The cover has a blue registration label of G.P.O. Sydney, a purple handstamp ‘Air Mail’ and the blue 5½d Emu stamp of Australia was postmarked G.P.O. SYDNEY/ date illegible/ E/ N.S.W/ AUST as well as a purple triple circle NEW ZEALAND/ [CROWN]/ (GOVERNMENT HOUSE)/ PAID handstamp, and it was addressed to His Excellency, Sir Ernest Clark, GCMG KCMG, Government House, Hobart, Tasmania (Figures 1 & 1A). The reverse has a
The (On Her) Majesty’s Service Only cover was addressed to Dr. Hampton, Comptroller General, Hobart Town, Van Dieman’s (sic) Land and the pair of N.S.W. imperforate‘Three Pence’ yellow-green ‘Sydney Views’ S.G. 39 were cancelled with two Sydney ‘mute’ barred oval cancels. There was a large unframed oval red PAID SHIP LETTER/ [Crown]/ AU [rosette]/ 1850/ SYDNEY as well as a red circular [Crown]/ FREE/ 1(5) AU 15/ 1850 (Figure 1).
The entire raises more questions than answers, for aspects of the letter are in doubt, particularly the name of the convict, but the story is worth reporting. The vendor describes it as follows: “1858 (16th Nov) entire from Port Arthur to Newtown, Hobart from the convict John Lester to the Governor of Tasmania appealing for a reduction of his sentence, franked with (the imperforate blue) 6d tied by barred numeral
This cover was sent to an interesting Scotsman, who gave much of his life to being an administrator in India during the British Raj period. It has significance for it was sent to him in 1905 less than a year after he started his illustrious career in India. The pair of the ‘ONE PENNY’ stamps of Victoria are cancelled MELBOURNE/ P.M/ 3.30/ 8.11.05/ 10, and the cover is addressed to
The On Her Majesty’s Service cover was addressed to His Excellency, The Earl of Ranfurly K.C.M.G., Government House, Wellington, New Zealand. There was a Department of Agriculture Frank Stamp, Victoria and an overlying partially illegible MELBOURNE/ 30 ( )/ ( )/ 7 postmark. The frank stamp was introduced in 1886 and Ranfurly was Governor of N.Z. from 1897 – 1904 (Figure 1). The reverse had no postmarks but there was
This long cover has a manuscript ‘No 14 of 1820’at upper left, ‘On H.M.Service’ at upper right and it was addressed to The Right Honble Earl Bathurst K.G., Downing St., London, plus a further manuscript at lower left, Govr Macquarie (Figures 1 and 1A). An additional Macquarie item was the letter he wrote to Messrs Wilson & Son, Bannockburn, Stirling, Scotland on 7 May 1810, relating to provision of the uniforms for the regiment ….. “purchased by the
The Victorian Governor’s frank stamp description is quoted in its entirety from G. Kellow’s “The Stamps of Victoria 1990, page 379: “The early history of this frank stamp is confusing. It was not part of the original allocation, and in fact the 1864 Act specified that the Governor’s signature was sufficient endorsement to allow the mail to be carried free. This was changed by legislation coming into force on 1
This cover was very interesting at first sight in regards to the sender and the postmarks, but a significant bonus was provided by the recipient, who will be dominant person in this paper. The front showed the SYDNEY/ DE 18/ 1-P-M/ 00/ 44 as the four-bar obliterator duplex (in use 9 April1900 until 31 August 1901) plus the early use of the bright blue 3 ring GOVERNOR-GENERAL/ FRANK STAMP/ AUSTRALIA,
The undated and stampless cover is addressed to His Excellency Sir George Gipps K.C.M.G, Governor of N.S. Wales and there is also a black manuscript ‘Free’ and an indecipherable name at lower left (Figure 1). The reverse is postmarked SHIP LETTER/ [CROWN]/ MA* 20/ 1845/ SYDNEY in black (Type SL 5, J.S. White 1988, used 26.9.1841 to 18.3.1847), as well as a blue PARRAMATTA/ [CROWN]/ MA* 21/ 1845/ NEW. S.
The cover has two marks, a larger blue GOVERNOR [Crown] TASMANIA/ 10 JL O2, with a superimposed smaller black HOBART/ H/ JL 10/1902/ TASMANIA addressed to Miss Maude Waller, Post Office, Sandy Bay, Hobart. There is a pencilled manuscript at bottom left hand corner ‘Private Letter, with A.E.H., Governor’s Frank. The Governor’s Frank is unusual as it has a changeable date incorporated in it (Figure 1). The reverse has no