Quartet to Britain comprising 1) 1865 double-rate cover with 6d purple x2 & DLR 2d x2, some trimmed perfs otherwise superb!; 2) 1867 double-rate mourning cover with Perf 13 8d yellow-orange x2, repaired opening tears well clear of the stamps; 3) 1869 cover from 'BOURKE' with Grossly Misperforated 6d & superb rounded-boxed 'INSUFFICIENTLY/STAMPED' h/s, flap removed; and 4) defective 1870 cover "via Brindisi" with 1/- crimson-lake & superb 'INSUFFICIENTLY/STAMPED/VIA BRINDISI' h/s. (Qty 4) (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

1833 missionary outer to London "pr Mary" & signed at L/L "Jos Orton", rated "4" in red with oval 'POST PAID SHIP LETTER/[crown]/6MAY6/1833/SYDNEY' d/s also in red, superb large-part strike of the boxed 'INDIA LETTER/DEAL' h/s & London arrival b/s of 20SE20/1833 in red. Unusually fine for mail from this period. [Joseph Rennard Orton was a prominent Methodist clergyman who, in 1836, was the first minister to preach in Melbourne. A strong advocate for the Aborigines, he helped establish the famous Buntingdale Mission Station near Geelong. His influence was so great, he is widely credited with saving Methodism in Australia]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

1843 town letter with a somewhat worn but largely legible strike of the embossed 'GENERAL POST OFFICE/ [Arms]/SYDNEY/NEW SOUTH WALES' post office seal, largely fine strike of the '[crown]/FREE/ OC*12/1843' d/s in red & rounded-boxed ' 1 /OCLOCK' delivery h/s, minor staining on the reverse. Generally considered to be the World's first item of Postal Stationery. Sold at a Sydney auction in 2019 for $2210. [Stated to be the 8th-earliest usage recorded in the Stephen Browne/Brian Peace Census]

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,250

1844 outer to England with fine strike of the rounded-boxed 'PAID AT/BATHURST' h/s (#P15 in red) & superb oval 'BATHURST/[crown]/MA*4/1844/ NEW.S.WALES' b/s (#C65), rated "1/-" in red for 9d carriage between 80 & 120 miles + 3d shipletter fee, London arrival b/s where rated "8" for an incoming shipletter, the address crossed-through apparently because the addressee had died (noted within). An unusually attractive country letter. [The writer asks his father if it's true he had "...married your Dublin landlady and then disowned her & otherwise treated her in a most cruel & unjust manner..." and comments "...the very considerable fall that has taken place in the price of horses...that two years ago would fetch £30 can be got now for 4 or £5..."]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

1857 (Sep 10) cover with 'MULLENDOREF [ ? ] & Co' h/s in blue at the base, to the Netherlands - a very scarce destination from Australia in this period - with "pEmeu/via Marseilles" in magenta with rare franking of very fine 1/- Diadem with '8' Error of Watermark (SG 99a; lifted & replaced; Cat £300) tied by bars cancel of Sydney (superb b/s) , French transit d/s & fine 'AMSTERDAM' arrival b/s, the addressee's name unfortunately excised. Ex Howard Longden and Trevor Davis: sold at our auction of 29.3.2008 for $442. [The "Emeu" ran aground on a reef in the Red Sea: see Brian Peace at pp67-72 where he illustrates this cover on page 69]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1863 (Mar 24) double-weight mourning cover to the Isle of Wight "via Marseilles" with Perf 13 Diadems 6d purple (folded over at right) & 1/- carmine x2 tied by Sydney duplex, 'RYDE' arrival b/s of MY16/63, small piece of the flap missing otherwise very fine. The rate was 1/- x2 + 6d late fee. [The enclosed lengthy letter is from (later Major-General Sir) Edward Wolstenholme Ward who, in 1853, reported favourably on the minting of gold coins in the Colony & was appointed Deputy Master of the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint. During the 1860s he urged London to open a Branch in Melbourne, to which he was appointed in 1869]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

1886 cover to Scotland with DLR 2d & 4d pair tied by very fine Rays '410', equally fine Type 1A 'WOLUMLA/NO12/1886/=NSW=' cds (no dates recorded by Hopson & Tobin) abnormally alongside & unusually endorsed "Regd/Wolumla" in blue pencil at U/L, London (on the face) & Glasgow transits & 'ARMADALE/JA14/87' arrival b/s, flap removed & minor soiling.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

POSTAL STATIONERY: 1883 printer's proof for an unadopted 1d+1d Reply Card essay rouletted between the halves, the Lion in the Coat-of-Arms facing Right, the reply-half at the base, & the words "cut or" omitted from the footnote, which is 92mm long, light overall soiling on the message-half. With the issued imperforate card on which the Lion is Facing Forwards, the reply-half is at the top, and "cut or" added to the footnote, which is 97mm long. Ex Ray Kelly, with a copy of his "discovery" piece in 'The Postal Stationery Collector' of May 2003. [We are not aware of any other examples] (Qty 2)

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

POSTAL STATIONERY: 1892 Wrapper ½d die proof in yellow-orange on cream wove paper (115x143mm). Ex "Carrington" (Mark Dankin).

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$350