Royal Reels: Gambling

Health Sciences

LONGMORES, THE MELBOURNE CHEMISTS, 185-187 BOURKE ST., MELBOURNE

These three covers have defied my research for 2 years as very little information about the owner of Longmores has been found to date. This is in spite of the fact that the firm advertised extensively in the Melbourne newspapers. The first cover is registered with the printed red REGISTERED NEW SOUTH WALES/ ‘THREE PENCE’ stamp uprated with the blue 2d N.S.W. stamp canceled by GONGOLGON/ MR 27/ 1910/ N.S.W

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LETTERS from the QUARANTINE SERVICE, MELBOURNE to DR. RUPERT BLUE, USA

The On His Majesty’s Service long envelope was addressed to Dr. R. Blue, Surgeon General, U.S. Public Health & Marine Hospital Service, Washington D.C. U.S.A. was sent from the Quarantine Service, Melbourne. Both Victoria stamps had an OS perfin, the pink 1d and the brown-red ‘Three Halfpence’ on yellow paper, they were postmarked MELBOURNE / 12.15 A-17 AU 12/ VICTORIA and the reverse was not seen (Figures 1 & 2).

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LETTER to KATE MULLIN, HOME for INCURABLES, ST. JOHN, N.B.

The letter was sent “Per 1st Steamer” with the indigo blue 2½d ‘POSTAGE’ stamp postmarked Melbourne 10 / PM/ 3 30/ 30.6.03, and was addressed to Miss Mullin, “Home for Incurables”, Wentworth Street, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada (Figure 1). The reverse had 3 postmarks, of which two were totally legible. A transit mark of WINDSOR/ 16/ AU 1/ 03/ ONT and a roller reception mark of ST JOHN, N.B.

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LETTER from DELORAINE, TAS. to the DEAN, FACULTY MEDICINE, EDINBURGH

The cover was addressed to The Dean, The Faculty of Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. It had the ½d bicolour orange and mauve‘Tablet’ and the green ‘TWO PENCE Sideface’ stamps of Tasmania, cancelled with DELORAINE/ JU 22/ 94 and the numeral ‘25′, second allocation. The reverse had a transit Launceston (Figure 1). An enquiry of the Centre for Research Collections of the University of Edinburgh revealed that Sir Thomas

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LETTER from CRETE to DR. CONSTANTINOS KYRIAZOPOLOUS, MELBOURNE

The vendor describes the cover as “1904 usage of orange 20 lepta & green 5 lepta (Hera) stamps of Crete Greece stamps on private cover with cachet at left “New Freedom (Neas Eleftherias)” sent from Heraklion to Dr. Konstantine Kyriazopoulos, 168 Victoria str., North Melbourne, Australia with a Melbourne backstamp. An enlargement of the purple cachet is also shown (Figures 1 & 2). A printed BANQUE D’ATHÈNES cover is addressed

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LANDON & FREDERICK KIRK FAIRTHORNE, PHARMACISTS, LAUNCESTON

The cover is addressed to C.F. Pitt, Chemist, Campbell Town and its red 1d ‘Roo on Map of Australia’ stamp is cancelled with a roller postmark of LAUNCESTON/ 4 SEP13 7 35 PM/ ***/ TASMANIA. The return address is given as L. Fairthorne & Son. Launceston. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). Landon Fairthorne was born on 13 February 1823 in London and arrived in South Australia with his

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KIAMA N.S.W. to J.C. AYER COMPANY, LOWELL, MASS.

The cover has four single 1d red New South Wales stamps each postmarked with the rays ’25’ of Kiama and it could have been overweight for it attracted a tax stamping of T 10 and a blue crayon of 2, with a pair of 2 cents USA postage dues. It is addressed to J.C. Ayer Co., Lowell Mass., (United) States America (Figure 1). The reverse clearly shows that the cover

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JULIA LORE, MEDICAL MISSIONARY, MORADABAD, INDIA 1874

This cover was sent to Dr. Julia Lore, American Mission, Moradabad, N.W.P., India and the blue on blue paper One Shilling laureate of Victoria was cancelled with a duplex of MELBOURNE/ 1K/ DC 30/ 74 with VICTORIA as the obliterator (Figure 1). The reverse had two transit marks, the first a circular cancel of IM/ BOMBAY/ 26 JA, the second an octagonal cancel for ALLAHABAD/ 28 JAN, and a third

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JOHN SMITH MD: A COVER WITH PROVENANCE

What is the likelihood of finding information concerning J. Smith MD, the addressee on a Victorian cover of more than 100 years ago? Well the address of Sydney University certainly helped. The front of the cover bears two stamps, the first being the two pence lilac Robinson second contract horizontally laid paper (SG 69, Scott 47a) plus the four pence pale dull rose Robinson second contract vertically laid paper (SG

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JOHN BORTHWICK GILCHRIST, ORIENTALIST and PHYSICIAN

This entire was sent per “Fatima” to The Trustees of the Estate of the late John Borthwick Gilchrist Esqre decd, care ofWm Brackenridge Esqre, 16 Bartlett’s Buildings, Holborn, London, and there is a manuscript, ‘9th Aug 1852′ in the lower left hand corner, as well as a manuscript ‘8′, showing the cost of carriage (8 pence) by the ship. The New South Wales stamp is a ‘Sydney Views’, but the quality of the scan does

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