Monthly Archives: June 2020

1985 – Zaire – the Pope’s visit

1985 – Pope visit Kinhasa

Pope Paul John II visited Africa (Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Zaire, Kenya and Morocco) in August 1985.  The shown cachet is very rare, not seen before, and shows the Pope / Il Papa meeting Presidente Sese-Seko Mobutu on Kinshasa Airport. It has one of the Zaire Salvation Army stamps from the 1980 set added (SG 1008). The cachet was produced by the Italian cachet maker “Tre Stella”.

SA 4.83 – Unlisted US FDC

SA 4.83 – Reverend William Booth

This cachet pictures William Booth – Founder & First general of the Salvation Army. The picture is a copy of a picture from an early 1900s UK postcard commemorating William Booth, who died in 1912. Unknown cachet maker, possibly “Freemason”? The cover is numbered SA 4.83 in the Salvation Amry FDC catalogue. It must be very rare, I’ve not seen this on Ebay or elsewhere before.