Miscellaneous

JOHN CAMPBELL PTY. LTD., ELECTRIC POTTERIES, LAUNCESTON

With a modest stretch of imagination the label could be classed as postal ephemera, and it did appear several times on eBay Australian philatelic auctions. It was a label to be affixed to boxes posted with breakable Pottery Ware (Figure 1). I acknowledge that this short paper is taken directly from the John Campbell & Sons Pottery history site at http://www.auspottery.com/Campbell_history.htm . “In 1902 Campbell’s pottery became the first industry

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HENRY UPTON ALCOCK: ‘FATHER’ OF THE AUSTRALIAN BILLIARDS TRADE

Two registered covers were found advertising Alcock & Co., Billiard Table Manufacturers, 213 Russell Street, Melbourne and it also listed their addresses in the other colonies. The first had 2 QV stamps of Victoria (1d &2d) as well as the green ‘TWO PENNY’ Boer War Charity stamp, with a large ‘R’ in a circle handstamp, and the postmark REGISTERED MELBOURNE/ PM/ 2/ 27.6.00. The reverses was not seen (Figure 1).

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FRANCIS CADELL, NAVIGATOR/ ENTREPRENEUR, & MURRAY STEAMERS

The first reference to Francis Cadell and Murray steam navigation I could find was surprisingly in The Courier (Hobart, Tasmania) on 9 October 1852. Page 3. He was described as “Captain Cadell of the Queen Sheba, with four successful gold-diggers, has sailed in a canvas boat on the Murray as far as Swan Hill, a crossing place on the upper Murray, distant 120 miles from the gold fields of Bendigo. The gallant explorer

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FELIX AUSTRALIA MASONIC LODGE: AUSTRALIAN FREEMASONS

Two covers addressed to the Australia Felix Lodge were found, both very early in their founding. The first was a December 1840 entire addressed to the Worshipfulful Master of the Lodge of Australia Felix, Melbourne with a ms. Per Clonwell with a GPO backstamp and it was rated ‘4′ and it had an oval postmark MELBOURNE/ [crown]/ JA 14/ 1841/ NEW S. WALES. This was one of 3 recorded covers from the

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EMPIRE DAY, CORONATION DAY & THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S NATIONAL LEAGUE

This colourful 1911 Australian Women’s National League fold-out illustrated “A Souvenir of Empire” letter-sheet promoting both Empire Day and Coronation Day, had a printed history of the Union Jack flag within, and the green ½d ‘Bantam’ entire was used at Melbourne and posted to Middle Brighton, Victoria. This was an example of the scarce ½d solo stamp use for the printed matter rate, legal in the British Commonwealth (Figure 1).

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EDWIN J. DINGLE, PRECEPTOR EMERITUS, INSTITUTE of MENTAL PHYSICS, L.A.

Perhaps I should start a new category for ‘Unusual People To Whom Australians Write’, for ‘People’ or ‘Miscellaneous’ do not do justice to this man. The cover has an advert for The Grosvenor, the leading Private Hotel, Adelaide, S.A. Opposite Railway Station. The pair of green 1d Q.E. stamps are cancelled with a roller ADELAIDE/ 430AM/ 28 MCH/ 1941/STH AUSTRALIA with the slogan AIR MAIL/ SAVES TIME. It is addressed to

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DELAYED ESPERANTO WWI COVER from KINGAROY QLD to TEHERAN PERSIA

I have seen surprising number of Australian covers and postcards posted interstate and particularly to the USA, but this one must be a relative rarity. It has a total postage of 2½d made up of a pair of red 1d KGV heads and a single green ½d KGV head postmarked with three copies of the KINGAROY/ T-12 NO 17/ QUEENSLAND [Type 1t (i)]. The cover is addressed to ‘Ia Esperanta,

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COVER from SYDNEY to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, HUBBARD MEMORIAL HALL

The printed registered cover with the pre-printed violet 4½d KGV head stamp (‘A.C.S.C. RE 13′ issued 1925 has been uprated with the red 1½d KGV head stamp and both have been cancelled with a GLEN INNES/ ( — )/ N.S.W postmark. The front also has a transit REGISTERED/ F/ 27 JA 28 B/ SYDNEY N.S.W. as well as a double oval transit NEW YORK, N.Y./2-21/1928/ REGY DIV. postmark. It is

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BOYD’S CITY EXPRESS MESSENGER COMPANY PTY LTD. [USA]

Three examples of this company have appeared at one Melbourne stamp auction company over several years. The messenger company was first established in New York in 1830 by John Boyd, initially as a service for tradesmen to deliver hand-bills. In 1844 it became a local post competing with Governmental postal services and it continued in this form until it was suppressed in 1883. After the service was closed by the

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BENJAMIN KANE, INSPECTOR of NATIONAL SCHOOLS, MELBOURNE (1834-72)

This stampless entire was addressed to Benjamin Kane Esquire, Acting Inspector of National School Board, Melbourne on 28 April 1853. It was sent from Lake Colac, as shown by the framed red ‘PAID/ LAKE COLAC’, and was rated by a manuscript red ‘2′ (2d being the inland letter rate)as well as the manuscript ‘Free’. The reverse (not shown) had back-stamps of Colac and Melbourne (Figure 1). Benjamin Francis Kane was

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