The list provided below has been developed through a review of files covering the period from July 1994 to April 2004 held at the Botswana Post Office Headquarters in Gaborone as well as a review of items in my personal collection, items shown in journals and other literature, and correspondence with other collectors.
In the list, the prefix is the letter listed within the meter mark. Initially a variety of letters were used, but within a few years only the prefix ‘R’ was issued on new licences. With the mandatory use of digital meters implemented in the early 2000’s, the prefix ‘BP’ became the standard.
The ‘Licence No.’ is the number assigned by the Post Office. Where numbers are repeated, the initial licence has expired and a new licence was issued to another licencee. For ease of reference, the list is sorted by licence number.
‘Licencee’ is the holder of the licence and ‘Community” is the city, town or village in which the machine is located. Where a licencee such as a bank has more than one machine placed at different locations within a city or town, additional information such s the branch name is given.
‘Date Issued’ is the date on which the Post Office issued the licence to the Licencee. Blanks indicate that I have no information on the issue date. I am developing a list of earliest known dates for those marks for which I have no issue date. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
‘Type’ is based on the typology of Botswana Meter Marks as described on the Botswana Meter Mark Typology page of this web site. Sometimes the same Licencee had multiple machines as shown on the licence list.
‘Earliest and Latest Reported Dates’ are a listing of these dates for each type of mark for each Licencee. The dates based on a review of all marks of which I am aware, over 1,100 in my and other people’s collections. I am very interested in receiving additional information from any holders of marks. Please send copies of marks to the addresses provided on my contact page.