The annual South African National Stamp/History Exhibition and Stamp Show is from 8 to 11 October at the University of Pretoria’s Rautenbach Hall.

There will be a special Stamp Show Auction, held by Stephan Welz & Co on 8 and 9 October as well as a "you can knock & drop" auction by other dealers on 11 October from 11h00 to 12h00.

The first church on Market Square, now Church Square, in 1856. It burned down in 1882 but was replaced by a more majestic second church in 1885. This church was sadly demolished in 1905

If you want to sell or value stamps, covers, post cards or historic documents, you are welcome to offer such material to any of the 15 international and local dealers present at the Rautenbach Hall.

The exhibition is organised by the Pretoria Philatelic Society, now 116 years young. Pretoria is also the home of Philatelic Services and its parent, the South African Post Office. Commercial backing is from the SA Philatelic Dealers Association.

Pretoria railway station

The senior and junior (Junass) exhibitions are held under one roof. This year there is also a "No rules" segment of the senior’s exhibition where mostly non-society collectors display what they collect.

The largest part of the exhibition is the to-be-judged senior’s exhibits. Different judging criteria are applied to each of the segments, namely postal history; traditional philately; postcards; thematic; and the newer, fast-growing open class segment, where half of an exhibit can comprise original letters, photos and press cuttings in addition to stamps and postal history.

Nagmaal on Church Square at the second church in 1904

Exhibit entries have focused on the Anglo-Boer War – correspondence from prisoners of war and burgher camps, material produced by the "Staatsdrukkerij te Velde" at Machadodorp, and the Free State Commando's "Commando-Brief" stamps.

In line with the commemoration of World War One hostilities, there are exhibits of "The 1914 Rebellion in SA", "The SA Campaign in SWA", and campaigns in Europe.

This postcard was taken circa 1909. The Sammy Marks fountain seen on the right was moved to the Pretoria Zoo in 1910, where it still stands. The advent of the motor car drastically altered people’s lifestyle. The cars seen here are taxi’s waiting for their fares

Traditional philately has attracted many stamp exhibits, ranging from nearby Swaziland to far-away Nepal. Thematic exhibits range from trees, endangered rhinos; man's best friend and the development of SA's Air Services to artists' expressions of arresting female bodies.

In the postcard segment visitors will find exhibits such as those by prof Mike Dove on "When Pretoria was Young" and Paul van Zeyl's "Pretoria at War".

A scene of Church Street east at the crossing of Church and Van der Walt Streets after a thunder storm. Beckett’s store can be seen at the extreme right of the picture. This picture was taken at the beginning of the 1890’s

Parking and entrance is free. Phone Paul van Zeyl at 012-329 2464 or send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .