Royal Reels: Gambling

Mining

TIRRIKIBA N.S.W. to CERRO de PASCO COPPER CORP, PERU

This common registered First Day Cover has particular interest on account of the address as well as the fine documentation of its routing on the reverse. It has a blue Tirrikiba registration label plus the crossed red crayon marking, and the pairs of the 1d green Queen Elizabeth and 2d red KGVI stamps are faintly postmarked 10 MY 37. The address is given in detail as P.S.K. Hodgson, Cerro de

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STANLEY WYMAN & VICTORIAN GOLD

Occasionally, the finding of one interesting cover leads to the discovery of related covers. This paper involves a Stanley Wyman and the Victorian Goldfields between the years of 1854 and 1856. The first cover seen at an auction site was addressed to Stanley Wyman Esq, Gold Office Camp, Creswick’s Creek and in the same manuscript, “Stamped” was written in the top left corner. The description accompanying the cover was as

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ROBERT BLINMAN, SHEPHERD, HISTORIC COPPER TOWN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The orange ‘TWO PENCE’ stamp of South Australia has a near perfect ‘socked-on-the-nose’ ‘Squared Circle’ (Type 2) postmark of BLINMAN/ SE 30/ 95/ S-A, which introduces another history of the mining industry in Australia (Figure 1). Martin Walker’s book on Post , Telegraph and Telephone Offices of South Australia and the Northern Territory, 2004, page 37 describes the type of post offices at Blinman, from its opening date on 1/9/1862

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BOYD’S CITY EXPRESS MESSENGER COMPANY PTY LTD. [USA]

Three examples of this company have appeared at one Melbourne stamp auction company over several years. The messenger company was first established in New York in 1830 by John Boyd, initially as a service for tradesmen to deliver hand-bills. In 1844 it became a local post competing with Governmental postal services and it continued in this form until it was suppressed in 1883. After the service was closed by the

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BENJAMIN KANE, INSPECTOR of NATIONAL SCHOOLS, MELBOURNE (1834-72)

This stampless entire was addressed to Benjamin Kane Esquire, Acting Inspector of National School Board, Melbourne on 28 April 1853. It was sent from Lake Colac, as shown by the framed red ‘PAID/ LAKE COLAC’, and was rated by a manuscript red ‘2′ (2d being the inland letter rate)as well as the manuscript ‘Free’. The reverse (not shown) had back-stamps of Colac and Melbourne (Figure 1). Benjamin Francis Kane was

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BARRACLUFF’S OSTRICH FARM, DIAMOND BAY, SOUTH HEAD, SYDNEY

Every now and then a postcard speaks to our family personally. It was late1950’s and we bought our first home. One of our 3 sons was born whilst we lived there. It was a bungalow built on rock with 8 inches of sandy topsoil. Its address was 8 Marne Street, Vaucluse, but the locals called it Diamond Bay. It was perched high on a massive rock formation with glorious views

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AUSTRALIAN BANK to CALCUTTA BANK with FRENCH CONNECTION, 1899

This 1891 1½d overprint on the 2d Victorian postcard with the red ‘UNIVERSAL P0STAL UNION’ overprint, deletion of the ‘FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM’ and ‘by the long sea route’ came about when Victoria joined the U.P.U.  As a result cards could be sent for 1½d to any member country of the Union, which by then comprised most of the rest of the world.  It is addressed to the Manager, Comptoir

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AUSTRALIA & THE EARLY SWEDISH CONNECTION

I was surprised to learn of the past and present Swedish connection with Australia when I came across a very ordinary cover on Ebay listed as an advertising cover. It hardly lived up to expectations for the very plain commercial cover with the 3½d KGVI stamp was sent from Sydney in 1952 to a firm in New Zealand. An address for return was given as ‘SWEDISH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, SYDNEY

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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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