← Back to the collection

This cover is part of Southern Covers, a private collection of 163 First Day Covers from South Africa and the homeland states. New to all this? Read the guide, or just browse the whole collection.

Commemorative

Blue Train 6.51

South Africa, Worcester · 1997-08-01

Official

Click any photo to see it enlarged.

front

Cachet: The cachet is a detailed pencil drawing of a Cape Dutch homestead standing on the left side of the cover. The house has the characteristic curved gables and thatch style roofline of the style, with whitewashed walls rendered in careful shading and dark shuttered windows set into the front. A row of columns supports a covered stoep running along the front of the house, and a bare, leafless tree stands just in front of the building, its branches spreading up and across part of the facade. The drawing has a quiet, still quality, with soft shadows falling across the ground in front of the house. Below the illustration the words "Blue Train" appear in a wide spaced serif type, alongside the Blue Train's own logo.

Info card

This cover was issued without an info card.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 1 October 1997 in Worcester, with a special Blue Train commemorative postmark. The stamp depicts double headed Class 6E1 electric locomotives in the Hex River Valley and is marked for the airmail postcard rate. The Hex River Valley, close to Worcester, is one of the steepest and most demanding sections of railway in South Africa, which is why locomotives are often run double headed to manage the gradient through the mountains.

Theme: Transport

Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.

Addressed: No

Signed: No

SAPO serial number: 6.51

Estimated value: ~US$0.1

This is a high-level, subjective estimate only, not a professional appraisal.

Advertisement