BELLVILLE

Philatelic Society - Filatelievereniging

Posbus 402 PO Box - SANLAMHOF – 7532 http://bellvillephilatelic.tripod.com; Email: philately@netpoint.co.za

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MINUTES

FEBRUARY 2017 MEETING

PREVIOUS 8 FEBRUARY 2017 AGM, CUPS, ONE PAGE & LIB CASE We had 2 exhibits for the One Page cup on “Nudes”. Congratulations to Anne Marie Wigmore on her “Hermes and Mercury : The nearly nude messengers of the Gods” exhibit. The setup for our auction in March will start at 17:30. Anyone who is available, must please come and assist Werner. Viewing is from 18:00 and the auction starts at 19:00. The following exhibits were entered for the One Page Cup winner of the year: April 2016 Winter Rianneke Loo May 2016 Soccer Rianneke Loo June 2016 Trains Michael Wigmore (“Natal Government Railways”) July 2016 Flowers Anne Marie Wigmore August 2016 Sport Rianneke Loo (“Olympiese Spele”) October 2016 Birds Diederik Viljoen ("Liberia Triangular Bird Issue 1953”) November 2016 Aeroplanes Michael Wigmore January 2017 Presidents Stan Rowland February 2017 Nudes Anne Marie Wigmore (“Hermes and Mercury : The nearly nude messengers of the Gods”) Congratulatoins to Michael Wigmore on his winning page from June 2016: “Natal Government Railways”. Diederik Viljoen is planning to enter Bofex2017 and Neville Smith SAPDAPex 2017. Our best wishes to both men. The following cups were handed out to the 2016 winners in each category. Congratulations to each, as well as the other participants (who received participation certificates): Wilson Cup (Africa) – Michael Wigmore: Natal – The Victorian Era Stamps of Perkins, Bacon & De La Rue Van Dijk Cup (One Frame) – Diederik Viljoen: Cyprus – 1880 - 1881 Beunderman Cup (Thematic) – Rianneke Loo: Meesters van onsterflike musiek Ubaghs Cup (Rest of the World) – Stan Rowland: Denmark – 1905 - 1971 Ladies Cup – Anne Marie Wigmore: Postal History of Wynberg – 1824 - 1927 Rose Bowl (8 Pages) – Diederik Viljoen : Guernsey & Jersey – 1940 -1969 The AGM was chaired by Werner Barnard, in the absence of Wobbe Vegter. It was opened with a financial report by Diederik Viljoen. The society is in good financial standing and the commissions received through our auctions is very important to break even. Diederik expressed his gratitude to Wobbe for the administration of the auctions. We currently have 39 members, including one Junior member. Members are requested not to deposit cash into our account, unless they add an additional cash deposit fee of R20. Robert congratulated Diederik for his work. Wobbe Vegter’s President’s Report, until September 2017, was read by Werner. There-after Werner continued with his own Vice-President’s Report since October 2017. The new elected committee is as follows: Chairperson : Werner Barnard Vice-Chairperson : Johan Bezuidenhout Secretary : Reanie de Villiers Treasurer : Diederik Viljoen Other members : Hugh Mulder, Stanley Rowland, John Potter Tea Duties : Rianneke Loo The next committee meeting will be on 23 February, at the home of Werner Barnard. Under other matters: Chuck Muller proposed that we write an official Thank You letter to Wobbe for the 11 years that he served as Chairperson. Stan Rowland proposed that we present Wobbe with a philatelic-related gift. These proposals will be discussed at the committee meeting.

23 FEBRUARY 2017 COMMITTEE MEETING Werner will provide feedback at the April 2017 meeting.

FORTHCOMING 8 MARCH 2017 AUCTION

We have received several items for an Auction and have scheduled it for the March 2017 meeting. A catalogue has been distributed to all members. 12 APRIL 2017 MEMBERS INTRO EVENING This is an informal “get-to-know-each-other” evening. All members will be requested to give a brief summary on what they collect and, if they are brave enough, have a “show & tell” of one item / page. Reanie will also give a brief overview on Tea Duty and the general society meeting structure. Werner will provide information on the society cups and the rules applicable to each. 10 MAY 2017 LADIES & REST OF THE WORLD CUPS Ladies Cup: This cup is open to all female members and for any category. The minimum of 32 pages (2 frames) applies with all the normal rules for each category. Exhibitions will be judged according to the category it falls into. Rest of the World Cup: All countries, excluding the Africa continent, are included in the exhibition range for this cup. Minimum two frames (32 pages) exhibit – as for a classical collection. 14 JUNE 2017 THEMATIC & AFRICA CUPS & THEMATICSA

Thematic Cup: Minimum two frames (32 pages) exhibit – covering any subject that cannot be categorized as a traditional exhibit (e.g. country). Africa Cup: All countries in Africa, including Madagascar and Mauritius, are included in the exhibition range for this cup. Minimum 2 frames (32 pages) exhibit – as for a traditional exhibit. Diederik Viljoen will give a short talk on ThematicSA and specifically, the Western Cape branch.

