These Hottentot servants had an amazing stamina. They have been reported that they could easily cover 80 to 90 km per day at a steady jog-trot, holding the stick in front of them. The stick served a dual purpose, for not only it prevented the runners from handling the letters, but it also protected the letters from getting wet when the runners were crossing streams. This method of carrying letters was not confined to the Cape of Good Hope but was also reported elsewhere in southern Africa and as far as Japan.

This method of carrying briefstock letters was reported in Matabeleland as late as 1887. It has been noted that Sir Sidney Shippard, the Administrator of British Bechuanaland, while on his journey to the Matabele chief Lobengula, is known to have dispatched a letter by runner to the Assistant Commissioner, Mr. Moffat at Gubuluwayo.

A limited number of these briefstock covers exist. You should be very careful if you buying any of these items as a number of forgeries exist. If you purchase one try and obtain a certificate and try and ascertain it’s provenance if possible.

This section does does not deal with the more specialised cancellations used in the ancillary services such as parcel post, T.P.O., ocean post and others which rather belong to different sections of this collection. It exclusively deals with circular markings used for dating and cancelling ordinary correspondence. The coverage of the earlier marks of this exhibit is mostly based on the James Perkins correspondence where material was adequate in my collection to form a coherent study with very little gaps. Now and then I have used colour prints of back of postcards and letters. This was intended to give the reader a flavour of the times when these postmarks were used.

The postmarks are firstly classified broadly into single or double circle and then divided into various types.

The First Circular Dated Stamp of the Cape of Good Hope (1864)

The first circular datestamps of the Cape of Good Hope were issued in 1864. At first these were only issued to the general Post Office at Cape Town and the Port Elizabeth post office.

This postmark was used both for the stamping of inland mail as well as overseas mail. The design is a circle of between 22 and 23 mm. The name of the town appears at the top, with ‘Cape Colony’ at the bottom. For the first time a time control letter appears in the postmark.

Apart from the differences in the diameter of the circle, other varieties – all relating to CDS 1 are known.

Cape triangular stamps defaced with this postmark at Cape Town and Port Elizabeth between january 1864 and 1865 are known. They can be found with this postamark either in black or red ink. The red,if genuine is rare. Care should be taken in acquiring items with this postamrk in other colours. After march 1865, this postmark was officially sanctioned to be used both for the back-stamping of letters as well as for defacing adhesives and consequently after 1865 their raririty is diminished.

A similar postmark to CDS 1 but approaching more the Second Circular Postmark was recorded in 1900.

This has a dot between ‘Cape’ and ‘Town’ but the ‘CAPE COLONY’ is absent. It has the time instead of a time control letter as shown for CDS 3. considerably.

The Second Circular Dated Stamp of the Cape of Good Hope (1864)

Shortly after the General Post Office at Cape Town and the Port Elizabeth post office began using CDS 1 and 2, a supply of datestamps was received from England. However, due to a misunderstanding, however, the wrong type had been sent.

These datestamps were not in accordance with the selected design, as the words “Cape Colony” in the lower section were omitted.

Because they were urgently required, the stamps were accepted by the authorities and distributed to the various post offices for which they had been ordered, instead of being returned to the manufacturers.

The design of the second Circular Dated Stamp of 1864 (CDS 3) was similar to one used in Great Britain at about the same time. The diameter is 20 mm and the name of the town appears at the top. The time control index letter and the day, month and year, in three lines, are located in the circle.

In 1865, when the correct datestamps arrived and were distributed, some post offices used both simultaneously, with and without the words “Cape Colony”. Impressions of this strike in green and violet should be avoided.

The Circular Dated Stamps of the Cape of Good Hope (1869 to 1882)

These Circular dated stamps of the Cape of Good Hope Goldblatt Types (CDS 4 to 15) are all very similar in design. They show the month, day and year of use in two lines and usually an index letter. The name of the town is top, immediately within the circle, but exceptions are CDS 11 and 12, where the name of the town is split and CDS 13, where a street address appears above, with ‘Cape Town’ below.

These circular datestamps of the Cape of Good Hope were not intended as defacers. They were normally used for dispatching as well as receiving marks.

The Circular Dated Stamp of the Cape of Good Hope – Dot at bottom-(1885)

The distinctive feature of this datestamp (Goldblatt Type CDS 16 to 20) is the dot at the bottom, approximately 2 mm above the lower curve of the circle. It was put into use in the Cape of Good Hope in 1885 and was widely distributed to most post offices in the colony.

