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).
Four airmail covers were found on Ebay addressed to the same person, probably sent from four different individuals, all postmarked in N.S.W. in the latter half of the 1940s. On one of the covers she is addressed as The Lady Gowrie (the originating postmark was Moss Vale, N.S.W.), but in the remaining three covers she was titled The Countess of Gowrie (all three posted from Sydney). The full address of
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
The official blue cover has 3 interesting postmarks on its front, the most important of which is the large violet GOVERNOR OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, FRANK STAMP with its prominent heraldic lion and unicorn. It has a circular PAID/ OFFICIALLY/ WEST AUSTRALIA as well as the duplex SHIP MAIL ROOM/ 2/ MR 25/ 99/ PERTH W.A. with the barred GPO. The cover has a printed address of Messrs. Henry S. King
There is no doubt in my mind as to whom this cover was addressed, but there are several ‘disconnects’ in this philatelically contrived cover. The slate blue 5½d ‘Emu’ definitive had a date of issue of 12.2.42 and the partially legible postmark reads AIR MAIL BRISBANE/ 8-12 ( )( )/ QLD AUST. There is an BY AIR MAIL vignette, the usual purple ‘Crown over Royal Geographical Society of Australasia/ Queensland’
If ever a cover speaks to you, then this one surely should. The highly experienced UK seller gave a simple description: Australia, 1913 Roo on Cover to UK. This turned out to be a considerable understatement. The mourning cover was addressed to Lord Tennyson, Farringford, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England and the red 1d kangaroo on a map of Australia stamp was postmarked MT BARKER/ 4 30P 17 DE 13/STH
Well not quite, for there is some doubt about the Governor as well as the actual date, but there is no doubt about the important company of Sydney booksellers. The front of the stampless mourning cover is addressed to Angus & Robertson, 89 Castlereagh St, Sydney. There is a very fine blue GOVERNOR/ [CREST]/ FRANK STAMP/ NEW SOUTH WALES (Figure 1). The cause for the date confusion is on the
This cover with letter was poorly presented on Ebay, and was purchased for a paltry sum. The front of this long cover had little to recommend it other than it was addressed to His Worship, The Mayor of Cootamundra, (Alderman J. Lester), Cootamundra, NS Wales. The Ebay scan did not show that the strip of four 1d pink “Postage” Victorian stamps had OS perfins, and they were postmarked with the double
The cover is addressed to His Excellency Lord Beauchamp, Madresfield Court, Malvern Link, England with a manuscript ‘Please forward’ and the blue 2½d N.S.W. stamp is postmarked with the duplex OXFORD STREET/ AP 6/ 11.30 A.M/ 10 cancel which was an error for 1901, as shown by the cancels on the reverse (Figure 1). The reverse has a SYDNEY/ AP 6/ NOON/ 01/ 43 duplex and an arrival postmark MALVERN/