South Australia postage stamps year 1870 – 1910 – Used lot

South Australia postage stamps year 1870 – 1910 – Used lot

📮 Overview: South Australia Postage Stamps (1870–1910)

🪙 Context

• Postage stamps of South Australia were first issued in 1855 and continued until the colony joined the Commonwealth of Australia; after federation, state issues were gradually replaced by national Australian stamps by 1913.
• During 1870–1910, South Australia issued a sequence of Queen Victoria definitive postage stamps in a variety of formats, denominations and watermarks.

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📆 1870s — Queen Victoria Definitives & Surcharges

In the 1870–1879 period, a number of Queen Victoria regal portrait stamps were issued with varying perforations, new watermarks, and occasional surcharges:

• 1870 “3-PENCE” surcharge on an existing 4d blue stamp — issued in black or red overprints.
• Early 1871 issues included 2d reddish-orange and 4d violet Queen Victoria stamps with new watermarks.
• Later in the decade, the set expanded with higher-value stamps like 6d, 9d, 1s, 2s and others in different colours and perforations.

These stamps continued the Victorian-era design tradition, often with subtle colour or watermark varieties and multiple perforation formats.

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🐨 1880s & 1890s — Definitives Continue

• South Australia continued issuing its Queen Victoria definitive stamps through the 1880s and 1890s with typical colonial designs featuring the monarch’s profile.
• The long run of Queen Victoria issues featured a range of denominations from fractional pence values up to multiple shillings and occasionally pound-value issues in specialized printings.
• During the 1890s official and departmental overprints (e.g., O.S. for official use) were used occasionally on regular stamps.

(Philatelic catalogues list these issues in detail with colour, watermark and perforation variants.)

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📜 1900–1910 — Final Colonial Issues

As the 20th century began and Australia headed toward federation, the stamps continued to depict Queen Victoria in evolving formats:

1900–1906 series included:

• Standard definitive values like:
  • 1s (one shilling), 2s, 3d, 4d, 6d, 8d, 9d, etc. (various colours).
• 1902 “Inscription POSTAGE” issues — a comprehensive set of values from 3d up through £1 in various denominations (3d, 4d, 6d, 9d, 10d, 1s, 2s6d, 5s, 10s, £1) with thin inscription letters.
• Later printings (1904–1908) updated with thicker inscription letters and slightly different perforations.
• Adelaide Post Office Queen Victoria series (1905–1911) included smaller values such as ½d, 1d, 2½d, 5d.
• Final Victoria issues through 1906–1911 carried on that design style with additional denominations (3d, 4d, 6d, 8d, 1s, 2s6d, 5s).

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🧾 Key Features and Variations

🔹 Queen Victoria Designs

• Throughout 1870–1910 the stamps predominantly featured Queen Victoria, as was typical of British colonial issues in that period.
• Many values are known in multiple perforation and watermark variants, which are essential to identifying and valuing specific issues.

🔹 Overprints & Official Issues

• Some stamps from the late colonial period were overprinted for official government use (e.g., post office departments) or departmental control, especially in the late 1860s through early 1870s.

🔹 Denominations

Stamps issued in this period covered a wide range of postal rates, including:

• Fractional values (½d, 1d)
• Standard domestic rates (2d, 3d, 4d, 6d)
• Higher values for heavier mail and special services (1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, £1)