RED OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Rouletted 1d deep yellow-green, rouletting on all sides, GPO cds of JU21/69. Rated RRR. The almost identical 'Besancon' example - remarkably dated 6½ months earlier, suggesting usage was very low - sold for SFr266. [Date range 20.6.1868 to 21.6.1869]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$350

RED OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Rouletted 2d vermilion, rouletting on all sides, GPO cds of MY15/68. Superb. Underrated at R. Superior to the 'Tamiami' example, that sold for $455. [Date range 12.5.1868 to 4.1.1870]

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

RED OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Rouletted 2d vermilion, Grossly Misplaced Rouletting on all sides remarkably with no corrections or excisions to preserve the design & resulting in decent chunks of three adjoining units, GPO cds of JY9/68. Superb. Rated R+.

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

RED OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 11½-12½ 4d deep dull purple, cut from the sheet at left well clear of the design otherwise superb, large-part o.g. Rated RRRR. The 'Besancon' example - cut from the sheet on three sides - & the very fine 'Tamiami' example sold for SFr2300 & $2396 respectively.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,000

RED OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 11½-12½ 4d deep dull purple, an enormous stamp with fragments of the adjoining unit at left, GPO cds of MY18/68. Superb. Rated RR. [Date range 18.5.1868 to 8.5.1869]

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

RED OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Rouletted 6d bright blue, rouletting except at right where cut from the sheet & just shaving the design, minor blemishes, GPO cds of 1868. Rated RR. [Date range 17.8.1868 to 21.12.1869]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

RED OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Rouletted 1/- bright red-brown, rouletting on three sides & cut from the sheet to preserve the design at base & right and clear of the design at the top, tiny separation fault at lower-left, part o.g. Rated RRRR.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,500

RED OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Rouletted 1/- bright red-brown, rouletting on three sides & cut from the sheet to preserve the design at base & left and well clear of the design at the top, minor repaired tear at the top & some split & reinforced rouletting at the base, circle-in-bars cancel of the GPO. Rated RRRR.

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 11½-12½xRouletted 1d deep yellow-green, small separation faults at upper-right & lower-right, somewhat aged and with a couple of tiny black surface marks but apparently unused. Unrecorded thus and, if it is actually unused, the only recorded example so it should be rated RRRRRR. Offered "as is" because we expect that it would not receive a certificate as being 'unused'.

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 11½-12½xRouletted 1d deep yellow-green, irregular rouletting at right & 3mm closed tear, GPO cds of JU2-/70. Rated RRR. [Date range 2.2.1870 to 23.6.1870]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 10 1d deep yellow-green, horizontal perfs misplaced resulting in 'POSTAGE' at the Top & Base, one pulled perf at the top otherwise very fine, GPO cds of MR23/74. Rated R: unrecorded unused. [Date range 24.4.1871 to 16.7.1875]

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 11½-12½ 1d green with Defective 'P', one pulled perf & coincident tiny tear at the base, GPO cds of 1873. Rated RRRR: unrecorded unused by Ron Butler. The 'Besancon' example sold for SFr145. [Date range -.-.1873 to 2.1.1874]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on De La Rue Crown/SA Wmk 2d dull orange, rouletting remarkably clear of the design on all sides, GPO cds of MY13/72. Rated RRR: unrecorded unused. Superior to the 'Besancon' example, that sold for SFr290. [Date range 16.3.1870 to 13.5.1872]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on De La Rue Crown/SA Wmk Rouletted 2d dull orange, rouletting remarkably clear of the design on all sides although a little irregular, very fine large-part strike of the unframed '[PORT] ELLIOTT/MR6/70/S.A' cds. Rated RRRR: unrecorded unused. During the 1870s Governor William Jervois had a summer residence, 'Heathfield House' at Port Elliot. This usage of a 'P.S.' Departmental at Port Elliot suggests that earlier governors may have also vacationed there. Note the spelling error in the datestamp: the town was named after Governor Charles Elliot of Bermuda.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on De La Rue Crown/SA Wmk Perf 10 2d red-orange, GPO cds of JU27/71. Superb. Rated R: unrecorded unused. [Date range 31.5.1871 to 3.7.1871 only, suggesting this stamp is underrated]

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on De La Rue V/Crown Wmk Perf 10 2d deep red-orange, GPO cds of MY14/74. Superb. Rated R: unrecorded unused by Ron Butler. [Date range 16.12.1872 to 14.5.1874]

Grade A+ (Image1)