The name of the town appears above and follows the curve of the circle. The month, day and year are in the centre. There is usually a control letter, although in some of them it is absent.

There are some interesting varieties of this Circular Dated Stamp of 1885. CDS 17 shows the letters P.O. (post Office) before the name. This was used in Upington with a large dot at the base. Steynsburg and Baviaans Drift used a similar one, but the dot is of normal size. The half-penny postcard illustrated above shows the same CDS for P.O. Mosheshsford. The second type shows both the name of the town and its territorial division as with ‘Concordia Namaqualand’.

The ‘Walfish Bay’ strike (CDS 20) shows a dash at the bottom instead of a dot. Cape datestamps from Walvis Bay are usually found cancelling Cape of Good Hope adhesives of the King Edward VII issue.

The Circular C.G.H. dated Stamps

In 1891 a circular datestamp with the letters C.G.H. – an abbreviation of ‘Cape of Good Hope’- was introduced and widely distributed. This datestamp survived many years into Union and was in use in some of the smaller offices, for example Paternoster as late as 1935.

Various circles, differing in diameter and lettering, were brought into use from time to time. The datestamp distributed in 1896 manifests two other characteristics, which assist classification: the presence or absence of dots before and after the name of the town and whether or not the letters are normal or wedge-shaped.

The Single Circle Dated Stamps of 1902 to 1903

During 1903 Single Dated Stamps were again put into use. These are found in various designs as shown below with diameters of either 23 mm or 26 mm.

These postmarks bear resemblance to the double circle postmarks issued between 1900-1902. The decision to actually issued them as single circle was possibly for better readability as the double circle postmarks had a tendency to wear out and also smudge the stamps.

Some of these postmarks can be found used well into the union period.

The Double Circle Dated Stamps of 1900 to 1902

Read this article.

The Maltese Cross at Bottom Stamp of the Cape of Good Hope

Read this article.

The Numeral at Bottom Stamp of the Cape of Good Hope

Read this article.

C.G.H. at bottom

Read this article.

‘CAPE TOWN’ at bottom

Read this article.

General Post Office Dated Stamps of the Cape of Good Hope

Read this article.

Simplicity of design was the keynote and most of the dumb cancellers are roughly cruciform, the cross being either in relief or sunken. Other commonly found designs include a series of bars, circles or squares.

t is hard to trace the origin of cork cancellations unless they are found on piece accompanied by a datestamp. However, some are readily identifiable showing the initial of the town of origin. Thus there are “C” or “CT” for Cape Town, “EL” for East London, “P” for Paarl, “B” for Bedford and “HV” for Hanover. A circular or square frame sometimes encloses initials.

Many types are known and the illustrations and the study that follows here are by no means exhaustive.Stamps on covers are known to have been defaced with these Cork Obliterators, although this was unauthorised.

Only a few covers of this nature have been noted and they are rare.

Establishment Of Registration Section in the Cape of Good Hope

With the spreading of post offices around the country a Registered Letter section was established at Cape Town’s General Post Office to deal with this class of mail. By January 1854 the term ‘Registered’ was firmly established.

Registered Datestamps and handstamps in the Cape of Good Hope

The first registered Letter datestamp (RL1) was brought into use in the Cape of Good Hope shortly after 1854. It was, however, still necessary to write “Registered” on the cover until about 1863-64, when a handstamp (RL2) replaced the manuscript marking.

The numbering of such letters was essential and the postmaster initially wrote the number on the envelope, alongside his office datestamp. Special registration handstamps (RL3 to 5) were introduced from 1909 onwards to facilitate the numbering.

A large variety of both circular and oval Registered Letter datestamps (RL 6 to 20) were in use. The horizontal oval handstamps (RL9 to RL18) were in most general use in colonial post offices for canceling adhesives whereas the circular ones were mostly used for back stamping of envelopes.

Registration Receipts

Printed receipt forms, similar to those in use today, were available to senders a few years later.

Registration Fees

The registration fee was originally 6d. This was reduced to 4d in 1869 and to 2 ½ in 1897. Printed receipt forms similar to those in use today were available to senders of registered letters.

1855-65

6d extra per letter

1864

On foreign letters sent by packet via the United Kingdom to Austria, Germany, Prussia, Saxony, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, united States and all British possessions: 1s. To Russia and Poland: 1s. 4d. if not exceeding a half ounce and 4d. for each additional half-ounce. To France and countries to which correspondence is forwarded through France: an additional amount equal to the amount of British or foreign postage.

