PROFESSORS

This possibly unique cut-down cover was sent from the Australian National University, Canberra (pen-deleted) airmail with 26 all coil stamps (block 12 of orange ½d roo, plus blocks of 8 and 6 of the green 3d QE II) were postmarked with 7 copies of the AIR MAIL/ 1-P-5AP56/ CANBERRA A.C.T. postmark, the total postage being 4/- (shillings). The cover was addressed to Dr. Lowell Ragatz, Box 146, Worthington, Ohio, USA. The reverse had no postall markings (Figure 1).

HORATIO EMMONS HALE, ETHNOLOGIST & PHILOLOGIST (1817-1896)

This cover interests me because it is an example of an association between 3 countries, which have been my home at stages in my academic life. It is addressed to Prof. Horatio Hale, M.A., J.R.D.C., Clinton, Ontario, Canada and it was sent from St. Arnaud, Victoria, Australia. The 2 Victorian stamps (pink ½d and lilac 2d “Stamp Duty”) are postmarked with the St Arnaud third duplex, AU 6/ (18)96 with the Barred Numeral ‘94'. There is a ‘Via Vancouver’ manuscript and the unseen reverse had a Vancouver transit and a Clinton Ont. backstamp (Figure 1).

JOHN BORTHWICK GILCHRIST, ORIENTALIST and PHYSICIAN

This entire was sent per "Fatima" to The Trustees of the Estate of the late John Borthwick Gilchrist Esq^re dec^d, care of W^m Brackenridge Esq^re, 16 Bartlett’s Buildings, Holborn, London, and there is a manuscript, ‘9^th Aug 1852' in the lower left hand corner, as well as a manuscript ‘8', showing the cost of carriage (8 pence) by the ship. The New South Wales stamp is a ‘Sydney Views’, but the quality of the scan does not allow determination of the value. The description given by the seller is extremely brief (when one considers the high estimate, and more importantly because of the wonderful story behind this cover, namely): "New South Wales, 1852, Sydney Views Entire to London". (Figure 1)

JOHN SMITH MD: A COVER WITH PROVENANCE

What is the likelihood of finding information concerning J. Smith MD, the addressee on a Victorian cover of more than 100 years ago? Well the address of Sydney University certainly helped. The front of the cover bears two stamps, the first being the two pence lilac Robinson second contract horizontally laid paper (SG 69, Scott 47a) plus the four pence pale dull rose Robinson second contract vertically laid paper (SG 71, Scott 48), both rouletted 5.5 to 6.5. These stamps date the letter to June 1858 or later. The barred numeral "1" of Melbourne is of no additional help with the dating (Figure 1).

MELBOURNE OBSERVATORY to PROF. MARK W. HARRINGTON, SEATTLE

POSTCARD from CARL SUSSMILCH, to PROF. JAY WOODWORTH, HARVARD

PROF. ARCHIBALD LIVERSIDGE 1846-1927, UNIVERSITY of SYDNEY

A front of a very simple cover was sent to Professor Liversidge, Sydney University and readdressed in manuscript to the Union Club, in Sydney. It had a duplex cancellation different from the first duplexes in that the date stamp part was upright instead of sideways and had a double circle instead of one, and the obliterator oval had 4 rings instead of 3. It was probably of local manufacture and the 2 parts of the cancel could be used separately. In the concentric circle the letters A, C, D, E, H, I, K?, & L are found, and it was in use from 1871-1881. The double circle datestamp had an L, and was dated SP/ 76/ SYDNEY on the 1d N.S.W. stamp (Figure 1).

PROF. H. LYMAN CLARK, HARVARD ZOOLOGIST

The cover is addressed to Prof. H. Lyman Clark PhD, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass, U.S.A. and has a 2d grey Roo on Map of Australia plus the ½d blue-green N.S.W. stamp, both with OS/NSW perfins. The postmark is a Sydney machine cancel of MY 16 4 30 P 1913. The front has a printed O.H.M.S. and the reverse shows it is an Australian Museum cover.

