COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA continued...

1914-18 Military Views (BW:LC25/M4A) 1d KGV Sideface Design Perf.12½, in greenish-black on Grey Card, pink interior, "H.M.A.S. Yarra on trial...", fine unused.

1914-18 Military Views (BW:LC25/M4B) 1d KGV Sideface Design Perf.12½, in sepia on Grey Card, pink interior, "H.M.A.S. Yarra on trial..." light tone on front, quite fine overall, unused.

ENVELOPES WITH OS IN THE DIE: 1913 (BW:E01) 1d carmine Kangaroo with OS in dots, (2), both for the Education Department, Melbourne; one Unused, one uprated 1d Violet Used August 1922. Cat.$750.

ENVELOPES WITH OS IN THE DIE: 1924 (BW:E015) 1½d scarlet octagonal die KGV with solid OS on four long size envelopes, for the Education Department, all in Melbourne. Fine Used in the early 1950s, 3 uprated with adhesives, one Taxed 4d. (4). Cat.$300.

ENVELOPES WITH OS IN THE DIE: 1930 (BW:E016 and 18) Overprinted "TWO PENCE" 1½d scarlet octagonal die KGV with solid OS on 2 long envelopes, together with 2 with the oval die KGV, all for the Education Department, Melbourne. Fine Used in the early 1950s, 3 uprated with adhesives. (4). Cat.$600.

STAMPED TO PRIVATE ORDER ENVELOPES: A study of the Octagonal 1d violet KGV with "POSTAGE" in die (BW:ES41): (10), with users including Perdriau Rubber (Melbourne), Adelaide Co-operative Society, Doery & Tilley Boots & Shoes, Brooks, Robinson & Co., and International Harvester. All with 1923-24 usages. Cat.$1000.

STAMPED TO PRIVATE ORDER ENVELOPES: A study of the Octagonal 1d green KGV with "POSTAGE" in die (BW:ES43): (15), with users including James McEwan & Co., A.W.Sandford & Co., Roberts & Co., Melbourne Music Club, Melbourne Hospital Birthday League, Adelaide Co-Operative, Vacuum Oil, Smith, Wylie & Co., etc. All used between 1926-28.

STAMPED TO PRIVATE ORDER ENVELOPES: A study of the 1924-28 Octagonal 1½d red KGV with "POSTAGE" in die (BW:ES56): (29, of which 7 are unused), with users including British Australian Wool, Broken Hill South, Cuming, Smith & Co., Farmer & Co., Dalgety & Co., David Jones Ltd., A.G.Healing & Co., R.M.G.C.A., Roberts & Co., Melbourne Co-operative Brewery, British Imperial Oil, Shire of Heidelberg, Vacuum Oil, etc. Usages between 1924-28. Cat.$1240.

STAMPED TO PRIVATE ORDER ENVELOPES: A study of several KGV types: 1922-23 2d red Octagonal KGV (BW:ES61 x 7), 1928-37 1d green oval KGV (BW:ES64 x 40 used, 3 unused),1928-30 1½d red oval KGV (BW:ES69 x 9 used, 1 unused), 1930 TWO PENCE on 1½d red oval KGV (BW: ES70 x 1 used), and 1930-37 2d red oval KGV (BW: ES72/3 x 8 used, 2 unused). Cat.$1270. A great opportunity for further research.

STAMPED TO ORDER KGVI ENVELOPES: 1937 oval die 1d green (28), 1941 1½d green (15, of which one has a "die crack" variety) and 1950 2d green (8); many users represented. Cat.$900+.

STAMPED TO ORDER KGVI ENVELOPES: 1937 oval die 2d red (7), 1941 oval die 2½d red (37, of which two are unused), 1950 oval die 3d red (1 unused, Cat.$400), 1951 3d green circle die (58), and 1951 3½d red circle die (7); many users represented. Housed in an album.Cat.$1800+.

STAMPED-TO-ORDER: 1951 (BW:WS30) 3d green KGVI crowned circle, Used and unused examples for the Education Department, Melbourne. (2). Note: Brusden White indicates that NO UNUSED EXAMPLES are recorded.

1940s - 2006 collection of FDCs in ten large albums. (many 100s).

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A collection of mainly 1997 - 2002 Australian FDCs in 4 albums, includes several PNCs, plus a range of oddments in a small album, and loose.

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THE FIRST AIRMAIL IN AUSTRALIA - June 1914
16 June 1914 (AAMC.1) Melbourne - Bendigo - Ballarat, real photo postcard flown by French aviator, Maurice Guillaux, signed and endorsed by him (in French) with a greeting to the mayor of Ballarat. Superb condition.

