Albany Museum
South Africa, Grahamstown · 1980-09-11
Unofficial first day cover (FDC) · South African philately
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This cover is postmarked on 11 September 1980 in Grahamstown. It carries the RSA 5c stamp illustrated by Dick Findlay, showing a protea, issued to mark the 125th anniversary of the Albany Museum. The museum's Latin motto, Praeterita Posteris Praebemus, meaning we hand down the past to those who come after, speaks directly to its long standing role in preserving the region's natural and cultural history since its founding in 1855.
Description of the Cachet
The cachet on this cover shows a full coat of arms in rich colour, with a leopard and a black wildebeest standing as supporters on either side of a shield bearing a red cross on white. Above the shield a red lion holds a wooden cross, mounted on a helm draped in flowing red and white mantling. A ribbon beneath the shield carries the Latin motto "Praeterita Posteris Praebemus", meaning roughly "we hand down the past to those who come after", fitting for a museum marking its 125th anniversary. The bilingual title "Albany Museum 1855-1980 Grahamstown" appears beneath the arms in elegant lettering. A single RSA 5c stamp illustrated by Dick Findlay, showing a protea in full bloom, sits in the top right corner. Two matching Grahamstown postmarks, each built around a radiating sunburst design, cancel the stamp and appear again on the cover itself.
Information Card
The info card for this cover couldn't be transcribed since the envelope is sealed shut.
Theme: Heritage
Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.
Addressed: No
Signed: No
Estimated value: ~US$0.1
This is a high-level, subjective estimate only, not a professional appraisal.
This first day cover (FDC) is part of Southern Covers, a private collection of 248 first day covers documenting the postal history and philately of South Africa and the homeland states. New to first day cover collecting? Read the guide to learn about cachets, postmarks, and stamp collecting terms, or browse the whole collection of Southern African FDCs.
