Early group commencing with 1845 usage of Australian Assurance Office lettersheet with a worn strike of the embossed GPO seal with ''[crown]/FREE/FE*4/1845' datestamp & boxed ' 6 /OCLOCK' handstamp, Peter Holcombe Certificate (1996); 1850 with light but legible 'PAID/TARCUTTA' handstamp in red; Laureates frankings comprising two Tarcutta-Albury entires, both very fine; Sydney mourning town letter with 2d & boxed ' 6 /OCLOCK' Too Late handstamp; 1853 to London with unusually large 3d that may not belong; 1855 Prices Current with 2d but no address apparently posted in a band; 1854 to London faked with van Dyke Reprint 6d brown and fanciful BN '1'; and 1858 to GB with poorly cancelled Diadem 6d grey & poor 'IPSWICH/NSW' (?) backstamp; condition variable.    (9) (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1836 (Oct 10) missionary's part-entire endorsed "Double only" to London with oval 'POST PAID SHIP LT/[crown]/10OC10/1836/SYDNEY' datestamp unusually in black (used for only 6 months), the reverse with very fine boxed 'DEAL/SHIP LETTER' & London shield datestamp of MR31/1837 both in red, the face with large 'G.P.' and 'pizza' handstamp both in red, 'TP/Rate 2d' handstamp crossed-through, rated "4" alongside and "2/4" below, minor blemishes. Very attractive. 

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1838 entire headed "Sydney" and signed "Thos Gore & Co" with a very fine strike of the 'PAID SHIP LETTER/ [crown]/SE*12/1838/SYDNEY' oval datestamp in red on the face, to "Messrs Wilson Smith & Co/Batavia, Netherlands Indies" endorsed "Per Henry Wellesley", rated "4"[d] at Sydney for India ship letter and "90"[c] on arrival for local delivery, a few folds not affecting the markings, minor water staining & small internal repaired tears. A very scarce destination, especially for pre-stamp mail. From 1830 onwards, the India rate (as compared to the 8d general ship letter rate) applied to all NSW mail, irrespective of whether the item was routed via India or not. In 1837, the Henry Wellesley made the second of her two convict trips from England to Port Jackson. Prior to that, she had been engaged in whaling operations around St Helena. Later, she made cargo voyages between Sydney & Batavia before returning to England in 1840 for repairs. On her return trip to Australia in 1841, she ran aground near Calais and was wrecked. The lengthy mercantile letter states "The Justina experienced some difficulty as to landing her Cargo at the Port and a regulation will come into force on the 1 January 1839 prohibiting all Dutch bottoms from landing Cargoes in any of our Ports of NSWales or VDLand". In 1823 the Dutch, fearful of the rise of the British free port of Singapore, imposed restrictive tariffs on British goods. This was intially settled by a trade agreement in 1824, but when terms of this agreement were challenged in September 1838, Dutch ships were banned from New South Wales ports until the matter was resolved later in 1839. Sydney merchants Thomas Gore & Co were declared insolvent in June 1842.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,000

1840 (Feb 11) town cover with very fine strikes of '2' rate handstamp in black & rounded-boxed ' 5/OCLOCK' handstamp in red, a little aged. The time marking indicates posted too late for delivery that afternoon. 

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1850 (May 25) large piece with 'Shipping Gazette & Sydney General Trade List' banner with rare franking of Sydney Views Plate I (No Clouds) 1d carmine SG 2 (margins just clear to good; Cat £600 x2+ on cover) tied by superb bars cancel of Sydney, unusually fine for a newspaper relic. Ex Dale Forster. Not included in Ben Palmer's Census. 

