Uganda Cowries

The Uganda Cowries or emissions of the missionaries are the first two series of postage stamps emitted in Uganda in March 1895. Realized by a missionary using his Typewriter, these emissions allowed the existence of a local post office within the protectorate created in 1894.

These stamps are called in English “ Uganda cowries ” (translatable in French by cauri of Uganda ) according to the currency used. The cauri is the shell Erosaria moneta which was used as Monnaie in East Africa. In Uganda, in 1895,200 cauris are worth a Roupie.

Description

Typed to the Typewriter, these twelve stamps whose two not-emitted (35 and 45 cauris) carry simply an external framework made up of horizontal and vertical indents, mention “U G” for “ Uganda Government ” and a facial Valeur in Cowries. They exist in two typographies because of a change of typewriter in spring 1895 and two colors because of a change of ribbon at the end of 1895 (in black, then purple).

Because of the postage rates, the two values most created are the 20 and 25 cauris.

The second series, whose legend “V.96.R” pays homage to the queen Victoria, is emitted in June 1896, only color violet.

History

Creation and career

In 1894, in the kingdom of Bouganda become British Protectorate of Uganda, an administrator, George Wilson, decides to develop a local Poste using postage stamps to mean that the port is paid by the shipper.

A missionary, the reverend Ernest Millar (1868-1917) of Church Missionart Society agrees to create the stamps using his Typewriter. In black, on a fine paper, it types the elements necessary: Apostrophe S for the side limits and hyphens for the horizontal limits, the letters “U” and “G” in the care higher and the number of the facial value than the center. The last nine stamps are struck in head-digs compared to the twelve preceding lines because the machine badly maintains paper at the foot of the page.

The postal service is opened and the stamps put on sale on March 20th, 1895, after the publication of the tariffs proportional to the distance the previous on March 16th. The cancellation of the stamps is done of a cross with the pencil, for lack of postmark in Uganda until 1898.

As from spring 1895, the reverend Millar types new stamps using a new typewriter which form finer characters. Of at the end of 1895 in November 1896, it composes with a new ribbon, of color violet.

In June 1896, the mentions are modified: “ Uganda ” is written in entirety in bottom of the stamp. In top, mention “V.96.R” pays homage to the Victoria queen (“ VR ” for Victoria Regina ).

Following emissions

In 1897, printing works replaces the typewriter for the third series. The illustration is always composed nevertheless of written mentions: “UGANDA/POSTING/*V † R*/in [[ass] and Rupee]/PROTECTORATE”.

The following year, the first stamps illustrated by the effigy of the Victoria queen are emitted. In 1903, Uganda uses the same stamps as the Africa-Eastern British, famous Kenya in 1902, to which the Tanganyika in 1935 is joined. On these stamps, the name of Uganda appears systematically.

In 1962, Uganda emits its first stamps of independence.

Collection

The Uganda cowries are regarded as very rare stamps, especially fragile because of paper used.

See too

Sources

Richard Sirot, “First off to their standard” (first of their type, pun with the English name of the Typewriter: typewriter ), article published in Stamp Magazine n°73- June 6th, th and th 2007, page 73. The illustration is a band of four stamps of 20 cowries new of 1895, preserved at the British Library, with London.
Catalog of timbres' , volume III, Overseas , ED. Yvert and Tellier, 1962, page 1053 for the first stamps of Uganda.

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