Royal Reels: Gambling

Professors

‘PROF’. A. V. SEGNO, AMERICAN INSTITUTE of MENTALISM, LOS ANGELES

The first cover has a black G.P.O. Registration Label of Melbourne and the blue 2½d and orange 3d stamps of Victoria are cancelled REGISTERED/ 1 30P 15 AU 11/ MELBOURNE. It is addressed to Prof. A. Victor Segno, Inspiration Point, Echo Park, Los Angeles, Calif. U.S.A. Station E.  The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). The second cover has a red Flemington Registration Label and the green bantam ½d and the

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SYDNEY to PROF. COLLIER COBB, GEOLOGIST, CHAPEL HILL N.C.

I admit that I have not found any confirmatory information of an association of Professor Collier Cobb with Australia, but I was impressed with the man and his talents. I also admit that I admire the University of North Carolina and its surrounds, having visited it several times over a period of 10 years, when I was actively associated with it when I was one of the Directors of a

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A.A.A.C. PRESIDENT GREGORY’s LETTER to PROFESSOR WILLIAM HARKNESS

It is not frequent to find on the front of a cover, the proof of documentation of two men, one from Australia and the other from the USA, both of whom made highly significant contributions to their own country, in so many ways. This cover was sent from the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science (A.A.A.C.) by its President, A.C. Gregory to Professor Harkness, The Observatory, Washington D.C., U.S.

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THE CARTILAGE COMPANY, ROCHESTER, N.Y. ‘A TALL TALE’

This registered cover uncovers the gullibility of the writer who presumably wanted to increase his height. It is addressed to The Cartilage Company, Rochester, New York, U.S.A. It has three coloured Queensland stamps, the green ‘ONE HALFPENNY’ showing QV in widow’s weeds, and two ‘Four Corners’ stamps, a blue 2d and a brown 3d, for a total cost of 5½d. The stamps are cancelled with FORTITUDE VALLEY/ 21 OC 10/

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The DUALITY of the LIFE of “PROFESSOR” HOLLOWAY

A fairly ordinary looking newspaper wrapper introduced me to an extraordinary man with many facets to his life:  apothecary, bankrupt convict, advertising genius, quack, patent medicine merchant and philanthropist. My interest was sparked by 2 newspaper wrappers that appeared on eBay auctions, and little did I suspect where my research would take me. The first wrapper was an example of the 1885-99 ½d Fergusson & Mitchell Victorian wrapper that was

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