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

1851 undated part-entire to California "per Walter Claxton" with fine 'SAN FRANCISCO/14/FEB/Cal' arrival cds (Valentine's Day) and very fine "clamshell" 'SHIP/ 6 ' handstamp for postage due  form the recipient, light ironed-out filing folds. Ex Dale Forster.  Trans-Pacific carriage by private ship direct to San Francisco. Terrific letter speaks of ships going to the Philippines & Brazil to acquire cargoes of sugar. Also "...Seamens wages are high at £6 per month. A very large quantity of Gold came in to town by yesterday's escort some 10,000 ounces being double the [previous amount]...nearly the same quantity has been recd at Port Philip...A lump of Gold weighing 27½ lbs was received yesterday..." [Fun fact: 20,000oz of gold has a current value of A$69,500,000! 27½ lbs @ 14oz to the pound = 385oz so the "lump" alone has a current value of A$1,337,500]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1851 entire headed "Tarcutta Jan 23 1851" & signed "Thomas H Hale [?]" to Albury with superb Sydney Views Plate V (Pearl in Fan) 2d ultramarine SG 36 Pos [17] (Cat £225 x2+ on cover) tied by light BN '48' of 'TARCUTTA' (fine oval backstamp), a few inkspots on the reverse otherwise superb. Ben Palmer Census 1851 No 178.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1852 (April 6) part-entire to Suffolk, endorsement "per St George" crossed-through and "per first vessel via Madras" added in magenta ink, very fine Sydney Views 3d yellow-green (margins good to large) tied by neat bars cancel with large 'PAID SHIP LETTER/[crown]/SYDNEY' cds in red on face slightly over-struck by 'WOODBRIDGE/SP19/185[2]' arrival cds in blue, rated "2/2" at lower-left, light horizontal fold well clear of the stamp. The adhesive paid the Colonial ship letter rate only; the additional charge of 2/2d comprised the British 1/5d, French 5d and Indian 4d rates for a ¼oz letter carried via Marseilles. Absent from Ben Palmer's Census.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1852 mercantile entire headed "Sydney May 19 1852" and signed "FW Clarke", addressed to "San Francisco/California" & endorsed "pr Corsair" with a defective Sydney Views 3d yellow-green tied by untidy bars cancels of Sydney ('SHIP LETTER' backstamp of MY*19/1852), several folds including across the stamp, a bit soiled. Ben Palmer records only four Sydney Views covers to America, this being additional. All are defective.

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1852 (May 7) long outer (205x91mm) with 'COOPER/BROTHERS' wax seal in red on the flap, to the Midlands with remarkable franking of Sydney Views 3d yellow-green singles x4 (three with full margins; the right-hand stamp cut-into & with corner fault) plus Laureates 6d brown (margins good to large except at left) tied by bars cancels of Sydney, the reverse with 'SHIP LETTER/[crown]/SYDNEY' cds in black, London transit of 18SP18/1852 in red where rated "2/8"[d] inland delivery charge and 'BIRMINGHAM' arrival of the same day in blue, vertical fold & repaired edge faults clear of the stamps, minor aging marks. RPSofV Certificate (2024). Absent from Ben Palmer's Census.  The rate was ship letter 3d per ½oz x4 + 6d late fee, confirmed by the quadruple 8d per ½oz inland delivery charges (8d x4 = 32d = 2/8d). Stated to be the only late fee cover known from the 3d ship letter period. Sold by Plumridge's (London) in -.11.1915 for £8/10/-. which, at the time, was a huge sum. 

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$4,000

1852 (Nov 8) cover to London "Per Formosa Steamer" with a very fine Sydney Views 3d yellow green/bluish SG 42 (margins close to large; Cat £350 x2+ on cover) tied by large-part bars cancel of Sydney (cds on reverse), London arrival backstamp of 17JA17/1853 in red & rated "2/2", light overall soiling. The first P&O contract sailing from England was on 4.3.1853. P&O conducted a series of non-contract voyages before then, this being the only homeward bound voyage by 'Formosa', ex Sydney via Galle, then Singapore (yes!) and India. Ex Dale Forster. Ben Palmer's Census #1852/140.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

1852 (Dec 17) outer to the Philippines "p Mohawk" with fine Sydney View 3d SG 43 (margins close to large; Cat £350 x2+ on cover)) tied by bars cancel of Sydney (backstamp), light strike of the boxed 'TOO LATE' h/s, '1' h/s for local delivery applied at Manila (arrival backstamp of 8/MAY/1853), minor blemishes. Ex Dr Ed Druce & 'Manwood': acquired at our auction of 24.10.2009 for $660. Peter Holcombe Certificate (1995). Ben Palmer's Census #1852/161. The outwards shipletter fee was 3d, regardless of the destination. Why did this item take nearly five months to reach its destination?

