Ocean Mail Service Appraisal

1976 South African 10c Ocean Mail Service Contract Centenary Postage Stamp

This is a horizontal rectangular postage stamp issued by the Republic of South Africa (RSA) in 1976 to commemorate the centenary of the Ocean Mail Service Contract (1876-1976). The stamp features a central illustration of a late 19th-century steam-sailing ship with a lavender-pink hull and black upper deck, emitting white smoke from its single red and black funnel. To the top left, the dates '1876' and '1976' are printed in red script. The right side features the country designation 'RSA' above a horizontal red line and the denomination '10c'. Below the illustration, the text 'OCEAN MAIL SERVICE CONTRACT "" SEEPOSDIENSKONTRAK' is printed in small black sans-serif capitals, reflecting the bilingual English and Afrikaans naming conventions of the period. The stamp is printed on white paper with visible perforations on all four sides. The condition appears to be mint-never-hinged (MNH) or very fine used, as no postmark is visible and the perforations are intact without significant creasing or tears. The inks are well-preserved with no signs of fading, and the centering is slightly shifted toward the top right.