I have been intrigued in the past 10 years by Australian postmarks, particularly those of my native State of New South Wales. In part this is due to the fact that I dropped Australian history and geography from my early studies in Sydney and I am now playing ‘Catch-Up’ by looking out for places that interest me. This common red 1d ‘Shield’ stamp of N.S.W. had the earliest postmark known
This taxed Tasmanian cover has a 6d platypus revenue stamp which has the barred numeral ‘61′ of Latrobe as well as the unframed LATROBE/APR 25/ 83/ TASMANIA postmark. It was posted to Hiram Hiller Jr. Esq, Kahoka, Clark County, Missouri, United States America. There is a manuscript ‘Via Sanfrancisco and a black handstamp U.S. CHARGE/ TO COLLECT/ 5 CENTS, and there is a part US duty stamp folded over from the reverse
This cover was very interesting at first sight in regards to the sender and the postmarks, but a significant bonus was provided by the recipient, who will be dominant person in this paper. The front showed the SYDNEY/ DE 18/ 1-P-M/ 00/ 44 as the four-bar obliterator duplex (in use 9 April1900 until 31 August 1901) plus the early use of the bright blue 3 ring GOVERNOR-GENERAL/ FRANK STAMP/ AUSTRALIA,
The 4 cents Straits Settlements stamp is probably the 4c violet on red paper King Edward VII issued in 1902 and it is postmarked SINGAPORE/ B/ DE 21/ 98. The letter is simply addressed to Malacca, part of the Malay peninsula British colony made up of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Its administration had been transferred from India to the British Secretary of State for the Colonies in 1867, at which
It is just over two years since I first saw a cover addressed to a doctor in Arequipa Peru, and it has taken me all this time to find enough, albeit very limited, information about the addressee. I had been attracted to the name Arequipa, since my success in buying a modest number of shares of Arequipa Resources, a goldmine in Peru, prior to its takeover by the giant Canadian
This fairly unique mourning cover was sent by William Humble Ward, the 2nd Earl of Dudley when he was Australia’s fourth Governor General from 1908-1911. It was postmarked with a duplex ENGLISH MAIL T.P.O./ JY 3/ 10/ +, with the double ring GOVERNOR GENERAL/ FRANK STAMP/ AUSTRALIA in blue, as well as the oval VICTORIA/ crown/ OFFICIAL PAID in black. It is addressed to a long-standing English Company, Messrs Coutts &
The cover is addressed “To the Right Honourable The Countess of Belmore, Throsby Park, Moss Vale, Bong Bong (New South Wales). The blue ‘TWO PENCE’ stamp of New South Wales is cancelled with the Rays numeral ‘48′ and there is a confirming unframed TARCUTTA/ JA 11/ 1870/ N.S.W. alongside (Figure 1). The reverse has four postmarks, all unframed, and three of them are entirely or partly legible. The first transit was ADELONG
This On Her Majesty’s Service (with notation re not for private use) has an oval VICTORIA/ [CROWN]/ OFFICIAL PAID, a MINISTER OF HEALTH/ VICTORIA/ FRANK STAMP as well as a MELBOURNE/ 6 45/ 11 SE 00 postmark. It was sent from the PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT/ Office of the Board, Melbourne to Dr. W. Sedgwick Saunders, Medical Officer of Health, City of London, England (Figure 1). The reverse has a London
The letter was sent to Dr. E. Sheaf, Roma (which was crossed out, and re-addressed to Toowoomba), Queensland, Australia. There were three stamps of Great Britain, a pair of the red ‘ONE PENNY’ and a single green ‘HALF-PENNY’ King Edward VII stamps cancelled STEBBING/ A/ OC 10/ 02. Beneath this there was an initial arrival postmark of the unframed ROMA/ A/ NO 14/ 02/ QUEENSLAND ( Figure 1). The reverse
The illustrated Tasmanian postcard has a view of Government House, Hobart and has a purple 2½d ‘Side Face’ Tasmanian stamp postmarked with the duplex LAUNCESTON/ K/ JA 7/ 98/ P – R cancel as well as the TASMANIA obliterator. It was addressed to Dr. P. Harold Hayes MD, 716 Main St, Buffalo, New York, United States of America. The reverse was not seen (Figure 1). The cover has four olive