Estimate AU$125

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on De La Rue Perf 10 2d deep red-orange, a 'dwarf' stamp without 'TWO PENCE' at the base tied by GPO cds of JY6/72 to plain mourning cover with colourless embossing 'GOVERNMENT HOUSE/[arms]/SOUTH AUSTRALIA' on the flap, to "Captain Howard RN/Palmer Place/North Adelaide", minor repaired opening tears on the flap, light toning. The stamp is rated R. Number 2 in Anthony Presgrave's Census of seven 'P.S.' covers, only one other bearing a 2d. That cover, with Rouletted 2d & a few faults - Ex AE Fryar and 'Sir Humphrey' (Brian Farmer) - sold at our auction of 8.10.2005 for $3495. The addressee, Captain (later Commander) F Howard, was engaged in marine surveys along the South Australian coast. This is a delightful franking, demonstrating the practice of using up sheets with poorly placed separations by overprinting them for Departmental use, rather than having them destroyed. Considering the high proportion of stamps that have misplaced rouletting or perforating, the destruction level would have been significant, a fact that would not have pleased the bean-counters in government service.

Grade C (Image1)

Estimate AU$3,000

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 10 '3-PENCE' in Red on 4d dull ultramarine, minor aging on the surface, GPO cds of JA10/71. Rated RRR: unrecorded unused. The similar 'Tamiami' example sold for $215. [Date range 13.9.1870 to 2.11.1872]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 10 '3-PENCE' in Red on 4d grey-blue, most unusually cancelled with very fine 'MARINE PO/MY22/71/S AUSTRALIA' cds. Rated RRR+. RPSofL Certificate (1965). A most unusual shade & an extraordinary Marine Post Office usage, of which 'Sir Humphrey' also had an example, dated JY17/71.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 10 '3-PENCE' in Black on 4d bright ultramarine, GPO cds of OC1/--. Rated R. [Date range 16.12.1872 to 15.12.1879]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 11½-12½ '3-PENCE' in Black on 4d ultramarine, minor blue-pencil line at lower-left, GPO cds of JA7/77. Underrated at RR: unrecorded unused. [Date range 28.3.1871 to 7.1.1877]

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$400

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 11½-12½ 4d deep dull purple, unusually well centred, a couple of short perfs otherwise very fine, GPO cds of AP30/70. Rated RRRR. [Date range -.12.1869 to 23.5.1870 only]

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$600

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 10 4d deep dull purple, traces of red ink from a London transit/arrival cds otherwise superb, GPO cds of JA31/74. Rated R. [Date range 13.8.1872 to 1.1.1876]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Perf 10 4d deep purple, a bit stained by the gum, tied by GPO cds of JU1/74 to OHMS cover with 'Surveyor General's Office' imprint at lower-left, to "Mount Gambier" with small-part 'GAMBIERTON' cds of JU4/74, endorsed "Try Wye" with largely very fine 'WYE/5JU/74/S-A' cds (rated RRR) on the reverse, further endorsed "Gone to/Victoria" & returned ro Gambierton with JU15/74 cds, three weeks later returned to sender with GPO b/s of JY6/74 & largely very fine 'DEAD LETTER/JY11/74/ADELAIDE' cds with inverted date slugs, a bit truncated at the top clear of the stamp. The stamp is rated R. Ex AE Fryar. Number 5 in Anthony Presgrave's Census of seven 'P.S.' covers. A very important cover that proves inter-Departmental use after the system was officially abandoned in favour of the generic 'O.S.' overprints, issued from January 1874. Ron Butler at page 38 suggests that a change in governmental accounting rules that came into effect from 1.7.1874 and implies that the official 'last day of issue' of the specific Departmentals was 30th June 1874. Thereafter, users were instructed to exhaust remaining stocks but it is clear that many users returned their unused residue, either to the the Government Printer or the Post Office. At page 39, Butler records this cover & states "A single cover is scanty evidence but it could suggest that...the remaining Departmentals may have been issued by the Post Office as if they had been overprinted O.S." That may especially have been the case with 'P.S.' stamps that could have been construed as P(ublic) S(ervice) overprints. Butler also records the pre-1900 discovery of a batch of Government Gazettes franked with Departmentals other than the usual 'G.P.' of the Government Printer. Sadly, they were presumably relieved of their non-conforming adhesives, and this cover bears the only surviving inter-Departmental franking. It is important to note that there were no remainders of Departmentals retained by the government. From 1.7.1874, apparently the stamps still in stock were either exhausted by various users, prior to the introduction of 'O.S.' overprints - as here; see also Lot 18 - or destroyed.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$5,000

BLACK OVERPRINT: 'P.S.' on Irregular Compound Perf 11½-12½x11½-12½x10x11½-12½ 4d light violet, one pulled perf at the top & a few shaved perfs at right, GPO cds of FE27/75. Rated RRRRR: unrecorded unused. [Date range 21.1.1875 to 27.2.1875 only]

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$750