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

1852 town letter to "John Smith/Gamboola/Molong" with Laureate 1d scarlet/blue SG 46 (margins just touched - at top - to large with fragments of the adjoining units at right & base) tied by poor BN '15' of 'MOLONG' (fair oval backstamp, minor blemishes. Provincial town letters are very scarce. [This John Smith was a sheep-breeder who contributed to the development of the merino in Australia. His property, 'Gamboola', just SE of Molong still boasts the original homestead, erected in 1847, & shearing shed]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1853 (Jan 21) double-rate outer to Albury with superb Sydney Views 3d deep yellow-green SG 39 (Cat £350 x2+ on cover) [Pos 17] & Laureates 1d brick-red SG 48 (very fine, margins just touching to close) tied by two very fine strikes of the BN '48' of 'TARCUTTA' (very fine 30mm backstamp), similar arrival backstamp of the next day, light water-stain well clear of the stamps. Ben Palmer Census 1853 No 6.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

1853 (Sep 14) cover to "Garden Hill/Mount Brown/Dublin" endorsed "first opportunity" and "Per Victoria" with Laureates Plate I 2d Prussian blue/blue (margins close to good) and 3d dull yellow-green (no margins but the design complete) tied by bars cancels of Sydney (backstamp), London (13DE13/1853) & Dublin (DE14/1853) backstamps both in red. Carried via the Cape of Good Hope. [Mount Brown has had an interesting history, on the wronmg side of the tracks. In 1705, a workhouse opened there. By 1750 it had become a foundling hospital, later morphing into St Kevin's Hospital and, from the 1970s as Ireland's largest hospital, renamed St James's. From 1917, the area became the site of a progressive public housing estate] [The illustration is above Lot 230] 

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

1853 (Sep 8) linen-lined envelope to New Bedford (Mass) "per Berkshire" with extremely rare franking of Laureates 3d yellow-green SG 67 horizontal strip of 4 (almost full margins with fragments of three adjoining units above & one at right, Cat £480++, for singles x2+ on cover), untidy bars cancels of Sydney (backstamp), small 'SHIP' handstamp applied on arrival & rated "6", minor blemishes, pencil initials "AD' (= Alberto Diena") and another unrecognised. Per whaler 'Berkshire' trans-Pacific & via Cape Horn, arrived New Bedford 2.3.1854. The rate was shipletter 3d x4 but the 6c due was regardless of weight. Had it been sent via England, the amount due would have been 37c x4 = $1.48. Remarkably with the enclosed lengthy letter - referencing other enclosures - & flimsy duplicate of a previous mailing of 20.8.1853. The writer states "...The Berkshire from the scarcity of seamen has been longer detained than we expected..." He refers to excessive leakage & 2264 gallons of whale oil being recovered from between decks, blaming the condition of the casks. A most unusual "disaster" item.  (3 items)

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,000

1853 (Oct) wrapper (?) with printed 'Price Current only' at the top & 'HUSSEY BOND & HALE/SYDNEY NSW October 1853' at lower-left, to Massachusetts carried per favor & placed into the mails at New York where very fine 'NEW YORK/ 2 ' postage due handstamp applied. With the partial-enclosure shipping 'Arrivals and Departures/From Sept 1st to Oct 10th'. During the 1850s, many private ships carried mail across the Pacific, but examples are rare. Carried per the German ship 'Olbers' ex Sydney 3.10.1853 for Callao Peru, which is included in the printed list. Hussey Bond & Hale was an American firm of commission agents with offices in Melbourne & Sydney. Ex Edward Spring Knapp (1941-42), H Stolmitz (1984) and Dale Forster.   (2 items)

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1854 cover with postmaster's endorsement "Tamworth/6 1 54" on the reverse & Diadem 2d (margins close to just touching) tied by poor BN '71', to "Honeysuckle/via Violet Town/Port Philip Land" (!) with fine 'FORWARD/JA 10/1854/N S W' 30mm cds of Sydney  at left then overland with backstamps of 'ALBURY', 'WANGARATTA' and 'BENALLA', minor blemishes. John White et al at page 208 indicate the Forward marking was used on letters mis-sorted to the wrong "line-of-road" (mail route). However, in this case, it appears to have simply been a transit marking, indicating Sydney was not the final destination. Violet Town is situated on the Honeysuckle Creek.    

