The details addressed on this page are:


Details of the 2d (2/-) Charity stamp.

2d emerald 1900 Charity stamp single for Victoria

The 2d emerald stamp was used to pay
the 2d inter-colonial postage rate.
It featured three members of the Victorian contingent which served in the Boer War campaign - an infantryman "on guard" with a mounted bayonet and two mounted troopers, each with rifles, scanning the Transvaal horizon (the rider on the right possibly using binoculars).
The Charity stamp was sold for 2/- (12 times the face value) to raise money for the Patriotic Fund.
The stamp was not valid for overseas use.

 


The standard 2d. stamp.

2d violet Naish design single for Victoria

The 2d Victorian stamp on standard issue in 1899/1900 was first issued in 1888 for the purpose of paying the cost of sending a basic inter-colonial letter. The stap was a modified design of that prepared by Charles Naish. There were many printings in violet shades.
Those wishing to send a letter to another Australian Colony therefore had the choice between these two stamps - depending on whether they wished to pay the extra amount of 12 times the basic rate by using the the Boer War Patriotic Fund stamp.

 

Both stamps in the Patriotic Fund issue were printed from electrotype printing plates in sheets of 42 arranged in six rows of seven stamps.

 

Main details of printing.

Purpose:
Inland letter rate.
Date of issue:
22 May 1900
Watermark:
V over Crown (V4) sideways.
Perforation:
12½ single line perf..
Number printed:
Unknown but more than 20,034 stamps (477 sheets) plus some sheets which were sent to the Victorian Agent General in London for sale.
Supplied to Bern Bureau (UPU):
Unknown.
Destroyed under Treasury Authority:
Unknown.
Number issued:
About 4,000 stamps.

Both the stamps in the Patriotic Fund issue were printed from electrotype printing plates in sheets of 42 arranged in six rows of seven stamps.


Multiples.


There are only two recorded multiples - both pairs - of the 2d (2/-) stamp.
One pair has no selvedge while the other has selvedge at the right side.

1900 Vic horiz pair no selvedge
Horizontal pair with no selvedge at right.
Provenance: Abacus Sept 2019, Sale 237 Lot 536;
Johnstone;

1900 Vic horiz pair with selvedge at right
Horizontal pair with selvedge at right.
Provenance: Stone Collection.
(Rodney Perry Auction in September 1993).
Dubois Collection (Corinphila June 2023 Sale # 307, Lot 20435).
Johnstone.

A CTO horizontal pair with Melbourne 28 July 1902 cancellation across the join was sold by Status International in July 2002 as Lot 1472.


Used stamps off cover.

As noted elsewhere, used 2d (2/-) stamps in good condition with a clear date stamp are scarce.
There are at least 15 but probably less than 25 examples recorded.
It is doubtful if any of these cancelled stamps were used for valid postal purposes.
Some examples with cancellations are:

used 1900 2d at Melbourne 25 May 1900
Melbourne: 25 May 1900.
Three days after issue.
Prestige Philately June 2012 Lot 471.
used 1900 2d at Essendon 16June 1900
Essendon: 18 June 1900.

used 1900 2d at Wodonga 26 June 1900
Wodonga: 26 June 1900.
Ebay December 2025.
used 1900 2d at Essendon 16June 1900
Elsternwick: 22 September 1911.
(Late cancellation - out of postal validity).
Status Auctions January 2013 Lot 1952.

Used 2d (2/-) stamps off cover.

The list below records the clear date stamps on the 2d (2/-) 1900 Victorian Charity stamp.
Faint, smudged and incomplete date stamps are not included because of the difficulty in ascertaining their degree of genuineness.
CTO cancellations are discussed elsewhere as are the covers with the 2d (2/-) stamp affixed.

Date
Place
Description
Seller
25 May 1900
Melbourne
Prestige Philately June 2012 Lot 471.
28 May 1900
Melbourne 7
Double circle date stamp.
Matthew Bennett April 2003 Lot 2831.
Abacus Auctions Dec 2019.
30 May 1900
Geelong 2
Duplex - rotated anti-clockwise.
Status February 2003 Lot 1587.
Spink May 2018, Lot 346 (part).
2 June 1900
Rosedale
Unframed date stamp left of centre and rotated about 200 degrees clockwise.
Abacus sale 227 Lot 450 (part).
5 June 1900
Spottiswoode
Unframed - with 1d (1/-).
Ebay April 2018.
16 June 1900
Illowa
Unframed.
Phoenix Auctions, January 2015, Lot 776.
24 June 1900
Mildura
Prestige Philately August 2005, Lot 436.
26 June 1900
Wodonga
Clear inverted date stamp left of centre and rotated about 200 degrees clockwise.
Ebay December 2025.
28 June 1900
Melbourne 7
Double cirle with shading in lower section around the 7.
Ebay April 2018 and Ebay Octover 2019.
2 August 1900
Port Melbourne 7(?)
Duplex.
Status February 2012 Lot 1672.
16 September 1900
Rialto
Duplex.
Matthew Bennett April 2003 Lot 2832.
Richard Juzwin July 2018.
8 January 1901
Rialto Telegraph Office.
Status May 2006 Lot 1476
Status December 2006 Lot 1641.
11 January 1901
Melbourne
Double circle date stamp.
Ebay September 2013.
25 May 1901
Bendigo Registered
Has margin at left.
Phoenix Dec 2012 Lot 842 and July 2013 Lot 1144.
25 July 1901
Melbourne 7 (?).
Double circle (left side not present).
Sandafayre October 2013 Lot 4170 and November 2013 Lot 5546.
5 January 1903
Maldon
Incomplete and in lower right corner
Ebay July 2018.
12 January 1904
Down Train M.G. 17
Octagonal date stamp with VICTORIA at the base. Centered but touches perfs at the left.
Corinphila May 2018 Lot 3485.
22 September 1911
Elsternwick.
Usual date stamp crossing right side perforations.
Prestige August 2012 Lot 272;
Status March 2013 Lot 2010;
Status June 2013 Lot 1845..