British Bechuanaland postal stationery
Note: the numbering system used below is copyright © GBOS, and may not be used without permission.
This is a simplified listing. The numbering for the British Bechuanaland overprints below carries on from the numbers used for the Bechuanaland Protectorate overprints.
British Bechuanaland overprints also appear on Cape of Good Hope stationery, for example
Postcards
BC8 Queen Victoria. ½d brown on thick white card, overprinted "BRITISH BECHUANALAND". 1894.
BC9 Queen Victoria. 1d brown on buff, overprinted "BRITISH BECHUANALAND" across inscription, with black line through top line. 1888.
front & rear of same card; there is no inscription at the foot of the reply half.
BC10 Queen Victoria. 1d + 1d red reply card, overprinted "BRITISH BECHUANALAND" on each card.
BC11 Queen Victoria. 1d red card overprinted "BRITISH BECHUANALAND", and also "THREE HALF PENCE" in 2 lines, to cover the special rate to Mashonaland. 1894.
Newspaper wrappers
BW1 Queen Victoria. ½d brown newspaper wrapper, original 5-line instructions obliterated by 10 diagonal lines, overprinted "BRITISH" above the imprinted stamp and "BECHUANALAND" below it. 1888.
BW2 as above, but original instructions are in 4 lines, obliterated by 12 diagonal lines. 1889.
BW3 Queen Victoria. 1d brown newspaper wrapper overprinted "BRITISH" above the imprinted stamp and "BECHUANALAND" below it. 1888. size b.
Registration envelopes
BR15-20 Queen Victoria. Blue registration envelope inscribed "TWO PENCE" obliterated by two bars and overprinted "FOUR", with "BRITISH BECHUANALAND" in an arc over the original impressed stamp. 1888. sizes G, I, K
The envelopes overprinted for the above issue had all the normal compensation / insurance information omitted from the back, as the territory had not signed up to the international scheme.
BR21-23 Queen Victoria. Red plain impressed envelope overprinted "BRITISH BECHUANALAND" and "FOR REGISTRATION ONLY" in an arc. 1889. sizes G, H, K
For the reason mentioned under PR15-20 above, this issue used "stamped to order" envelopes so as not to have compensation / insurance information on the reverse; this is also why the overprint added "For registration only" because the imprinted stamp wrongly stated that it also covered 4d postage.
Many other items exist but were on Cape of Good Hope stationery instead of British stationery.
go to postal stationery country list
page last updated: 1 January 2007, 22 May 2012, 23 July 2012, 8 May 2013
gbos: GB Overprints Society