Journal Topics - September 2025
Topics in the September 2025 Issue
John Courtis has prepared a most informative piece on Wrappers of the Trappist Missions of Natal, with both the history and locations of these missionary monks. Simon Solomon has contributed Two Decorative Trappist Covers which add further colour to the subject.
Keith Klugman’s contributions include A Foreign Postcard used in Natal in the 1880s – a most unusual occurrence, the Largest Recorded Franking of the 1885 Half-penny on Cover, and together with some input from me, Further Observations on the POSTAGE overprints of 1877-1879.
Natal receives further attention in the Edwardian period through an Update on the Edwardian Stamp Booklets as a result of a very scarce booklet appearing in a recent sale, and also a very attractive Glorious Cover sent during the Boer War in 1900, that was offered on eBay this month.
The Cape of Good Hope is once more attended to by Christopher Dorn in the third part of his Three Enduring Mysteries of the Cape of Good Hope Triangular Issues, 1853-64. This article, together with its predecessors, represent a major advance in understanding the complexities of the Issues and resolving the questions which have arisen about a number of the colour variations.
I have expanded my earlier work on the Griqualand West Overprints, considerable aided by the amazing Besancon Collection which was sold in the Corinphila Auction of June 2019. Collecting the stamps bearing all of the seventeen overprints must be one of the most challenging ways to form a collection, so for anyone who loves solving puzzles, this is highly recommended, but for those who don’t, just enjoy the splendid images which are contained in the article.
