Royal Reels: Gambling

Business

DAVID & JOHN SHEARER, AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY MANUFACTURERS

This advertising cover has a picture of Shearer’s Patent Wrought Steel Plow & Cultivator Shares and warns: “Beware of IMITATIONS, especially UNBRANDED Shares. These shares are often imitated but never duplicated”. The pink 1d South Australia stamp is postmarked MANNUM/ 2 MA 11/ STH AUSTRALIA and it is sent to a firm of Messrs E.H. & L.O PONTT, Bakara, S.A. (Figure 1). The reverse is an advert for David Shearer &

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HUGO JUNKERS, EARLY GERMAN AERONAUTICAL ENGINEER [GERMANY]

This air mail registered long cover appeared on Ebay and was franked with 3 copies of the 3d green first Australian mail stamp, one 1d green KGV Head and 3 copies of the 2d red KGV Head, postmarked with seven impressions of G.P.O. MELBOURNE/ 3/ 16 JA 31. In addition to the Air Mail vignette, there was an R.6 G.P.O. Melbourne Victoria registration label, as well as interesting advertising matter

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HUGH VICTOR McKAY, FARMING MACHINERY INVENTOR, & LAND OWNER

The H.V. McKay Pty. Ltd. Famous Farm Implements of Australian Manufacture advertising cover had 3 printed views of horse-drawn farm machinery, and it was addressed to Champion Foundry & Machine Co., 3018 West 21st Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA. The pair of red 1½d KGV head stamps had a SUNSHINE/ ( ) FE 27/ VIC postmark (Figure 1). The reverse had a return address of the company at Sunshine Harvester Works,

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H.B. SELBY & CO., SCIENTIFIC APPARATUS & LABORATORY EQUIPMENT

his advertising cover for H.B. Selby & Co. at 393 Swanston St., Melbourne has the blue 3d Submarine Telephone Communication to Tasmania stamp postmarked with a roller cancel dated 25 May 38 and is addressed to Difco Laboratory, a Michigan-based manufacturer of microbiology media and supplies in Detroit, USA. The reverse shows a figure of an aneroid barometer (Figure 1). This cover intrigued me, as the Selby company was well

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GRACE BROS, JOSEPH NEAL & ALBERT EDWARD GRACE: END of an ERA

This advertising cover for Grace Bros, Merchants & Importers, Broadway Glebe, Sydney: The Model Store, was addressed to Germany with two red 1d ‘Shield ‘ stamps of N.S.W., cancelled by Sydney roller postmark Jan 1910, as well as a greenish-blue ½d QV head stamp postmarked by a Sydney c.d.s. (Figure 1). Joseph Neal Grace retailer, was born on 10 September 1859 at Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, son of John Grace, schoolmaster,

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GOLDSBOROUGH MORT & CO., WOOLBROKERS, STOCK & STATION AGENTS

This advertising cover for Goldsborough Mort and Company Limited with its illustrated nine sheep gives information concerning this fabled Australian company of wool brokers, stock & station agency, Sydney branch. It has an air mail sticker, the grey 1 shilling six pence Mercury air mail stamp with a roller cancel: LIFE/ IS PRECIOUS/ HELP/ TO PREVENT/ ACCIDENTS and a boxed Sydney December 1949 cancel. It is addressed to The Editor,

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MALLOCH BROS., W. A. MERCHANTS, IMPORTERS & MANUFACTURERS

Two fine advertising covers of different design have come on the market, a year apart, both concerning the same business. This Western Australia firm, Malloch Bros. was situated at 50-54 William Street, Perth and the front of the first cover showed graphics of two of their farm machinery items, the “Lister” 2-Stand Shearing and Crutching Outfit as well as the Alston Windmills. The cover was postmarked with a faint 1931

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M. B. WRAGG & Co. Pty. Ltd ‘ALPHA’ FISHING TACKLE

The cover for M.B. Wragg & Co. Pty Ltd., Gardenvale. S.4, Victoria advertised “Alpha” Fishing Tackle and was sent to W. & L. Gordon Pty Ltd., Napier St. Essenden.  It had a blue ‘Alpha’ cogwheel shield trade mark, as well as a large fish chasing a fly.  The green 1d KGV head stamp was postmarked GARDENVALE/ (   ) OC 34/ VICTORIA (Figure 1). A variation on the “Alpha” Fishing Tackle

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LOUIS SULLIVAN & Co. LTD, MANUFACTURERS’ CONSIGNEES, COOLGARDIE, W.A.

The cover is illustrated with two hovering angels with the stylistic address on a ‘ribbon’ placed underneath of Louis Sullivan & Co. LTD , Manufacturers’ Consignees, Wine, Spirits and General Merchants, “The Pantheon”, Sylvester St., Coolgardie, W. A. The cover is franked with a pair of grey ‘POSTAGE TWO PENCE’ Swan stamps of Western Australia cancelled with a duplex SHIP MAIL ROOM / 10/ JY 1/ 01/ PERTH W.A. It was

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JAMES STEDMAN, MANUFACTURER of STEDMAN-HENDERSON’S SWEETS

This comical postcard advertising Henderson’s Sweets, and in particular their popular butterscotch “IT’S AWFU GUID”, was sent without stamps from Sydney on 10 June 1907 to North Sydney. A ‘MORE TO PAY/ 2D’ was applied with 2 copies of the 1d ‘completed design’ green Postage Dues (Figure 1). James Stedman (1840-1913), confectionery manufacturer, was born on 25 December 1840 at Parramatta, N. S. W., son of Henry Stedman, servant, and

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