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1854 (late March) part-entire signed "W Collie" to "Tenterfield/New England" with Laureates 2d Plate II (Stars at the Corners: an unusual greenish blue shade) tied by fine BN '90' of 'GRAFTON' (oval backstamp) with similar oval transit of 'TABULAM' (LRD) and 'TENTERFIELD' arrival on the face, blemishes. A marvellous domestic letter. Grafton is an inland town on the Clarence River, some 600km NNE of Sydney. Tabulam is a small settlement about 120km NNW of Grafton, also on the Clarence: Hopson & Tobin record the oval datestamp only in 1850. Tenterfield is a bit over 60km SW of Tabulam. The addressee, Dr Rowland John Traill, arrived in NSW in 1838, and became a sheep breeder & wool grower. 

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1854 (Sep 11) cover to Ayrshire with Diadems 1d vermilion (cut close) & 2d horizontal pair (margins just clear to good) tied by very fine BN '48', the reverse with largely very fine 30mm 'TARCUTTA' cds, faint but legible oval 'GUNDAGAI' datestamp, 28mm Sydney cds, faint London cds of DE5/1854, very fine Edinburgh transit & 'AYR' arrival both of 6DE/1854, minor soiling. The rate was inland letter 2d + shipletter 3d. From 1.10.1854, the uniform 6d rate to the UK was implemented.  

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1855 (Mar 21) entire signed "Wilkinson Brothers Co" to Victoria "per Governor General" with Laureates 3d yellow-green (almost full margins) tied by light bars cancel of Sydney (backstamp), light 'SHIP LETTER/FREE/ MR24/1855/GPO VICTORIA' arrival backstamp in red, horizontal fold. Ex Dale Forster. The addressee, Hussey Bond & Hale, was an American firm of commission agents with offices in Melbourne & Sydney.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1857 (June 13) linen-lined envelope to "Providence/Rhode Island" with rare franking of Diadems Imperf 2d & 6d (both damaged) plus 1/- pale red SG 100 x4 (two to four margins, one with a Pre-Printing Paper Fold, Cat £320 x2+ on cover), untidy bars cancels of Sydney (backstamp), London transit cds of 5SP5/1857 in red, 'NEW YORK/SEP/24/1857/AM PKT' cds & superb '20' postage due handstamp, endorsed "64" in red for the credit due to the USA, wrinkling & soiling. Ex Dale Forster, who states this is the highest franking recorded on a European & Australian Royal Mail (E&ARM) contract sailing from NSW. The rate was 1/2d x4 = 4/8d + US internal postage 5c x4. Carried per 'European'  ex Sydney 19.6.1857 to Suez, overland to Alexandira, then 'Ripon' 21.8.1857; arrived Southampton 4.9.1857; then by trans-atlantic steamer to New York.

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1859 (Apr 24) Riverina cover most unusually to South Australia with Small Diadems Imperf 1d strip of 6 (a few faults but the margins largely complete) with four strikes of BN '137' (Type 1A; rated RRR) of 'MOAMA' (backstamp) and Victoria Queen-on-Throne 6d uncancelled despite transiting Melbourne AP26/59, very fine Adelaide GPO transit of MY2/1859 on the face & part 'NORTH ADELAIDE' arrival backstamp of the same day, frustratingly with apparently unrelated genealogical notations on the reverse. An extremely rare double-cross-border cover: our vendor states only one other like it has been recorded. On 1.1.1857, the Maiden's Punt PO - transferred from Victoria 1.1.1855 - was renamed Moama. Hugh Freeman records Type 1A tied to Maiden's Punt only; tied to Moama it should be rated RRRRR. Not recorded in Geoff Kellow's Census ("Sydney Views" of August 2004 at pages 4-14). 

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,500

1859 & 1863 outers to the Philippines "p Esperance" or "p Leander" with Diadem 6d grey or 6d purple both cut-to-shape tied by Sydney cancels, each with largely fine 'MANILA' arrival backstamp & '1' handstamp for local delivery fee, spotty but presentable.  (2)

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1863 (Feb 24) mercantile entire to South Australia "p Balclutha" with Diadem Perf 13 6d purple SG 165 tied by very fine Sydney vertical-duplex of 63/FE24, GPO Adelaide arrival cds of MR12/63 on the face. Gibbons state SG 165 is known from 1864: this is almost a year earlier.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$200