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Auction: 11029 - Summer Collector's Series sale
Lot: 172

St. Helena The Boer War Mail from Erich Mayer, famous Artist 1901 (14 Dec.) 1d. card to Berlin, cancelled with Maltese Cross in circle (CNC.9) and showing despatch c.d.s. (19.12), superb Type 3 censor cachet initialled "EW" and arrival c.d.s. (11.1); the reverse of the card with a message from Mayer including "we are not allowed to write more than two letters a month" and with a sketch of a man and donkey approaching a building. Fine and rare. Photo Estimate £ 300-400 Note: Erich Mayer was born in Germany in 1876. He came to South Africa in 1898 and worked as an assistant land surveyor in the Orange Free State. At the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War he joined a commando and became a P.O.W. at Mafeking in 1900. After two years in a camp on St. Helena he went to Paris before returning to South Africa and then travelling in South West Africa from 1906-08. At this time he decided to devote himself to painting. He died in 1960 and is considered one of South Africa´s most famous artists, four of his paintings being the subject of a 1976 issue of South Africa

Sold for
£270