Royal Reels: Gambling

Political

SIR JOSEPH PALMER ABBOTT, SOLICITOR & POLITICIAN, PRESIDENT A.M.P.

The printed to private order envelope of Victoria with the printed purple head of QV stamp ‘TWO PENCE STAMP DUTY’ is cancelled by an unframed EUROA/ JE 7/ 00/ VICTORIA postmark. It was addressed to The Hon. Sir J.P. ABBOTT, K.C.M.G., Australian Mutual Provident Society, 87 PITT STREET. SYDNEY. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). Joseph Palmer Abbott was born on 29 September 1842 at Muswellbrook, New South Wales,

Read More »

SIR JOHN GELLIBRAND, SOLDIER, FARMER, POLITICIAN, LEGACY ADVOCATE

The pair of the OS perfined brownish-lake 1½d Parliament House, Canberra stamps are postmarked PARLIAMENT HOUSE/ 9 MY 27/ F.C.T (the date of issue) and it is addressed to Lady Gellibrand, Lindisfarne, Tasmania (Figure 1). The flap on the reverse has a printed blue Australia Coat of Arms, over HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, and note the headless kangaroo (Figure 2). Sir John Gellibrand, soldier and farmer, was born on 5 December

Read More »

SIR JAMES McCULLOCH, THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL, MELBOURNE 1868

The cover was simply addressed To The Honble, The Postmaster General, Melbourne and the pair of the green 1d ‘Laureate’ stamps of Victoria were canceled with two indistinct barred numerals (Figure 1). The reverse had the originating unframed BENALLA/ AP 20/ 68/ VICTORIA, which not only supplied the date of 1868, but proved the barred numeral as ‘18′ of Benalla. There was also a reception postmark of MELBOURNE/ 8 A/

Read More »

SIR HENRY PARKES K.C.M.G., FATHER of AUSTRALIAN FEDERATION

This simple looking cover is significant not only on account of its important addressee, Sir Henry Parkes K.C.M.G. (Knight Commander St. Michael & St. George), but also for the originating postmark, for while Thursday Island postmarks are common from 1898-on, earlier mail is rarely seen. The reverse was not seen, but the flap was embossed with a crown with ‘SUNBEAM’ below. The significance of the flap embossing was also of

Read More »

SIR MALCOLM DONALD McEACHARN vs. DR. WILLIAM MALONEY

This political postcard is a prelude to not one but three bitterly fought Federal election battles over a three-year period from March 1901 to March 1904 in the Electorate of Melbourne between the above-mentioned rivals. The postcard reads: Federal House of RepresentativesMelbourne ElectorateSir Malcolm D. McEacharnRespectfully Solicits YourVOTEPolling Day: Friday, 29th March, 1901,From 8 o’clock a.m. to 7 p.m.At St. James’ School, 349 Bourke St. West, Melbourne        (Fig. 1) The 1901

Read More »

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

Read More »

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

Read More »

MITCHELL FREDERICK HEPBURN, CANADA & JOSEPH ALOYSIUS LYONS, AUSTRALIA

A brown paper sack envelope with a label which had the crest of the Province of Ontario and the address of the Office of the Prime Minister, Parliament Buildings, Toronto Ontario, was sent to Honourable Mitchell F. Hepburn, c/o Right Honourable J.A. Lyons, Prime Minister of Australia, Canberra, Australia. There was a blue Air Mail sticker and a manuscript ‘VIA CHINA CLIPPER’. The total postage was $2.70, made up of

Read More »

LORD HALIFAX: From WWII APPEASER to BRITISH AMBASSADOR in WASHINGTON

The is a fairly ordinary censored Australian cover sent from Melbourne on 4 June 1942 with a 1d green KGVI stamp and a purple boxed 3/ PASSED/ BY/ CENSOR mark, addressed to Lord Halifax, The British Embassy, Washington, U.S.A., with the sender’s manuscript “From/ Aldred F. Barker/ The University, Melbourne” (Figure 1). Lord Halifax started life as Edward Wood, the fourth son of the second Viscount Halifax, when he was

Read More »

SOLICITOR-GENERAL MELBOURNE CIRCULAR to JOHN LAURENS J.P.

This circular served double use from the Solicitor-General, Melbourne to John Laurens, Hotham Hill and back again to the Solicitor-General. There were a total of five of these documents available on Ebay, all sent from the same source, but to 5 different Justices of the Peace in the years 1874-1878. The entire is seen in Figure 1. The O.H.M.S. circular was printed ‘Crown Law Offices, Melbourne, 16th December 1874′ and was

Read More »