Return To Catalogue - Transvaal 1869-1884 - South Africa
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: evert@klaseboer.com.
Specialists distinguish between so-called Mecklenburg print (made by Otto in Germany) and the Pretoria print (made by Viljoen in the country itself). If I'm well informed further printings were made locally by Borrius and the 'Stamp Commission'.
The following cancels are to 'neat', they are probably forged cancels on Otto reprints:
Forged cancels, probably printed on the stamps.
Website on forgeries: https://transvaalstudycircle.org/a-guide-to-correct-identification-of-the-6d-arms-stamps-of-the-first-republic-by-lars-jorgensen/
(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. I have heard that possibly the stamp dealer Julius Goldner and David Cohn were also involved in marketing these Otto reprints.
(Otto Reprint of the 1 p stamp, the 6 p is probably from the same
source)
On https://transvaalstudycircle.org/a-guide-to-correct-identification-of-the-6d-arms-stamps-of-the-first-republic-by-lars-jorgensen/ the following text can be found: "Otto is known to have used 3-ring cancellers with the following numbers: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 31, 33 and a fantasy ‘52’. In addition, he also cancelled stamps with ‘TE LAAT’ and ‘GEREGISTREERD’ hand stamps."
Several 'bogus' issues in various colours were printed on the request of some stamp dealers, examples:
6 p brown bogus 'reprint'. This stamp was marketed by Otto as an
'official stamp'. Later this turned out to be bogus. The 3 p blue
is probably from the same source.
Two stamps with a different color of the arms. Proofs or
reprints?
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 cancels (parallel straight lines or a dots pattern) was never used in Transvaal, genuine stamps are cancelled with concentric rings with a number, or a normal date cancel. I've seen the 3 p lilac forgery with a forged cancel consisting of concentric circles as well. I've also seen the 1 p forgery with a "..AHNDI 67"(?) cancel in two lines. The inscription in the banner has "EENDRACT" and "MACT" (with "C"s instead of "G"s). The genuine 3 p stamps have folded wings, in the above 3 p forgeries, the wings are spread.
Other forgeries of the 3 p and 6 p values; most likely made by
the forger Oneglia. On the 1 Sh the
'1's in the upper corners are too small. Also note the typical
cancel used on these forgeries. The top left of the "V"
of the narrow "V.R." overprint is missing. The
"S" of "SHILLING" in the 1 Sh values is very
different from a genuine stamp. Note the bars with "G"
cancel (especially on the 1 Sh tete-beche forgery).
Images obtained from
https://transvaalstudycircle.org/a-guide-to-correct-identification-of-the-6d-arms-stamps-of-the-first-republic-by-lars-jorgensen/
Another pair of forgeries obtained from the Transvaal Study
circle with a "N.T." cancel. This cancel also exists on
forgeries of Cook Islands and Natal.
Another forgery with the upper left "1" placed too low
and too far to the right. It might belong to the above set.
A badly printed 1 p brown, most likely a forgery.
Forged "VR TRANSVAAL" overprint on a Otto reprint
Page from the Fournier Album of Philatelic forgeries with some
examples of Fournier's forged cancels and overprints. The
"V.R. TRANSVAAL" (with large distance between
"V" and "R") and the "HALVE PENNY"
overprint were probably used on forged stamps of this issue.
Probably a forgery, either made by Otto or Fournier with the
distance between the "V." and "R." too large
(a misprint with a too large space between "VR" and
"TRANSVAAL" does exist; source: Les Falsifications du
Transvaal).
Two very dubious stamps.
The stamp forger Peter Winter has forged an imperforate 1 Sh green tete-beche pair of stamps.
Peter Winter tete-beche forgery (image obtained thanks to Garth
Kruger)
Black 'reprint'? with vertical defacing lines.
"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.
"Les falsifications du Transvaal" by Léon de Raay (publisher N.Yaar & Co), 1909(?). Can be downloaded from http://www.archive.org.
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.