1900 Queensland

Issued in 1900 to benefit the Anglo-Boer War Patriotic Fund, this 1-penny Queensland semi-postal is one of the rarest and most historically significant stamps from the Australian colonial era.  Though inscribed as a one-penny stamp, it was sold for one shilling, with the substantial premium going directly to support Queensland volunteers serving in the Boer War and the dependents of those who lost their lives. The design depicts Queen Victoria in profile above a scene showing two soldiers flanking the Union Jack — a direct and patriotic tribute to the men fighting on behalf of the British Empire in South Africa.

The Second Boer War began in October 1899 when tensions between the British Empire and the Boer republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State finally erupted into open conflict. Queensland, like the other Australian colonies, sent volunteer contingents to fight alongside British forces, and the war generated intense public feeling throughout the Empire. The Patriotic Fund stamps were issued as a practical expression of that sentiment — a way for ordinary citizens to contribute financially to the war effort simply by purchasing and using a postage stamp. The stamps were issued to aid disabled Queensland volunteers and the dependents of those who lost their lives.

Before Australia issued its first stamps as a self-governing dominion in 1913, it was divided into six British colonies, each of which issued their own stamps. This stamp was issued just one year before Queensland joined the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, making it one of the last semi-postals the colony would ever produce.