Broadside: King William III (William of Orange) - Scotland (1690)
R3,500

This rare 17th-century broadside is from the Glorious Revolution of 1688–1689. It captures a precarious moment when the newly crowned King William III (William of Orange) was attempting to consolidate power over a highly fractured and volatile Scotland.

For more details and images, go to the website: https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/posters/william-of-orange

See more Political Posters on the website.

Four Admission tickets for the Masonic Lodge de Goede Hoop in Cape Town (c.1845)
R1,500

These documents are mid-19th-century printed invitations and admission tickets for Masonic Lodge events hosted by Loge de Goede Hoop in Cape Town, printed in Dutch.

For more details and images, go to the website: https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/the-cape/tickets-for-the-masonic-lodge

See more on The Cape on the website

Cape Town- Luana. First Day Airmail Cover with Native counter canceller (1939)
R1,500

This First Day Airmail Cover from 21 August 1939 combines two significant historical elements—a fleeting international air route cut short by the outbreak of World War II, and institutionalized postal segregation in South West Africa.

For more details and images, go to the website: https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/namibia-swa/cape-town-luana-first-day-airmail-cover

See more on Namibia & SWA on the website (new)

Denis Santry - Sinn Féin and the German Empire (1947)
R1,250

In 1947, Denis Santry was retired and living in KwaZulu-Natal, reading about a "Mr. Bennett" who had featured his own antique autograph collection in the previous day's Sunday Tribune. Recognizing a fellow custodian of history, Santry generously decided to gift him this extraordinary relic of Irish history. Santry describes an enclosed historic sheet given to him by an officer in the Monmouthshire Regiment (the "Monmouths"), who had custody of a group of Sinn Féin leaders when they "landed in England" and were "handed... over to the jail."

“…If it is of any use to your autograph collection please keep it. If not — post it back to me.”

The sheet mentioned is not present.

For more details and images, go to the website:
https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/autographs/denis-santry

See more Autographs & Letters on the website

Letter from Scientist, George Downing Liveing to Capt. Donnelly of the Royal Engineers (1863)
R1,000

The letter is signed by George Downing Liveing (1827–1924), written from Cambridge on June 3, 1863. Liveing had just been appointed the Professor of Chemistry at Cambridge University in 1861, a post he would hold for 47 years. Addressed to Captain John Fretcheville Dykes Donnelly (1834–1902) of the Royal Engineers, a towering figure in Victorian state education. He was the driving force behind the government’s Science and Art Department, headquartered at what was then the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert and Science Museums).

For more info and images, go to the website:
https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/science-maths/liveing-to-capt-donnelly-1863

See more Science & Maths on the website

Promissory Note made out to Emil Tamsen, the "Father of Transvaal Philately" (1895)
R1,000

Made out to "den Heer E. Tamsen" (Mr. E. Tamsen) of Nylstroom (now Modimolle). This is Emil Carl Christiaan Tamsen (1862–1957), a highly prominent pioneering trader, freemason, and one of the most famous stamp collectors in South African history. Tamsen leveraged his personal friendships with President Paul Kruger and Postmaster General Friederich Jeppe to build a world-class stamp empire. He was granted unique access to new Transvaal issues and even bought out the contents of the ZAR's dead letter office to hunt for rare surcharges.

For more details and images, go to the website: https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/philately/father-of-transvaal-philately

See more Philately on the website.

Signature of Dr. Willem Johannes Leyds of the Z.A.R. (c.1895)
R1,000

Born in Java to Dutch parents and educated at the University of Amsterdam, Leyds was recruited by Paul Kruger in 1884 to serve as State Attorney for the ZAR when he was just 25 years old. By 1889, he was promoted to State Secretary—effectively the Prime Minister, Chief Diplomat, and head of the entire civil service.

Because the Transvaal Boers traditionally lacked formal training in international law and high-level statecraft, Kruger heavily relied on educated Dutch expatriates like Leyds (controversially known as the "Hollanderkorps"). Leyds quickly became the intellectual powerhouse of the Republic, fiercely defending its independence against British imperial encroachment led by Cecil Rhodes and Lord Milner.

For more details and images, go to the website: https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/jhb/dr-willem-johannes-leyds

See more on Johannesburg on the website

Letter signed by Sir David Pieter de Villiers Graaff, 1913 (Written during the white miners' strike)
R800

Signed by Sir David Pieter de Villiers Graaff, an extraordinary figure in South African history.
By 1913, he was a close friend, confidant, and cabinet minister under South Africa's first Prime Minister, General Louis Botha.
While the letter seems routine—referencing a letter received from a "MacLean"—the date of June 16, 1913, places it right in the middle of a major national crisis.

For more details and images, go to the website: https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/transport/sir-david-pieter-de-villiers-graaff

See more on Transport on the website

SWAN Pat Walsh - Secretive coastal defence operations of the Union Defence Forces (UDF)
R800

Rare South African military ephemera from World War II. The security permit and its distinctive yellow cover ⁠offers a fascinating glimpse into the secretive coastal defence operations of the Union Defence Forces (UDF) during the global conflict.

For more details and images, go to the website:
https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/militaria/swan-pat-walsh

See more Militaria on the website 

Harriette Colenso to Carl Faye: The Scholar of the "Native Affairs" Department (c.1924)
R750

The signature on the note reads "Miss Colenso, Sweetwaters." This refers to Harriette Colenso (or potentially her sister Frances), who carried on her father’s radical legacy.

The text on the envelope reads: "lent to Carl Faye 1924, & returned by him."

In 1924 Harriette Colenso collaborated with Carl Faye, sharing a meticulously recovered piece of Zulu royal history so that Faye could utilize it for his extensive linguistic and historical research.

For more details and images, go to the website:
https://jamesfindlaycollectablebooks.com/kwazulu-natal/harriette-colenso-to-carl-faye

See more KwaZulu-Natal on the website 

For more information contact
James Findlay
+27 (0) 79 779 4574
jamesfindlaycollectablebooks@gmail.com

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