MICHAEL HAMILTON
POSTAL HISTORY
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All world BANK TRANSFERS by WISE to Michael David Cameron Hamilton SORT CODE 23-08-01 Account 58021507. No postal charges
IF YOU ARE NOT SUPPORTING THE RETAIL TRADE you can expect a ban FOR LIFE FROM MY SHOP. . Contact on WhatsApp on 0066 0823715197



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Subject: QV covers (early) Clear

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The most beautiful of the genuine ENGLISH HARBOR "A18" Antigua covers
1869 cover with two singles and strip of three QV 1d vermilion to Wilmot, Nova Scotia neatly pmk'd "A18" with red crayon "4" alongside, reverse ENGLISH-HARBOR AP 25 69, St. Thomas A/AP 28 69, and MY 12 1869 arrivals. Ex ADRIAN HOPKINS
8 bogus "A18" covers are recorded, the obliterator being in a different format, and with single circle datestamp inscribed ENGLISH HARBOUR.
£3500


AN EXCEPTIONAL 1860 GREAT BRITAIN QV 2d BLUE COVER to ANTIGUA
1860 cover marked "Very important inheritance" with GB QV 2d blue Plate 8 (DG, DH, DI) pmk'd London JY 5 60 to Antigua with lengthy addressing "Matthew Christian by Son of Mr. Robert Christian Esq who died at Antigua in 1777 or to the Relatives of the said Robert and Matthew Christian, Antigua (West Indies) .... Expressly Recommended to the post to be Enquired for those Relatives and to be delivered to one of them". Marked in manuscript "Not Known", b/stamped C/ANTIGUA/AU 1 60 (arrival) and C/ANTIGUA/DE 29 60 (date returned to London). Fine heraldic embossed flap.
Mathew Christian, owner of various estates in Antigua, Biffins (200 acres), Red Hill (400 acres), Elme’s (158 acres), and Windward (180 acres). Died in London in 1778. Son of Robert Christian died in Antigua in 1776. He is supposed to have left Antigua about the year 1777 and come to London, and it is believed that in 1778, he was living in Southampton-street, Strand, in the city of Westminster, where he died. He had a brother, John, who died in Antigua shortly before 1777, and a sister, Margaret, who was married to William Gunthorpe of Antigua.
£950


MAURITIUS - boxed "R" (narrow top, dancing leg) postal history
1876 entire to Nantes, France with QV 4d rose, 1/- yellow pmk'd Port Louis "B53" with differing shades red ink boxed "R" (hint of black pad ink) and oval "REGISTERED/No.xx/12 OC 76/MAURITIUS" with French Maritime Suez 5 NOV 76 alongside, reverse Marseilles A Lyon 5 NOV, Paris A Rennes, and Nantes 6 NOV.
£600

BAHAMAS to CUBA Ex Judge EMERSON, DALE LICHTENSTEIN
1883 cover and enclosure to Mrs. Bierstadt in Havana with QV Chalon 4d rose P.14 tied "B", reverse A/BAHAMAS/MR 13 83 and Havana 18 MAR 83 arrival. This currently the only known Chalon cover to Cuba Ex JUDGE EMERSON and DALE LICHTENSTEIN
Although many Chalon head covers are addressed to the USA my extensive records only record Chalon covers to the following destinations: Bahamas (local addressing), Barbados, Bermuda, British Honduras, Canada, Cuba (as above), Egypt, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Jamaica, Nova Scotia, Prussia, Russia, St. Thomas, Trinidad, and USA.
£950

GREAT BRITAIN to TOBAGO postal history
1875 cover marked p. Royal Mail Steamer 2nd Dec. 1875" with GB QV 1/- green (rounded top right corner perf.) pmk'd HASTINGS "342" duplex dated E/NO 30 75 to James Hamilton, Scarbro', Tobago, b/stamped light TOBAGO JA 1 1876 dbl-arc arrival. Rare destination for GB surface printed covers.
On or about FE 28 1872 the twice monthly visit by RMS steamer was terminated, and no steamers called until the new contract of JA 1 1875 whereby Tobago was to have a single monthly visit by RMS steamer.
£275

QUEENSLAND to NEW SOUTH WALES re-directed on arrival
1875 mourning cover with Queensland QV Chalon 2d tied "102" sunburst with Rockhampton JA 4 75 to Rees R. Jones, Yass, New South Wales, on arrival NSW Side Face QV 2d added and tied for re-direction to the Royal Hotel, Sydney. Large part missing flap but an unusual and rare combination of two different QV portrait adhesives. Ex Von UEXKULL.
£725


