The “Official” Stamps of South Africa
My silence last week does not mean I have not been working hard for you.
Behind the scenes, I have been very busy indeed.
My hard work is all about finding, selecting and recommending to you the best quality rare stamps.
Not only that, my aim is also to find areas of the market which look under-valued and where current market dynamics suggest the best chances of future growth in values.
That ensures my clients can enjoy buying for both pleasure and future profit.
What I do for you is not as easy as it sounds because…
- Finding rare stamps is, by definition, difficult
- Finding exceptional quality examples of such rarities is super difficult
- And then, to manage to acquire them in an area of the market which is strongly contested, without overpaying, is as difficult as I could make my job
That said, I don’t mind putting in all this effort. I thrive on the challenge.
The satisfaction of achieving this goal is reward enough for me.
However, it is you who benefits the most. After all, I’ve done all the hard work for you!
I am particularly excited about the special collection I have succeeded in assembling for you today.
I found this opportunity tucked away in a niche area of the British Commonwealth stamp market.
An enduring and hugely fascinating area, which benefits from generations of expert research.
This niche area of collecting has a very keen and passionate following.
I also believe the Stanley Gibbons catalogue values in this area are behind the market reality.
The Official Government stamps of South Africa
The first stamps for sole use by the government departments of the Union of South Africa were issued in 1926 and remained in production until 1955.
They were an interesting peculiarity at the time because they were issued in bi-lingual pairs with the overprint “OFFICIAL/OFFISIEEL”.
This was done to appease the Afrikaans and Colonial sensitivities at the time.
What makes these stamps so fascinating to collectors is mainly due to the method of production for the overprints.
They were applied by letterpress (typography). The plates were never set and were manufactured using the “Linotype” process. In this process, an operator typed the overprint on a keyboard. The machine then produced whole words by hot metal casting.
After this, they were assembled manually into a printing plate giving a likelihood of variations in spacing between the words.
Because of the manual process involved, collectors have identified an abundance of printing varieties over the years. This has led to it becoming an absorbing area of study.
The most famous were the “Diaeresis” printing varieties. These varieties occurred because the keyboard included a letter “E” modified with two dots (a diaeresis) often used in the Afrikaans language.
When this key was pressed by accident, it created a variety which has become one of the most sought after by philatelists.
The Special Collection of South African Officials
The collection of this fascinating area of philatelic study I have assembled for you is particularly special because:
- It showcases the range of wonderful designs of these King George VI issues
- It covers a range of interesting printing varieties including the famous ‘Diaresis’ variety
- It includes the premier rarity considered the hardest space to fill in the King George VI stamp album, unmounted mint as a block of four
- All items are of exceptional quality and some examples are much rarer being in blocks of four
- Wherever possible, I offer them to you at a discount to Stanley Gibbons catalogue values (as much as 45% for one item I purchased at an incredibly good price)!
Here it is. The Official collection in all its glory…
South Africa 1926 6d green and orange "Orange Tree" Official, overprint type O1 (with stops), SGO4.
Wonderfully presented in a block of 4 of the first printings of Government Official stamps from South Africa (Pretoria printing).
A good quality used block of four with a pleasing and interesting central slightly doubled 'ROSEBANK CAPE' circular date stamp.
The "Orange Tree" design is one of the most popular of the Union of South Africa stamps.
Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £150.
PRICE: £120 (20% discount)
South Africa 1929-31 1s brown and deep blue and 2s6d green and brown Officials, recess printing, matching lower left corner blocks of 4, each with R10/1 showing printing variety stop after "OFFICIAL", SGO10a, O11a.
Very fine mint matching blocks with original gum. The 1s block is unmounted mint.
A scarce and attractive pair of positional multiples both showing matching varieties.
The 1 shilling stamps feature a black and blue Wildebeest and the 2s6d stamps feature an Ox-wagon.
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £650+.
PRICE: £550 (15% discount)
South Africa 1929-31 ½d green and black Official, Pretoria typo printing, type O2 overprint, right marginal block of 4, upper right (Afrikaans) stamp showing variety "Stop after "OFFISIEEL", SGO7/b.
A brilliant quality unmounted mint positional block with full original gum.
A very scarce variety hardly ever seen in this pristine condition.
The majestic image of the South African antelope, the "Springbok" has captured the hearts of collectors for generations making these stamp issues one of the most popular areas of collecting and study.
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £140.
PRICE: £90 (36% discount)
South Africa 1930-47 2d slate-grey and lilac Official, 'SUIDAFRIKA' one word, type O2 overprint, WATERMARK INVERTED, block of 4 with neat Johannesburg circular date stamp dated '2 X 34', SGO14w.
A very fine used block of four and most attractive.
A scarce variety with only the 1934 printing showing inverted watermark.
A beautifully designed stamp depicting the imposing Union Buildings in Pretoria, which form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa.
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £280+.
PRICE: £250 (11% discount)
South Africa 1930-47 2s6d blue and brown 'Ox-wagon Inspanned' Official, rotogravure 'SUIDAFRIKA' one word, overprint type O2, horizontal pair, right (Afrikaans) stamp showing variety 'Diaeresis’ over second 'E' of 'OFFISIEEL' (R6/2), SGO19b.