PROF. MORRIS LOEWY, HOBOKEN N.J., MAGICIAN & STAMP COLLECTOR

A colourful non-Australian-related cover introduced me to the Professor Loewy two years ago and almost simultaneously I found an Australian cover sent to the same man. The Hoboken N.J. cover sold for a cool USD 6,000, the price can be attributed to at least 3 factors: it is a first day cover for the 1901 2c Pan-American Exposition stamp with a May 1 1901 machine cancel; the black vignette of the stamp is shifted upward; it has a multi-coloured vignette; and there are 3 different design exposition labels, one tied by the postmark (Figure 1).

PROFESSOR QUISENBERRY & THE AMERICAN POULTRY SCHOOL

This cover was chosen because of the unusual address, the letter being sent with a roller cancel of HOBART/ 24 JUL 22 9-PM/ TASMANIA to The American Poultry School, Dep. 185, Kansas City, M.O. (Missouri), America and it was franked with the 4d orange KGV head, this being the commercial paper rate to foreign countries from 1 October 1920 (Figure 1).

PROFESSOR J. A. GRAY D. Sc., O.B.E., FRSC, FRS [ENGLAND/CANADA]

Australia's gift in radiation physics to Great Britain and Canada:

PROFESSOR SIR ISAAC BAYLEY BALFOUR (1853-1922)

This blue 'On Her Majesty's Service' envelope from the Department of Agriculture was addressed to Professor Bayley Balfour, University (crossed out in red ink), Edinburgh, Scotland and a '10' was also added in red ink, close to an illegible postmark. The stampless cover was sent with a small MELBOURNE/ 3A/ AU 14/ 94 duplex VICTORIA postmark as well as a black Department of Agriculture/ Frank/ Stamp/ Victoria (first used in 1886).

PROFESSOR WILLIAM MORRIS DAVIS, GEOGRAPHER (1850-1934)

The 1d red roo on map of Australia stamped wrapper (H. & G. E-2) which is postmarked WILLIAMSTOWN/ 215A 30 SE 14/VIC has a manuscript Printed Matter and is addressed to Professor W.M. Davis, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. U.S.A. The name of the sender has not been identified, but immediately below the name there appears to be written 'Survey Egypt' (Figure 1).

RALPH TATE, ELDER PROFESSOR of SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY of ADELAIDE

The brown 1d South Australian postcard was addressed to Prof. Ralph Tate and was postmarked with the duplex G.P.O. ADELAIDE/ R/ JY 17/ 6 5 AM/ 99 (Figure 1).

SIR RUDOLPH ALBERT PETERS, BIOCHEMIST (1889-1982) [ENGLAND]

Rudolph Peters was born13 April 1889 in Kensington, London, the only son and elder child of Albert Peters a general practitioner and his wife Agnes Watts. He was educated at Cambridge University and St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London (graduating in medicine with MB and B. Chir.1915), although he entered as a classics scholar. He gained his higher research degree of MD in 1919. After teaching briefly at Cambridge, he accepted the recently established Whitley Chair of Biochemistry at Oxford which he held from 1923 until his retirement in 1954.

SYDNEY LETTER to IRVING FISHER, YALE UNIVERSITY, CONNECTICUT

This unpretentious cover with a Sydney/ 10 pm/ 3 SEP/ 1929 POST EARLY EACH DAY roller cancel obliterating two red KGV Head stamps was addressed to Professor Irving Fisher, Yale University (crossed out and ‘97' pencilled in), New Haven, Connecticut. There was an arrival postmark with NEW HAVEN CONN/ OCT 3/ 11 30AM/ YALE STA./ 1929 (Figure 1).

The DUALITY of the LIFE of "PROFESSOR" HOLLOWAY [ENGLAND]

A fairly ordinary looking newspaper wrapper introduced me to an extraordinary man with many facets to his life:  apothecary, bankrupt convict, advertising genius, quack, patent medicine merchant and philanthropist. My interest was sparked by 2 newspaper wrappers that appeared on eBay auctions, and little did I suspect where my research would take me. The first wrapper was an example of the 1885-99 ½d Fergusson & Mitchell Victorian wrapper that was issued in four colours (sequentially grey-lilac, pink, yellow-orange and green) over that time period. Although the Type 2 barred numeral '207' of Kerang was undated, this pink version was issued on or after January 1887. Another point of interest was that the 2-line address was sufficient for the newspaper to be delivered (Figure 1).