Royal Reels: Gambling

Mining

MINING OF TIN: WHO WAS JOHN MOFFAT of IRVINEBANK?

I am no great fan of philatelically inspired covers, having outgrown the habit some 40 years ago, but I had no reservations about buying this Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (Queensland) cover. It celebrated the life of John Moffat by unveiling a plaque of him at Irvinebank some 32 years after his death. The unveiling occurred on May 24, 1950, the same day of the IRVINEBANK/ 9-A 24MY50/ QUEENSLAND postmark

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LONDON & HAMBURG GOLD RECOVERY CO.: DIEHL, GUNTHER & HAMILTON

Three postal items were found addressed to an important Western Australian gold mining company at Kalgoorlie, W.A., and three men were identified to be significantly involved with the gold mining industry. The first man identified was the least important and he was the addressee on 2 of the items. In dated sequence, the first item was an ‘On Public Service Only’ cover addressed to E. Gunther Esq., London & Hamburg

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LEVI NEWSOME & SONS, SAPPHIRE via ANAKIE, to BIENNE, SWITZERLAND

This insured parcel label was addressed to The Manager, The Banque Cantonale de Berne, Bienne, Switzerland and was sent from Levi Newsome & Sons, Sapphire, Via Anakie, Central Queensland, No 10 S.  There were nine stamps made up of five ‘Roos on Map of Australia’ and four KGV Heads, a total postage of 7 shillings and half pence.  The stamps were cancelled with PARCEL POST/ 27 AUG 30/ ROCKHAMPTON, and

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KALGOORLIE W.A. to POQUETANUCK, CONNECTICUT

This cover with the blue 2½d Swan stamp (A.S.C. # 28) travelled 6½ weeks across Western Australia to the east coast of America, its journey being well documented by its multiple postmarks and manuscript routings. The front is postmarked by an unframed KALGOORLIE/ 6/ AU 26/ 01/ W.A duplex (top rarity rating of ‘1’). It is addressed to Miss Juliet Gier, Poquetanuck, Connecticut, N(ew) London Co(unty), U.S.A. In manuscript its

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JOHN BOYD WATSON (1828-1889), VICTORIAN GOLDMINING MAGNATE

This goldfield cover has four Victorian 1d ‘Half-Length’ stamps, two orange-brown and two pink, postmarked with 3 Barred Numerals ‘9′ of Beechworth, and the cover is addressed to John Watson, Smyths Creek, Ballarat. A black manuscript is written vertically upwards at the left side, and reads in part ‘Detained for/ 1d postage (Figure 1). There are 3 postmarks on the reverse, one for the originating BEECHWORTH/ [crown]/ SP 13/ 1853,

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JACOB BRACHE, GERMAN CIVIL & MINING ENGINEER, COAL & GOLD MINER

The 1876-81mauve‘One Penny Bell’ postcard of Victoria according to Geoff Kellow’s ‘The Stamps of Victoria’ (1990), pages 360-361 was issued on 6 October 1876 and in mid-1878 a new plate was issued with a thicker outer frame-line than in the present one, which was an example of the earlier post card. It was addressed to J. Brache, Merri St., Northcote (Victoria). The stamp was cancelled with a duplex MELBOURNE/ 7Z/

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H. KOCH CRUSHING WORKS, LONG GULLY, LETTER from LANGLANDS CO.

The cover is addressed to Mr. Henry Koch, Pioneer Crushing Works, Long Gully, Sandhurst and the vertically placed manuscript identifies the sender as Langlands Foundry Co., and the date of the letter as 28th March 1871. The lilac TWO PENCE Victoria stamp is cancelled with a MELBOURNE/ 8A/ MR 29/ 71 duplex (Figure 1). The reverse has an incomplete transit postmark of an unframed LONG GULLY/ MR 29/ ( )/

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AN AMERICAN in MELBOURNE: LETTER to HIS SCHOOLGIRL, SISTER

This cover was bought on E-bay for sentimental reasons only, and when I received it I was surprised to find a letter in it. The contents were not historically exciting, but it did provide information that was of interest. The reason for buying it was for the Menzies Hotel Melbourne insignia on the reverse of the cover, as it provided memories of the second night of our honeymoon, when we

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AH TOY’S CHINESE GARDEN, NORTH RICHMOND, VICTORIA

An unclaimed cover in 1882 turned out to be a revelation of Australia’s past history, of which most Australians are not proud. A long cover with a green 1d Victoria stamp was postmarked with an incomplete RICHMOND/ VICTORIA, barred numeral ‘71′ duplex.  The cover was addressed to Mr. Ah Toy, Chinese Garden, Appleton St., N. Richmond.  There were 2 other markings, an indecipherable manuscript (denoting a form?) and a purple

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A BEVY OF AUSTRALIAN POSTAL CURIOSITIES

The first cover I suspect may have been philatelically contrived by the unidentified sender. It is addressed to Mr. Walter George Rendall, Artist, Goulburn and Goulburn is crossed out probably by the sender and G. P.O., Sydney has been added. A vertically joined pair of two partial blue Two Pence 100 Years of N.S.W. stamps have been cancelled with a SYDNEY/ JU 15/ 6 30 P.M/ 91/ 27, N.S.W duplex,

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