Royal Reels: Gambling

Islands

LETTER to N. R. JAMES, ADELAIDE from NAMATANAI, NEW IRELAND

This fine cover is addressed to Mr. James, c/o Weather Bureau, G.P.O. ADELAIDE, South Australia. It has a red Registration label of Rabaul/ Deutsch-Neuguinea, a purple hand-stamped Crown over an oval PASSED CENSOR/ initials/ RABAUL, and the two stamps a green 3d Roo and a brown 5d KGV Head both have the N.W./ PACIFIC/ ISLANDS overprint, as well as 2 purple NAMATANAI/ 18 AU 18/ , an early unworn state

Read More »

LETTER from ENGLAND to MISS ROSSITER, STARVATION FLAT, NORFOLK ISLAND

This cover was sent from England with the grey wing-margin 6d stamp S.G. 147, plate 15, issued in 1876 with postmark dated AP 4/ 77, the barred numeral and town name being largely illegible. It was sent ‘via San Francisco’ and ‘via New Zealand’ to Miss Rossiter, Starvation Flat, Norfolk Island. The reverse was not seen but had a transit mark of Auckland. The vendor said that inward mail was

Read More »

ICELAND: LETTER from MICHAEL H. CASHMORE, MANLY N.S.W. to AKUREYRI

The cover has a registration label SYDNEY B/ NEW SOUTH WALES and the grey 6d ‘AIR MAIL SERVICE’ stamp is cancelled G.P.O SYDNEY/ R.S./ 15 AP 40A/ B/ N.S.W. AUST. It is addressed to Mr. Gudmundur Mikaelsson, P.O. Box 14, Akureyri, Iceland. The red printing reads: If unclaimed return to/ M.H. Cashmore, 10 Woods Parade, Manly N.S.W. (Figure 1). The reverse has four postmarks (from L to R) a reception

Read More »

GOUGH ISLAND SCIENTIFIC SURVEY 1955-1956

This island came to my attention in an eBay auction. Two Tristan Da Cunha QEII pictorials are postmarked Gough Island / */ 22 FE/ 56/ South Atlantic on an airmail registered cover with a Tristan Da Cunha registration label and a boxed GOUGH ISLAND/ SCIENTIFIC SURVEY/ 1955-1956 marking. The cover was addressed to a Landsborough, N(orth) C(oast) Line, Queensland address and it is probably of philatelically contrived origin(Figure 1). A

Read More »

FIRST DAY COVER to RABI ISLAND, FIJI from TOOWOOMBA, QUEENSLAND

Rabi Island (pronounced Rambi) is not the smallest inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean, but it could probably boast that it is the smallest inhabited Pacific island with the most extensive information on the internet. This F.D.C. was issued on 10 May 1937 with the Die I 1d green Q.E. and 2d red Die I KGVI stamps, was postmarked TOOWOOMBA/ 9-A10 MY 37/ QUEENSLAND, and was addressed to B. Cobham

Read More »

REV. GEORGE HUNN NOBBS, NORFOLK ISLAND

This 1868 stampless cover is addressed to Revd G.H. Nobbs, Norfolk Island Australia, has a LOMBARD-STREET/ F.O./ OC 30/ 68/ PAID cds in red and has a large faint manuscript ‘6’ rating as well as manuscripts ‘Via Southampton’ across the top, ‘ans(wered) to Mr. Glennie, July 27th 1869’ on the left side and ‘Consignee’s letter/ (indecipherable)’ on the right. The vendor states that there is a colorless embossing on the

Read More »

R. P. CLARK, POSTMASTER, SCHOOLMASTER & ELDER, PITCAIRN ISLAND

The Sesquicentenary of the City of Newcastle, N.S.W. (1797-1947) First Day Cover has the set of 3 stamps (2½, 3½ & 5½d) postmarked on day of issue at EPPING/ 8 SE 47/ N.S.W. It is addressed to Mr. Roy P. Clark P.M., Pitcairn Island, South Pacific Island and there is a double circle reception postmark PITCAIRN ISLAND/ 27.OCT.47/ POST OFFICE (Figure 1). A cover with a blue 6 F French

Read More »

PLEASANT ISLAND, NAURU, THE N.W. PACIFIC ISLANDS’ OVERPRINTS

Most of the N.W.P.I. covers are philatelically contrived, and this possibly may be an exception. There are seven N.W.P.I. overprinted stamps on the cover: The KGV heads ½d green, 4d orange and 5d orange-brown (looking remarkably red!) as well as the Roos 2d grey, 3d olive, 6d blue and the 9d lilac. All are carefully postmarked P.O. PLEASANT ISLAND/ SE 10/ 1916/ NAURU. In addition, the ½d green has a

Read More »

PIPON BELL & CO., PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS LETTER FROM MELBOURNE

The entire was addressed to Messr Pipon Bell & Coy, Port Louis, Mauritius and was sent ‘per Senator’ from MELBOURNE/ [crown]/ JA 20 H/ 1855/ VICTORIA. It had a reception postmark of [CROWN]/ MAURITIUS/ MR 8/ 1855/ G.P.O. There were no manuscript rating marks, and the reverse showed no additional markings (Figure 1). The letter was difficult to decipher as the thin paper allowed the manuscript writing on the front to

Read More »

PARLIAMENT HOUSE (SYDNEY) to HALF WAY TREE, JAMAICA

This airmail cover is philatelically contrived with a gutter block of eight red 3d KGVI stamps, the right hand block of four with the By Authority Imprint, and both blocks with the small circle in the selvedge (so-called ‘perforation pip’) plus a single blue 7½d KGVI stamp, a total of 2/7½d paying the 2/6d airmail rate to the West Indies in 1952. There is added interest as there are 3

Read More »