ARROYO, Porto Rico carried "loose" to ST. THOMAS postal history (Ex Don Gaspar Roca)
1874 entire, written at Arroyo on July 11th 1874 has the correct 4d rate adhesive for mail to the British Postal Agency at St. Thomas, but was carried as a ‘loose’ letter (outside the mailbag) and was pmk’d ‘C51’ on arrival, no datestamp was applied probably due the letter originating elsewhere. The letter was then carried from St. Thomas to New York by the U.S. and Brazil Mail Steamship Company, the only line serving New York and Brazil during this period. The line was viewed by the British Government as an intruder on the British monopoly over mail service to and from Brazil, and was consequently driven out of business by heavy British government subsidies to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. Ex Don Gaspar ROCA (2006).
Entires from the British Postal Agency at Arroyo, opened 24th October 1872, are seldom encountered with the GB adhesives pmk’d ‘F83’. The few surviving covers are divided into two groups, those initially cancelled by round top ‘3’ in the ‘F83’ and those with a replacement flat top ‘3’ sent out 31st August 1876 due a fire.
£825


"BAR" (BARROUALLIE) and "K" (KINGSTOWN) combination, ST. VINCENT postal history
1876 cover front to James Crook, Sailor on Board the Satellite, Kings Town, St. Vincent with QV 1d black cancelled by black ink smudge showing a unique combination light strikes red ink "BAR" and "K" each dated JU 22 76 and additionally marked "Unclaimed" in pencil. Internally addressed mail from this period extremely rare.
The additional scan, from my records, show this cover front to have had certificate number 60,509 (subsequently detached) and previous auction estimate of £1200 with £1800 realisation.
£850

The "GALLE PENNY" Surcharge on NEW SOUTH WALES mail routed through Melbourne, VICTORIA
1874 cover marked "via Galle" to Dublin, Ireland with QV 1d, 6d pmk'd Sydney MY 16 74 duplex, no backstamps, part flap missing. Ex Trevor DAVIS (2002), "Emerald" (2003), CHARTELL (2018).
When the new contracts came into force in 1874 New South Wales refused to contribute to the P & O service because Melbourne, Victoria was made the mail terminus, and because NSW favoured the route via San Francisco. To use the route via Melbourne and Pt de Galle NSW had to pay a fee to Victoria based on the amount of letters sent by that route. In order to defray that expense, and also to discourage NSW writers from using the route, a 1d surcharge was added to the basic rate (6d via Southampton, and 9d via Brindisi) from 10 FEB 1874 to 27 MAY 1875. This surcharge is commonly called the "Galle Penny".
£300





CONFEDERATE sloop-of war transfers YANKEE P.O.W.s to DANISH brig, St. Croix postal history
1863 letter written April 13 by semi-literate Dudley K. Dow to his "mothere" Mrs Thomas Dow, Deer Isle, Maine, USA stating that he had been taken by the Felardy (his hearing/understanding for the Florida) and "Cent in to Cante Croix", his postscript in ink confirms that his stay on the island has been dull "the times hire is dool" but mentions "we shell leave here to day For home", posted in small envelope, slightly trimmed at left, with handstruck SHIP and "5" (due) in black and landed with red BOSTON/MY 6/MASS d/ring. On March 12th 1863 the Danish brig “Christian” took into St. Croix prisoners recently transferred from the Confederate States Steamer (C.S.S.) “Florida”. The “Florida” was a sloop-of-war serving as a highly successful commerce raider in the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. She was built in Liverpool and departed England 22 March 1862, and after a collision with a United States Army Transport troop ferry sank on 28 November 1864. The Florida captured 37 prizes during her short impressive career. Two books cover this event: “The Life and Services of John Newland Maffitt” (captain of the C.S.S. Florida). On Page 283 of the journal is mention of capturing the bark M. J. Colcord from New York bound Cape Town on 30 March 1863, and their transfer to the Danish brig Christian some 37 hours later on 1 April 1863. “The High Seas Confederate” book, Page 83, confirms that Maffitt captured “a propaganda” ship, the M.J. Colcord on 30 March 1863, transferring provisions from the prize, that the master of a Danish brig agreed to take all the remaining prisoners, and that Maffitt burned the M.J. Colcord.
£6500



MAIL TO CRIMEAN WAR GENERAL WHO INVENTED A HEATED CANNONBALL AS A BED-WARMER, Canada postal history
1863 cover to General Higginson, 9 Wilton Crescent, London with QV 12½c tied Montreal duplex dated AP 17 63.
Grenadier Guards General Sir George Wentworth Alexander Higginson was born in Wilton Crescent Belgravia and during the Crimean War improvised a bed-warmer for the freezing nights by heating up a cannonball in the campfire.
£225

THIS COVER STOLEN FROM MY STAND AT THE BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL 27/11/2023 - DO NOT ORDER
PONDICHERRY, FRENCH INDIAN SETTLEMENTS to MAURITIUS 1867 REYNAUD SOUPRAYA & Co, PONDICHERY sender cachet entire with strip of four QV 2a orange pmk'd PONDICHERRY "111" duplex dated FE 11 67 to Piper Adam & Co, Mauritius backstamped Madras transit and 2/MR 2 67 arrival, address panel with handstruck "6d TO PAY" in black. Exhibition item.
£1250







