Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 1

Transcription

1 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 1 PICTURE POSTCARDS In our auction of 29/3/2008, we successfully offered some 300 Pacific Islands PPCs from the "Cartophile" Collection. On this occasion, courtesy of Max Shekleton and Dr Don Welsh (Fiji only), we are delighted to bring you almost 1500 of these elusive and popular cards. The emphasis is on pre-1920 cards, with many "real photo" & other elusive types throughout. Please note that mixed condition is the order of the day. Having said that, the quality is generally good to fine, with very few cards of lesser standard, and many that qualify as very fine to superb. Ex Lot C FIJI Miscellaneous Publishers: Volume Twelve including two French missionary cards, a good range without publisher details including 'Pacific Island Series' complete set of 10 (56) Ex Lot C FIJI Volumes Thirteen to Fifteen with the balance of the collection, lots of anonymous publishers, Zieher-type "stamps" cards x8 (5 with inset views), real-photo types, advertising for President Suspenders x3, QSL ham-radio cards x10, a few oversized cards & some related items including an immaculate stereo card. (134) 500T Ex Lot C GILBERT & ELLICE ISLANDS: French Mission subjects x7 (one a blue photo), LMS "Village Scene/Nukantewa", Nutt and Mills Fanning Island views, 1908 real photo "Miss Molly Francis decides to have a birthday party", and Japanese Occupation coloured jungle view, a few faults but generally fine to very fine, two used under cover otherwise unused. Very scarce. (12) 36 C A/B Ex Lot 36 NEW CALEDONIA: Bundle with a few locally published, two Mission cards etc, also very scarce Marqueses Islands (Polynesia) cards x5. (20) 500T

2 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 2 PICTURE POSTCARDS (continued) Ex Lot C A/B NEW CALEDONIA: Wallis & Futuna Islands: Two Mission cards, Campagne du "Kersaint" types x6, a 1950s card, etc. (11) 56 C A/B NORFOLK ISLAND: Melanesian Mission "Mission Scholars, Norfolk Island", 1904 Subdivisional Map of the Island, Spencer Salt "The Legend of Barney Duffy" (cave) & five modern cards. (8) 200T 57 C A/A- Ex Lot 57 PAPUA: Australian ("Mrs Bromilow & Methodist Mission Nursery"), French ("Group of newly baptised") & Dutch ("Oba-Oba Austr N Guinea") mission cards, two Valentine views & a French type all wrongly captioned "New Guinea", and Australian Occupation of GNG "Native Carriers, New Ireland" (faults), all unused. (7) C A/B Ex Lot 66 PAPUA: Missionary group for the London Missionary Society x2 including "James Chalmers & other missionaries in native canoe", NG Methodist Mission "Some of our Boys", SPG x3 & a fanciful artist's card of two young girls riding the rapids on tiny surfboards! (7) 67 C A Ex Lot 67 PAPUA: AB Shaw & Co Ltd "Life in the South Seas Series 7" complete set of six artist cards by ES Hardy, each with oval 'KENT/St MARY HOO/SCHOOL/Mixed Dept./EDUCATION COMMITTEE' cachet in violet on reverse, otherwise unused; plus the original envelope. (6) 250

3 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 3 PICTURE POSTCARDS (continued) 69 C A/B Ex Lot 69 PAPUA: Bundle of French Mission cards with captions in French or French & English, some interesting subjects. (27) Ex Lot C A/B SAMOA: Box of mostly unused cards including German 'Gruss aus' types x12, topless damsels x6, publishers Kerry Sydney x6, Andrew Apia x3, Tattersall Apia x11 & Schmitt Luxemburg x4 (inscribed '1899'), also Mission types in French x9 or English x3, etc. Sure to be a popular lot. (80+) 600T 73 C A/B Ex Lot 73 SAMOA: American (or East) Samoa: Very scarce group including six real photo types (one of the Fita Fita Guard), a French Mission card, a Karl Lewis harbour view, etc. (15) 250T Ex Lot C SOLOMON ISLANDS: Lovely group of mostly Mission cards including Melanesian Mission "Head-Hunters", Methodist Missionary Society of Australasia "Mrs Goldie & School Girls", Marist Fathers x8, others not inscribed as mission cards but inferred from the subjects or the French (6) or Italian! captions, some are very fine to superb. [A collection of 81 Solomons cards sold for $3220 at our auction of 25/3/2011] (21)

