Missionaries and Religion

FITCHETT BROS., PUBLISHERS MELBOURNE to WHITTAKER & CO., LONDON

This advertising cover has a boxed FITCHETT BROTHERS Propriety Limited PUBLISHERS, Managing Director: T. Shaw Fitchett, 167-9 Queen Street, Melbourne, Telephone 1206. It has a lilac 2d ‘Postage’ stamp of Victoria cancelled with a roller MELBOURNE/ JUL 7/ 5 45 PM/ 1908 with a ‘waving flag’ VICTORIA postmark. It is addressed to Messrs Whittaker & Co., 2 White Hart St, Paternoster Sq., London E.C. The reverse was not seen (Figure1).

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PETTY’S HOTEL: A SYDNEY SITE with a LONG PROVENANCE

This registered cover shows the full set of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester stamps which were issued on 19 Feb 1945. It was postmarked G.P.O. SYDNEY/ R.C.S./ 5-P 20 FE 45/ 1/ N.S.W. AUST. There is no registration label, but the blue crossed lines front and reverse clearly show it was registered.. The cover is addressed to Lt: T.B. Harrop./ R.N.V.R./ R.N.O.Q. (Petty’s Hotel)/ York Street. Sydney./ N.S.W. Australia

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RABBI ISRAEL BRODIE, MELBOURNE RABBI & CHIEF RABBI of the BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

This printed to private order mint 1d green sideface KGV postcard cannot be strictly called postal history, and the front gives no hint as to the contents of its other side (Figure 1). PALESTINE WELFARE LEAGUE OF VICTORIA 118 Walsh Street,South Yarra6/3/30 The above message is printed on the reverse (Figure 2). I have not been able to identify Nahum Slutzkin, but do have a few clues as to the

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THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, SYDNEY to SMYTHE, THEOSOPHIST, POET, EDITOR [CANADA]

Seven covers appeared on Ebay addressed to Albert E.S. Smythe at several locations in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in the 1920’s and 1930’s, six from Sydney Australia and one from Auckland, New Zealand. The fronts of two of these covers will be shown, as they show that Theosophical Societies existed in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, in addition to many other countries. The first had a roller cancel with

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ALSTON, B.H., MELBOURNE TOBACCONIST, IMPORTER HAVANA CIGARS & PHILATELIST

More than one year ago the first cover was seen addressed to B.H. Alston in Melbourne, and this was followed in short order by an interesting letter which Alston wrote to Dr. Max Nordau, totally irrelevant to this cover, dated 30 years later.   Then further research was quite unrewarding and my occasional return to researching Alston produced no more information.  The cover was put on the ‘back burner’ and a

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AARON BLASHKI, JEWISH SCHOLAR, BUSINESSMAN & PHILANTHROPIST

This remarkable cover with 8 Victorian Hospital Charity stamps, 7 blue 1d (1 shilling), as 5 singles and 1 pair, as well as a single red-brown 2½d (2 shillings & 6d), was cancelled by a REGISTERED/ W/ OC 26/ 01/ MELBOURNE, and it had a large unframed ‘R’ showing that it was sent registered. It was addressed to A. Blaski Esq. J.P., bOX 1051 G.P.O., Sydney. The reverse was not seen

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BAKER, WILLIAM (JNO.), QUAKER FAMILY HISTORY, CUTLER, HOUSE of STEEL

This unpretentious cover is addressed to W. N. Jno. Baker, Culter (sic), 3 Hunter Street, Sydney, N.S. Wales. The correct spelling for his occupation should have been ‘Cutler’. The ‘Four Corners’ blue 2d Queensland stamp is cancelled with the illegible rays of ‘214′ or ‘626′, both used at Toowoomba. Cutler is one who makes, repairs, or sells knives or other cutting instruments (Figure 1). The reverse has a confirmatory postmark of

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JOSEPH KRONHEIMER, PHILANTHROPIST & TOBACCO TRADE, MELBOURNE

The printed green Tasmanian stamp cover was postmarked with a duplex HOBART/ S/ 20 JE/ 1899, with the barred obliterator TASMANIA, and it was addressed to Mess J Kronheimer & Co., Flinders Lane, Melbourne. The reverse was not seen but was backstamped Melbourne, June 20, 1899 (Figure 1). Several of the Australian Colonies’ newspapers published his obituary and The Mercury (Hobart) on Monday 20 July 1914 on page 5, was

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JOSEPH BENSON MATHER, DRAPER, QUAKER, HOBART TOWN, V.D.L.

This indistinct cover front only, introduces an early immigrant to Tasmania. It has a blue VDL imperforate ‘FOUR PENCE’ stamp cancelled by a manuscript three curved strokes and there is also a manuscript applied at the left border by the postmaster ‘Swansea/ 24/11/59′. It is addressed to Joseph Benson Mather, 98 Liverpool Street, Hobart Town (Figure 1). His obituary was published in The Mercury, 19th May 1890, his death having

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ROBERT ANDREW MATHER & CO., LIVERPOOL ST., HOBART, DRAPERS

The Commonwealth of Australia Letter Card had a black 1d KGV printed stamp and the postmark date and place from where it had been sent could not be read. It was addresses to Andrew Mather & Co., Liverpool St.,Hobart Tasmania (Figure 1). The illustrated side of the card showed a picture within an oval and it was labeled as Railway Sleepers, Queensland. The reverse message side of the card was

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