Royal Reels: Gambling

Places

KATSINA, NORTHERN NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA

This airmail cover registered at Windsor N.S.W., is postmarked WINDSOR/26 NO 62/ N.S.W. and is addressed to J.A. Regan, Esq, P.O.B.26, Katsina, Northern Nigeria, West Africa. It has a copy of the blue 2/- Flannel Flowers stamp and the 2/3 British Empire & Commonwealth Games, Perth 1962 stamp, the latter being issued 1 Nov 1962. The combined postage of 4/3 is for the ½ ounce airmail letter rate to Africa

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JOSHUA BRAY J.P., POST MASTER, POLICE MAGISTRATE, & FARMER

The cover is addressed to Joshua Bray Esq. J.P., Kynnumboon, Tweed River, via Casino (New South Wales). The blue ‘TWO PENCE’ QV stamp of N.S.W. is cancelled with the rays ‘21′ of Campbelltown, as well as an unframed CAMPBELLTOWN/ MY 25/ 1871/ N.S.W, alongside. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). The Brisbane Courier (Qld.) of 5 January 1872 on p. 3 has a heading ‘THE TWEED RIVER DISTRICT, dated January 1:

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JOHN De BAUN’S PALACE HOTEL, PERTH W.A. to KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN

The cover has the blue ‘TWO PENCE HALFPENNY SWAN’ stamp of Western Australia cancelled with a SHIP MAIL ROOM/ 1/ SP 17/ 98/ PERTH W.A and there is a fine printed ‘Belt and Buckle’ corner advert for De BAUN’S PALACE HOTEL/ PERTH, W.A. It was addressed in blue crayon to J. R. Hayes, Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A.  The reverse was not seen (Figures 1 &2). The Palace Hotel, Perth was built for

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JAMES LESLIE PROVAN, PRINCIPAL, DOOKIE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, VIC.

This unpretentious cover had a roller cancel of a boxed MELBOURNE/ 3.15 AM/ 1 MAR/ 1949/ VICTORIA with the obliterating slogan CHECK ADDRESS/ IF INCOMPLETE/ ADVISE WRITER which cancelled the red 2.5d KGVI stamp.  It was addressed to Mr. L. Provan, Principal, Dookie Agricultural College, Dookie, Victoria.  The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). Dookie Campus is Victoria’s oldest agricultural college and Australia’s second oldest. Dookie’s association with the University

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J. H. STILSON Jnr., BALBOA HEIGHTS, CANAL ZONE, PANAMA

The cover is addressed to Mr. J.H. Stilson Jnr, 1405 D Carr St., Balboa Heights, Canal Zone, Panama, America, and the green 3d ‘Roo on Map of Australia’ stamp is cancelled with a roller cancel of BRISBANE/ 12 DE 17 7-PM/ BRISBANE. It is assumed that the red ink manuscripts were added by the addressee (Figure 1). A second cover was found later sent to J.H. Stilson Jr. at the

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ILLUSTRATED ENVELOPE to DURBAN, NATAL SOUTH AFRICA

At first glance one might think that this was sent as a First Day cover for the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of New South Wales 3d blue stamp (part of a set of 3, the others being the 2d red and 9d purple). The stamp shows Captain Phillip at Sydney Cove 1788 and the stamp is inscribed with two years, 1788 and 1938, in the top left and right

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GREAT NORTHERN HOTEL, BATEY’S: BYRON BAY, N.S.W. to HOBART, TASMANIA

The advertising cover was addressed to the Manager, Commercial Bank Co. Lmtd, Hobart, Tasmania and the blue 2d New South Wales stamp was postmarked BYRON BAY/ JY 1/ 1907/ N.S.W. The stamp had a stylized ‘collar’ around it which read ‘BATEY’S/ GREAT NORTHERN/ HOTEL/ BYRON BAY (Figures 1 & 2). The Queenslander (Brisbane) 20 December 1902 described the Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay as follows: “It can safely be asserted

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GRAND CENTRAL COFFEE PALACE, SYDNEY to NESTVED, DENMARK

This exuberantly postmarked cover has multiple duplexes of SYDNEY/ JU 16/ 9-30 P.M./ 91/ 3 cancel associated with the 3-oval ringed N.S.W. obliterator which cancels the 9 purple ‘ONE PENNY’ New South Wales and the single blue 2d stamp, making a total postage of eleven pence. At the same time it makes it difficult to identify the receiver and most of the address, but it can be confidently stated that

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FISH STEAM LAUNDRY in the SERVICE of the UNITED STATES ARMY, WWII

The registered letter has a blue registered label for Fortitude Valley, N.1, Queensland which is partially obscuring the firm’s name (Fish Ste)am Laundry Pty. Ltd., Laundry & Dry Cleaning Service, Hats Cleaned and Blocked, and there is a picture of the premises. It was addressed to The Commander-in-Chief, General Headquarters, United States Armed Forces Pacific, A.P.O. 500. The pair of the blue 5½d ‘Peace’ stamps are cancelled FORTITUDE VALLEY/ (

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FEDERAL PALACE HOTEL, COLLINS ST. WEST, MELBOURNE to BATTLE CREEK

The cover had a red-brown ‘TWO PENCE HALFPENNY STAMP DUTY’ on yellow paper stamp of Victoria cancelled with a duplex BALLARAT/ 2 T/ NO 11/ 98 with the barred numeral ‘5′ as obliterator. It was addressed to T.R. Hayes, Battle Creek, Michigan, U.S.A. There was a ms. ‘per Sydney & Alameda to Frisco’ (Figure 1). The flap on the reverse had a blue printed double oval with ‘FEDERAL PALACE HOTEL/

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