Royal Reels: Gambling

Health Sciences

JOHN S. HAMPTON, SURGEON, COMPTROLLER of CONVICTS & GOVERNOR

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).

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AREQUIPA, PERU: A TALE OF A GOLDMINE, COCA LEAVES & COCA COLA

It is just over two years since I first saw a cover addressed to a doctor in Arequipa Peru, and it has taken me all this time to find enough, albeit very limited, information about the addressee. I had been attracted to the name Arequipa, since my success in buying a modest number of shares of Arequipa Resources, a goldmine in Peru, prior to its takeover by the giant Canadian

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ANDREW PATON MILLER & SON, CHEMISTS & DRUGGISTS, HOBART

The cover has two pairs of the pink 1d Victoria ‘Postage’ stamp, socked on the nose with four examples of the barred numeral ‘958′ of Wandong, which is 55 km north of Melbourne G.P.O. It is addressed to Mr. A.P. Miller, Chemist, Hobart, Tasmania. There is an unframed postmark of WANDONG/ SE 26/ 03/ VICTORIA and the adherent partial lilac label shows that it was destined for Tattersalls. Of further

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ANDREW HOUISON & ROBERT SCOT SKIRVING, EMINENT SYDNEY DOCTORS

This New South Wales postcard features two of Sydney’s prominent doctors in the latter half of the 19th and the early 20th centuries.  It is addressed to Dr. Houison, 144 Phillip Street and the stamp is postmarked with ‘Rays’ 183 of Paddington, a suburb of Sydney (Figure 1). The reverse has the following printing: THE BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. NEW SOUTH WALES BRANCHThe adjourned Annual Meeting will be held inthe Royal Society’s

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A TALE of TWO VILLAGES: TINGOORA, QUEENSLAND to BELLALEY, SWITZERLAND

The cover has a red 1d KGV head stamp and a 4d orange Kangaroo on the Map of Australia stamp which are canceled with TINGOORA/ 28 SE 15/ QUEENSLAND. The cover has a red OPENED BY CENSOR label and it is addressed to Monsieur le Dir. Dr. Hugo Hiss, Asile Cantonae Bernoise, Bellelay, Jura Bernoise, Switzerland (Figure 1). The reverse has a ms. ‘Sent by Georges Voi—, Sr. Swiss Consul–,

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‘PROF’. A. V. SEGNO, AMERICAN INSTITUTE of MENTALISM, LOS ANGELES

The first cover has a black G.P.O. Registration Label of Melbourne and the blue 2½d and orange 3d stamps of Victoria are cancelled REGISTERED/ 1 30P 15 AU 11/ MELBOURNE. It is addressed to Prof. A. Victor Segno, Inspiration Point, Echo Park, Los Angeles, Calif. U.S.A. Station E.  The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). The second cover has a red Flemington Registration Label and the green bantam ½d and the

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DR. FELIX HENRY MEYER, MELBOURNE OBSTETRICIAN & GYNAECOLOGIST

The cover is addressed to Dr. Felix Meyer, 59 Collins St., Melbourne and the red ‘ONE PENNY KANGAROO on MAP of AUSTRALIA’ stamp is punctured with a large O.S. perfin. It is cancelled FEDERAL PARLIAMENT HOUSE/ 4 DE13/ VIC. The flap of the cover has a blue insignia of Australia with a shield, a kangaroo and an emu, as well as ‘HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES’ underneath the shield. The reverse was

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DR. C. A. ERNEST SHEAF, SURGEON, TOOWOOMBA, HOSPITAL

The letter was sent to Dr. E. Sheaf, Roma (which was crossed out, and re-addressed to Toowoomba), Queensland, Australia. There were three stamps of Great Britain, a pair of the red ‘ONE PENNY’ and a single green ‘HALF-PENNY’ King Edward VII stamps cancelled STEBBING/ A/ OC 10/ 02. Beneath this there was an initial arrival postmark of the unframed ROMA/ A/ NO 14/ 02/ QUEENSLAND ( Figure 1). The reverse

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COVERS to DR. W.I. MITCHELL, BERKELEY CALIF. from TOORAWEENAH, NEW SOUTH WALES

There was something about this cover that suggested to me that there was a good philatelic story attached. It was not definitely philatelically contrived but the careful placement of the stamps, the stamps involved and the clear postmarks x3 on the front suggested that the sender knew that the recipient had more than a passing fancy with philately. The sender could not influence the transit and reception postmarks on the

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CHARLES MONTEATH & SONS PUBLIC URINALS, MELBOURNE

The advertising cover was for “The Chief Flushing Cistern”, approved by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works. 250,000 in Use. The red 1½d KGV Head stamp was cancelled with a roller postmark MELBOURNE/ 4.30 AM/ 20 APR/ 1928/ VICTORIA with the slogan COM’LTH ROLL/ CORRECT ENROLLMENT/ COMPULSORY. It was addressed to Messr W & L Gordon , Merchants, Essendon (Figure 1). The reverse had on the flap Monteath &

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