Bloemfontein 150 Years
South Africa, Bloemfontein · 1996-03-28
Official first day cover (FDC) · South African philately
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This cover was postmarked on 28 March 1996 and catalogued as SAPO 6.30. It celebrated Bloemfontein's 150th anniversary and carried the city's official crest bearing the motto "Floreat" meaning "may it flourish". Bloemfontein was founded in 1846 and later became home to South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal. That earned it the nickname "the judicial capital" of the country.
Description of the Cachet
The cachet shows Bloemfontein's full coat of arms, a blue shield bearing a wheatsheaf and a fleece flanked by an antelope and a wildebeest reared up on either side, with a burning brazier perched above the shield. Beneath the arms, a curling ribbon reads "Floreat", Latin for "may it flourish", above the bold black lettering "Bloemfontein 150". The postmark itself carries its own small cachet too, showing the twin spired cathedral alongside the dates 1846 and 1996, along with the words "City of Roses" and Bloemfontein's Afrikaans nickname, "Rosestad".
Information Card
None.
Theme: Heritage
Addressed: No
Signed: No
SG reference: 905
SAPO serial number: 6.30
Estimated value: ~US$0.37
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 211 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.
