The South Africa KGV official issues were overprinted on stamps that were originally printed in two locations: London (Typography - better quality impression) and Pretoria (Rotogravure - coarser impression). Sorting the stamps is done by determining the difference between the London and Pretoria printings and noticing the characteristics of the overprint. This article is intended to show a collector how to figure them out. If you need help figuring out the stamps, please feel free to visit our companion site showing the unoverprinted KGV stamps.

The catalog numbers are from the 2011 Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue (SG) and the 2011 Scott catalog (ST). The overprint type is our description, and not the one shown in the catalogs.

The images were saved in a larger size and at a higher resolution so you can more easily see the details used in sorting them. Please be patient if it takes a few minutes for this page to load.

Please note - the scope of this web page is to identify the basic issues as described in the major catalogs. Tthere are additional color and perforation varieties to this issue. They have been left out in order to simplify the sorting process. Also, the original issues of the 1/2d, 1d, and 6d values were printed in both London and Pretoria using the same plates. Please consult the South African Stamp Colour Catalogue for more detailed lisings.

Scans marked "Courtesy of Bob Hisey" are from "The Officials of South Africa" by R. Hisey and I. Mathieson. For details on this publication please email bobhisey@comcast.net. This book is to be published in 2014.

This article was written to help you identify your stamps. Please feel free to ask a question, or include a correction.