1869

Inland including OFS, Transvaal and Natal 4d.

1869-74

Charge for registering to any part of the colony, neighbouring states or the United Kingdom: 4d per letter, book, sample packet or newspaper.

1874-76

Compulsory registered letters: Letters containing coin, as well as having the word “Registered” written upon them, posted in the colony without registration, were registered and forwarded charged with a double registration fee.

1897

2 ½ d per letter.

The Board recommended the provision of ‘Particular Post Boxes’ for merchants, having noted the delay which took place in the delivery of letters to merchants, and in the confusion which arose by giving change to their clerks or servants in the hurry of delivery’.

The proposal was accepted and a notice was publishd two days later, enabling the establishment of this service in the Cape of Good Hope.

It is reported that by 23 January 1854, 55 merchants have rented private boxes at a rental of one pound per year. A rate that remained unchanged for more than 50 years! (See Post Office Receipt).

The earliest special stamp recorded for cancelling mail placd in private boxes (PB 1) appears to date from 1900. It consisted of a circle, 23 mm in diameter, with Cape Town at the top,the day, month and year in three lines in the middle, and with letters P.B.S. for Private Box Section at the bottom of the circle.

Two varieties of this stamp exist and they appear to have been used simultaneously. One with letters measuring 2 mm and the other with letters measuring 2.5 mm high. They were used by the private boxsection for many years after the advent of the Union in 1910.

A rubber datestamp, a tremble-lined oval (PB 2) was brought into use about 1903. It measures 37.5 by 25 mm and the day, month and year are centred. The words ‘Private Box Section’ appear in the uper portion of the oval, with the words ‘cape Town’ below. Above and below the date ornamentation consits of four dots and two dashes with a star at each side of the oval.

Unclaimed Handstamps

Handstamps with the words ‘Unclaimed at Private Boxes’ (PB 3 and 4) were issued by the private box section. These are found impressed in red, violet or black ink on all letters that the owners failed to claim. unclaimed letters were either handed to the Dead letter Office or the Returned Letter Office. PB 3 can be dated to 1905.

When money was to be transmitted, the postmaster wrote “Money Letter” on the outside of the cover. A separate bag was provided for money letters and the driver of the postcart was told of its contents.

The public was advised that, as a precautionary measure, those who found it absolutely necessary to transmit money by mail should cut the notes in half diagonally, retaining one half until confirmation of the safe arrival of the other had been received. Special arrangements were made between the banks and the post office to recognise notes treated in this manner, subject to satisfactory explanation in the event of a loss.

Money order business was instituted at the post office on 1 March 1846 and initially the G.P.O. at Cape Town made use of the Circular Date Stamp of 1853 (CDS 1) to date the orders. (4) A datestamp for the Money Order Office (MOO 1) was brought into use in about 1869. A circle with a diameter of 24,5 to 25 mm reads “Cape Town” at the top and has the letters M.0.0. for Money Order Office below. The day, month and year are centred in the circle in two lines. (See example on a Money Order Advice from Aliwal North).

Money order facilities were gradually extended to all the main post offices in the colony and some were issued with special circular datestamps (MOO 2). Postmasters who had not been furnished with special stamps used the ordinary office datestamps to date money orders. Money Order datestamps were also used by some postmasters to deface stamps on letters and to stamp telegrams.

The Cape Town Money Order Office used three different handstamps, which were brought into use about 1894. MOO 3 and MOO 4 are similar, both with the letters M.0.0. uppermost and the word Cape Town in the lower part of the circle. The diameter and the size of the lettering differ in the two types, that of MOO 3 being 25 and 3,5 mm, respectively, whereas the diameter of MOO 4 is 26 mm and the lettering 4,5 mm.

The third type (MOO 5) shows “M.O. Branch” at the top of the circle and “G.P.O. Cape Town” below. MOO 6 has the letters M.0.0. preceding the name of the town (in this instance, Beaconsfield). In 1898, Port Elizabeth received a datestamp of 25 mm diameter (MOO 7) which was in use for both the Money Order and Savings Bank branches, indicated by the abbreviation M.O. & S.B. The Money Order Office at the General Post Office in Cape Town used a large and distinctive stamp (MOO 8), struck when the order was paid out on presentation. The design consists of double-lined inner and outer circles, with diameters of 30 and 45 mm respectively. The words “General Post Office” appear above, and “Cape Town” below, within the circles, and are separated by a star on either side. The word “Paid” framed by horizontal lines above and below, appears in the centre 3.

