Royal Reels: Gambling

People

HUGO MUECKE, GERMAN IMPERIAL CONSULATE, ADELAIDE, S.A.

This Western Australian Post Card has the Postage One Penny blue ‘Swan’ stamp posmarked with the duplex TOWN HALL FREMANTLE/ 6/ SP 23/ 98/ W.A. with the obliterator P.O cancelling the stamp. It is addressed to H. Mucke (sic) Esq., “German” Imperial Consulate, Adelaide, S.A. (Figure 1). The reverse has two transit postmarks, FREMANTLE 3/ SP 23/ 98/ W.A. and SHIP MAIL ROOM/ 3/ SP 23/ PERTH/ W.A and a

Read More »

HIS MAJESTY BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ, KING of THAILAND

This cover was sent from Victoria by air mail with a the 65 cents yellow faced whip snake (issued in 1982) to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, The Grand Palace, Na Phia Lan Road, Bangkok 10200, Thailand, and the reverse was not seen (Figure 1). Bhumibol was born in Cambridge, Mass. on December 3, 1927, the only Thai monarch to be born overseas. After a short time

Read More »

HENRY CONDELL (1797 -1871): FIRST MAYOR of MELBOURNE

This cover was offered by a major Australian auction house with an estimate of AUD 400 and it sold for AUD 300. It had been owned by a gold medal exhibitor and judge, and his description of the ‘outer’, used in the catalogue, left much to be desired. It stated: Postal History of the Port Phillip District Free Mail. 1844 (Aug 12) outer from Sydney to “Henry Condell Esq/ Mayor/

Read More »

ROBERT BROUGH SMYTH, SECRETARY OF MINES, MELBOURNE

This folded blue entire was addressed to the above, the postage being paid by a 4d rose pink Victoria ‘Beaded Oval’ stamp postmarked with the barred numeral ‘173′ (Type 1B) of Daylesford and there was a blue boxed ‘TOO LATE’ alongside (Figure 1). The reverse showed a blue unframed oval DAYLESFORD/ JU 12/ 62/ VICTORIA as well as a red MELBOURNE/ 3A/ JU 14/ 62 reception postmark (Figure 2). Robert

Read More »

RICHARD G. MEARES & REVETT H. BLAND, BOTH RESIDENTS, YORK, W.A.

This 1849 part-entire to “N.G. Meares Esq., Resident, York” has a fine strike of the [Crown]/ GENERAL/ POST OFFICE/ PERTH and is endorsed with a manuscript ‘Free’. It also has a manuscript R.H. Bland at lower left. The vendor states that it is rare intra-Colonial mail (of the Swan River Colony, Perth) and the content is a piece of rolicking patriotic doggerel that mentions an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria,

Read More »

PETER NICHOLAS BROUN, FIRST W. A. COLONIAL SECRETARY

Two Western Australia Colonial Secretary stampless entires were found on auction sites, both with franking interest and sent to the same incumbent, but one was superior to the other in that both the sender and the receiver were of considerable interest. The first was addressed to The Honble The Colonial Secretary, Perth with a red manuscript ‘Free’ and a black undated ‘Crown’ over a 28 x 18 mm hexagon-shaped boxed

Read More »

MODERN TIMES VILLAGE, THOMPSON’S STATION RAILROAD, LONG ISLAND

This cover was mailed from Melbourne on July 15, 1858 franked with two copies of the orange 6d imperforate ‘Woodblock’ stamps as well as a single lilac 2d ‘Emblems’ stamp of Victoria cancelled with the barred numeral ‘1′ of Melbourne. There was a red manuscript rating of ‘8′ and an obliquely placed manuscript ‘via Great Britain/ per Emeu/ Mail Steamer’ as well as a red handstamp LONDON/ 88/ SP 10/

Read More »

LORRES BONNEY( MRS. H.B. BONNEY), FIRST AUSTRALIAN WOMAN PILOT

Lorres Bonney (1897-1994), a.k.a. Mrs. H.B. Bonney, wife of a wealthy Brisbane leather manufacturer, was the first Australian woman to gain a pilot’s licence in Australia and was issued with No.17. She took up flying in 1930 because, “I was a golf widow every weekend, and the aerodrome was right next to the golf course. After initial flying training at Eagle Farm, Queensland with Charles Matherson, she went on to

Read More »

LEE BURRIDGE (1861-1915) INVENTOR, THE SUN TYPEWRITER CO., NEW YORK

The On Public Service cover has the red 1d Tasmania pictorial of Mount Wellington stamp cancelled by a HOBART/ S/ AU 20/ 1902/ TASMANIA cancel. It is addressed to The Manager, New Sun Typewriter Co., 239 Broadway, New York (Figure 1). The first practical typewriter was invented by Christopher Latham Sholes, and was marketed by the Remington Arms Company in 1873. Lee Burridge was an inventive genius and manufacturer, but still maybe

Read More »

JOSIAH WIGGLESWORTH, WOOLSTAPLER, HALIFAX YORKSHIRE

The cover was addressed to Josiah Wigglesworth Esq., Woolstapler, Near Railway Station, Halifax Yorkshire, England, and there were two other manuscripts: Via Australasian and ‘Paid’. The imperforate orange-yellow 6d ‘wood block’ Victoria stamp had an indistinct barred numeral ‘1′ of Melbourne (Figure 1). The reverse had two back-stamps, MELBOURNE/ JU 15/ 58 and a reception B/ HALIFAX/ AU 13/ (- – ) (Figure 2). The Australasian was one of the European & Australian Royal

Read More »