World Philatelic Exhibition: Toronto
South Africa · 1996-06-08
Official first day cover (FDC) · South African philately
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This cover is postmarked between 8 and 16 June 1996 in South Africa, SAPO reference PT 6.35, marking South Africa's participation in CAPEX '96, the World Philatelic Exhibition held in Toronto. The miniature sheet pairs the Parliament Buildings in Cape Town with a matching Canadian landmark, painted by Alan Ainslie, and carries a face value of R2.00. It's a nice touch that the cachet illustration of the Ontario Legislative Building was painted by a different artist entirely, Charles F. Comfort, giving the cover two distinct pieces of commissioned art rather than a single repeated design.
Description of the Cachet
The cachet shows a full colour painting of the Ontario Legislative Building in Toronto, its red sandstone facade and copper roofline glowing under an autumn sky with golden leafed trees framing the scene and a small statue standing in the foreground gardens. Beside the painting the words "World Philatelic Exhibition, Toronto, Canada, June 8-16, 1996" run down the middle of the cover in a clean serif font, each line separated by a thin orange rule, with the CAPEX '96 logo repeated at the top.
Information Card
No info card supplied.
Condition: Very FineVery attractive. Clean and crisp, no discolouration, only the slightest signs of handling.
Addressed: No
Signed: No
Stamp denomination: R2 (ZAR)
SAPO serial number: 6.35
Estimated value: ~US$0.87
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 216 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.
