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The "Mafeking Mail" was printed on various coloured papers. A copy of Issue 1 was reproduced in the "London Daily Telegraph, " and later in "The Blackburn Times," dated 10th February 1900, which is where I've taken it from.
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Scanned set (152 issues) of the 1900 Townshend & Son reprint of the Mafeking Mail can be viewed HERE

I learnt from a fellow member recently that there are 3 different first editions; the original printed in Mafeking, a reprint in Mafeking and a post-Mafeking reprint.

The Mail is also available here: www.angloboerwar.com/books/181-anon-mafeking-mail

I certainly know of two editions - the one printed during the siege and the Townshend (Cape Town) 1900 souvenir reprint.

Dr R.M. Pelteret identifies four editions, details of which can be seen in his 2008 essay HERE

Below are a few things to look out for when ascertaining whether a copy is a first "siege" printing or not. In all cases I have shown the first printing above the later souvenir edition. The reprint was "wire-stitched" (stapled) and bound.

It is worth noting that No. 56 was never printed, and Nos. 45 & 142 were printed after the lifting of the siege. So a set that includes Nos. 45 & 142 is likely to be the later souvenir edition.
The latter edition had a Preface, but some unscrupulous individuals have broken these sets up and are selling the individual sheets as "originals".

I notice that the copy posted by Berenice has further differences, perhaps suggesting that there was more than one siege printing. However, I believe these discrepancies are simply a product of the work of "Blackburn Times" typesetters.
The following advertisement for the souvenir "wire-stitched" edition, to be available in July 1900 for 30/- a set, suggests that reprints had already been supplied during or very shortly after the siege:

Mafeking Mail, May 30th, 1900.
Complete Sets of the "Mafeking Mail" Siege Slips.
We cannot supply any more sets until some paper comes to hand, as several numbers are quite out of print. When we obtain a fresh supply, similar to that we were forced to use during the Siege, we shall be able to make up nearly another hundred sets. For these we will book orders for delivery about July next. Carriage free in Great Britain or the Colonies, price 30/- cash with order. The set includes Nos. 1 to 147, and will be wire-stitched together".

When published, the souvenir reprint included Nos. 1 to 152 (without No. 56, which was never printed). I have seen later numbers than this (up to 155, 4th June), showing that the Mafeking Mail continued to be printed some time after the lifting of the siege.

The "siege printing" reproduced below belonged to 5385 Private William Henry YOUNG, 1st Bn. Grenadier Guards, who acted as servant to Major Lord E.H. Cecil during the siege.




















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This is a difficult area. The best account is I believe that published by Roger Pelteret and available at www.pelteret.co.za/content/000218/The-Ma...cial-Siege-Slips.pdf
He identifies 3 printings and four editions. The rarest are the original printings of Nos 1-5 (possibly6) which were reprinted early in the siege and distinguished by the correction of the mispelt SEIGE, the loss of "ONLY" from "ONLY TERMS" and the addition of "THE CANNON KOPPIE FIGHT" in column 3.



The intended reprint was announced in Mafeking Mail no 15 on 16th November 1899



and ready on December 2nd



The following notice appeared on 30th May 1900 after the end of the siege



These sets were bound roughly in plain brown card covers in 3 volumes of varying size. They included the second printings of Nos 1-6 and 7-147 and exclude No 45 (cancelled and not printed as reported in No 46) and No 56 (numbering error due to shelling). They are exceedingly rare and I was fortunate some years ago to acquire a set retained by the editor Mr G Whales and kept within the family




These are stapled but readily distinguished from the later reprints printed in Cape Town and sold as one volume bound in blue or maroon cloth and with a preface. As Neville points out, these are often broken up and sold to the unwary as siege issues.

To further confuse the unwary, there are other reproductions about. One was bound into the back of the book "Mafeking. A Diary of The Siege. by Baillie



but is smaller than the original. Some were sold as souvenirs in the UK, also easy to identify.