HERO of the H.M.S. "BIRKENHEAD" SHIPWRECK DISASTER, Sierra Leone postal history
1852 letter from Lt-Colonel Alexander Seton written at Sierra Leone 29th January posted in GB QV 1d pink PSE to Edinburgh with MR 15 and MR 15 transit and arrival backstamps. This is the only letter he wrote from Sierra Leone and the penultimate letter before the tragic disaster in Simon's Bay in the early hours of 26th February 1852 which took about 445 lives.
A 4 page account of the disaster accompanies as prepared for the December 2018 British West Indies Study Circle journal.
£1200

The "1d GALLE SURCHARGE", New South Wales postal history
1874 cover "Ellora via Galle and Brindisi" to Lower Norwood, Surrey, England with NINEPENCE on QV 10d, QV 1d pmk'd Sydney D/MY 15 74, reverse London JY 10 74 arrival. Edge tear at top, soiling.
When the new P&O contracts came into force in 1874 NSW refused to contribute to the P&O service because Melbourne was made the mail terminus, and because NSW favoured the route via San Francisco. To use the route via Melbourne and Pt de Galle NSW had to pay a fee to Victoria based on the number of letters sent by that route. In order to defray that expense, and also to discourage NSW writers from using the route, a 1d surcharge was added to the 9d rate via Brindisi from February 10th 1874 to May 27th 1875.
£325

13 used Kingston, TASMANIA postal history (Ex TINSLEY, BOMBIERI, BLAKE, CHARTWELL)
1864 drop letter mailed within Kingston with Chalon 1d brick-red imperforate superbly tied "13" addressed Mr. Dixon, Browns River with postmaster's manuscript "Kingston 11-1-64" alongside, no reverse markings. Ex TINSLEY, BOMBIERI, BLAKE, CHARTWELL.
The settlement known as Browns River had its name changed to Kingston by the Governor of Tasmania in 1851, so the postmaster followed this edict which was not acknowledged until a Government Gazette in 1881. It was then changed to Kingston Beach in 1900.
£825

SHORT DURATION CHALON 2d with INTRODUCTION OF SIDEFACE NEW RATE, TASMANIA postal history
1870 FIRST DAY OF ISSUE OF SIDEFACE with new rate paid by Chalon 2d yellow-green pmk'd Hobart Town NO 1 70 to The Hon. Joseph Archer, Panshanger, Longford. Ex CHARTWELL collection. APS (1994) Certificate.
This adhesive had short duration, compounded by survival, adding to rarity.
£1250




74 used Hobart, TASMANIA postal history
1860 cover to The Right Reverend Bishop Goold in Melbourne, Victoria with Chalon 2d green showing some DOUBLING OF VALUE TABLET and engine turning and Chalon 4d (pencil marked "cobalt blue, fluorescent ink" on reverse) pmk'd Hobart "74" with part red Hobart Town alongside, reverse with ornate seal impressed black wax and Melbourne A/FE 4 60 arrival.
James Alipius Goold, Roman Catholic Archbishop, was born NO 4 1812 into a prosperous family in Cork, Ireland. Ordained in Rome, returned Ireland where he gained permission to volunteer for missionary work in New South Wales arriving Sydney FE 24 1838. Visited Ballarat gold fields 1854 and 1855 and pacified Catholic miners particularly after the Eureka affair.
£925

52 used Launceston, TASMANIA postal history
1875 cover to London with mixed franking Chalon 6d and QV 3d Sideface pmk'd "52" with Launceston L/JN 10 75 and London AU 3 75 alongside.
£525


52 used LAUNCESTON DROP LETTER CIRCULAR, Tasmania postal history (Ex CHARTWELL)
1867 printed circular from William A. Collins requesting William John Johnstone, St. John Street (Launceston) to attend a Special Meeting of the Committee of the Northern Railway Leauge at the Mechanics Institute mailed with Chalon 1d brick-red P.10 tied upright Launceston "52" numeral. Ex CHARTWELL
£650



NEW SOUTH WALES postal history
1877 printed circular for two lots of land at Pottinger County (Premer Run and Moredevil Run) for SALE AT THE POLICE OFFICE, GUNNEDAH on May 2nd 1877 posted with exceptionally rare SG unlisted diagonally bisected QV 2d correctly tied Gunnedah AP 16 1877 "145" to James Wilson, Llangollew, Cassilis which can display TAMBAR SPRINGS (AP 8), COOLAH (AP 19), CASSILIS (AP 22) transits. Age marks and hinge reinforcements.
£925
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