This 1d blue ‘Reading Stamp Duty’ postcard was the first and only Victorian postcard with advertisements, and it could be sent to all Australian Colonies, New Zealand and Fiji without additional postage. It had a very short life for their was a furious response from conservative elements in the community, its day of issue being 1 November 1895 and it was withdrawn on 19 November 1895. During the three weeks
Two covers of the Victorian branches of the A.N.A. recently appeared on a stamp auction site. The first had a 1d green KGV Head postmarked with a Victorian RELIEF/ NO 2 postmark and it emanated from the Port Melbourne, Branch No. 28 and was posted to St. Kilda, the date being illegible (Figure 1). The second was a stampless cover, had a PAID AT FOOTSCRAY/ 19 AU 37/ VIC postmark, and it
The advertising cover of Alexander Mair & Co., Victoria & Leicester St. Melbourne, Agents for William Dockers Ltd., English Varnish and Ever Shining Sun Brand was addressed to the Boston Woven Hose and Keebler Co., San Francisco, Cal. The blue 2½d ‘POSTAGE’ stamp of Victoria was cancelled MELBOURNE/ 4 6 04/ -14-. On the reverse was an indistinct reception postmark of San Francisco (Figure 1). Alexander Mair, farmer, businessman and
The cover intrigued me because of what must be an early rendition of an extraterrestrial life-form which appears on a cover, produced by F.T. Wimble & Co., Printer’s Furnishers, &c, 87 Clarence St. Sydney, (their only address at the time). The extraterrestrial figure is accompanied by an admonition “Keep Your Eye On Your Pocket and Save Money by Purchasing Goods from F.T. Wimple & Co., Sydney” which is “Printed in
This political ‘advertising’ cover was mailed from Sydney in 1930 to the Proportional Representation League, 131 South Juniper Street, Philadelphia, U.S.A., and it has a pair of the red 1½d KGV head stamps paying the postage. It has interesting information on it as to the sender: “The Henry George League of N.S.W.” with a “Policy – Abolition of Taxes and appropriation of Land Values or Ground Rent as Public Revenue”,
The front of this cover was addressed to Messrs Branson Bros Julong, Binda via Goulburn and the 2d blue stamp of New South Wales is postmarked with a duplex SYDNEY/ H/ FE 9/ 85 N.S.W obliterator (Figure 1). The reverse displays in blue four pieces of equipment that the James Martin & Company. of George Street, Sydney opposite the Royal Hotel, sold: the Hornsby Martin Single Plough, the Tiger Disc
I recognize that this mundane cover is just an excuse for me to meet two men whose backgrounds were not dissimilar, whose careers were considerably divergent, yet both had a significant impact on Australia, during the same decade. I have no clue as to whom Miss Slim was, but I am sure that she was honoured by the invitation. In fact this cover was one of two separate invitations that
A long cover with a manuscript “On Public Service” addressed “To Captain Freeling R.E., Surveyor General, Adelaide” has a fine black strike of an oval “POST OFFICE/ MT BARKER” with a manuscript March 1850 in its centre, plus a red “Crown over ‘FREE’ in a circle/1850” plus a black unframed arrival cds “G.P.O./ Crown/ MA (fleuron) 1/ 50/ SOUTH AUSTRALIA” postmark (Figure 1). Arthur Henry Freeling was born in London
A large number of covers have been seen at stamp auction sites addressed to Westwood Forth, Ulverstone Forth, or Ulverstone either to Lieutenant, Captain or Major R.E. Smith over the past 3 years, but none compare with the present one sent by Captain R.E. Smith to his mother. The cover has a blue garland of ribbons and leaves, surrounding a monogram of EPH, with the words Excelsior Palace Hotel, A.
This cover was at an auction site and was particularly well documented as a Boer War cover with no letter included, from an Australian soldier, with manuscript “On active service” to an Australian schoolboy. It was sent by H. Gordon No. 239, B Squadron, Victorian Infantry Regiment and was properly countersigned by his Commanding Officer Captain Fredk G. Purcell of the V.I.R. The vendor states that there is another manuscript “no