Pietersburg was one of several small towns in South Africa which was fought over between British/Empire forces and local white "Boer" population at the beginning of the last century. As is the case with most of these skirmishes, stamp speculators also moved in quickly.
This South African Republic postal card has been cancelled on 22nd March 1901 (the second day of issue) and is addressed to a local collector, a Revd. H. Berthoud in the nearby community of Spelonken. To quote the card:
"As far as date only penny stamps have been issued. I secured the amount of same wanted by you, and will send them, when the sky has cleared up, likely together with the others of higher value which are to be offered for sale later.
Yours truly, Horace
Pbg 21/3/01"
The stamp itself is SG26 Type 2 with fairly typical rough perforations, P 11 1/2 but imperf. to top margin. None of the numerous plate errors are present. The stamps weren't valid for postage outside ZAR.
Posted 08/03/2015 04:22 am
