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STUART ALEXANDER & CO. SYDNEY and THE EXCHANGE, N.S.W. POSTMARK

This advertising cover for Stuart Alexander Co., Sydney has several interesting features including ample evidence that it was registered (red N.S.W. EXCHANGE registration label, red handstamp ‘REGISTRATION’ and the crossed red crayon lines. It was sent ‘per S.S. Orvieto’ to Paris, France. Postage and registration of 6d was paid by 4 single copies of the 1½d red KGV stamps and was postmarked rather exuberantly with 5 examples of EXCHANGE (placed

ST HELENA to BURDEKIN HOUSE, MACQUARIE STREET, SYDNEY

This May 22, 1896 cover with a strip of three 1884-94 blue 2½d overprint on 6d stamps of St. Helena (S.G. #40) paid the triple rate to Sydney Australia. It was backstamped both in London and Sydney, and it was addressed to Norman Burdekin Esq, C/o Sydney Burdekin Esq. Macquarie Street, Sydney N.S.W. An estimate of AU$ 1500 was placed on the cover (Figure 1). The address and the Burdekin

SPEIDEL & CO., GERMAN KEROSENE & MERCANTILE CO., FRENCH INDOCHINA

The red embossed ‘ONE PENNY’ Queen Victoria cover has a roller cancel with MELBOURNE/ JUN 24/ 3 PM/ 1907 as well as a ‘flag’ inscribed with VICTORIA. It has a red handstamp Per ‘GUTHRIE’ via Sydney and it is addressed to Messrs Spiedel (sic) & Co., Hanoi, Tonkin (Figure 1). The reverse has a transit postmark SAIGON-CENTRAL/ 4(-) 5/ AOUT/ 07/ COCHINCHINE as well as an incomplete cancel for (TO)NKIN

SIR WILMOT HUDSON FYSH, AIRLINE DIRECTOR, & AIR FORCE OFFICER

Two covers were found for Hudson Fysh, the first with a commemorative Air Mail sticker for 10 years of Air Mail Progress for Q.A.N.T.A.S., addressed to him in Brisbane. The red 2d Sydney Harbour Bridge and the green 3d airmail stamps were canceled with a 16 November 1932, Queensland roller cancel, and the reverse was not seen (Figure 1). The second cover was addressed to Fysh as Manging Director, Q.A.N.T.A.S.,

SIR WILLIAM BEILBY AVERY , PHILATELIST & SCALES MERCHANT, U.K.

The registered cover is addressed to W.B. Avery Esqre, Apsley House, Wellington Road, Birmingham, England and a ms. registration number‘3116′ and a crossed out address, are in a blue crayon. The lilac 8d ‘Lyre Bird’ stamp of N.S.W. is postmarked REGISTERED/ B/ MR 26/ 95/ SYDNEY N.S.W, and there is a black handstamp of an ‘R’ in an oval. There is a red reception postmark of REGISTERED/ LONDON/ A/ 29

SIR RICHARD LINTON, MIDDOWS BROTHERS & BIG BROTHER MOVEMENT

The ornate Middows Brothers & Linton Ltd Sydney/ Sole Agents in Australia for L.t. Fiver, Paris cover was the entry point for discussion of the Big Brother Movement in Australia. Certainly research on the Middows Brothers, Frank and Lionel, was disappointingly unrewarding, with sparse information on their paper and printing trade, whereas their partner Richard Linton had a much heralded career. The TWO PENCE overprint on the red 1½d KGV

THE FRENCH in NEW SOUTH WALES: LOUIS GILLE & JEAN ESCOTTIER, SYDNEY

The first cover was a printed envelope sent from Louis Gille & Co., of Sydney, 73-75 Liverpool Street and of Melbourne, 300-302 Lonsdale St., The addressee was printed in large black letters: FRANCE/ Messrs LOUIS GILLE et Cie/ Fabricants de Bronzes et d’Orfevrerie d’Eglise/ 37 Quai Claude Bernard./ LYONS. The routing of the letter is given as Per P & O. R.M.S. “Mongolia”ViaBrindisi. There are a total of six New

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/

THE BRANSON FAMILY of BINDA N.S.W.: FROM LACE to WOOL

Prologue: The appearance of 17 covers at one Australian philatelic website sparked my interest in the Branson family. The amount of information concerning this family on the Internet was surprisingly minimal, considering what was eventually learnt from a local source. All 17 covers were addressed to family members at Binda N.S.W. over a period of 29 years, from 1883 until 1912, and unfortunately no letters were still enclosed. The stamps

T. LYONS, BANKER, MINER, LOTTERY PROMOTER, RACEHORSE BREEDER

The cover was addressed to Thos. Lyons Esq., 69 Collins Street, HOBART, Tasmania and the pink pair of the ‘ONE PENNY’ stamp of Victoria was cancelled with a duplex DAYLESFORD/ AP 30/ 04/ VICTORIA associated with the barred numeral ‘173′. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). Thomas Lyons, businessman, banker, gold miner, lottery promoter, race horse breeder & owner, stock broker tin miner was born on 3 January 1861

Royal Reels: Gambling

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