Anglo-Boer War/Pietersburg Local Issue/Rare and historic cover - For BWCrank

After the fall of Pretoria to the British in June 1900, the Transvaal government withdrew to the north of the country. Those post offices not occupied by the British continued to function, but by early 1901 supplies of stamps were exhausted. The State Secretary then authorised the printing of stamps by "De Zoutpansberg Wachter" Press in Pietersburg.  The stamps were initialled by the controller J. T. de V. Smit, and were in use until early May 1901, although Pietersburg was occupied by the Btitish on 9 April 1901. Genuinely used examples of these stamps are very rare.

On offer is a registered cover addressed to Captain Oscar Dahl at Klipdam bearing a 1/- black on yellow imperforate stamp, tied by PIETERSBURG (6 April 1901) double circle datesatmp.

Gunder Christian Dahl (Kalundborg, Denmark, 1813 - Klipdam, Pietersburg, May 1909) fought at the head of the Zebedelia Commando in the Sekhukune Wars and was the appointed Native Commissioner for the Northern Transvaal. He rebuilt and lived in the double-storied fort at Klipdam, fortified by cannon at two corners, that had originally been built in 1848 by Field-Cornet Jan Botha on the banks of Sand River around a small dam, some 25kms from Pietersburg. As tax collector for his area, Dahl was the responsible official at the time of the pursuit and arrest of Chief Magato.

The cover is in excellent condition and a rare historic item of significant postal history value.