The small mourning cover that initiated this search to find out more about Cooper Searle was addressed to Mrs. Cooper Searle, and it has a copy of the 2d double lined outer oval dull violet-mauve perf. 13 (Bell design, Type II) Victorian stamp of 1878. The postmark is the barred numeral 21, Type A2 which shows that it originated from Broadmeadows, 20 km north of Melbourne’s G.P.O. (Figure 1). The
This mourning cover was sent from England to Mrs. Earl, Care of Revd G.N. Woodd, Denham Court, New South Wales with a 6d lilac Great Britain stamp (S.G. 97, Scott 45) cancelled with a duplex C/ PENRITH/ JU 18/ 67 with the numeral ‘606′ (Figure 1). The reverse shows a red transit F.C./ LONDON/ JU 18/ 67 postmark, an unframed transit SYDNEY/ AU 13/ 1867/ A/ NEW SOUTH WALES and
I have always had, even as a schoolboy, an interest in Woolloomooloo, particularly how the name and its spelling runs smoothly off the tongue. As the assistant medical superintendent at Sydney Hospital for two years, one of my duties twice a week was to do medical rounds, at midnight, at the Sydney Eye Hospital, in Woolloomooloo. I was surprised to find, as I prepared this paper, that the possible Aboriginal
This mourning cover was of a fairly common design for use in colonial Australia, being small in size (12 x 6.5 cms) and the design of the black border on the front and the black cross on the reverse. It was addressed to James Harrison Esq, Squatters Exchange, George Street, Sydney, and the red-brown 3d QV sideface stamp of Tasmania has been canceled by a HOBART TOWN/ 2 L/ FE
This fine mourning cover has been made of very thin almost translucent paper, and it is addressed to J. Price Esq., Lushingtons (sic) Gardens, Sydapett, Madras, India. It has a pair of the pale lilac 6d (perf 13) N.S.W. stamps, postmarked with 2 duplex B/ OC 5/ 78/ SYDNEY postmarks associated with the N.S.W vertically placed obliterator, within an oval of 4 rings (Figure 1). The reverse has a printed
This somewhat ordinary mourning cover reveals a story of considerable importance to the entire British Empire, particularly the State of Tasmania. The 1d Mount Wellington pictorial (with a ‘T’ perfin) is postmarked with a roller Hobart cancel dated 18.5.10 7-0 P/ Tasmania and it was addressed to A.R. Fowler Esq. 50 Charles Street Launceston. The vertical manuscript writing gives a clue as to its purpose: “Funeral Service Death of King
This small (10 by 6.5 cms)* mourning cover has an imperforate pale blue 4d QV stamp of Van Diemens Land issued in the mid-late 1850’s, it has an indistinct barred numeral cancel, and is addressed to John Meredith, Cambria, Swansea, (Tasmania). It is the smallest Australian Colonies mourning cover that I have seen (Figure 1). There are no postmarks on the reverse but it has black sealing wax on the
I was intrigued by a mourning cover addressed to the Hon. James Smith M.L.C., “Westwood”, Hamilton-on-Forth which has a copy of the green 2d ‘side-face’ stamp, postmarked with a HOBART/ 3S/ FE 23/ 88 duplex. The Forth arrival back stamp was just barely legible (Figures 1 & 2). The seller had provided the following information; “1888 Mourning envelope used from Hamilton-on-Forth (early name for Forth) addressed to James Smith M.L.C.
This modest cover can introduce one into the fascinating world of hand-struck postmarks of early New South Wales. I was introduced to the exploration of this subject in my frequent visits to Sydney a decade ago when I became enamored of the subject and bought the four volumes of Hopson & Tobin’s N.S.W. and A.C.T. POST, RECEIVING, TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE OFFICES, which is the ‘bible’ (and cannot be matched by
This fine mourning cover was addressed to C.H. Chomley Esq., Trinity College, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria and it had a single blue 2d Emu stamp of New South Wales cancelled with rays ‘201′ of Burwood, a Sydney suburb (Figure 1). The reverse has a postmark of origin BURWOOD/ SP 3/ 1889/ N.S.W (Type 1D(i) 1887-1913), a transit duplex of SYDNEY/ 1/ SP 3/ 89/ 12 with the 3-ring oval N.S.W obliterator,