Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

TRANSVAAL 1894-1910

Return To Catalogue - Transvaal 1869-1884 - Transvaal 1885 issue - Transvaal 1894 issue - Transvaal miscellaneous - South Africa

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For stamps of Transvaal issued from before 1894, click here.

1894 Fiscal Stamp inscription "ZEGELREGT" overprinted "POSTZEGEL" (=postage stamp) in green

  6 p 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
6 p	*	**

Remainders or reprints exist and were sold by the printer (Enschede in the Netherlands). Forged "POSTZEGEL" overprints exists on these remainders. The lower tail of the forged "S" in "POSTZEGEL" is bend further out.

Forged overprint (the overprint has the wrong colour of green on the wrong value, information thanks to Ron Carlson USA):

Non issued or forged overprint

I have also seen a 1 Sh 6 p brown, 2 Sh 6 p red, a 5 sh olive, 10 Sh orange and a 1 Pound red fiscal stamp with a green forged overprint "POSTZEGEL".

1894 Large stamp, inscription "EERSTE PENNY POSTVERVOER"

  1 p 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	*	*

Local overprint? 'Cancelled V-R-I.' in blue

1899 Stamps of Cape of good hope overprinted with value and "Z.A.R." (Vrijburg issue)

  1/2 p on 1/2 p green
  1 p on 1 p red
  2 p on 6 p lilac
  2 1/2 p on 2 1/2 p blue

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 on 1/2 p	RR	R
1 p on 1 p	RR	R
2 p on 6 p	RRR	RRR
2 1/2 p on 2 1/2 p	RRR	RR

1901 Inscription "Z. AFR. REP. POSTZEGEL 1901" (Pietersburg issue), with signature in black (or also in red for the 1/2 p value)

Note the '1' in the lower right corner of the first stamp!
(Reduced sizes)

Type II

  1/2 p black on green (perforated or imperfortate, 
     overprint exists in red)
  1 p black on red (perforated or imperforate)
  2 p black on orange (perforated or imperforate)
  4 p black on blue (imperforate)
  6 p black on green (imperforate)
  1 Sh black on yellow (imperforate)

In the perforated stamps, always the perforation below or above is missing. The word "POSTZEGEL" exists in two types (with small or large "P"), as well as "1901" (7 mm or 9 mm long). The 2 p exists with a '1' in the lower right corner (see picture above for an example). Stamps without the signature are remainders.

If my information is correct, these stamps were printed in sheets of 24 stamps (https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/47007/APH13ZARANDTRANSVAALPart4.pdf?sequence=1). In my view, the 24 types are the same for each value (i.e. the value was changed only). The small "P" varieties always occur in the bottom row.

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	R	R
1 p	***	***
2 p	R	R
4 p	R	R
6 p	RR	RR
1 Sh	RR	RR

The signature is from J.T. de V.Smit.

Sheets of 24 showing all types (no signature). Top two rows "1901" larger. Bottom two rows "1901" smaller. Bottom row "P" in "POSTZEGEL" smaller. Note the inverted large '2'.

2 p stamps, they don't appear to correspond to the types of the above sheet; for example one of them has a '4' in the upper left corner instead of '2'.

Cancelled stamp.

Type II
Small "P" in "POSTZEGEL" left and large "P" right.

1 p with upper left floral ornament inverted (lowest row of 6 in a sheet of 24 stamps, second position from the left). This was later corrected(?).

Essay, the types are all different from the real stamps. The year at the bottom is "1900" instead of "1901", signed by J.Meijstek.

1902 King Edward

Printed in one color

  1/2 p green
  1 p red
  2 p lilac
  2 1/2 p blue

Printed in two colors

2 Sh yellow and grey 5 Pounds violet and brown

  1/2 p green and black
  1 p red and black
  2 p lilac and black
  2 1/2 p blue and black
  3 p green and black
  4 p brown and black
  6 p orange and black
  1 Sh green and black
  1 Sh brown and grey
  2 Sh brown and black
  2 Sh yellow and grey
  2 Sh 6 p black and lilac
  5 Sh purple and black on yellow
  10 Sh purple and black on red
  1 Pound violet and green
  5 Pounds violet and brown

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 green	*	c	Watermark 'CA Multiple Crown'
1/2 p green and black	*	*	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
1 p red	*	vc	Watermark 'CA Multiple Crown' or 'Anchor' (RRR)
1 p red and black	*	c	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
2 p lilac	**	c	Watermark 'CA Multiple Crown'
2 p lilac and black	***	**	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
2 1/2 p blue	***	**	Watermark 'CA Multiple Crown'
2 1/2 p blue and black	***	*	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
3 p	***	*	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
4 p	***	*	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
6 p	***	*	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
1 Sh green and black	R	***	Watermark 'CA Crown'
1 Sh brown and grey	***	*	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
2 Sh brown and black	RR	RR	Watermark 'CA Crown'
2 Sh yellow and grey	R	***	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
2 Sh 6 p	R	***	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
5 Sh	RR	***	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
10 Sh	RR	***	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
1 Pound	RR	R	Watermark 'CA Crown' or 'CA Multiple Crown'
5 Pounds	RRR	RRR	Watermark 'CA Crown'

Telegraphically used stamps:

Telegraphically used stamps have "CONTROLLER" and "C.T.O." (for Johannesburg, see images above), or 'T.O' added in the cancellation device.

Cancel consisting of a large "5" in a circle.

These stamps exist with overprint "CUSTOMS DUTY" for fiscal purposes (1 p, 2 p, 3 p, 4 p and 6 p). Also the 1 Sh green and black and 2 Sh brown and black exist with overprint "PASS".

Some of the above stamps also exist with overprint "C.S.A.R" or perforation "CSAR", they are all rare to very rare. These letters stand for 'Central South African Railway' and are actually railway stamps. Forged "C.S.A.R." overprints are known to have been made by Fournier and Lowden.

Unlisted '2d.' overprint on a 1 p stamp with bars on top and below, probably a bogus item.

Postal stationary:
I've seen a postcard (1/2 p green) with the image of King Edward VII, it has "TRANSVAAL" written straight on top and "HALFPENNY" straigh at the bottom, the King is portrayed in an ellipse. I've also seen a cut (1 p red) with an image of King Edward VII in an ornamented ellipse with inscription "TRANSVAAL POSTAGE ONE PENNY" written in the ellipse.

1/2 p postal stationary

Page from the Fournier Album of Philatelic forgeries with some examples of Fournier's forged cancels and overprints, including a forged 'C.S.A.R.' overprint. The 'C.S.A.R.' overprint is thicker and the top of the 'R' is more rounded.

Top genuine CSAR overprint, bottom Fournier forgery. Source: http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=36598

A primitive forgery of the 2 p value with a "PRETORIA" cancel. Also a 1 d forgery with a "JOHANNESBURG" cancels. Actually these are cut-outs from a postcard with images of stamps.

Educational card with images of stamps printed on them. I presume the bottom 'stamps' might also exist as cut-outs, although I haven't seen them.

A 5 Pounds forgery with watermark, probably created by removing the design of a lower value and printing the 5 Pound design instead. This is most likely the forgery mentioned in the Serrane guide. The colors are slightly different from a genuine stamp.