The Evolution of Mail and Postage Stamps By Tom Fortunato

[http://www.frontiernet.net/~stamptmf/exhibits/stampcollecting/index.html] Have you ever really taken a good look at a postage stamp and considered what it represents? That little piece of paper is actually an ambassador representing its country through the people, places, and history depicted on it. This brief presentation will highlight the history of the mail and postage stamps themselves, explain how they are created, and make you aware of the infinite possibilities of collecting them. Consider joining the ranks of famous stamp collectors like President Franklin Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth II, John Lennon and many others!

Lennon's childhood album

Introduction Almost any subject you can think of can be found on a postage stamp issued somewhere in the world since 1840. Flora, fauna, and other "natural wonders" can all be found on stamps.

Several hundred thousand different stamps (if not over a million!) have already been issued by countries past and present from around the world. So, too, have local governments and courier services. I - History of the Mail Before Postage Stamps

Mail and stamps have been defined by noted postal historian Ken Lawrence as: "Written communication carried from one predetermined place to another on scheduled rounds at uniform rates by a disinterested third party (the postal system), and stamps were defined as printed tokens that denoted the franking privilege or prepayment of postage."

Any presentation about postage stamps must start by what came before them, for this story really begins with man's need to document the spoken word and disseminate that information. Pre-paid letter and parcel delivery through the use of postage stamps and home

delivery itself are modern conveniences in the grand scheme of things. So let's take a look first at mail through the millennia. Before the mid-1800's stamps and envelopes simply did not exist. Paper sheets were written upon, folded, addressed and then sealed in some way. Mailing costs were based on a combination of the weight and distance travelled, and often paid by the receiver, not the sender! Most routes originated as Royal roads, built by the Crown through the centuries to transport goods.

The stamp's reverse inscription

One of the earliest forms of writing was cuneiform. A note would be incised on clay tablets and then baked, creating a permanent message. The first mail service was formed either by Persian King Cyrus the Great, or his successor, King Darius of the Assyrian Empire around 671 B.C. Persian horsemen rode in relays covering a 1600-mile route in nine days delivering this official mail. Herodotus the Greek described their system this way: "It is said that as many days as there are in the whole journey, so many are the men and horses that stand along the road, each horse and man at the interval of a day’s journey; and these are stayed neither by snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness from accomplishing their appointed course with all speed."

Two thousand years later Marco Polo wrote extensively about the Mongols' mail relay system in China in the 13th century. It used about 300,000 horses to deliver the mail to over 10,000 stations in the region.

Starting around 1290, the Venetian Tassis family organized a private courier service throughout the Italian city states. Marrying into German royalty, they later became known as the Thurn and Taxis family, managing an independent horse-based express service throughout the European continent handling diplomatic and commercial dispatches. The business became so successful that Franz von Thurn und Taxis was appointed as the first Imperial Postmaster of the Holy Roman Empire at the turn of the 16th century to manage communications throughout the jurisdiction. Within a few decades typical deliveries between Brussels and Paris took 36 hours, and Brussels to Naples took 14 days.

One of the earliest known T&T covers, mailed on June 18, 1649 from Belgium to Paris, bearing a "post horn" postmark. Mail deliverers had horns to announce their arrival in towns they rode through.

Mail coach and Thurn and Taxis mail sign, circa 1750 They employed over 20,000 people by the end of the 18th century and formed the basis of the modern 19th century postal system throughout Europe.

The English postal service was officially established under King James II in 1657 from royal courier routes operating in Elizabethan times as a way of collecting revenue from the domestic mails. Rates at that time were based on the distance the letter was to travel multiplied by the number of sheets of paper composing the letter. For example, the basic rate for single sheet letters was 2 pence for up to 80 miles, 4 pence for 80-140 miles, and 6 pence for distances over 160 miles. For example, a two-sheet letter sent 100 miles would have cost 8 pence (2x4 pence) in total. Delivery was made by private contractors who collected their fees in cash from the receiver and paid the government back accordingly based on annual contracts. This was the norm for about 200 years afterwards. Henry Bishop, English Postmaster General (1660-1663), introduced the first postmark in London in 1661 as a way of documenting the month and day a letter was received at the General Post Office to minimize local delivery complaints. Known as "Bishop's marks," several types were used over an 80-year period.

