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TRANSVAAL 1885 Issue

Return To Catalogue - Transvaal 1885 issue, 5 Pounds value, forgeries - 1879 Queen Victoria issue - Transvaal 1869-1884 - Transvaal 1894 issue - Transvaal miscellaneous - South Africa

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The South African Republic (Z. Afr. Republiek), founded by the Boers in 1860, was occupied by the British in 1877 and the name of the country changed to Transvaal. The republic was restored in 1884 and re-occupied in 1900 to become the British crown colony of Transvaal. It joined the Union of South Africa in 1910. The capital is Pretoria.

1885 Arms of Transvaal in a circle (so-called Vurtheim issue), inscription "POSTZEGEL Z.AFR. REPUBLIEK"

With cancel 'PAKKETPOST JOHANNESBURG' 5 Sh black With PFSA certificate With PFSA certificate

  1/2 p grey
  1 p red
  2 p brown
  2 p yellow (1887)
  2 1/2 p lilac (1893)
  3 p lilac
  4 p olive
  6 p blue
  1 Sh green
  2 Sh 6 p yellow
  5 Sh black
  10 Sh brown
  5 Pounds green (1892)

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
1/2 p c c  
1 p * c  
2 p brown * * Genuine stamp is perforated 12 1/2 x 12,
reprints are perforated 12 1/2.
2 p yellow ** c  
2 1/2 p * *  
3 p * **  
4 p ** **  
6 p * *  
1 Sh ** *  
2 Sh 6 p *** ***  
5 Sh R ***  
10 Sh *** ***  
5 Pounds R R Date of issue 19 March 1892.
Beware of reprints!		 
Surcharged

'2 d' on 3 p lilac, type II 

  'Halve Penny' (=1/2 p) (red) on 2 p yellow
  'Halve Penny' on 2 p yellow
  'HALVE PENNY' on 3 p lilac (1885)
  '1d.' (green) on 2 1/2 p lilac (1895)
  '1 Penny' on 6 p blue (1893)
  '2d' on 3 p lilac (1887)
  '2 1/2 Pence' on 1 Sh (1893, inscription in one line)
  '2 1/2 Pence' on 1 Sh (1893, inscription in two lines)


Some inverted overprints

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
1/2 p (black) on 2 p ** **  
1/2 p (red) on 2 p ** **  
1/2 p on 3 p *** *** Exists with 'PRNNY' instead of 'PENNY'
Genuine stamp is perforated 12 1/2 x 12 or 11 1/2 x 12,
reprints are perforated 12 1/2.
1 p on 2 1/2 p * *  
1 p on 6 p * * Genuine stamps have the bars 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 mm apart,
forged surcharges on reprints have the bars 14 mm apart.
2 p on 3 p *** *** Two types of surcharge '2' different
Genuine stamp is perforated 12 1/2 x 12,
reprints are perforated 12 1/2.
2 1/2 p on 1 Sh * ** Surcharge in one line.
Forged surcharges on remainders have a more slanting fraction line '/' than the genuine surcharges.
2 1/2 p on 1 Sh *** *** Surcharge in two lines 
Overprinted 'V.R.I.'

Genuine with PFSA certificate Reprint
Left genuine with PFSA certificate and right a reprint. For more information on forgeries and reprints of the 5 Pounds value, see Transvaal 1885 issue, 5 Pounds value, forgeries


Probably genuine stamp with forged "V.R.I." overprint. The stops behind the letters "V.R.I." are too large. According to the Transvaal Philatelist 40, 2 (154), May 2005, this might be a remainder obtained by Mirza Hadi, on which a forged "V.R.I." overprint was applied. 

  5 Pounds green (1900)

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
5 Pounds RR RR See warning below on reprints!

Postal stationery: I have seen a postcard (briefkaart) with inscription "ZUID-AFRIK. REPUBLIEK BRIEFKAART" with a value of 1 p (similar design as the postage stamps without overprint).

