1. Specimens.
There are two types of SPECIMEN stamp recorded for the 1900 Boer War Patriotic Fund issue:
1.1: The Natal SPECIMEN overprints.
Both stamps of the 1900 Patriotic Fund issue were overprinted "SPECIMEN:"
- in purple in sans serif capitals;
- placed diagonally (approximately) from the lower left corner.
- the font is very large (Samuel type NA2).
This overprint was applied by the Natal Post Office upon receipt of the stamps from the UPU.
Only one pair of these SPECIMEN overprints is recorded.
Provenance: Besaçon (Corinphila November 2017 Lot 6461). Has a BPA Certificate, 1981.
1.2: The Lisbon ULTRAMAR overprints.
Three stamps are recorded with an ULTRAMAR handstamp.
The overprint is in blue on all three known overprints.
It was applied in Lisbon for distribution as Specimen stamps to the Portuguese Colonies - the main Post Office amongst these Colonies being in Goa, India.
Between 1895 and 1910, U.P.U. specimen stamps were sent to Lisbon for distribution to Portuguese Colonies. These overprinted stamps were handstamped ULTRAMAR prior to despatch.
Two of the three Lisbon stamps shown here were affixed to a ledger page from an official record book. It had been ruled in pencil to create squares where the stamps were to be mounted.
For the pair of 1d (1/-) brown and the 2d (2/-) turquoise stamps on card below, Provenance is:
- the Portuguese India Colonial Archives;
- William McCredie - Prestige Philately Sale 119 November 2005 Lot 537;
- Millennium Auctions June 2011 Lot 455.
overprinted ULTRAMAR in blue
with a part mirror image below.
Prestige Philately February 2012 Lot 672.
Abacus December August 2019 Lot 567.
Johnstone.
Stamps were cancelled-to-order to sell them to collectors at a reduced price. For the 1900 Patriotic Fund stamps, various datestamps used at MELBOURNE are recorded from 1901.
The Australia Post archival collection has multiples of the CTO stamps in a block of 21 for the 1d (1/-) and in a block of 30 for the 2d (2/-).
At the Australia Post Philatelic Archival Sale in February 1987, three lots of Boer War Charity stamps with CTO cancels were offered:
- Lot 72: a CTO pair and a single of each denomination;
- Lot 73: a CTO block of four of each denomination;
- Lot 74: a CTO block of 12 of each denomination.
At least it is possible to discern where the CTO cancellations of 28 July 1902 were placed.
All CTO strikes in these lots were JY 28 1902. These blocks of four are by far the largest multiples outside the archival collection. It is not however known if the blocks have been preserved or broken up.
Horizontal pairs of both stamps, with the JY 28 1902 CTO cancellation crossing the perforations evenly between the stamps, were sold by Status Auctions in July 2002 as Lot 1472. These are probably from Lot 72 - they are certainly not from Lot 73.
First Day Cover (?)
Stamps affixed to a small envelope with
ms. "Do not Postmark" and with a Kiama, NSW arrival backstamp
of 25 May 1900.
Most unusual postal use of CTO cancel -
especially so as First Day covers in this period are very rare.
Nothing is known of the history of this cover.
Prestige Philately August 2012 Lot 274.
Same date as for the third pair below.
Gartner October 2013 Lot 7288.
the rare TELEGRAPH BRANCH -MELBOURNE Victoria duplex of JA 1/01.
Prestige Philately November 2006 Lot 342.
Millennium June 2011 Lot 500.
Other CTO examples for each denomination are also recorded for