Royal Reels: Gambling

Advertising Covers

PERRY BROTHERS LTD., BUILDERS’ IRONMONGERY & BRASS FOUNDRY, QLD

This 1915 grey cover has a strip of three red 1d KGV Head stamps cancelled with a roller cancel of BRISBANE/ ( ) 11 15/ QUEENSLAND, and it has a corner advert for PERRY BROTHERS LTD, BRISBANE. It is addressed to The Thomas Laughlin Co., Portland, Maine (Figure 1). The reverse describes the company as Builders’ Ironmongery and Brass Foundry and it advertises sash weights, Air Bricks, Stump Caps, Galvanised

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PATERSON, LAING & BRUCE LTD, WYNYARD STREET, SYDNEY to APIA SAMOA

Examples of the present postcard appeared on 2 Australian auction sites. The company has an interesting history which may never be fully told, as the records were lost in the bombing of the London, England company during World War 2. To add further interest, the son of one of the partners had a significant impact on subsequent Australian history. The front states that it is a Private Post Card, issued

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McCARRON, STEWART & Co., PRINTERS & STATIONERS, LETTER to GOVERNOR of SAMOA

This advertising cover of McCarron, Stewart & Co., Printers & Stationers, 44 Pitt St, Sydney had a blue 2½d New South Wales stamp canceled with a SYDNEY/ 9 JA 07 11–AM/ 20 postmark. The addressee was very faint but it was confirmed that it was sent to His Excellency, Dr. Solf, Samoa (Figure 1). The addressee’s name and address is shown more clearly in Figure 2. The reverse shows McCarron,

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MORRIS & FLETCHER, SOLICITORS, BRISBANE 1903

This fine advertising cover from the Queensland, Brisbane branch, of the New Zealand Insurance Co. (Fire & Marine) bore the ‘Four Corners’ 1d orange Queensland imprinted stamp and was postmarked with a Brisbane duplex dated JA 23/ 03. Below the Maori male figure it stated “Freehold Assets and Other Investments secured to Queensland Policy Holders £60,000″. The cover was addressed to Messrs Morris & Fletcher, Solicitors, Brisbane (Figure 1). “When

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MESSRS. REID BROS LTD, TIMBER AND IRON MERCHANTS, ADELAIDE S.A.

A series of five fine mint copies, all of different design, illustrated printed to private order Australian lettercards, with the imprint of KGV heads (1, 1½ and 2d values) was found on a single Australian philatelic auction site, all emanating from Messrs Reid Bros Ltd., at different Adelaide, South Australian addresses. Two of the lettercards included in their address a description of the purpose of their business, namely ‘Timber and

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THE DIVINE LADY: BARRINGTON’S GREATEST ROMANCE [CANADA]

Advertising covers are very popular with collectors and come in many forms, some as simple as little more than the name and address of an important company or a significant hotel. The most exciting ones are profusely illustrated on the front and reverse and colorful ones can be quite extravagant in their design. Less common ones (at least in my own limited experience) advertise an event in an artistic field

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THE AUSTRALIAN WIDOWS’ FUND: BOOM & BUST

This unassuming NSW 1d pink Queen Victoria mint Post Card reveals a story of Melbourne’s past (late 1800’s). The front has not been illustrated, but the reverse shows it is from The Australian Widows’ Fund, Life Assurance Society Limited, with Offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane & Launceston. “Notice is hereby given that an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Members of the Society will be held at the Society’s head

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SIR MACPHERSON ROBERTSON, CONFECTIONIST & PHILANTHROPIST

The illustrated cover was for MacRobertson Manufacturing Confectioner, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Ballarat, Bendigo and it was franked with the red 2d and green 1d KGV Head stamps cancelled with FITZROY/ 9 AP 36/ VICTORIA. It was addressed to The Package Paper Company, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.A. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). MacPherson Robertson, industrialist and philanthropist, was born on 6 September 1859 at Ballarat, Victoria, eldest of

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SIR JOHN MILLAIS, PRESIDENT of the ROYAL ACADEMY of ARTS, & ‘BUBBLES’

The ‘Post Card For Inland Postage Only’ has a pair of the bantam green ½d Victoria ‘Postage’ stamp canceled with the duplex MAFFRA/ MR 18/ 07/ VICTORIA postmark with the barred numeral ‘477′, is addressed to a school girl in Bendigo (Figure 1). The reverse shows the celebrated but criticized painting of “Bubbles” by Sir John Millais, Bt., P.R.A. ‘After the Original in the possession of Messrs. Pears.’ The controversy

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VICTORIA to the AMERICAN RATTAN COY. of WALKERTON, ONTARIO CANADA

This illustrated cover (front only) has intrigued me for eleven years on account of the unusual names of both the sending and reception companies, the quality of the illustration, the ‘socked on nose’ clarity of the cancellations and the resistance of the cover to meaningful research. The breakthrough occurred after an email to the Walkerton Branch Library, where the research cost was a princely sum of two Canadian dollars. The

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