I've seen a 5 Pounds stamp (without VRI overprint), with "Monster" overprint. This specimen-alike overprint was used pm stamps send to the UPU. Furthermore the 5 Pounds VRI stamp is known with "SPECIMEN" (usually slanting) overprint, also for UPU purposes. Both "Monster" and "SPECIMEN" overprints are not known to have been used on reprints according to John Kaupe in 'The Transvaal Philatelist 40, no 2 (154) May 2005'.

2 p yellow, with 'Swazieland' overprint

Some of these stamps exist with overprint "Swazieland" for Swazieland.


Mute cancels on a 2 p stamp.

WARNING: MANY OF THESE STAMPS ARE REPRINTS: Because of the Boer war, a large number of undelivered stamps (or reprints?) was present at the printer (Enschede, Netherlands) and ended up in collectors hands (through a dealer in Paris: Mirza Hadi, according to 'Philatelic Forgers Their Lives and Works' by Varro E. Tyler). All the unoverprinted stamps (1/2 p through 5 Pounds, except 2 1/2 p lilac?) can be found. Among them unperforated and umgummed specimens. They also exist with forged cancels. Furthermore forged overprints exist of the 'HALVE PENNY' on 3 p lilac, '2d' on 3 p lilac, '2 1/2 Pence' on 1 Sh (1893, inscription in one line) and '2 1/2 Pence' on 1 Sh (1893, inscription in two lines) on these remainders. Mirza Hadi also ordered reprints of these stamps. Furthermore the overprint 'V.R.I' on 5 Pounds can be found forged on these remainders. It seems that the only way to recognize these 'reprints' is in their perforation characteristics (see http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/ymw18/transvl/study%20circle/challnge.html for more information).
Especially most of the 5 Pounds stamps found today are reprints (including forged cancels and forged "V.R.I." overprints). Also an article on the 5 Pounds value by John Kaupe in The Transvaal Philatelist (v.40, no2) (154) from 2005 is very useful. A forged 'V.R.I' overprint with too large stops also exists on genuine remainders (Mirza Hadi ordered this overprint on some of the remainders, while he was waiting for the reprints).

For Transvaal 1885 issue, 5 Pounds value, forgeries, click here (reprints, Fournier forgeries, forged "OTTOSHOOP 1 NOV 95" cancels, forged "PIETERSBURG" cancels, forged "VRI" overprints on genuine stamps, etc).

Forgeries of the other values:

Fournier forgeries:


A imperforate Fournier forgery of the 5 Sh stamp. When perforated, the perforation does not 'match' in the corners in the Fournier forgeries.


A page taken from a Fournier Album of Philatelic Forgeries.


Other Fournier forgeries (perforation is not yet applied); Fournier forgeries are not very common.


Fournier forged cancels "JOHANNESBURG 18 OCT 00 24" and "JOHANNESBURG 9 M AU 12 01 2".


Forged Johannesburg, Pretoria and Mafeking cancels made by Fournier (reduced sizes).


This Fournier forged cancel "6" in three concentric rings, is listed under Wurttemberg in the Fournier album, but I believe it was actually used on forgeries of Transvaal, since I've seen it being applied on Fournier forgeries of Transvaal.


A more primitive forgery of the 10 Sh value, presumably made by the same forger as some of the forgeries of the previous issue Oneglia? They have the same bogus cancel.


Two Swazieland forgeries, these appear to be the Fournier forgeries shown above, but the "S" of "Swazieland" is different from the forged overprint shown in the Fournier Album. Note that the cancel on the other hand is identical to the Oneglia forgery of the 10 Sh shown above. It might be that Fournier got these deceptive forgeries from Oneglia and then applied forged overprints to them?


5 Sh forgery with strange perforation, also the "5"s in the bottom corners are too thin.

I have seen some stamps very nicely cancelled with "BARBERTON A NO 16 93" or "BARBERTON A NO 16 85"; this could be a forged cancel. The site http://www.filatelia.fi/forgeries/forged_postmarks.html further lists and "BARBERTON 15 87":


Forged "BARBERTON G NO 15 87 Z.A.R." cancel on a 5 Pound value. I've seen Barberton cancels (very neatly placed) on the lower values as well.

 

For stamps of Transvaal issued in 1894, click here.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer