Royal Reels: Gambling

Business

SYDNEY to THE BELL ORGAN& PIANO CO. PTY. LTD., GUELPH, ONTARIO

This very faint advertising cover shows either a piano or small organ labeled ‘BELL’ and it is addressed to Mr. David Allen Jr, c/o Bell Organs & Piano Co. Ltd., Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The blue ‘Two Penny’ and grey ‘Half Penny’ stamps of New South Wales are postmarked with a duplex SYDNEY/ AU 10/ 2-PM/ 96/ 37 with a barred N.S.W. oblterator. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). Although

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SYDNEY POSTCARD to I.M. MOSES c/o MESSRS DAVID SASSOON & Co., BOMBAY

One never knows initially where a postal item will lead and this one produces a trail of religion, trade, wealth and opium. The 1½d N.S.W. postcard is postmarked with the duplex SYDNEY/ SP 26/ 4 PM/ 92 with the N.S.W obliterator and there is a reception postmark of BOMBAY/ F/ OC 17/ (92). It is addressed to I. M. Moses Esq., Care of Messrs David Sassoon & Co., Bombay (Figure 1).

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SYDNEY to COLONIAL SUGAR COMPANY, REWA RIVER, SUVA FIJI

Two covers with the blue TWO PENCE stamp of New South Wales were sent from Sydney to the same person in Fiji and they almost certainly were from the same sender in spite of the differences in spelling of the addressee’s name. The first cover had a SYDNEY/ A/ JU 4/ 83/ 1 postmark in the top right corner and it was addressed to Mr Robert Leonard, c/o Colonial Sugar

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STUART ALEXANDER & CO. SYDNEY and THE EXCHANGE, N.S.W. POSTMARK

This advertising cover for Stuart Alexander Co., Sydney has several interesting features including ample evidence that it was registered (red N.S.W. EXCHANGE registration label, red handstamp ‘REGISTRATION’ and the crossed red crayon lines. It was sent ‘per S.S. Orvieto’ to Paris, France. Postage and registration of 6d was paid by 4 single copies of the 1½d red KGV stamps and was postmarked rather exuberantly with 5 examples of EXCHANGE (placed

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ST HELENA to BURDEKIN HOUSE, MACQUARIE STREET, SYDNEY

This May 22, 1896 cover with a strip of three 1884-94 blue 2½d overprint on 6d stamps of St. Helena (S.G. #40) paid the triple rate to Sydney Australia. It was backstamped both in London and Sydney, and it was addressed to Norman Burdekin Esq, C/o Sydney Burdekin Esq. Macquarie Street, Sydney N.S.W. An estimate of AU$ 1500 was placed on the cover (Figure 1). The address and the Burdekin

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SPEIDEL & CO., GERMAN KEROSENE & MERCANTILE CO., FRENCH INDOCHINA

The red embossed ‘ONE PENNY’ Queen Victoria cover has a roller cancel with MELBOURNE/ JUN 24/ 3 PM/ 1907 as well as a ‘flag’ inscribed with VICTORIA. It has a red handstamp Per ‘GUTHRIE’ via Sydney and it is addressed to Messrs Spiedel (sic) & Co., Hanoi, Tonkin (Figure 1). The reverse has a transit postmark SAIGON-CENTRAL/ 4(-) 5/ AOUT/ 07/ COCHINCHINE as well as an incomplete cancel for (TO)NKIN

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SIR WILMOT HUDSON FYSH, AIRLINE DIRECTOR, & AIR FORCE OFFICER

Two covers were found for Hudson Fysh, the first with a commemorative Air Mail sticker for 10 years of Air Mail Progress for Q.A.N.T.A.S., addressed to him in Brisbane. The red 2d Sydney Harbour Bridge and the green 3d airmail stamps were canceled with a 16 November 1932, Queensland roller cancel, and the reverse was not seen (Figure 1). The second cover was addressed to Fysh as Manging Director, Q.A.N.T.A.S.,

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SIR WILLIAM BEILBY AVERY , PHILATELIST & SCALES MERCHANT, U.K.

The registered cover is addressed to W.B. Avery Esqre, Apsley House, Wellington Road, Birmingham, England and a ms. registration number‘3116′ and a crossed out address, are in a blue crayon. The lilac 8d ‘Lyre Bird’ stamp of N.S.W. is postmarked REGISTERED/ B/ MR 26/ 95/ SYDNEY N.S.W, and there is a black handstamp of an ‘R’ in an oval. There is a red reception postmark of REGISTERED/ LONDON/ A/ 29

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SIR RICHARD LINTON, MIDDOWS BROTHERS & BIG BROTHER MOVEMENT

The ornate Middows Brothers & Linton Ltd Sydney/ Sole Agents in Australia for L.t. Fiver, Paris cover was the entry point for discussion of the Big Brother Movement in Australia. Certainly research on the Middows Brothers, Frank and Lionel, was disappointingly unrewarding, with sparse information on their paper and printing trade, whereas their partner Richard Linton had a much heralded career. The TWO PENCE overprint on the red 1½d KGV

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THE FRENCH in NEW SOUTH WALES: LOUIS GILLE & JEAN ESCOTTIER, SYDNEY

The first cover was a printed envelope sent from Louis Gille & Co., of Sydney, 73-75 Liverpool Street and of Melbourne, 300-302 Lonsdale St., The addressee was printed in large black letters: FRANCE/ Messrs LOUIS GILLE et Cie/ Fabricants de Bronzes et d’Orfevrerie d’Eglise/ 37 Quai Claude Bernard./ LYONS. The routing of the letter is given as Per P & O. R.M.S. “Mongolia”ViaBrindisi. There are a total of six New

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