Business

A.W. BIRCHALL, BOOKSELLER & BOOK PUBLISHER, LAUNCESTON, TASMANIA

The stampless cover has a 1D POSTAGE PAID/ L/ JUN 14/ 1898/ LAUNCESTON postmark and it is addressed to a Mr. C.J. Hall, Burnie (Tasmania). The red print reads ‘CATALOGUE, FOURTH ANNUAL BOOK SALE’ along the top, ‘BOOK SALE’ at the left margin, and ‘From A.W. BIRCHALL & SONS, Launceston’ at the bottom of the cover. The reverse was not seen. This postmark was used for bulk mail (Figure 1). On

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A.J. NETTLEFOLD, HOBART & QUEENSTOWN, MERCER, TAILOR, & CYCLES SHOP

There is confusion in the research literature about A.J. Nettlefold who has been described in The Cyclopedia of Tasmania (1901) as having started in business “barely 3 years ago with very little capital but brains, he has become during that time to be a credit to the colony of Tasmania. His first business effort was at No. 60 Liverpool Street, Hobart where he opened a tailoring business in half of

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A. de SPEVILLE, BANQUE COMMERCIALE, PORT LOUIS, ILE MAURICE

This République Française Carte Postale has two red Western Australia 1d ‘Swan’stamps cancelled with two duplex FREMANTLE / 4/ SP 15/ 02/ W.A postmarks with the P.O obliterator, and it is addressed to Monsieur A. de Speville, Banque Commerciale, Port Louis, Ile Maurice. It has a manuscript ‘Par Paquetbot Post “Ville de la (Ciotat”, obscured), via Colombo, as well as an arrival postmark of MAURITIUS/ 2/ OC 29/ 06( Figure

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‘RAMORNIE WORKS’ UNCOMMON CANCEL: C.G. TINDAL’S MEAT WORKS

The ‘socked on the nose’ postmark on the green ½d KGV head stamp is difficult to read as RAMORNIE WORKS/ -3 OC 1917/ N.S.W. On two accounts it isparticularly interesting and uncommon to even scarce. The first point of interest is the addition of ‘Works’ to the village of ‘Ramornie’, and this conjunction with ‘WORKS’ is uncommon in the whole of Australia. Hopson and Tobin in ‘N.S.W. and A.C.T. Post,

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J.W. PLOOS VAN AMSTEL & Co., MELBOURNE, SENT to FRANCE

This difficult to date early stampless cover (stated to be 1862 by vendor) was sent from Melbourne to a company in Tarnac near Cognac, France with a manuscript ‘via Marseille’.  It had a black ‘18′ and a red possibly ‘4′ ratings with two additional postmarks, one a boxed red GB ‘diamond’ and the other a red Marseille double circle transit postmark.  The sender was identified by a blue J.W. PLOOS

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MARSHALL MACDERMOTT, QUIXOTIC SOLDIER, FARMER & BANK MANAGER

The stampless cover was sent ‘By Steamer’ from London as evidenced by the red ‘tombstone’ cancel X/ PAID/ 31OC31/ 1846. There was a red ‘ms. 1/-’ and an arrival handstamp at Adelaide as shown by the G.P.O/ [Crown]/ 5 [Maltese Cross] AP/ 1847/ SOUTH AUSTRALIA. The cover was addressed tp Marshall Mac’ Dermott (sic) Esqre, The Bank Hindly (sic) Street, Adelaide, South Australia. There was an additional ms. overlying the GPO

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CAPTAIN RONALD EDGAR SMITH, 2ND SON of JAMES “PHILOSOPHER” SMITH

A large number of covers have been seen at stamp auction sites addressed to Westwood Forth, Ulverstone Forth, or Ulverstone either to Lieutenant, Captain or Major R.E. Smith over the past 3 years, but none compare with the present one sent by Captain R.E. Smith to his mother. The cover has a blue garland of ribbons and leaves, surrounding a monogram of EPH, with the words Excelsior Palace Hotel, A.

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WUNDERLICH BROTHERS: ERNEST (1859-1945), FREDERICK (1861-1951) & ALFRED (1865-1966)

This advertising cover for Wunderlich Durabestos, Asbestos-Cement Building Sheets, The Ideal Lining for Exterior Walls, Interior Walls, Partitions, Ceilings, Gable Ends, Eaves, Soffets was sent in 1934 from Wunderlich Limited, Perth to the Comptroller of Stores, W.A. Government Railways, Midland Junction (Western Australia), with a Perth 2d meter cancel (Figure 1). The 3 sons were born in London to Charles Frederick Wunderlich, a clerk and later indigo merchant and his

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WINCHCOMBE, CARSON & CO., WOOL BROKERS & PRODUCE SALESMEN

The printed stamp cover of New South Wales has a duplex postmark of THE EXCHANGE/ 4/ OC 31/ 95/ N.S.W with the barred numeral ‘1134′. It was sent from Winchcombe, Carson & Co., Wool Brokers and Produce Salesmen, Sydney and addressed to W. Richardson Esq, Bogalong, Grenfell, (N.S.W.) (Figure 1). The spectacular reverse is printed in blue and shows an extensive one-storey beflagged building with an advertisement for Sydney Wool

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THE SANITARIUM HEALTH FOOD Co. and MORAN & CATO, GROCERS

This advertising cover brings back early memories in Sydney for I went into their Hunter Street store many years ago to buy freshly ground peanut butter. The cover was posted from Sydney on 12 July 1917 with a roller cancel and there is also a roller cancel of a Melbourne reception postmark on the red N.S.W. 1d ‘Shield’ stamp. The green advertisement describes the company as manufacturers, importers, exporters of

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