Science

AUGUSTUS SIMSON, PLANT & INSECT COLLECTOR, SHARE BROKER

The New South Wales Postcard with the printed red ‘Shield’ stamp was cancelled with the duplex SYDNEY/ MR 5/ 1 P.M/ 00/ 10 with the barred oval N.S.W obliterator. It was addressed to Augustus Simson Esq, Patterson Street, Launceston, Tasmania (Figure 1). The reverse had a mixed printed and manuscript message: 72 Pitt Street, Sydney 5 3 1900 We have this day forwarded per Parcel Post to Launceston goods as below; should they not arrive within a

WILLIAM JOHN MACLEAY, POLITICIAN/ZOOLOGIST & the MACLEAY FAMILY

The cover is addressed to W.J. MacLeay (sic) Esq MLA, Australian Club and the 1d red-orange New South Wales ‘Laureate’ stamp was cancelled with a barred grid obliterator with 10 vertical lines characteristic of the Sydney G.P.O. ( Figure 1). The reverse postmark confirms that Sydney was the point of origin with a small unframed SYDNEY/ MY 6/ 185 ( )/ C/ N.S.W. The vendor states that the year date

PEABODY MUSEUM of AMERICAN ARCHEOLOGY & ETHNOLOGY at HARVARD

The Commonwealth of Australia, New South Wales postcard has a printed red 1d ‘Shield stamp of N.S.W. which was perfined OS/ NSW and a blue-green ½d QV stamp has been added, and it was also perfined OS/ NSW. The stamps were postmarked with a roller cancel of SYDNEY/ NSW/ 1911, and the postcard was addressed to the Librarian, Peabody Museum of American Archeology & Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

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

CAPTAINS FLAT N.S.W. to CARTAGO, COSTA RICA

An ordinary first day cover can tell quite a story with humble beginnings in rural N.S.W. and exotic endings in Central America. The cover celebrates Baron Sir Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller (1825-1896) born in Germany of Danish origin and died in Melbourne. The cover has 2 copies of the red 2½d von Mueller stamp postmarked CAPTAIN’S FLAT/ 13 SP 48/ N.S.W and it is addressed to Mr. James Wood,

AUBURN N.S.W. LETTER to DR. ROLANDO GUIDOTTI, SIDI MESRI, LYBIA

This letter was sent in March 1951 from Auburn N.S.W. to Dr. Rolando Guidotti, Sidi Mesri Experimental Farm, Tripoli L’Africa, Lybia, North Africa by Air Mail. It was franked with 3 stamps, the small 6d Kookaburra, the 9d platypus and the 3d KGVI head stamp, a total of 1 shilling 6 pence. There is a reception postmark in arabic on the front (Figure 1). The reverse shows that it was

ARTHUR FRANCIS BASSET HULL (1862-1945)

This long Tasmanian printed to private order pink 1d Tasmanian wrapper with advertisement was mailed with the HOBART/ 2L/ AP 18/ 91 duplex to München (Munich) Germany with The Federal Australian Philatelist as BOOK POST. The sender is identified as “Published by A.F. Basset Hull, Eldon Chambers, Elizabeth Street” and the price of the journal is described as Post Free, 1s (shilling) per annum (Figure 1). A New South Wales

SIR CHARLES TODD, POSTMASTER-GENERAL & SUPERINTENDENT of TELEGRAPHS, ADELAIDE

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

ROBERT BROUGH SMYTH, SECRETARY OF MINES, MELBOURNE

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

REVEREND WILLIAM BRANWHITE CLARKE, GEOLOGIST (1798-1878)

This N.S.W. 1854 2d ‘Sydney View’ warn plate stamp was cancelled with barred numeral ‘39′ (Cooma, N.S.W.) And was addressed to Revd. W.B. Clarke, St. Leonards, Sydney, and it had a manuscript ‘Answered’ at the top (Figure 1). The reverse had a distorted SYDNEY/ [crown]/ JU * 1/ (18)54/ NEW SOUTH WALES postmark, another illegible postmark and red sealing wax on the flap (Figure 2). William B. Clarke was born