Page 43 - Johnson_CapeOfGoodHope
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Main feature
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE
One Half -Penny on Three Pence claret
July 1882
Eerste River to Stellenbosch
June 1883
This surcharge was put in hand in July 1882 because from the 1st July
1882 the internal newspaper rate had been reduced to %d each. For this
reason it is not common to find this stamp paying the postage on letters
except occasionally the 7%d rate to European countries. This internal
letter rate usage is most unusual.
240,000 stamps were surcharged in this way of which 102,720 were destroyed due to bad printing of the
surcharge [428 out of the 1000 sheets surcharged]. The new supply of the \!Sd grey black stamp became
available in September 1882 and so this letter shows a late use of this surcharged stamp .
The internal letter rate had been reduced from 3d to 2d for each Y2 oz on the 1'
1 July 1882.
Eerste River post office had Stellenbosch as its Head Post Office. The cds for Eerste River Station post
office appears on the back. 
