Stamp Printing

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Cachet: The cachet shows an old flatbed printing press rendered in deep sepia tones, its heavy iron frame and mechanical arms drawn in careful detail against a plain cream background. The illustration captures the industrial, hand operated nature of early printing equipment, sitting on a tiled floor with visible bolts, levers and a flat printing bed. Above the illustration two early South African airmail stamps are reproduced in full colour, showing biplanes over the words "South Africa" and "Suidafrika". Below the press illustration the cover reads "Vyftig Jaar Gelede · Fifty Years Ago" in plain black type.

Info card

STAMP PRINTING IN SOUTH AFRICA Although the Union of South Africa came into being on 31 May 1910 the first postage stamp for the Union was only issued on 4 November 1910 to coincide with the opening of the first Parliament. This stamp was printed in England. The first definitive postage stamps for the Union were issued on 1 September 1913. These stamps depicted the head of King George V and were printed in London by Thomas De La Rue and Co. From January 1926 the Union pictorials gradually replaced the King's Head. The first issues were the ¼d, 1d and 6d stamps, followed by the 4d triangular stamp and in March 1927 by seven further values — all printed in London by three different firms. During 1927, the letterpress printing plates used for the ¼d, 1d and 6d stamps were transferred from England to the Government Printer in Pretoria who used the plates to print those three values while the other values were still printed in England. In 1929, the Government Printer made the lithographic plates for the four-penny and one-shilling airmail stamps which he then printed. The occasion of the first completely local production of postage stamps in Pretoria is commemorated on the 15c stamp depicting the 1929 four-penny stamp. From 1929 onwards the production of the different Union stamps was gradually taken over by the Government Printer. All stamps were printed by gravure until 1974, when, for the first time since 1929, the lithographic process was again used for the 9d Burgers pound stamp. (The Jentsch issues for South-West Africa, however, were printed by lithography in 1973.) Despite the many problems encountered during the last fifty years — notably the period 1939-1945 during the second world war — the standard of printing never lagged but kept abreast of all modern developments. In fact, stamps produced in the Republic gained world awards on two recent occasions. In commemorating the all South African issue fifty years ago, the Post Office pays tribute to the Government Printing Works for the efforts that were made and are still being made to produce stamps of high quality and beauty that consistently evoke the admiration and praise of philatelists both in the Republic and overseas. SEËLDRUKWERK IN SUID-AFRIKA Hoewel die Unie van Suid-Afrika op 31 Mei 1910 tot stand gekom het, is die eerste posseël vir die Unie eers op 4 November 1910 uitgereik sodat dit met die opening van die eerste Parlement kon saamval. Hierdie seël is in Engeland gedruk. Die eerste vastereeks-posseëls vir die Unie is op 1 September 1913 uitgereik. Hierdie seëls het die kop van koning George V afgebeeld en hulle is in Londen deur Thomas De La Rue en Kie gedruk. Vanaf Januarie 1926 het die Unie-prentseëls die Kop van die Koning geleidelik vervang. Die eerste uitgiftes was die ¼d-, die 1d- en die 6d-seëls, wat deur die 4d-driehoekseël en in Maart 1927 deur sewe verdere waardes gevolg is — almal in Londen deur drie verskillende firmas gedruk. Gedurende 1927 is die boekdrukplate wat vir die ¼d-, die 1d- en die 6d-seëls gebruik is, uit Engeland oorgeplaas na die Staatsdrukker in Pretoria, wat hierdie plate gebruik het om hierdie drie waardes te druk, terwyl die ander waardes nog in Engeland gedruk is. In 1929 het die Staatsdrukker die litografiese plate vir die vierpennie- en eensjieling-lugposseëls gemaak en die plate self gedruk. Die geleentheid van algehele eerste plaaslike produksie van posseëls in Pretoria word herdenk op die 15c-seël waarop 'n afbeelding van die vierpennieseël van 1929 verskyn. Vanaf 1929 is die produksie van die verskillende Uniesseëls geleidelik deur die Staatsdrukker oorgeneem. Alle seëls is deur die gravureproses gedruk tot 1974, toe die litografiese proses vir die eerste keer sedert 1929 weer vir die 9d-Burgerspondseël gebruik is. (Die Jentsch-uitgiftes vir Suidwes-Afrika is egter in 1973 litografies gedruk.) Ten spyte van die baie probleme wat in die afgelope vyftig jaar beleef is — veral in die tydperk 1939-1945 gedurende die tweede wêreldoorlog — het die drukstandaard nooit agter geraak nie maar met al die moderne ontwikkelings tred gehou. Trouens, seëls wat in die Republiek geproduseer is, het by twee onlangse geleenthede wêreldtoekennings ontvang. By die herdenking van die geheel Suid-Afrikaanse uitgifte van vyftig jaar gelede, bring die Poskantoor hulde aan die Staatsdrukkery vir sy vroeëre en voortgesette toegewydheid om seëls van hoogstaande gehalte en skoonheid te produseer wat voortdurend bewondering en lof van filateliste in die Republiek en oorsee uitlok.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 30 March 1979 in Pretoria, marking fifty years since the Government Printing Works produced South Africa's first completely locally made postage stamps. The stamp depicts the 1929 four-penny airmail stamp, framed by the dates 1929 and 1979. Before 1929, South African postage stamps were printed in London by outside firms, with only a partial shift to local production beginning in 1927 when some printing plates were transferred to Pretoria. The 1929 four-penny and one-shilling airmail stamps marked the first occasion the Government Printer both made the plates and printed the stamps entirely within South Africa.

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