Tag Archives: Vignettes

February/March 2021 Ebay Report

I struggled to find much of interest in February and March on eBay and it wasn’t for lack of searching, but the few things I did find were all interesting items.

Darth Vader would surely say “I find your lack of knowledge disturbing” if he ever quizzed my on my expertise of the postal history of the Boer War. As an example, I don’t know what the code “3MB” stands for in the centre of this large circular datestamp, surrounded by “ARMY POST OFFICE / SOUTH AFRICA”. Perhaps Mobile Box? From my quick internet search and what images I’ve saved on my computer, I know there are several different codes and some with the town name in its place (Barberton, Komatipoort and Machadodorp, as well as Volksrust instead of South Africa). But what I do know is that it’s a nice piece to have bought for £82.09.

This unusual usage of and Inland Revenue 1d fiscal helps to pay the 4½d registered rate to Germany along with a Jubilee ½d vermilion and 3d purple on yellow. Although philatelically inspired, it’s a legitimate usage and it sold for £72.
This was the items I wanted most out of this month’s selection, and as usual I completely missed it. This 1890 Jubilee Penny Postage stationery envelope, uprated with a 5d to pay the 6d rate, was sent to a member of the British South Africa Company’s Police in Mafeking a couple of months after the siege. Even though it’s a bit tatty, mail incoming to Mafeking and British Bechuanaland is very scarce. A very interesting item at £106.
Covers bearing the full set of the Oil Rivers overprinted Jubilees aren’t particularly scarce. Mainly because, as you can see by this address, they were done on demand for stamp collectors and dealers such as Winch Brothers at the time. This fetched a decent price at £177.01.
And finally, examples of the 1897 “Prince of Wales’s Hospital Fund” fund-raising vignettes on cover are reasonably scarce, more so cancelled or tied to the cover. This example of the 1s vignette is tied by the adjacent cancel of Tonbridge on the ½d vermilion, although unusually it has a Tonbridge cds itself. It was cheap at £56.90.

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October 2013 Retails Items of the Month

Top 3 Items of the Month

79034_grandeWe start off this months retail highlights with a very important reference for every Jubilee collector. The Ernest Good Collection auction catalogue by Phillips on 3rd November 1988 is still one of the best collections of the Jubilee issue ever formed. Sold by Bill Barrell for £12.50.

13348520684b1e22ec08f83Next up is the cover which, as they say in the business, is full of character! This is normally the code word for scruffy, and it’s hard to deny it in this case, but look beyond that and you’ll find an extremely interesting cover. Sent to New Zealand, it was simply addressed to “J. M. Rainbow, Post Office, New Zealand”! What is equally amazing is that the New Zealand still tried their best to deliver it. With transit markings from Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington, Invercargill and Timaru. Yours for £155 from Samwells.

1897 Prince of Wales Hosptial Fund coverAnd to finish with we have a scarce usage of the 1897 1s Prince Wales Hospital Fund label on cover with two 1/2d vermilions. For sale by Andrew Lajer for £165.

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