South Africa 1895 Uniform British Empire Keyplate Proposal

1895 De La Rue Minerva Head AFRICA Essays: Britannia/Minerva dummy stamps in 4 different versions as samples with inscriptions as "Overseas Dominions" or "De La Rue & Co". Various colours and perf/imperf, 2 with value shown as £20. A most attractive group, rare. To overcome the constantly changing names of African colonies De La Rue had proposed a single keyplate design onto which name and duty plates could be added. This group further shows the extension of the concept to even more attractive wider Empire possibilities.