The South African and Internatonal Exhibition was staged in Kimberley in 1892. It was opened by Sir Henry Loch, the then Governor of the Cape of Good Hope on the 8th of September. It presented exhibits of art, an exhibition of paintings from the royal collection of Queen Victoria and mining machinery and implements amongst other items. The exhibition aroused considerable interest at internationallevel, which resulted in a competition for display space.

Kimberley Exhibition Postmarks

The government of the Cape of Good Hope allowed the secretary of the exhibition free franking privileges, before the opening of the event. Three exhibition cachets are known (E 1,E 2 and E 3).

The earliest exhibition covers E1 has a double circle design and has a diameter of 53 mm. It reads “South African and International Exhibition, Kimberley, 1892”. There is a star at the bottom and the date is located centrally.

The second in the series (E 2) also has a doubled lined circle design. The diameter is 40 mm.The wording is the same as E 1, but there is no star. It has the signatue of Mr. Robinson the secretary to the exhibition.

E 3 is a tremble-lined oval surmounted by a crest of the arms of the Cape of Good Hope. The endorsement of J. Al Ellis, secretary of the Cape Town committee of the exhibition. The only known cover is dated 19.7.1892. This cover which is illustrated above had a letter enclosed canvassing contributions from the Cape of Good Hope socialites.

Another postmark E 4, indicates that a temporary post office was opened at the exhibition, and that the Cape of Good Hope authorities provided a special date stamp for the occassion. (The exhibition brochure mentions that the postal facilities would be available to exhibitors and visitors).

However, a poscard in my possesion though shows correspondence emanating from the exhibition franked with the single circle Cape Town mark does not show such a mark. This post card is illustrated below.

Postcard Posted from the Exhibition

18/09/1892

It appears that these stamps were used in combination with the Orange Free State stamps to pay for the conveyance of mail from the Orange Free State to the Cape of Good Hope and for onwards transmission overseas.

Allis states that from documents in the Cape Archives it appears that for sometime before the introduction of stamps in the Orange Free State a form of mail carrying contract existed between the Cape and the Free State, whereby an annual payment was due by the Cape Government. Apparently this was done in the form of stamps.

The fact that they were the actual equivalent of their face value in cash would indicate that the Free State Government must have recovered their value by disposing them to the public for use on mail matter from the Free State teritory passing to or through the Cape Colony. They can actually be considered as provisionals, for their use was officially accepted although their exact rank is obscure.

Allis also states that items of this kind in question are of considerable rarity.

“Hope,” having risen from her seat after a period of contemplation lasting for upwards of four decades, having stood, at intervals, upon the One Penny, Halfpenny and Three Pence values, for seven years, and having finally appeared above the clouds on the One Penny stamp of 1900, now entirely disappears.

The new stamps of the Cape of Good Hope, of nine denominations, from Half-penny to Five Shillings, were printed by Messrs. De La Rue & Co. who also prepared the dies and plates. All values were printed upon the usual paper with the cabled anchor watermark normally used for Cape of Good Hope stamps.

The central portrait of King Edward VII is the same throughout. Unlike other colonial stamps each value has its own distinctive frame of an ornamental pattern. In this frame the words ‘Cape of Good Hope, postage,” and the value are incorporated.

Several printings were made resulting in a variety of colour shades in all values.
For the One Penny stamps four different plates were needed, whilst three plates sufficed to provide the necessary supplies of the Half­penny value. In all other cases one plate only was employed.

In certain of the sheets of the One Penny stamps the horizontal lines of shading in the medallion containing the King’s portrait to the right of the head, are almost entirely absent This is probably owing to the plate being worn, or to uneven inking. Another whilst minor variety exists in the same value where a small spot of colour resembling a full stop occurs between the letters ” о” and “n” of ” one.”

Considerable stocks of the stamps of old designs were still on hand in Capetown, and during certain periods the King’s Head types were withdrawn to admit of the old stocks being used up, whilst at other times, the old and the new stamps were in concurrent use.

Official Stamps

In 1perfin906 the Cape Government Printing and Stationery Department adopted a system of perforating in connection with the stamps used by their Department upon their Foreign Mail matter. The stamps so used were first passed through a machine and a device, consisting of eleven round holes, in the form of two triangles, having their common apexes meeting in the hole at the centre of the stamp, was punched out, thus:

Definite information as to all the denominations of the stamps so treated is not available, but the following have been seen : One Penny, Two Pence, Three Pence, Four Pence, Six Pence, One Shilling and Five Shillings.

