Early South African History
South Africa, Sun City · 1998-06-28
Official first day cover (FDC) · South African philately
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This cover is postmarked on 28 June 1998 in Sun City. The five stamps depict an early stone age hand axe, a Nqabeni pot, San rock engravings, early iron age pots and a Lydenburg head pot, spanning a wide stretch of South Africa's early human history. The Sun City postmark used for this issue features an outline of a fossil skull, tying the cover to the country's rich record of early human occupation. The stamps together move chronologically from stone tool making through to early pottery and rock art traditions.
Description of the Cachet
The cachet is a close up illustration of an early stone age hand axe, painted in earthy tones of brown, ochre and cream against a warm gradient background. The stone shows a sharp, tapering point at the bottom with a broader, rougher edge at the top, and the flaking pattern across its surface is picked out in fine detail to show how the tool was worked. Above the illustration the title "Early South African History" appears in bold green lettering. The design puts the object itself front and centre, letting the texture and shape of the axe carry the visual weight of the cover.
Information Card
No info card was provided for this cover.
Theme: Heritage
Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.
Addressed: No
Signed: No
SG reference: 1055-1059
SAPO serial number: 6.78
Estimated value: ~US$3.1
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 209 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.
