BULLETIN 127 - March 2003
Thysville and Albert Thys Ch.
Stockmans
Recent Auction Highlights
Ron Strawser
Ponthierville and Pierre Ponthier Ch. Stockmans
Thysville
and Albert Thys
This is
the fourth in a series of biographies prompted by the question of Roger Nailer
in Bulletin 122 who asked who various towns in the Belgian Congo were named
after. Thysville was named
after Albert Thys (1849-1915). Once again thanks to our member Charles Stockman
from whose website (http ://users.skynet.be/chst/),
this information was obtained. Any translation errors are the editor’s.
Student
at the War School. He was attached
in 1876 to the military household of Léopold II with the mission of
protecting(?) the secretary of colonial affairs.
Within the framework of the Committee of studies of the Upper Congo, he
was the assistant of president Strauch. The
King sent him to England to propose to Stanley a new expedition in central
Africa on behalf of the African International Association.
He took an active part in the organization of the majority of the
expeditions. In 1887, he embarked
for the Congo and became convinced that it was necessary to lay a
railway line from Matadi to Léopoldville whose official inauguration
took place in 1898. He was an
exceptional businessman, whose activity was centered on the development of Congo
via the Company of Congo for the Trade and Industry that he founded on December
27, 1886 and of his many subsidiary companies which he suggested creating: the
Railroad of Congo, the Company of the general stores, the Belgian Limited
company for the trade of High-Congo, the Company of the products, the Company of
Katanga. In 1904, the station of
Sona Qongo accepted the name of Thysville. (Denoël Thierry, the new dictionary of the Belgians, the
Cry 1992)
Recent Auction Highlights
In the recent Omphi auction some
rarities and cancellations brought some remarkable realizations. Because most of
us will never own such items (or just in case some of us do!), it was thought
that it would be worthwhile to illustrate some of them.
Stampless letter dated August 19, 1884, with origin mark "LEOPOLDVILLE / CONGO AFRICA" , transit cancel "BANANA/19/9" and Portuguese postage due mark to Bruxelles. This cover estimated at 2000 Euros was sold for 30,000 Euros!
1885 stampless double weight letter to Anvers with postage due mark and flag cancel "CONGO MOYEN-BOLOBO". Estimated at 1480 Euros. Sold for 6600 Euros.
Seven small pieces or stamps with flag cancels including Inférieur/Lukunga (3) and Inférieur /Moukoumbi (2). Estimeted at 50 Euros. Sold for 3400 Euros!
On the previous
page is CO #19(2) + 20 + 22(2) + 23(2) + 25 + 26 on 1903 registered cover from
Basongo to Anvers, with the official seal of
the Congo Free State on the back. Estimated at 100 Euros it sold for 780 Euros.
CO # 15(2) +18
+ 20(2) + 23 + 24 on registered letter with return receipt requested (AR), from
Popocabacca to Bruxelles (Réception) the letter is slightly damaged. Estimated
at 200 Euros, it sold for 1550 Euros.
Co #18B°, 10 c. blue perf 14, inverted cener, + 15 + 21 + 24 + 26A, on registerd cover piece. 40 inverted stamps were acquired by the Kennedy firm in1897. The firm addressed the cover and put on the stamps and sent it to the Congo to be mailed back. Only piece known. In perfect condition. Signed SPhB and G. Mertens Estimated at 30,000 Euros, it sold for 21,000 Euros.
N° 29(2), 10 Fr. perf 14¦, vertcal pair on gun
permit (type A), canceled with
signature of official with administrative
Stanley-Pool cancel. Estimated at
1200 Euos, it sold for 2000 Euros.
CO #35L8°(4), 50 c. olive block of 4, inverted surcharge L8, signed J. Baete. Estimated at 1200 Euros, sold for 2100 Euros
Stibbe #21L1 with flag cancel “Lubefu” sold for 350 Euros
CO #30L8(5) + 31L8 + 32L8(6) + 33L8 + 35L8(4) + 36L4 + 45 + 46 on a Compagnie du Chemin de Fer registered cover front. All the L8 surcharges are inverted except for #33L8 with the surcharge displaced. Sold for 4800 Euros versus a 5000 Euro estimate.
This
is the fifth in a series of biographies prompted by the question of Roger Nailer
in Bulletin 122 who asked who various towns in the Belgian Congo were named
after. Ponthierville was
named after Pierre Ponthier (1858-1893). Once again thanks to our member Charles
Stockman from whose website (http://users.skynet.be/chst/),
this information was obtained. This has been translated from the French by the
editor and any errors are likely mine.
