Introduction
Sallo Epstein is remembered today as a publisher of illustrated postal stationery cards and picture postcards, although he was often listed in contemporary philatelic directories as either a stamp collector or dealer.
Illustrated below is a ZAR postal stationery card (Higgins & Gage 2) which has two Sallo Epstein handstamps struck in purple. The straight-lined handstamp on the back gives Sallo Epstein’s address as P.O. Box 1239, Johannesburg, Transvaal. The oval handstamp on the address side has the business address obliterated with black ink, almost certainly by Sallo Epstein. Perhaps this was a private correspondence and not a company transaction. It is of interest that this is the first time we have seen two different Sallo Epstein address handstamps on one postcard.
The addressee
Addressed to “J. D’Abbadie Esq., Haiphong, Tonkin, Indo China, Asia” and entered the post at Johannesburg on 11 March 1895. Transit cancels for Calcutta 14 April, Singapore 29 and 30 April, arrival at Tonkin during May 1895 and annotated by D’Abbadie with the reply date “27 May ‘95”.
The message
"Jhbg. 6.3.95 J. D’Abbadie Esq., Dear Sir/ Your favour to hand If you will send me a selection of rare stamps per Senf Catalogue I shall be pleased to send you exchange in South Africans of which I have duplicates of nearly all issues
Yours very faithfully
Sallo Epstein"
This postal Stationery card posted to an unusual destination demonstrates that Sallo Epstein was not only interested in southern Africa stamps but wished to obtain stamps of other countries. The preferred stamp catalogue was that of the German company Senf, which at that time was often used for reference purposes when buying and selling stamps internationally.
Note
An article on Senf’s 1892 catalogue can be found in:
Woolgar, J., (2010), Stamp Catalogues: Gebrüder Senf’s Illustrierter Postwertztzeichen-Katalog of 1892, The Transvaal Philatelist, 175/52-54.
Copyright © 2010, 2013 & 2021 Jeff Woolgar
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