Royal Reels: Gambling

Governors

C. J. LA TROBE (1801-1875), SUPERINTENDENT, LIEUT.-GOVERNOR, VICTORIA

Several entires addressed to the above have recently appeared on auction sites, all addressed to La Trobe as the Superintendent, with or without his name, and addressed either to Port Phillip or Melbourne. An O.H.M.S. entire was sent per ‘Colina’ to His Honor, C.J. La Trobe Esqre with a red boxed ‘FREE/ ALBERTON’ and an on the reverse an unframed ALBERTON / [Crown]/ OC *25/ 1848/ N.S. WALES plus an

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ADMIRAL LORD KEYES, UK FLEET to SIR ERNEST CLARK, GOVERNOR, TAS.

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

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MR. W. (BILL) J. McKELL, GOVERNOR-GENERAL of AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA

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’

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MOURNING COVER to LORD TENNYSON [ENGLAND]

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

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MOURNING COVER to ANGUS & ROBERTSON from N.S.W. GOVERNOR, 1899

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

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LORD NORTHCOTE, AUSTRALIA’S THIRD GOVERNOR-GENERAL

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

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LORD BEAUCHAMP, (WILLIAM LYGON), 7TH EARL, GOVERNOR & POLITICIAN

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/

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LETTER from SINGAPORE to HONble WALTER EGERTON, MALACCA

The 4 cents Straits Settlements stamp is probably the 4c violet on red paper King Edward VII issued in 1902 and it is postmarked SINGAPORE/ B/ DE 21/ 98. The letter is simply addressed to Malacca, part of the Malay peninsula British colony made up of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Its administration had been transferred from India to the British Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1867, at which

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LETTER from a CONVICT to the GOVERNOR of TASMANIA, 1858

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

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J.E.B. HOTSON, I.C.S.,ROJKOT, BOMBAY PRESIDENCY, MELBOURNE LETTER

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

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