Second
lieutenant of infantry. He went to
Africa in 1887. After being
attached to the topographic service, he was assigned to Bangala. In 1888, he directed the station at Basoko.
In 1890, selected to command the forward guard of Van Kerckhoven in upper
Uele, he took by storm a camp of slave traders located between Bomokandi and
Bima, and released more than two hundred and fifty slaves.
Wounded in the foot, he had to return to Europe but returned in 1893 to
the Congo to the Stanley-Falls
area. He took part in the
operations carried out by Dhanis against the slave traders.
He died of the wounds received at the time of a counter-attack.
(Denoël Thierry, the new dictionary of the Belgians, the Cry 1992)
Please note throughout this article all references to plate combinations are those currently attributed.
In Bulletin 96/2, Ray Keach drew our attention to Peter Foden’s observation of the additional frame plate ‘yellow spot’ between nos. 12,13,22,23 – presumably introduced to assist the printing press operators to more easily position the frame plate. As a result it became necessary for us to revise several plate combination allocations, which by way of confirmation now reads:-
1910 III4+B2
III4+B3
1915 III5+B3
III5+B4
III6+B4
III7+C1
To help those with complete sheets of the 1910 and 1915 issues, Ray included guidance notes on allocating the sheets to their respective combinations. With specific reference to III4+B3 he said –
“If the specks of the sky to the left of the left palm tree (above the sitting natives) are doubled in a vertical direction, the sheet is III4+B3. As far as I know no complete sheet has yet been identified”
Brian Hudson in his study on ‘Plating Mols Stamps’ (Bulletin 87) had previously recorded that -
“- few stamps have been found with III4+B3, i.e. with the re-entered centres previously associated only with the first printing of the 1915 issue. They have the same shade and frame plate features as III4+B2, but the centres show additional doubling, particularly of the horizontal sky lines.”
He also added –
“ So far only two positions of (III3+B3) now III4+B3 - #10 and 45 – have been confirmed; both lack the doubling of the settler which is found on B4.”
Since those contributions were made, a complete sheet of the 1910 III4+B3 has come to light and for those interested in both plating and positioning 15 centimes stamps, the following will be helpful. It should be specifically noted that as a result of this study, Hudson’s last statement is only valid in respect of #45 as the settler in position 10 had already been entered/doubled in creating centre plate B3.
The summaries of my observations refer specifically to center plate B3 from the1910 issue. Whilst obviously common to the centers of the first 1915 printings, the 1910 combination is much clearer and cleaner and further help is now sought with regard to confirmation and validation of centre plate B4.
In addition to the ‘doubling to the horizontal skylines – to the left of the palm tree’, referred to by both Keach and Hudson, - the most easily and specifically defined re-entries creating B3 occur in the second (#12,22,32) and last two columns (#9,10,19,20,29,30,39,49 and 50). Additionally there is a doubling of the settler and sitting natives in position #44 and of the thatched roof in #45. The following list summarizes my observations of the most easily confirmed doubling/entries. Others do exist but are not as pronounced.
Position
9 Thatch of roof re-entered and the almost vertical scratch in the bottom right corner has
apparently been removed.
(This latter requires confirmation, and verification would be appreciated.)
10 Settler and thatch to roof and walls doubled.
12 Settler and thatched roof doubled.
19 Settler and thatched roof doubled.
20 Settler and thatched roof doubled.
22 Settler and thatched roof doubled
29 Thatched roof doubled.
30 Settler and thatched roof doubled.
32 Settler and thatched roof doubled
39 Thatched roof doubled.
40 Settler and thatched roof doubled
44 Sitting natives and settler doubled.
45 Thatched roof doubled.
49 Settler and thatched roof doubled.
50 Thatched roof doubled.
With regard to Ray Keach’s comment about the ‘doubling in a vertical direction to the left of the left palm tree’ I confirm its prominence in the following positions:
6,8,9,10
16,17,18,19,20
22,23,25,26,28,29,30
35,36,37,38,39,40
44,45,49,50
Of the 1915 issue, I have only one single complete sheet with centre plate ‘B’ –allocated as III6+B4. With the exception of the re-entered settler in positions 35 and 45, it is now a fact that all my earlier notes confirming the center as B4, simply attribute it as (a worn state of) B3. I would welcome comments from members who have attributed 1915 stamps to B4 with their reason for doing so.
Inevitably others will now make additional observations, spot omissions and I accept this is unlikely to be the final word. But, having now also re-examined several hundreds of stamps from my plate reconstruction of B2/3, B3/4 I would reconfirm both Ray and Brian’s observation that the 1910 B3 is definitely uncommon.
Stuart Smith