Royal Reels: Gambling

Business

THOMAS BARKER STEAM MILLS, SYDNEY, PHILANTHROPIST & POLITICIAN

The entire is addressed to Ths Barker Esq., Steam Mills. Sysdney and there is a boxed red PAID AT/, CAMDEN handstamp, a large red hand-written ‘2’, and a black ms. ppe at lower left on this stampless front.  The vendor has identified it being sent in 1851 and the reverse has a Camden b/s as well as a Sydney arrival (Figure 1). Thomas Barker, engineer, manufacturer, grazier and philanthropist, was born

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THOMAS BAKER & JOHN ROUSE COMPANY, FORE-RUNNER of KODAK, AUSTRALASIA

Two N.S.W. letter cards to the Baker & Rouse company in Sydney in the late 1890’s not only led to information about photography in Australia, but also about philanthropy which led to the formation of one of the premier Victorian medical research and treatment centres. Both letter cards (with the printed red 1½d stamp) were identical and they were addressed to the company at 375 George Street, Sydney. The first

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THE STARR BOWKETT BUILDING SOCIETY IN AUSTRALIA

The cover has a roller cancel of NEWCASTLE/ JA 11/ 8 P.M./ 1933/ N.S.W. on the red 2d KGV head and was sent from Goble & Company, Hamilton (N.S.W.) to Mr. F.W. Lean, The Secretary, N & H.R.P.S. Starr Bowkett Society, P.O. Box 30, Hamilton N.S.W. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). A Starr Bowkett Society is a cooperative, non-profit financial institution that provides interest-free loans to its members

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THE SMALL ARMS FACTORY AT LITHGOW, N.S.W. 1912 – 1989

This 1943 violet 2d KGVI postcard is perfined OS/ NSW and postmarked with a machine cancel SYDNEY/ 10/ 9 15 AM /10/ 4 NOV/ 1948/ N.S.W. with a slogan cancel SEND MONEY/ BY POSTAL NOTE/ OR MONEY ORDER. There is a red ‘clock’ cancel showing receipt on 6 NOV 1948. It was addressed to Officer in Charge, Small Arms Factory, Lithgow (Figure 1). The reverse shows that the OS/ NSW is definitely a perfin and not a

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THE RESCH BROTHERS, EDMUND, RICHARD & EMIL: RESCH’S BREWERIES

I have been intrigued by printed to private order (P.T.P.O.) covers and postcards, particularly those that have a ‘collar’ of advertising matter around the printed stamp, and I have noted that this format is seen particularly in the companies that sell alcohol. The Resch name is well known to most Australians in relation to breweries. Both of the two P.T.P.O. covers do not show the Resch name on the front,

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W. M. HYNDMAN, ORIENTAL BANK CORP., ACCOUNTANT & BUSINESSMAN

Two covers were found to this husband and wife, the first to the husband William Moody Hyndman, Oriental Bank, Beechworth, Victoria and it had a blue imperforate ‘Chalon SIX PENCE’ stamp of Tasmania postmarked with the barred numeral ‘1′ of Melbourne (Figure 1). The reverse had an unframed black BEECHWORTH/ FE 11/ 62/ VICTORIA postmark as well as a red illegible Melbourne postmark (Figure 2). The second cover was sent

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TWO COMPANIES, AUSTRALIAN & SWISS, THAT BECAME GLOBAL GIANTS

The two companies, one in Melbourne and the other in Calcutta no longer exist as such. Two covers were sent from Robert Bryce & Co. Pty. Ltd. to Messrs. Volkart Brothers, 8 Clive Street, Calcutta, India from Robert Bryce & Co. Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia, the first pre-WW II, the other during WW II. The first was sent airmail and had a total postage of 1 shilling and 2 pence

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WM. COOPER (VETERINARIAN) & NEPHEWS to MISS EDWARDS, BIBBENLUKE

The cover has a pair of the blue ‘TWO PENCE FOUR CORNERS’ Queensland stamps with the unframed ARAMAC/ AP 4/ 98/ QUEENSLAND and the stamps are obliterated with Aramac’s barred numeral ‘198′. It is addressed to Miss Edwards, “Bibenluke”, via Cooma, N.S.Wales (Figure 1). The reverse has a printed WILLM COOPER & NEPHEWS/ 63 PITT STREET/ SYDNEY in a double oval printed on the flap. There are 4 postmarks on the reverse and

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WING ON & COY, LTD. EASTERN & GENERAL MERCHANTS, SYDNEY

An ordinary looking cover was sent from SYDNEY/N.S.W/ 11 JAN/ 1936/ 4 45 PM/ POSTED IN/ PILLAR BOX, Code 1, with a roller cancel postmarking the red 2d KGV Head stamp, with SOUTH AUSTRALIA/ CENTENARY/ CELEBRATIONS/ 1936. It was addressed to a fruiterer at Young, N.S.W. and it had a return address of a Box number, Haymarket, Sydney (Figure 1). The fine reverse showed a 3-storey corner building clearly marked WING ON

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WILLIAM STEPHEN KIMPTON, FLOUR MILLER & BAKER, MELBOURNE

The mint window envelope printed to private order for W.S. Kimpton & Sons, flour miller, Melbourne has the printed pink 1½ d KGV Head stamp, overprinted ‘TWO PENCE’. The vendor states that the mint cover is unlisted in unused condition by Menuz and it was listed at AUD 850.00 (Figure 1). William Stephen Kimpton, flour miller, baker and lay churchman, was born on 4 October 1832 at Litlington, Cambridgeshire, England,

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