Provenance: Nelson Eustis Gold Medal Collection, Leski Auction, March 2008, Lot 1.

The card is accompanied by a letter to Nelson Eustis from the Ex-Mayor of Ballarat, dated September 1936. It is clear from that correspondence that Eustis already owned the signed card at that time. He had sold it to a dealer in London in 1946, together with the rest of his Australian Air Mail collection, and it was sold shortly afterwards. The buyer was an American soldier who took it home and put it in his safe where it was forgotten until early 1992. Much to my surprise, the American ex-soldier, by then a retired Professor of Tropical Medicine and a great friend and client, showed me the "little collection of Aussie flight covers" he had bought in London in 1946. We were sharing a fine bottle of California red wine when he brought out the two volumes he had purchased all those years ago. I only needed to see the first page (where this card was displayed) to realize I had rediscovered Nelson's pre-War collection. Intact! I was able to bring the collection back to Melbourne for auction, which took place in December 1992. Nelson attended the auction in person and was delighted to be able to re-purchase his long lost and much beloved "Number 1" as well as a number of the other pieces.

After Nelson passed away, his daughter consigned his Gold Medal collection for auction with us and that sale took place in March 2008. On that occasion, this fabulous card was heavily contested, finally being knocked down to the present vendor for $30,000 + commission. It was been proudly owned (but not exhibited) for the next seventeen years and we are delighted to be offering a new generation of collectors the opportunity to own this wonderful piece of Australian aviation history. CL. (2 items)

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9 June 1914 (AAMC.1a) Bendigo - Ballarat letter from D.Andrew (Mayor) on 'City of Bendigo' letterhead to "His Worship the Mayor of Ballaarat" flown by Maurice Guillaux in his Bleriot monoplane with added message in French including "...j'avoir transporte le premier en Australie un lettre" ("I have carried the first letter in Australia"), signed "M. Guillaux" at upper left, undercatalogued at $15000.

Ex Frommer, sold for $33600 in the September 2016 sale of his Grand Prix Pioneer Australian Air Mails Collection.

[This letter was the only item carried on the flight and is therefore the earliest known item flown by aeroplane in Australia.]

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4 Sept. 1919 (AAMC.23) Hobart - Launceston cover with Peace Loan advertising and KGV 1½d brown carried by ED Cummings in a Sopwith Pup on the first aerial mail flight in Tasmania, violet two-line 'FIRST TAS. AERO MAIL/DPMG' handstamp and 'LAUNCESTON/-5SE19/TASMANIA' arrival backstamp, very fine with only 6 examples believed to have survived, Cat $4000. Accompanied by photo of the Sopwith Pup circling Hobart GPO.

Ex Frommer Grand Prix Pioneer Australian Air Mails Collection.

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Nov.1919 - Feb.1920 (AAMC.27a) Mesopotamia (Iraq) - Australia flown cover endorsed "On active service" at top, and flown by Ross Smith, Keith Smith, Jim Bennett & Wally Shiers on their onwards flight to Australia; the vignette tied by one of two superb strikes of the oval "FIRST AERIAL MAIL" cachet, and addressed to Mrs J.Morris, Maroona, Victoria. Exceptionally, the cover is signed by Keith Smith, J.M.Bennett & W Shiers on the reverse & inscribed "Darwin 12-12-19" in Bennett's hand. A magnificent example, now listed as #228 by Frommer and illustrated at page 65.

Nov.1919 - Feb.1920 (AAMC.27a) a "Ross Smith" vignette attractively tied by one of 2 strikes of the oval "FIRST AERIAL MAIL" cachet on a cover picked up at RAMADI, MESOPOTAMIA, one of the refuelling stops on the flight from England to Australia. With the three-line violet h/stamp on the back flap together with the sender's name and address. The lot also includes the original handwritten enclosure "...an aeroplane came hovering around the camp and landed and out came 5 Aussies....one of them has promised to carry this through the air and post it for me in Aussie." A marvellous example of an intermediate from this important flight. The sender, Corporal James Thomson was located at Ramadi as part of the 6th Light Armoured Motor Battery. The cover is #318 in the Frommer listing, illustrated at page 85.

17 April 1922 (AAMC.64) Geelong - Melbourne flown cover, bearing the blue "Herald Air Mail" vignette alongside the two 1d KGV adhesive, all of which are attractively tied by the GEELONG roller cancel.