FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

Evening Star, Issue 22630, 23 April 1937, Page 2

FOR STAMP COLLECTORS

[By Philatelist.]

There are just a few stamps that possess a special glamour for people whose experience of collecting dates back to the nearly-forgotten past of their schooldays. These folk will tell you with an air of authority that in their collection —which some astute dealer bought for a fraction of its value—they had one of the famous “ black ” Mauritius, all the rare Guianas, and a perfect set of “ those three-cornered Capes.” “ What a fortune they would be worth to-day! ” they conclude, regretfully. There is, perhaps, no harm in letting these worthies delude themselves with memories that play havoc with their veracity. THE TRIANGULAR CAPES. Of all the stamps of popular renown, the first issues of the Cape of Good Hope appear to have made the strongest impression on the public mind. You arc scarcely believed if you tell some folk that certain of the triangular Capes are comparatively common. Their unusual shape, and the excellence of design and engraving, have constituted these stamps first favourites with collectors. Y r et it is only within recent years that documentary evidence has been forthcoming to show just why they were made triangular. A commission investigating plans for introducing postage reform in the colony reported in August, 1852, suggested the shape, and gave the reason for it; — “ In order to obviate errors in sorting letters or stamping, we would suggest the adoption of a device and shape so different from those of the English postage stamps as to catch the eye at a glance; and we would propose that of a triangle with the figure of ‘ Hope ’ in the centre, with the words ‘ Postage,’ 1 Four Pence,’ ‘ Cape of Good Hope ’ on the surrounding border, all on an engine-turned field as represented in the accompanying sketch by the Surveyor-General. * “'Various other designs . . . might be suggested, but we are disposed to recommend the triangle as most convenient, economical, and distinctive.” DESIGNER AND ENGRAVER. The Surveyor-General wh,o designed the stamp was Mr Charles Bell, and a copy of the original sketch is in the Record Office in London. The die was engraved by W. Humphry’s, a famous early stamp engraver (remembered as the author of Humphry’s retouched die of the early Great Britain Queen’s Heads), and the printing was done by Messrs Perkins, Bacon, and Co., in London.

The Id, printed in brick-red, arid the 4d,.deep blue, appeared on September 1, 1853, and early printings are on blued paper. Later they were on white paper, and a 6d lilac and a Is green were added to the series. Approximately 1,470,000 of the Id stamps produced between 1853 and 1856 were on more or less blued paper, and 600,000 of the 4d. They are not really scarce in used condition, but their catalogue prices reflect the continually increasing demand. The stamps on white paper continued in use for about nine years, and large supplies were produced. The 4d, in particular, is still plentiful, although it is listed in the catalogues at 15s used. THE CAPE “ WOODBLOCKS.” In 1861 there occurred an official blunder in Cape Town which was responsible for the production of the real rarities among the “ triangulars.” A supply of Id and 4d stamps had been shipped from England, and lay overlooked in a warehouse at the Cape Town docks. Meanwhile local stocks of these denominations were running perilously low. The colonial PostmasterGeneral, unaware of the mislaid consignment waiting at the docks, gave an urgent order to a firm of printers in Cape Town, Messrs Saul Solomon and Co., to print temporary supplies. The resulting stamps proved to be crude affairs produced from stereotypes, very different from the beautiful intaglio stamps shipped by the London printers. They were commonly spoken of as “ woodblocks,” although they are not actually wood cuts, as old-time collectors believed. The dies were cut in relief on steel, and electrotypes made from them were mounted upon a wooden base for use in the typographic press. The dies and the mounted electrotypes are still preserved in the South African Museum, having been defaced so that no further stamps can bo produced from them.

These crude provisionals were only in use for a few months, and all the varieties are very rare in unused condition, and scarce in used. THE FAMOUS “ERRORS.’' The highest degree of rarity is reached in the famous “ errors ” of the woodblocks. In mounting the separate stereotypes on their wooden bases, the workmen, by mischance, mounted a 4d stereotype among the penny ones, and a Id among the fourpennies. The result was that in each sheet of Id reds there was one 4d in red instead of blue. Likewise, among the 4d blues, there was one Id in blue instead of red. Unused examples of these are of extreme rarity. These errors only occurred in the early printings, the wrong cliches being removed after the mistake had been discovered.

Messrs Perkins, Bacon, and Co. continued to print the fine-engraved triangular stamps up to 1862, when the original plates were handed over to new contractors, Messrs De la Rue and Co., who printed the final edition of the “ three-cornered Capes ” in 1864. Collectors distinguish between the work of the two printing firms chiefly by the colour and the quality of impression.