News Archive

Cape of Good Hope - September 23 2004

The Dr. James Foght Collection of Triangular Issues
London 23 September 2004 at 2.30pm

The triangular issues of the Cape of Good Hope have always been regarded as one of the classic issues of the British Empire and deservedly so. Being of an uncommon shape they were readily acquired by early collectors as unusual and their popularity has continued unabated ever since with remarkable groups gracing the pages of many of the great collections of the past. The Dr. James Foght collection is no exception to this rule with his collection containing many great rarities.

The stamps of the Cape of Good Hope were first printed by Perkins Bacon, who continuing on from the printings of the first issues of Great Britain, produced a beautiful design engraved by William Humphreys based on a design of Charles Bell, the Surveyor-General. The idea of an unusual shape was to enable the native postal clerk to sort the letters they were handling into those that emanated from the Colony and those that came from abroad.

The first issues were printed in the same inks as those used for Great Britain which resulted in the stamps having a wide range of blueing in the paper caused by a reaction of the paper to the prussiate of potash in the ink.

The Foght collection commences with a superb die proof of the 1d. value and follows with plate proofs of the 1d. and 4d. values in pairs. The issued stamps offer a wide range of shades associated with this issue, a number of covers with blocks of four and one in 1854 to London where it has been redirected with the addition of a 1d. red and eventually arriving in Malta.

From 1855 until 1860 the stamps were printed on white paper, this time with the addition of 6d. and 1/- values. Again there are a range of shades both unused and used, together with an attractive selection of covers including one bearing a marginal 6d. value with unofficial roulettes and an 1861 cover registered to Scotland with two 6d, values, one paying the registration fee.

The last lot offered under the printing of Perkins Bacon is an example of the controversial 4d. value printed in black. Little is known about the reason that the 4d. black exists. About a dozen examples are recorded, most of them bearing traces of cancellation marks, however the fact remains that this stamp is considered authentic and always attracted much attention when offered at auction.

Early in 1861 supplies of 1d. and 4d. values, used primarily for correspondence within the Cape, ran very low, a large supply ordered in January of that year not having been received. Saul Solomon, the Government Printer, was asked to produce 1d. and 4d. stamps and so was born the famous “Woodblock” issues and the even more famous errors of colour.

The 1d. stamp was printed in three distinct shades, vermilion, carmine and brick-red, and the 4d. value in a selection of shades of blue. The Foght collection includes a number of unused examples of all the shades, a range of used examples and a good selection of covers bearing 4d. values. The errors of colour were caused by the insertion of a stereo on the wrong value in the plate.

The Foght collection includes probably two of the most famous of these rarities. The first is the 1d. pale milky blue in pair with 4d. from the collection of Her Majesty the Queen which was offered at public auction by Spink in May 2001. This magnificent pair is estimated to realize £60,000-65,000. The other famous item in this section is the 4d. vermilion contained in a block of four 1d. values. This celebrated block has graced no less than eight famous collections over the last eighty years and is estimated to realize £85,000-90,000.

In April 1862 the Cape Government approved a proposal by the Postmaster-General to call in all postage stamps of local manufacture, i.e. the Woodblocks, and exchange them for stamps of English manufacture. So ended the most famous period of the Cape triangular issues. The plates for both values were subsequently defaced and the sale includes sheets of both values.

In 1862 De La Rue were recommended as printers and they to produced supplies of the same four values as those printed by Perkins Bacon. The stamps supplied by De La Rue offer an attractive selection of shades and unused multiples abound. The Foght collection features unused multiples, various used examples and a number of covers including an 1864 envelope to London bearing the 1/- value, a very rare stamp on cover, and an 1865 envelope to London sent at the soldiers privilege rate of 1d.

The sale concludes with an example of the 1d. value printed by De La Rue on Crown CC watermarked paper. All Cape stamps printed in London to that date had been printed on paper watermarked with a distinctive Anchor design. Why this stamp was printed is not evident, though it is a very clear print and may have been printed from a new plate which was never put in to general production.

We believe that the Foght collection, with its wealth of rarities, will follow in the footsteps of the great Cape Triangular collections that have preceded it.