Dublin to London cover, posted November 23, 1661, received at London's General Post Office December 7.

As for the American colonies, informal independently run postal routes began in Boston as early as 1639, with Boston to New York City service starting in 1672. Officially sanctioned mail service began in 1692 when King William III of Great Britain granted a delivery "patent" to an English nobleman. With it came exclusive rights to set up and offer service to the colonial governments. Routes were set up between New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Portsmouth (NH) by the following year. Individual riders made the treks rather than by relays. A single sheet letter cost 9 pence between New York and Boston.

By 1707 the Crown bought the patent back and began its own operation by an act of Parliament in 1711. Ben Franklin was named the postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737, and later was appointed by King George III in 1753 as Co-Deputy Postmaster General for America along with William Hunter.

Postage rates were high and looked upon as another form of taxation by the colonists. The British Stamp Act for America of 1765 placed a formal tax on official documents of all kinds, sparking the American Revolution. The tax was repealed a year later. Very few were ever actually used in the thirteen colonies, but saw service in Canada and the British Caribbean islands.

The Swedish General Post dates to 1636 bearing a variety of manuscript markings. Royal mail was originally marked with 3 crowns, which evolved into a series of squiggles between the early 1700's and 1873. Their mail system had a unique way of signifying the importance of letters - feathers. Feathers attached by wax seals gave post riders an idea of the urgency of the message. The more feathers, the greater importance.

1774 two-feather letter 1834 one-feather soldier's letter

The government of Sardinia, located off the western coast of Italy, issued stamped postal paper on November 7, 1818 at post offices and tobacco merchant shops (that earned a commission for their sale) across the island. The release was meant to tax private mail couriers. Anyone found transporting mail not on these letter sheets was subject to fines and imprisonment. Known as "cavallini", these pre-cursors to postage stamps were available in 15, 25 and 50 centesimi denominations to account for the distance a letter was to travel.

Early stamped cavallini sheet Embossed cavallini sheet

All show a horse at full speed being ridden by a nude cherub blowing a post horn. The designs were stamped on early versions and embossed without ink on later ones. They remained in use until March, 1836, when the postal laws changed.

To be continued…

1863 Egyptian post office cover to lead collector's series sale By Paul Fraser Collectibles, Thursday 3 December 2015

[http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/news/postage-stamps/1863-egyptian-post-office-cover-to-lead-col-lectors-series-sale/20388.page]

An 1863 Egyptian Post Office cover will lead the collector's series sale at Spink. The 1863 Egyptian post office cover is expected to sell for $27,000 It displays six 1855 Sardinian 20c stamps, along with an 1855 40c and an 1858 80c. All display strong margins and excellent colour. The cover was sent to an address in Italy and features various date stamps from European and Egyptian post offices. Spink explains the lot features "a unique franking, being the highest known on cover of this early issue used in Egypt, with its desirability being augmented by the fact of representing the earliest recorded date of use of the highest denomination, the 80c., as well as of the 10c. "[It is] the most significant cover of the Italian post office; it must be considered as one of the most celebrated covers of Egyptian postal-history." The lot is valued at $26,986 ahead of the December 16 sale.

The cover was sent to Italy from Alexandria in Egypt

A set of Brazilian 1845 90r and 30r multiples, tied to an 1856 legal document, is valued at $33,068. It consists of a block of six 90r (the rare IIa variety), a block of four 90r (type II) and a pair of 30r stamps. It's the largest known franking of the IIa 90r, which are believed to have been produced on a different plate to the type I and type II variations.

