Johannesburg philatelic exhibition 1986
Venda, Johannesburg · 1986-10-09
Official first day cover (FDC) · South African philately
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front
This cover is postmarked on 9 October 1986 in Johannesburg. It marks the Johannesburg 100 philatelic exhibition and the centenary of the automobile, tying two anniversaries together on a single Venda issued souvenir sheet. The souvenir sheet honours Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, the two German engineers whose separate work in 1886 is widely credited with giving rise to the modern motorcar. The 30c stamp itself depicts a 1958 Mercedes Cabriolet, connecting that century old invention directly to a specific vehicle entered in the World F.I.V.A. Rally of 1986, held in the Southern Hemisphere that same year. One detail worth noting is the layered history packed into this single design. The illustration includes not only Benz and Daimler's early tricycle style vehicles but also older horse drawn carriages behind them, visually tracing the shift from the horse drawn era into the age of the automobile within one small souvenir sheet.
Description of the Cachet
The cachet shows three vintage motorcars in soft watercolour, each rendered in warm period tones. A red open top tourer sits at the back, a pale cream model behind it, and a larger green bodied car with brass fittings and wooden spoke wheels dominates the foreground. Each car carries a driver at the wheel, giving the scene a lived in feel rather than a static display of vehicles. Below the illustration the years 1886 to 1986 appear in gold script, marking a century since the invention of the automobile. The title Johannesburg 100 follows in the same gold lettering, with Venda Day Dag printed beneath in plain black type identifying the philatelic exhibition this cover was issued for. The right hand panel carries a separate souvenir sheet design. Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler appear side by side in sepia portrait, framed above early tricycle style motorcars rendered in fine detail against an olive background. The title Centenary of the Automobile sits beside them, tying the whole cover back to the two men most closely associated with the car's invention.
Information Card
The info card for this cover is gummed shut and could not be opened for transcription.
Theme: Transport
Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.
Addressed: No
Signed: No
Stamp denomination: R0.28 (ZAR)
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 177 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.
