Royal Reels: Gambling

Mining

THE SIMPLIFIED SPELLING BOARD, NEW YORK & PROF. THOMAS G. TUCKER

This intriguing On His Majesty’s Service cover has a blue-green ‘Bantam’ ½d and a pair of OS perfined pink ‘ONE PENNY’ stamps of Victoria canceled with a duplex CANTERBURY/ MY 5/ 12/ VICTORIA with the barred numeral ‘722′. The printed address at lower left identifies that it originated from the Education Department, Melbourne, 1. It was addressed to The Secretary, Simplified Spelling Board, No. 1. Madison Avenue, New York, U.S. America. The

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THE CHARITY STAMPS of NEW SOUTH WALES

The Post Office in New South Wales was responsible for several innovations in the philatelic area, and the two Charity Stamps of June 1897 influenced other countries to issue similar items. This included the two Charity stamps of Victoria which were issued in October 1897. The 1990 issue of the Australasian Stamp Catalogue (A.S.C.) gives the best historical information of these stamps which were designed by C. Turner and typographed

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THE HAWKEYE PEARL BUTTON CO., MUSCATINE, IOWA

This unpretentious cover was sent by William Lewis, Sydney to the Hawkeye Pearl Button Co., Muscatine, Iowa, U.S.A., and it has quite a story behind it. The blue 2½ d Roo on map of Australia stamp is postmarked with a roller cancel, SYDNEY/ DE 19/ 1917/ NOON/ N.S.W. (Figure 1). The making of buttons from mother of pearl was introduced into the United States about 1855, but at that time

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TELEGRAMS: EARLY COLONIAL COMMUNICATIONS ACROSS AUSTRALIA

This ‘TELEGRAM, IMMEDIATE’ cover was postmarked CUMNOCK/ AP 4/1878/ N.S.W. and was addressed to A.E. Anderson, C/o G(eorge) or his son S(age) Bruce, Loombah (N.S.W.) The CHARGES TO PAY ‘Message’ and ‘Porterage’ were not filled in. There was a ms. ‘N.M.’ at top left, the meaning of which is uncertain (Figure 1). The reverse had a blue oval on the flap, with the print ‘NEW SOUTH WALES/ ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH’ (Figure

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TELEGRAMS to GEORGE MACKANESS on HIS ORDER of BRITISH EMPIRE

Several telegrams were sent to George Mackaness in 1938 on the occasion of King George VI bestowing the Order of the British Empire on him for his services to Australia in so many aspects of his teachings of the English language, his many literary and historical publications and his zeal in promoting Australiana. I have chosen 2 examples, the first from the Prime Minister of Australia at that time, Joseph

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TASMANIA to the COSMOPOLITAN CORRESPONDENCE CLUB, MILWAUKEE

The cover had a purple 2½d ‘Sideface’ stamp of Tasmania cancelled with a roller HOBART postmark of the early 1900s and it was addressed to W. Schulz Jnr, General Manager, The Cosmopolitan Correspondence Club, Milwaukee, Wis., U.S.A. and there was a ‘medallion’ at the top left corner. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). The ‘medallion’ was a ‘sticker’ denoting THE COSMOPOLITAN CORRESPONDENCE CLUB, MILWAUKEE, WIS. U.S.A. The sticker was

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SEPPELT’S FAMOUS WINES: BENNO SEPPELT & DAME NELLIE MELBA

The postcard advertises Seppelt’s Famous Wines, and the green 1d KGV Head stamp is postmarked GREENOCK/ ( ) 1938/ S.A. The printed message is addressed Seppeltsfield, South Australia. Dear Sir, We desire to advise you that our Representative, H.A. YEOMAN will have pleasure in waiting upon you on or about the 6th June when any order you may favor us with will receive our careful attention. B. SEPPELT & SONS LTD.

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JOHN WREN (1871 – 1953), SELF-MADE MAN, LOCAL HERO & SCOUNDREL

This cover leads into a remarkable story told in a total of 4½ pages in the on-line Australian Dictionary of Biography (A.D.B.), a length of biography uncommon for a man of his ilk (a page more than for Ned Kelly). The front shows that it is addressed to John Wren Esqr, Bourke St., City (Melbourne). The 1d rose Victoria ‘Postage’ stamp is postmarked with an unframed sixth duplex SOUTH YARRA/

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