FIRST DAY COVERS: '1d.' on 3pf brown SG 1 (Cat £850) on cover with 'RABAUL/Oct 13 1914' d/s in violet, typed on the reverse 'I hereby certify that the stamp attached to this envelope is one of the original stamps issued by the Military Government of New Guinea' & signed "Walter P Fry Capt/Treasurer". Chris Ceremuga Certificate (2017). A rare cover.

The certificate states "All such Oct 13 cancels were probably applied at a slightly later date, and this is the only such cover recorded with this value". We consider the first statement to be incorrect. The cancellation was created from a John Bull printing kit. We believe that this was the original state and, because it was shorter than the height of the stamps, it was decided to add the side ornaments, which was a simple operation.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,000

FIRST DAY COVERS: '1d.' on 5pf green tied to cover by '-*RABAUL*-/NOV 14 1914*' d/s in violet, typed on the reverse 'I hereby certify that the stamp attached to this envelope is one of the original sixteen sets surcharged by the Military Government on the occupation of German New Guinea' & signed "Walter P Fry/Capt/Treasurer". The envelope, typewriting & signature all appear to be genuine. However, the canceller, which again appears genuine, is dated almost a month later after having had ornaments added, and the asterisk before the date having been lost. Our conclusion is that the stamp was originally uncancelled - see previous Lot - and that the date was added on 14.11.1914. Offered 'as is'.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$200

FIRST DAY COVERS: '2d.' on 10pf, '2d.' on 20pf, and '3d.' on 30pf SG 3 4 & 8 tied to two covers by '-*RABAUL*-/*Oct 17 1914*' cancels in violet, the second with a vertical fold clear of the stamps, Cat £730++. 17.10.1914 was the official First Day of Issue. (2 covers)

Grade A/A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$600

FIRST DAY COVERS: '2d.' on 10pf carmine SG 3 tied to cover by '-*RABAUL*-/*Oct 17 1914*' cancel in violet, Cat £120++.

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$150

FIRST DAY COVERS: '3d.' on 30pf black & orange/buff SG 8 tied to cover with 'NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD,FILIALE RABAUL' imprint at top by '-*RABAUL*-/*Oct 17 1914*' cancel in violet, cover trimmed above the imprint & the flap removed, Cat £500++.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

FIRST DAY COVERS: '5d.' on 50pf black & purple/buff SG 10 tied to cover with 'NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD,FILIALE RABAUL' imprint at top by '-*RABAUL*-/*Oct 17 1914*' cancel in violet, Cat £1000++. BPA Certificate (1984).

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,000

FIRST DAY COVERS: '1d.' on 3pf brown, '1d.' on 5pf green with '1' for 'I', and '3d.' on 30pf black & orange/buff SG 1 2a & 8 tied to philatelic local cover to Carl Weller by three very fine to superb strikes of the 2-line '-* RABAUL *-/*Oct 17 1914 *' handstamp. At a later time a surcharged registration label 'Rabaul/(Deutsch Neuguinea)' SG 33 was added & cancelled with the straight-line 'Rabaul' h/s (Powell #51) unusually in violet, Cat £1775++. Sergio Sismondo Certificate (2007).

While this & the next two lots are doubly contrived covers, they do have redeeming features. 1) First Day Covers are scarce; and 2) because the surcharged registration labels were not issued until -/1/1915, it is a very late usage of #P51 which Powell notes was used only in -/12/1914, although Loughran's LRD is 15/1/1915. [The similar 'Ello' cover sold for $666]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$1,500

FIRST DAY COVERS: '1d.' on 5pf green, '2d.' on 10pf red & '2d.' on 20pf ultramarine SG 2 3 & 4 tied to local cover to Carl Weller by three very fine to superb strikes of the 2-line '-* RABAUL *-/*Oct 17 1914 *' handstamp. At a later time a surcharged registration label 'Rabaul/(Deutsch Neuguinea)' SG 33 was added & cancelled with the straight-line 'Rabaul' h/s (Powell #51) unusually in violet, Cat £665++. Germany Philatelic Society (USA) Certificate (1975).

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$600

FIRST DAY COVERS: '1d.' on 5pf green & '2d.' on 10pf red SG 2 & 3 tied to local cover to Carl Weller by two very fine to superb strikes of the 2-line '-* RABAUL *-/*Oct 17 1914 *' handstamp. At a later time a surcharged registration label 'Rabaul/(Deutsch Neuguinea)' SG 33 was added & cancelled with the straight-line 'Rabaul' h/s (Powell #51) unusually in violet, horizontal fold well below the stamps, Cat £555++. BPA Certificate (1967).

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$500

'1d.' on 5pf, '3d.' on 25pf and '3d.' on 30pf SG 2 7 & 8 on separate locally addressed covers, Cat £1060+. (3)

Grade A B1 (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

'1d.' on 5pf (with Surcharge Misplaced to Left with part of 'G' Omitted) & 5mm Spacing '2d.' on 10pf SG 2 & 18 tied by Rabaul cds to cover to France, 'Rabaul/(Deutsch-Neuguinea)' R label, no transit or arrival b/s, Cat £170++.

Grade A B1 (Image1)

Estimate AU$175

'2d.' on 20pf + Kangaroo ½d punctured Small 'OS' tied to cover to Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen by 'STEPHANSORT/ 13 ' "frozen" cds.

Grade A B1 (Image1)

Estimate AU$250

'2½d.' on 20pf SG 4 [Stg 1 Pos 9] + KGV 1d red x2 tied to cover to Sydney by straight-line 'Rabaul' h/s in dull blue, endorsed "Registered" but with no label & no arrival b/s. Peter Holcombe Certificate (1998) states "genuine" but doesn't note that the cover almost certainly never left Rabaul.

Grade A B1 (Image1)

Estimate AU$300