ORANGE FREE STATE
Orange Free State
REPUBLICAN PERIOD  -  BRITISH OCCUPATION
O513
1900 First printings (level stops) ERROR OF SURCHARGE 3d on 4d ultramarine (instead of 3d). Lower marginal block of four. Crease in margin only and hinge remnants on one stamp, the others superb fresh unmounted mint. The upper left stamp showing broken base to ‘V’. A major OFS rarity. SG 106 var
 
Note: this is a controversial stamp and a BPA certificate (2013) states the surcharge is forged. We beg to differ and agree with the comments in ‘Orange Free State Philately’ (Volume I, 2002) by Robert W. Hisey and R. Timothy Bartshe who discuss this error on page 140 and conclude “On the basis of evidence to date, it is obvious that some 4d stamps were mistakenly overprinted 3d by a perfectly genuine error.”
£1,500