Most interestingly, the left (English) stamp (R6/1) also shows short 'OFFICIAL' as listed in the South Africa Union Handbook, No V1.
A brilliant quality mint pair with original gum.
A rare printing variety and of particular interest with the additional variety on the left English stamp.
Only 199 maximum possible examples, from 1947 printing.
Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £1,500+.
PRICE: £995 (34% discount)
South Africa 1935-49 10s blue and sepia Official, horizontal pair, type O3 overprint (with "OFFICIAL" at left), SGO29.
A fine and fresh pair with large part original gum (one stamp being unmounted mint).
A scarce Official stamp, especially in such pristine condition.
An attractive stamp design featuring Groot Constantia, which is the oldest wine estate in South Africa established in 1685.
Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £500.
PRICE: £275 (45% discount)
South Africa 1944-50 1½d blue-green and yellow-buff 'Gold Mine' Official, block of 4, type O2 overprint, both pairs with ‘Diaeresis’ over second 'E' of 'OFFISIEEL', SGO33a.
A very fine mint block with original gum, (the lower pair are unmounted mint).
A rare multiple in such fine condition.
Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £1,600+.
PRICE: £1,200 (25% discount)
South Africa OFFICIAL 1944-50 'Set 23' (= 1949-50 issue) small format 2d blue and violet, SG type O6 overprint (reading upwards with 'OFFICIAL' at left and 16mm between lines of overprint), BLOCK OF 4, SGO35.
Exceptional quality multiple of this key King George VI rarity, unmounted mint with full original gum.
The error on this Government Official stamp is made more famous because of the early philatelic debate surrounding whether it was legitimately issued in error. It was ultimately, after much academic study, accepted as being legitimately issued in error and has now become something of philatelic fame.
A remarkable error, made more so by the fact it remained undiscovered for over thirty years. It is, today, considered the most aspirational South African government official philatelic rarity you could possibly own and the hardest space to fill in the King George VI stamp album.
Accompanied with a British Philatelic Association (BPA) Certificate of Authenticity (1983).
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £8,500+.
PRICE: £7,950 (6% discount)
South Africa 1950-54 2d blue and violet Official, type O7 overprint, BLOCK OF 4, error OVERPRINT INVERTED, SGO45a.
A pristine unmounted mint block of four with full original gum.
A rare multiple of exceptional quality.
A beautifully designed stamp depicting the imposing Union Buildings in Pretoria, which form the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa.
Accompanied with a British Philatelic Association certificate of authenticity (2002).
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is £2,200+.
PRICE: £2,000 (9% discount)
South Africa 1950-54 5s black and blue-green "Ox-wagon outspanned" Official, type O7 overprint on SG64a (unscreened rotogravure), horizontal pair, SGO49.
A very fine unmounted mint example with full original gum.
A rare Government Official stamp in unmounted mint condition.
PRICE: £180
Under-valued area of the market
In theory, the South African Official stamps should represent a sound area of the market for investment in rare stamps. They have all the qualities needed to perform…
Limited Supply: they are very rare, particularly in fine condition, not least because, originally, they were not available for sale to the public
Strong Demand: they provide a huge area of fascinating philatelic study, which has attracted a large and keen base of collectors
Momentum: the African stamp market is one of the hottest areas of the market with auction realisations and prices rising more than any other area of the market over the past few years.
So, let’s see how this theory stacks up by looking at the history of SG catalogue values for the collection in five-year intervals over the past twenty years…
The results of this historical pricing analysis show a glaring anomaly…
In a period when most areas of the British Commonwealth stamp market have shown strong growth in values, the South African Officials have only delivered average annual growth of 4%.
But, bear in mind this is based on Stanley Gibbons catalogue values.
As I said earlier, I think these prices are lagging the true market values.
What is clear to me from studying realisations at auction is that examples with even minor condition defects sell at considerable discounts to catalogue values.
On the other hand, unmounted mint examples, without any defects, can sell at a multiple of catalogue values.
I have seen similar varieties estimated to sell for £350 to £400, fetching £1,600 (4 times the upper estimate!)
But, I have also seen varieties which are in fair mint condition selling for just 30% of catalogue value.
If anything, this just demonstrates the all-important need to focus on the best quality examples when viewing stamps as a long term investment.
The next edition of the British Commonwealth & Empire catalogue is scheduled for release next month. It will be interesting to see what the new prices will be.
If you are quick you could own the whole collection
The total catalogue value of this special collection is £15,700.
It is available to purchase today in its entirety for the price of £13,610 (13% discount).
It is made ultra-special as it includes a most exceptional example of the most famous rarity in this area of philately. This gives the collection the central showpiece every collector in this area would love to own.
I believe the collection is under-valued and therefore attractive as a long term investment in rare stamps.
To secure the entire collection, you will need to e-mail me today at mike@paulfrasercollectibles.com.
I will e-mail you back straight away to let you know if the collection is OFFICIALLY yours.
Thanks for reading.
Kind regards
Mike Hall
PS. This collection is the equivalent to Warren Buffett’s value investing strategy. Value investing in rare stamps involves selecting rare stamps where catalogue values are trading below their intrinsic values. This signals that the market is currently undervaluing these rare stamps and that they will rise in the future.