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TRANSVAAL

Return To Catalogue - 1885-1910 issues - Transvaal 1894-1910 - Miscellaneous - South Africa

Currency: 12 Pence - 1 Shilling; 20 Shillings = 1 Pound

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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.

Transvaal is a difficult field for stamp collectors. Many 'reprints' are circulating, some of them made with the help of the original printers.

1869 Arms of Transvaal in a square, Imperforated or Perforated

  1 Penny red
  1 Penny black
  3 Penny lilac
  3 Penny red (1883, only perforated)
  3 Penny black on lilac (1883, only perforated)
  6 Penny blue
  1 Shilling green

Specialists distinguish between so-called Mecklenburg print (made by Otto in Germany) and the Pretoria print (made by Viljoen in the country itself).

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
Imperforate (cheapest types)
1 p red	RR	RR
1 p black	RR	RR	Only Pretoria print
3 p lilac	RR	RR
6 p	RR	RR
1 Sh	RR	RR
Rouletted (cheapest types)
1 p red	RR	RR
1 p black	RR	RR
3 p lilac	RR	RR
6 p	RR	RR
1 Sh	RR	RR
Perforated 12
1 p red	RR	RR
1 p black	***	***
3 p lilac	RR	RR
3 p red	R	***
3 p black on lilac	R	R
6 p	RR	RR
1 Sh	R	***	Exists tete-beche: RR

Surcharged

  'HALVE PENNY' on 3 p red
  'HALVE PENNY' on 1 Sh green

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Overprinted 'V.R. Transvaal' or 'V.R. TRANSVAAL' (1877)

V.R. TRANSVAAL

  1 p red
  3 p lilac
  6 p blue
  6 p blue on red
  1 Sh green

V.R. Transvaal (3 types, 'V.R.' straight, small or inclined):

(Reduced sizes)

  1 p red on blue
  1 p red on orange
  3 p lilac on green
  6 p blue on green

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Forgeries, example:

(Forgery)

Reprint of Otto (Mecklenburg, Germany), the printer of the stamps. However, the center of the 1 p, 6 p and 1 Sh has been re-engraved, the eagle's head is different.

(Reprint of Otto)

Several 'bogus' issues in various colours were printed on the request of some stamp dealers, example:

6 p brown bogus 'reprint'

The following cancels are to 'neat', they are probably forged:

Some primitive forgeries:

Note that the eagle's head is very strange and that the carriage is lower at the back than at the front in the above forgeries. This forgery is also described in 'The Spud Papers'. The cancel (straight lines) was never used in Transvaal, genuine stamps are cancelled with concentric rings with a number, or a normal date cancel.

1879 Queen Victoria

  1/2 p red
  1 p red
  3 p lilac
  4 p green
  6 p black
  1 Sh green
  2 Sh blue

Surcharged

  'HALVE PENNY Z.A.R.' (red) on 6 p black
  'EEN PENNY' on 4 p green
  '1 PENNY' (black or red) on 6 p black
  '1 Penny' (black or red, 5 types) on 6 p black
  'TWEE PENCE Z.A.R.' (red) on 6 p black

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Click here for the issues of 1885 to 1910 and miscellaneous.

Literature

"Transvaal Philately - The Stamps, Forgeries, Postal History and Miscellanea of the Transvaal Territories from inception to Union" (1986) editorship: Major Ian Mathews with contributions from co-authors Messrs Baker, Bowden, Crocker, Jonkers, Kaupe, van Zeyl and Wigmore, 291 pages.

Websites

http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/ymw18/transvl/study%20circle/challnge.html; some history on collecting stamps of Transvaal with a selected bibliography list.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer

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