World’s rarest stamps on show

The National Stamp Exhibition known as Jomapex 2013 will be held at Museum Africa in Johannesburg from 9 to 13 October. The opening coincides with World Post Day and The Post Office will issue a special circular/round stamp featuring “the Post Office”.

Highlights of the show include over 7 500 album pages with stamps and postal material. Amazing collections from Museum Africa being exhibited for the first time include the Curle Collection Old Transvaal Republic which includes some of the “world’s rarest stamps” – a pair of stamps in which one is printed upside down. This is a world-renowned collection. Another notable inclusion is the Harvey Pirie Collection SA and World War II. It showcases envelopes testifying to wartime events such as military post marks and letters from prisoners of war.

One private collection shows the Border War, including mail from South Africans held prisoner of war in Angola, and the military markings on servicemen’s letters from the border area, such as a rare handstamp “Destroy after reading”.

A number of auction houses and dealers will be on hand for the serious collectors, including internationally renowned Spink and Stanley Gibbons Ltd. A stamp and coin auction of note by Stephan Welz & Co will be hosted over five sessions, starting Wednesday evening 9 October and ending Thursday evening 10 October.

Free parking is available on the square in front of museum and entrance is free. The exhibition is open from 1am to 5pm, Thursday to Saturday and from 9am to 1pm on Sunday.