Postal orders & other fiscal items.

The SA Postal Union Convention · 1897 – 1899

The South African Postal Union Convention was signed during 1897 and came into effect on 1 January 1898. The intention was to allow the payment of postal orders between the Cape of Good Hope, Natal, the Orange Free State, and the South African Republic. The paying entity was required to repatriate the postal orders back to the issuing British colony or Boer republic4.

The Convention lapsed in late 1899 due to the outbreak of the Second Boer War. The postal orders that were supposed to have been returned to the issuing entities were put into storage. Upon the capture of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic during 1900 by the British, the paid postal orders were looted and souvenired4.

South African postal orders · 1910 – present

Postal orders were issued in South Africa from 31 May 1910. South Africa issued both its own postal orders and British postal orders1.

Revenue stamps were used to collect taxes on documents — bills, receipts, insurance policies, customs, and the rest of the paper-trail of state. South Africa has a rich variety, including colonial issues and modern fiscals. The standard reference is John Barefoot's British Commonwealth Revenues (9th ed., 2012)5.

Pre-Union states & provincial issues

Before South Africa was united in 1910, each part of South Africa issued its own revenue stamps3.

National revenue issues · 1913 – 2009

The first general purpose South African revenue issue was in 1913. From that year until 1937, all South African revenues featured the profile of King George V, with changes in size and inscriptions. From 1938 to 1952 stamps featured King George VI. The original 1938 issue was reissued in bantam format in 1943, and in 1946 these were replaced by a new design still featuring the King3.

In 1954 a new design featuring Queen Elizabeth II was issued, but these were quickly replaced by an issue bearing the coat of arms later that year. These were used, reissued denominated in rand in 1961, and were replaced by a numeral issue in 1968. These remained in use until a new design, also a numeral, appeared in 1978. These were finally withdrawn in March 20093.

Old bank cheques, especially from banks that no longer exist (e.g., Stellenbosch District Bank, Volkskas), are collected both as historical documents and for their engraved designs. Signed cheques by famous people add significant value.

The legal framework for cheques in South Africa is governed by the Bills of Exchange Act 1964. Sections 83 – 86 deal with unindorsed or irregularly indorsed instruments6.

Notable legal cases such as Indac Electronics (Pty) Ltd v Volkskas Bank Ltd 1992 (1) SA 783 (A) and Kwamashu Bakery Ltd v Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd 1995 (1) SA 377 (D) established the duty of care owed by collecting bankers to the true owner of a cheque6.

Scripophily is the study and collection of stock and bond certificates. A specialised field of numismatics, scripophily gained recognition as a hobby around 1970. The word was coined by combining "scrip" (representing an ownership right) and the Greek philos (to love)7.

Collectors appreciate the historical significance, beauty, and ornate engraving of old certificates. The colour, paper, signatures, dates, stamps, cancellations, borders, pictures, vignettes, industry, company name, transfer agent, printer, and holder name all add to the uniqueness of each document7.

South African material: Government bonds, mining company shares from the gold and diamond rush, railway debentures, and colonial-era companies are particularly sought after. Many feature beautiful engravings of mines, trains, allegorical figures, and local scenes.