Other values of the King Edward stamps may be found with various forms of overprint for revenue purposes, and were employed in the collection of cigarette and customs duties. Although these frequently bear postal oblitera­tions, they were never used for postal purposes, and have no real philatelic interest.

Privately Perforated Stamps

Stamps are found privately perforated normally with the Company initials to eliminate pilferage of stamps from the Company concerned.

Stamps are found for John Garlic, Cape Times Ltd., Union-Castle Steamship Co. Lt., C E Gardner & Co. Ltd., R Muller.

REFERENCE LIST

Rectangular design with portrait of King Edward VII. Watermarked Cabled Anchor. Perf. 14. Medium white wove paper. White gum.
half penny. Issued December 1902. In shades of green.

Plates i, 2 and 3.4

one penny. Issued December 1902. In shades of rose-red and carmine. Plates 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Two pence. Issued October 1904. In shades of brown.
twopence halfpenny. Issued March 1904. In shades of ultramarine-blue.
three pence. Issued April 1903. In shades of magenta.
four pence. Issued February 1903. In shades of sage-green.
Six pence. Issued March 1903. In shades of lilac and mauve.
one shilling. Issued December 1902. In shades ofyellow-ochrc.
five shillings. Issued February 1903. In shades of orange-yellow.
note. All the above stamps exist imperf. and are known in imperf. pairs. In this condition they are from plate-proof or trial sheets.

New Issue of Postage Stamps. – Upon the accession of His Majesty to the Throne it was decided by the Government to introduce new designs of postage stamps, post cards, etc., being a representation of the head of the King. Instructions were
accordingly issued to Messrs. Thomas De la Rue and Sons, London, for the preparation of suitable designs, and these were in due course submitted and approved. They consist of oval centers, showing the head of His Majesty in profile (after an original drawing by Mr. Emil Fuchs,the sculptor), set in suitable frames. His Majesty having commanded that all stamps bearing his effigy should have an
Imperial crown in the border, this has been adopted, and the crown appears in the new issue immediately above the head, adding considerably to the appearance of the stamps. In the upper corners the values of the stamps are indicated in bold
figures; and in words at the base.

It was Messrs. De La Rue’s proposal to have the same frame for each denomination of adhesive stamp; but, in view of the resemblance between the colours of certain denominations, more particularly in artificial light, and that something more than a more colour difference is therefore needed to enable the several values to be readily distinguished under all circumstances, I recommended a different design of frame for each value, and this suggestion has been adopted. As the colours of the stamps are fixed by the Universal Postal Union Convention, it was not possible to make any alteration in that respect, nor could any such alteration have been entirely effective, but the adoption of the different frame for each variety will remove any likelihood of mistake in those cases where the colours approximate, and will distinctly facilitate the checking
of postage.

It was hoped that the new stamps would be ready for issue on the 1st January, 1902, but owing to the quantity of similar work for other Colonies which the contractors have in hand, and the great length of time which it was found would
be occupied in engraving in turn the various dies and formes, this has proved impossible. It is anticipated, however, that the new dies will be brought into use in connection with the execution of the next indents for supplies; in which case some of the denominations will be put into circulation towards the close of the year 1902 (1901, p. 29).

A notice that appeared in the Government Gazette of 31st October 1879 informed the public that as from the 1st November 1879 the rates of postage on letters posted in the Colony, Basutoland and the Transkeian Territories for transmission to Post Offices within the same was reduced to Three Pence per half ounce.

Letters for Natal, the Diamond Fields, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal remained at the rate of Four Pence the half-ounce. Letters posted in the town or village for delivery within the limits of the same were charged at the Penny rate.

The requirements were anticipated and the Treasury Department took steps by organizing 5 000 sheets of the Four Pence blue stamp to be surcharged locally by Messrs. Saul Solomon & Co. This was done by printing the words “THREE PENCE” in small roman letters and with the original value obliterated by a bar.
The issue is not devoid of errors and the stamp is found with the surcharged words reading “THEE.EE PENCE” or “THREE PENCB”. At least one sheet of this provisional was issued with the surcharge double and this stamp is one of the great Cape of Good Hope rarities.

Although both of the errors doubly surcharged must exist or at any rate have existed only that with the word spelt “THEE.EE PENCE” has been recorded.