BOOKLETS: 1940 4/8d black/green with single staple SG B1, complete with one marginal example each of the KGVI Pictorials ½d to 2/6d from the left-hand side of the sheets so inserted face-up, a couple of trivial marks on the cover but the staple with very little rust & unusually there is no hinge residue on the reverse, very fine wax interleaving, Cat £3250. One of the scarcest booklets of the KGVI period, and one of the finest examples we have seen. Significantly finer than David MurrayBrown's example that sold at our auction of 7.12.2023 for $2280 (Sale 254 Lot 3812). (Image1)
Estimate AU$2,500
Opening AU$ 1,900.00
Sold...AU$ 2,100.00
Closed..Mar-26-2025, 17:30:00 EST
Sold For 2100
Postal History
Sale No: 259
Lot No: 2090
Symbol: C
Annotated batch of mostly philatelic covers but plenty of commercial content including NZ Agency cds on two PPCs to Christchurch or Wellington, WWII covers to USA & NZ censored at Canal Zone (?), and to NZ censored at Melbourne, others include water-stained piece with Niue Coronation 2½d block of 6 cancelled at Pitcairn with 'DAMAGED BY SEA-WATER' handstamp, two 1938 ham radio cards, two 1949 covers with Wedding 10/-, etc, condition variable but most are fine.
(72) (Image1)
Estimate AU$600
Opening AU$ 525.00
Sold...AU$ 750.00
Closed..Mar-26-2025, 17:30:00 EST
Sold For 750
Sale No: 259
Lot No: 2091
Symbol: C/D
1922 defective fragment of a letter (written on both sides) headed "Pitcairn Island/Oct 15 1922" beginning "dear Mrs Bliss/..." with the stampless envelope endorsed "For Mrs Gerald D Bliss/with love & best wishes/from/Mrs Walter Fisher Young", two light vertical folds & opened a little roughly at right. Rare forerunner: at this time, there was no formal postal service to or from Pitcairn, the islanders relying on the captains of passing ships to transport their mail. Canal Zone posrmaster, Gerald Bliss and his wife Mabelle Anna Hart Bliss acted as agents for the Pitcairners between 1920 & 1934, including facilitating the movement of mail to & from the island. In 2002, a Pitcairn stamp issue paid tribute to the contributions of Bliss. (Image1)
Estimate AU$500
Opening AU$ 380.00
Sold...AU$ 380.00
Closed..Mar-26-2025, 17:30:00 EST
Sold For 380
Sale No: 259
Lot No: 2092
Symbol: C
Cat No: C3
1923 (circa) stampless cover to "Mrs GB Bliss/co Mr Bliss/Postmaster General/Cristobal/Canal Zone" with a largely very fine strike of the two-line 'POSTED AT PITCAIRN ISLAND/NO STAMPS AVAILABLE.' cachet SG C3 in violet (Cat £1800 on cover), a couple of minor imperfections still remarkably fine for this period. The handwriting is believed to be that of David Young, who was the island schoolteacher. (Image1)
Estimate AU$1,000
Opening AU$ 750.00
Sold...AU$ 1,450.00
Closed..Mar-26-2025, 17:30:00 EST
Sold For 1450
Sale No: 259
Lot No: 2093
Symbol: C
Cat No: C3
1923 (circa) stampless cover to "Mrs Gerald B Bliss/Postmaster General/Cristobal/Canal Zone" with a largely very fine strike of the two-line 'POSTED AT PITCAIRN ISLAND/NO STAMPS AVAILABLE.' cachet SG C3 in violet (Cat £1800 on cover), large 'T'-in-circle tax handstamp with 'CRISTOBAL CZ/OCT28/PAQUEBOT' (no year) arrival on the face, doodling on the reverse. The handwriting is believed to be that of David Young, who was the island schoolteacher. (Image1)
Estimate AU$1,000
Opening AU$ 1,000.00
Sold...AU$ 1,600.00
Closed..Mar-26-2025, 17:30:00 EST
Sold For 1600
Sale No: 259
Lot No: 2094
Symbol: C
1941 (Sep 21) social cover with KGVI Pictorials 6d 'Bounty' & 1/- Island and bold R cachet, to Hobart (backstamp of 23OC41) where censored, redirected to Burnie but posted in a letterbox instead of being handed to a PO clerk so endorsed "Officially registered posted in letter box" & taxed 5d which was paid on arrival with irregular usage of Queen Mother 1d green & 4d Koala in lieu of Postage Dues & tied by superb 'BURNIE/27OC41/TASMANIA' cds, minor faults but still attractive. A wonderful Pitcairn usage, the rate & route being an enigma: from Pitcairn the only rate that makes sense is carriage per Pan Am flying boat from Noumea (Suva, Fiji was not added as a stop until November 1941), but there is no airmail label or endorsement. If the cover had been reposted at North Hobart (or at the GPO), there would have been no additional postage. By posting in the letterbox, 5d was assessed for 2d domestic postage plus 3d registration. (Image1)
Estimate AU$500
Opening AU$ 380.00
Sold...AU$ 380.00
Closed..Mar-26-2025, 17:30:00 EST
Sold For 380
Sale No: 259
Lot No: 2095
Symbol: C
1944 (Dec 15) to "Matron Burnside/Sydney Sanitarium" with 1½d John Adams & NZ-pattern Censor 'DDA 196' label (John Little Type L2; stated only two recorded & this is the new LRD), minor blemishes. There was no example in David Murray-Brown's collection. Interestingly, Little has a consolidated list of such labels under 'New Zealand', where he says DDA 196 was used at Rarotonga (??). The Sanitarium (or SAN), known today as the Sydney Adventist Hospital, is owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. (Image1)
