Royal Reels: Gambling

Political

JAMES THOMAS WALKER, MEMBER of FIRST AUSTRALIAN SENATE 1901

The cover was addressed to James T. Walker, care of Bank of New South Wales, Toowoomba and the blue TWO PENCE stamp of Queensland was postmarked BRISBANE/ 2/ JU 7/ 73 QUEENSLAND.  The reverse was backstamped TOOWOOMBA/ A/ JU 7/ 1873/ QUEENSLAND (Figure 1). The pink 1d Victoria stamp was postmarked with MELBOURNE/ PM/ 6 45/ 27 5 01/ 6, and the cover had a large T 2D in an oval tax

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JAMES SERVICE (1823-1899): ONE of the FATHERS of AUSTRALIAN FEDERATION

This On Her Majesty’s Service stampless cover has 2 markings, one being a Victorian Frank for the Minister of Railways and the other a postmark for MELBOURNE/ 17 S/ JE 22/ 96. The cover is addressed to Messrs Jas Service & Co, Collins St, Melbourne, and it bears a ‘generic’ printed VICTORIAN RAILWAYS/________Station, without the Station filled in (Figure 1). James Service was born in Ayreshire Scotland on 27 November

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JAMES HENRY SCULLIN, AUSTRALIA’S 9TH PRIME MINISTER (1876-1953)

Australian prime ministers were not taught when I was a school boy in Sydney, and because he succeeded Stanley Melbourne Bruce on 22 October 1929, two months before my birth, I had no knowledge of his 2 years 2 months 16 days tenure until I researched this cover. He was unlucky in his timing for the ‘Wall Street Crash’ and the ensuing ‘Great Depression’ took place in the first week

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J.A. KENNETH MACKAY, SOLDIER, AUTHOR, POLITICIAN, AMATEUR JOCKEY

This cover has a single blue-grey ‘HALF PENNY’ QV and two red ‘Shield’ stamps of New South Wales cancelled with a duplex NORTH SYDNEY/ MR 11/ 12.15 AM / 10/ N.S.W with the barred numeral ‘186′, and it is addressed to Mrs Kenneth Mackay, CO the Hon Kenneth Mackay, The Castle, Cape Town, South Africa. As seen on the reverse the year date of 1910 is definitely incorrect (Figure 1).

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J. P. JONES M.L.C., SPEAKER at the VICTORIAN INSTITUTE of ADVERTISER MEN

The Commonwealth of Australia postcard with the printed purple 1d KGV Head stamp was cancelled by a roller cancel of MELBOURNE/ 14 OC- 11PM/ 1923 as well as a slogan advertising the BRITISH EMPIRE EXHIBITION. It was addressed to Mr. G.J. Manton, 430 Lit(tle) Collins St., Melbourne (Figure 1). The typewritten reverse had the underlined heading: VICTORIAN INSTITUTE OF ADVERTISING MEN which was followed by the message: Our guest of

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J. P. BEAR, VICTORIAN M. L. C. (1823 – 1889), & CHATEAU TAHBILK

This long blue cover was a part of 43 postal history covers of Victoria sent in the 1860s to the 1880s, all with various Laureate stamps, but only the front was shown, yet not described by the auction house. It chose it mainly because of the addressee, its registration with multiple oval ‘REGISTERED’ postmarks, a manuscript ‘2089′ registration number, and the use of a pair of 2d lilac and a

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J. C. CHIPPER, WEST WARD, PERTH, MUNICIPAL ELECTION POSTCARD, 1902

This fine postcard represents a local man’s goal to win a municipal election in Perth. One has to be impressed by the sincerity of his quest, which was far superior to other Australian colonial election postcards I have seen in the past 7 years. John Charles Chipper was surprisingly difficult to research partly due the fact that Chipper is not an uncommon surname in Western Australia. The West Australian postcard

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HON. WILLIAM SHIELS, STRUAN HOUSE, STRUAN S.A.

This unremarkable cover was a surprise to me, in that the prefix ‘Hon.’ before Shiels’ name suggested that he may have been a member of the South Australian Parliament, in view of the postmark, Naracoorte and the address of Struan House, in South Australia.. Attempts to confirm his membership of the S.A. Parliament were unrewarding, but I found that he had been a significant member of the Victorian Parliament, for

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SIMEON B. CHASE, CHANCELLOR, INDEPENDENT ORDER of GOOD TEMPLARS

This cover has been in research for over 2 years, for research of S.B. Chase was relatively unrewarding, but once I found his first name and the Independent Order of Good Templars, information started to fall into place. The registered letter has a ms. ‘1220′ and red crayon crossed lines is addressed to Hon. S.B. Chase M.A., Chancellor, Halstead, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The 2 Queensland stamps, a brown-grey ‘THREE PENCE’ and

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POLITICAL FAVOURS from the LABOUR PARTY in WOLLONGONG, N.S.W.

The cover has a red 2d KGV head OS perfin stamp with a roller cancel Sydney 1931 and is posted to J. Parkinson, Esquire, Crystal Fountain Aerated Water Works, Kenny Street, Wollongong. The reverse has the black crest of the Attorney General, N.S.W. (Figure 1). The enclosed letter has the same Attorney General, N.S.W. crest, now in blue. The letter reads: SYDNEY. 31st March, 1931. Dear Mr. Parkinson, I am in

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