Emergency OVS Currency of the Anglo-Boer War (6)

This collection of six postal notes (Post Nooten) from the Oranje Vrij Staat (Orange Free State) republic, specifically designated for the Zastron OVS post office, carries an interesting piece of financial and military history.

The Emergency Currency of the Anglo-Boer War

While today we view postal orders strictly as a means of securely transmitting money by mail, these specific Orange Free State notes hold a unique world first:

First Postal Legal Tender: The Orange Free State, along with the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal), became the first governments in the world to declare standard postal notes as legal tender.

The Currency Crisis: As the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902) intensified, British advances disrupted regular banking, and physical bullion and banknotes became critically scarce in the Boer republics. To combat the cash drought, the OFS government passed emergency legislation transforming regular, unissued post office stationery directly into circulating paper currency.

The Anatomy of the Notes

The examples shown span an entire range of standard pre-war denominations: 1/-, 1/6, 2/6, 5/-, 10/-, and the highly coveted £1 (Een Pond) note.

The "Zastron OVS" Imprint: These notes feature a localized town stamp imprint for Zastron, a small town established in 1876 near the Basutoland (Lesotho) border in the Conquered Territory.

The Unissued "Remainders": These particular examples are pristine, unissued "remainders." They lack the definitive round date stamps from the Kantoor van Uitrekking (Office of Issue) on the left and the Kantoor van Betaling (Office of Payment) on the right.

The Built-In Revenue Stamp: Each note features an elegant, embossed revenue stamp on the left-hand margin (valued at Een Penny or Drie Pence for the high-value One Pond note) bearing the official OFS Republican coat of arms.

Why Used vs. Unused Tells Two Stories

In traditional numismatics and philately, uncirculated items are often the most sought-after, but these postal notes present a fascinating paradox:

The Survival of Remainders: When British forces under Lord Roberts occupied Bloemfontein in March 1900, they seized the remaining unissued republican post office stocks. Many of these blank sheets were kept as wartime souvenirs by soldiers or sold off later, which is why clean sets like these survived.

185mm x 100mm

Good condition

R1,500