This 1850 Victorian cover has an 1850 2d ‘Half Length’ stamp cancelled by the ‘butterfly 14/V’ of Ovens and it is addressed to Wm Gray Nairn, Geelong. There is nothing to suggest the name of the sender. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). My interest in William Nairn Gray was initially piqued by a website concerning house names in the Colony of Victoria. The information was quite limited but intriguing, a
This philatelically contrived cover is different from the vast majority of such covers in that it celebrates the centenary of the landing in South Australia of an ancestor of the sender, the addressee on the cover. The cover has the 1d green KGV sideface Australian stamp cancelled by the roller cancel, ADELAIDE/ 11 AM/ 10 FEB/ 1937/ S.A. In addition, a photograph of W.H. Gray is adhered to the cover,
The cover has the blue ‘Four Corners’ 2d QV and the green ½d QV stamps of Queensland canceled by the duplex BRISBANE/ 23/ JA 20/ 1905/ QUEENSLAND postmark, and there is a red manuscript ‘Private’. The cover is addressed to W.D. Le Roy Esq., Magician etc, office and salesroom, 103 Court Street, Boston, Mass., United States America. There is a printed sender’s name ‘Postmaster-General’s Department, Brisbane’(Figure 1). The reverse has
This registered cover looks as if it might be philatelically inspired (on account of its neatness and by the use of 6 Australian stamps of 4 different colours), but a total cost of 1/ 8½d would seem to be an unnecessary price to pay for a non-First Day Cover of the three 150th Anniversary of Newcastle stamps, which were issued on 8 Sep 1947. The cover is postmarked RABAUL/ 13
Once again, mail to Tattersalls in Hobart (via one of the many forwarding agents, the Commercial Bank) reveals an interesting story. The registered cover has a strip of three blue 2d ‘Figures in four corners’ Queensland stamps as well as the same design single orange vermilion 1d stamp. There are four strikes of the barred numeral ‘534′, as well as a single strike of the unframed CLONCURRY/ NO 3/ 05/
This Post Office memo is somewhat peripheral to the majority of the items on this website, but it is of particular interest not only because of its contents, but also because of the person issuing the directive. It was sent from Charles Todd to all South Australian Postmasters, and it reads (Figure 1): On no account must any information be given to the police or detectives respecting letters passing through
This folded blue entire was addressed to the above, the postage being paid by a 4d rose pink Victoria ‘Beaded Oval’ stamp postmarked with the barred numeral ‘173′ (Type 1B) of Daylesford and there was a blue boxed ‘TOO LATE’ alongside (Figure 1). The reverse showed a blue unframed oval DAYLESFORD/ JU 12/ 62/ VICTORIA as well as a red MELBOURNE/ 3A/ JU 14/ 62 reception postmark (Figure 2). Robert
This 1849 part-entire to “N.G. Meares Esq., Resident, York” has a fine strike of the [Crown]/ GENERAL/ POST OFFICE/ PERTH and is endorsed with a manuscript ‘Free’. It also has a manuscript R.H. Bland at lower left. The vendor states that it is rare intra-Colonial mail (of the Swan River Colony, Perth) and the content is a piece of rolicking patriotic doggerel that mentions an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria,
Two Western Australia Colonial Secretary stampless entires were found on auction sites, both with franking interest and sent to the same incumbent, but one was superior to the other in that both the sender and the receiver were of considerable interest. The first was addressed to The Honble The Colonial Secretary, Perth with a red manuscript ‘Free’ and a black undated ‘Crown’ over a 28 x 18 mm hexagon-shaped boxed
This cover was mailed from Melbourne on July 15, 1858 franked with two copies of the orange 6d imperforate ‘Woodblock’ stamps as well as a single lilac 2d ‘Emblems’ stamp of Victoria cancelled with the barred numeral ‘1′ of Melbourne. There was a red manuscript rating of ‘8′ and an obliquely placed manuscript ‘via Great Britain/ per Emeu/ Mail Steamer’ as well as a red handstamp LONDON/ 88/ SP 10/