Cape of Good Hope & Mafeking: Postmarks

Hello again, everyone!

I have now received a couple of responses to other queries about this unusual Cape triangle.  Here are the comments from Richard Debney, a noted 50-year+ specialist in Cape triangles:
Well, Richard's comments are interesting.  I had also suspected a fiscal cancel, so this makes sense to me, but I suppose I hadn't really considered that when roulettes are rare or questionable for a particular stamp, of course, being on cover or on piece would make a big difference.  But as a side note, I would mention that rouletted Cape triangles not on cover were presented in the Sotheby's auction of the famous Maxwell Joseph Cape triangle collection back in 1982.  Perhaps they had accompanying expertizing certificates.

I have also found some bank markings on Cape triangles, and that also seems like a reasonable possibility.  I wonder if it was good-sized bank, if it is possible that the bank could have privately rouletted their own stock of stamps for use by their clerks?  Don't know if there is any validity to that line of thinking, but it did occur to me.

During my search for possible info on the stamp in question, I also came upon the Cape & Natal Study Circle. I should mention that membership is free, so of course, at that price, how could I go wrong?  I signed up for the Study Circle, and I now have access to their newsletter archives.  Definitely some downloading to do!

www.capenatalstamps.com/

I also asked the head of the group for his opinion about the stamp, and he said to treat the roulettes as a forged feature of the stamp until they could be proven otherwise.

Using retroReveal, it appears to be a "6"

I could definitely see both. I was leaning towards 65, but I am seeing what you’re seeing to say 55. There does appear to be a similar break to the 5 on the right. However, having a look at the 55 BONC on the postmarks site shows that was only in use until 1891 (if I am reading correctly). I have no expertise in this area, so I will defer to you all.

Also, thanks for the retro reveal site! That might prove to be useful.

Alex, I believe once out of Cape Town, the BONCs were free-standing obliterators.

Three pence was the delivery to Capetown etc

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I apologize that it has taken me so long to post again about this stamp that I showed earlier.  I finally found another image that at least shows that the "D" is indeed most likely part of a fiscal cancel for "PAID" but with the letters spaced further apart than I had imagined.  In fairness, I should mention that this possibility was pointed out to me in a PM by someone who was briefly a member, but never made an intro post, and then had his account deleted.

To be honest, I had already considered the possibility of a "PAID" cancel, but I discounted it because I didn't think that the letters in the cancel would have been spaced so far apart.  In the example that I originally posted, you can just see a small black spot that very likely represents the tip of the "I" in "PAID".  Now, I finally found an image that shows more of the cancel and suggests that it is quite likely that:


COGH, SG5a*, with "ID" of "PAID" fiscal cancel

*Catalogue identification (mine) is hopefully correct, but hard to be completely sure due to poor quality of scanned image

Thanks, Alex (vikingeck), I completely agree with you about the black speck.

By the way, just wanted to mention how much I have been enjoying your beautiful Mafeking postmark examples. Really excellent! I decided to change the thread name to include them, as I think they are philatelically very important.

Many thanks for sharing them with us.

I hope I am posting this on the correct thread as I see Mafeking in the title and of course postmarks. I was reading about the siege of Mafeking and started looking for stamps used some years ago. No luck in my price range, but then I was looking at a COGH collection and these were not mentioned as anything special. They were mostly interested in the high value EVII values in the description. I did see them and bought them. Thoughts of authenticity are most welcome. I do know there was a very small window these could be used and they all look to hammered with the same hammer. I could be wrong. And I like tobben63 am a postmark junkie as well. If it was a real stamp, it should have been used.

Mafeking Besieged stamps are known with both forged overprints as well as cancellations.



The other thing to look out for is that all Mafeking Besieged mail was postmarked between 23rd March 1900 and 17th May 1900 so any cancellations outside of these dates are almost certainly forged. Also, many forged cancellations are dated 23rd April 1900, so any cancellations with this date should be suspect.