Programs of other societies in the Western Cape

THE ROYAL

MEETINGS: Second and fourth Monday of each month at 20:00 at the Athenaeum, Newlands, Cape Town

13 MARCH 2017 All members and guests: favourite pages

27 MARCH 2017 'British West Indies' Rob Allen; 'Philatelic Terms' Betty Swart

10 APRIL 2017 'The Rare and Mysterious Columbian Airmails' Barry Fletcher

24 APRIL 2017 'German Colonies' David Wengrowe

8 MAY 2017 'Madagascar and Dependencies' Danie Scheepers; 'Australian Postal Rates' David Sinclair

22 MAY 2017 'Cape of Good Hope - the rectangular period' Emil Buhrman

STELLENBOSCH

MEETINGS: First Tuesday of the month at 19:00 at Le Donjon, La Societé, La Clemence, Webersvallei Rd, Stellenbosch

7 MARCH 2017 No information available

4 APRIL 2017 No information available

2 MAY 2017 No information available

PAARL

MEETINGS: Second Thursday of the month at 19:30 in the MBA Boland building, Concordia Street, Paarl

9 MARCH 2017 Jaarlikse Ete

13 APRIL 2017 Tema: Letter U

11 MAY 2017 Combrinkbeker-kompetisie

PINELANDS

MEETINGS: Last Wednesday of the month at 19:30 in the Activities Room of Pinelands Public Library

29 MARCH 2017 Workshop – Rust Removal, Watermarks, UV light, Floating self-adhesives, etc; 1page: “T”; All members swap/bourse

26 APRIL 2017 Victor Millard: Mollusca; 1page: “U”; Marilyn Crawford: Member’s own choice; Other: 1page 1stamp 1minute

31 May 2015 Auction

FISH HOEK

MEETINGS: First Tuesday of the month at 19:30 at Minor Hall - Civic Centre, Recreation Road, Fish Hoek

7 MARCH 2017 AGM; Errors on Stamps by Volker Janssen

4 APRIL 2017 South Africa evening & competition

2 MAY 2017 Foreign Evening & Competition; Volker Janssen shows Iceland (out of competition)

SUBS FOR 2017

Federation Fee 2016: R 165 (incl vat) Society Fee 2016: R 85 (same amount payable by non-home members) Total Membership Fee 2016: R 250

PROGRAM 2017

MONTH SUBJECT TEA DUTY ONE PAGE

11 JAN 2017 ALL MEMBERS’ NIGHT

& 8 PAGE CUP I POTGIETER

A & M WIGMORE PRESIDENTS

8 FEB 2017 ONE PAGE, CUPS & AGM N SMITH

D VILJOEN

NUDES

23 FEB 2017 COMMITTEE MEETING AT THE HOME OF WERNER BARNARD, D’URBANVALE

19:00

8 MAR 2017 AUCTION E STOCKENSTROM

J WAGENER S ROWLAND

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12 APR 2017 MEMBERS INTRO EVENING J BEZUIDENHOUT

G STRYDOM RED

10 MAY 2017 LADIES & REST OF THE

WORLD CUPS E STOCKENSTROM

S LIGHT MY FAVOURITE

ANIMAL

14 JUNE 2017 THEMATICS AND AFRICA

CUPS & THEMATICSA R HARM

L NEL ARCHITECTURE

12 JULY 2017 NATIONAL AND INTERCLUB

EXHIBITS & POSTAL HISTORY

R LOO N MATTHEE

“D”

21 / 22 JULY 2017 ONE FRAME VIRTUAL

EXHIBITION (BOFEX2017) BLOEMFONTEIN

10 AUG 2017 COMMITTEE MEETING AT THE HOME OF WERNER BARNARD, D’URBANVALE

19:00

16 AUG 2017 ONE FRAME CUP A & M WIGMORE

M REEVES AFRICA

13 SEP 2017 AUCTION C MULLER

J WAGENER S ROWLAND

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14 SEP 2017 (?) INTERCLUB COMPETITION PAARL 19:30

9 OCT 2017 QUIZ EVENING THE ROYAL 20:00

11 OCT 2017 BACK TO BASICS R NAUTA

D VILJOEN NUMBERS

11 – 14 OCT 2017 SAPDAPEX2017 JOHANNESBURG

13 OCT 2017 CONGRESS JOHANNESBURG

8 NOV 2017 VISITORS : CASPIP T OLCKERS

N SMITH OVERPRINTS

6 DEC 2017 PRESIDENT’S EVENING AT THE HOME OF WERNER BARNARD, D’URBANVALE

19:00

10 JAN 2018 ALL MEMBERS’ NIGHT

& 8 PAGE CUP

I POTGIETER C MATHEY

A HORSTMAN HERBS & SPICES

14 FEB 2018 ONE PAGE, CUPS & AGM J POTTER

R DE VILLIERS WILD ANIMALS

14 MAR 2018 AUCTION H MULDER H LINCOLN A HUGILL

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Contact information: Secretary: Reanie De Villiers - Cell: 082-567-0353 (a.h. please); e-Mail: philately@netpoint.co.za