (East Griqualand)

1874 Inscription "MOUNT CURRIE EXPRESS BALLANCE & GOODLIFFE"

This stamp is very rare and was issued in Kokstad by the firm J.D.Ballance & Goodliffe and was printed in sheets of 12 (three columns of 4). Apparently there are four types (one slightly different stamp for each column, the 3 stamps in each horizontal rows are all the same). The stamps were perforated 12 1/2, but the outer corners remained imperforate. In http://www.philateria.com/html/currie_story.html, three used stamps can be seen, two with pencancels and one with a cork cancel.

The four types.

The four types, distinguishing charateristics:
Type 1:
Stop after "ONE PENNY" tall.
"G" of "GOODLIFFE" slightly higher than network
Type 2:
Stop after "ONE PENNY" tall.
"G" of "GOODLIFFE" at the same level as the network
"&" is clearly different from the other types.
Type 3:
Stop after "ONE PENNY" small.
Lower network broken in several places
"G" of "GOODLIFFE" slightly higher than network (even higher than in Type 1)
Type 4:
Stop after "ONE PENNY" small.
Upper network brokwn in several places.
"G" of "GOODLIFFE" at the same level as the network
The short line in the left bottom corner is placed lower than the line under the network.

Stamps - Timbres-Poste - Briefmarken - Postzegels