Rhodesia Famous Figures Series No 5 Selous, March 1 1971 FDC
OVERVIEW
Offered is an original 1971 Rhodesia illustrated postal history First Day Cover celebrating the fifth entry in the nation's Famous Figures commemorative series.
The item is postmarked at Salisbury on the date of issue, March 1, 1971, and is franked with a single 15c stamp honoring Frederick Courteney Selous (1851–1917), the celebrated British explorer, big game hunter, and military officer.
The cover features an elaborate cachet depicting a flintlock rifle alongside a herd of African elephants as documented on image_5.png and image_6.png, complete with its original informational enclosure card describing Selous's historical footprint.
FRANKING & POSTAL HISTORY
The cover features a single-stamp franking consisting of the 15c Frederick Courteney Selous commemorative issue, positively identified as Rhodesia Scott 303 and Stanley Gibbons 458, shown magnified on image_4.png.
The physical attributes of the stamp include a denomination of 15 cents, multicolored offset lithography printing, perforation 14.5 comb, unwatermarked chromo paper, and original brown water-activated gum unobservable as postally affixed to the envelope.
The adhesive is tied to the upper right corner by a crisp, complete Salisbury, Rhodesia circular datestamp dated 1 March 1971, representing the official first day of issue. There are no secondary routing or backstamp markings on the plain reverse shown on image_7.png.
CONTEXT & COLLECTOR APPEAL
The cover is addressed by hand to D. G. Pollard at P.O. Box 2341 in Salisbury, as detailed on image_9.png, making it a locally handled item from the capital city during Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence era. Frederick Courteney Selous was an iconic figure in Southern African history, known for his prowess as an ivory hunter, his close friendship and correspondence with U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and his role guiding Cecil Rhodes's Pioneer Column into Mashonaland in 1890.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1916 and killed in action during World War I in 1917 while serving as a Captain and Intelligence Officer in the Royal Fusiliers.
This official First Day Cover, produced by the Posts & Telecommunications Corporation, carries strong thematic appeal for collectors of African big-game hunting, military biography, and British colonial postal history.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Year: 1971
Country: Rhodesia
Type: First Day Cover
Theme: Notable Figures of Africa
Subject: Frederick Courteney Selous Big Game Hunter Explorer
Era: Rhodesian UDI Period
Occasion: First Day of Issue
Region: Africa
Denomination: 15 Cents
Country Currency: Rhodesian Dollar
Topic: Rhodesia Famous Figures Selous First Day Cover
Cancellation Type: First Day of Issue Circular Datestamp
SKU: RHODESIA-1971-SELOUS-FDC
CONDITION
Original postally handled 1971 First Day Cover in clean, excellent archival condition.
The Scott 303 stamp remains sound, securely affixed, and sharply canceled by the Salisbury circular datestamp. The illustrated cachet remains bright with crisp colors and clean typography.
The envelope displays faint edge toning and negligible storage wear consistent with an item of this vintage, with a minor soil trace on the left edge of the blank reverse.
The original informational insert card, shown, is fully preserved and highly legible.
Please review all high-resolution photographs carefully for exact condition assessment.