4 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 4 PICTURE POSTCARDS (continued) Ex Lot C SOLOMON ISLANDS: Melanesian Mission PPCs with some great subjects including "Florida Parliament 1904", "Curios", "Head-Hunters", "A Place of Baptisms & Battles", "Women Hiding", funeral poles, natives in their Sunday best aboard a ship, the largest "Food Bowls" you've ever seen!, etc, a few problems but generally fine to very fine. (16) 77 C A/B Ex Lot 77 SOLOMON ISLANDS: Mission des Salomon Septentrionales types including Nuns in Ridiculous Habits, a pagan deity, copra making, lots of villagers including seven young boys with enormous shaving brushes on their heads, food preparation, erecting a new mission building, etc, generally fine to very fine. [The island of Buka was part of German New Guinea & is now part of PNG. However, the missionaries apparently preferred to be aligned with the British than with the Germans!] (23) 500T

5 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 5 FIJI - Postal History 266 C C Lot missionary's lengthy entire letter headed "Ono Feejee June " & signed "David Hazlewood", to his brother in Suffolk, British 'SHIP-LETTER' h/s, London transit b/s of 13AU13/1849 & 'BURY-ST-EDMUNDS' arrival b/s in blue across the flap, rated "8" for an incoming shipletter, rather decrepit & amateurishly "repaired" with glassine strips. [Illustrated by Alford at page 2. He records only six pre-1850 covers from Fiji, of which this is the latest. Ono is a small island in the Kadavu Group, south of Viti Levu. 14 months transit time from the Pacific Islands to England was not unusual in this period] Rev David Hazlewood arrived in Fiji by early 1845 & was active there until He died in Maitland NSW in His publications include a Fijian/English Dictionary & a Fijian Grammar. In the letter, he states: "There are on all the islands together perhaps three hundred thousand inhabitants. Till within these last few years they were all heathen and savages, killing and eating one another...the enemies they killed they baked and ate, and then cut up their bones into large needles to sew the sails of their canoes with. They go almost naked, wearing only a bandage of a few inches around their loins. This is the case with men and women...most of the chiefs have several wives and some of the principal chiefs have a score or two. When a chief dies some of his wives are strangled and buried with their husband...when any one is sick long, or old and infirm...they bury him alive [writer's emphasis]. These things I have witnessed with my own eyes...remember dear brother that England was once nearly as bad". See also Lot 668, under New Zealand] 1, C/L B Ex Lot unstamped cover to "Revd GH Nobbs/Norfolk Island" & endorsed "Favd by Smith Esqr", two rusty pinholes otherwise remarkably fine for a Nobbs cover, most of which were affected by damp &/or rats' droppings. An exceptional origin/destination item: acquired for $1322 at a Sydney auction in [With the 6pp letter headed "Mount Vernon/Ovalau/Apl 24th 1861" & signed "CBinner" who states "Colonel and Mrs Smythe...have been detained here for nearly 6 months...col S was sent out by the British Government to inspect and report on Fiji with reference to the cessions now pending..."] The writer was the wife of Revd John Binner, the training master at the Wesleyan Mission in Levuka. He was also a major trader. In 1858, one of his boats was taken by natives at Waea, who killed and ate the crew, one of whom was an American. A force aboard the US ship "Vandalia" attacked Waea, killing 20 natives & wounding a similar number, then burning their fort and town. (2 items) 1,500

6 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 6 GERMAN NEW GUINEA - Postal History - General 404 C A Lot missionary cover to France with Yachts 5pf 25pf & 50pf paying quadruple rate tied by 'HERBERTSHOHE' cds, 'BEAUMONT S SARTHE' arrival b/s. [From a large Catholic mission correspondence that continued into the 1930s. Acquired for $529 at our auction of 24/10/2009] PS A- Lot 422 INWARDS MAIL: 1902 usage of Tasmanian 2d Letter Card ("WESTERN SILVER MINE...") to "Mission House/Raluana/Neu Pommern/Bismarck Archipelago", Sydney transit b/s & superb 'MATUPI' arrival cds on the face, a couple of minor tonespots PS B Lot 423 INWARDS MAIL: 1902 usage of New Zealand ½d Wrapper to a missionary at "Ulu/New Launberg/New Britain/South Sea Islands", minor blemishes. [Acquired for $381 at our auction of 23/6/2001] PS C Lot 424 INWARDS MAIL: 1902 usage of South Australian 1d Postal Card with ½d GPO tied by 'NURIOOTPA' squared-circle, to the Lutheran Mission at Simbang (near Finschhafen), Sydney transit on the face, overall soiling. Ex Stuart Leven: acquired for a miserable $

7 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 7 GERMAN NEW GUINEA - Postal History - General (continued) 427 PS C Lot 427 INWARDS MAIL: 1906 usage of Victorian 1½d Postal Card to a missionary at "Raulana/German New Guinea", five Dutch Indies transits including 'N.I. AGENT SINGAPORE' marine sorter squared-circle & superb 'SINGAPORE' cds all on the face, tonespots. [The writer asks to exchange shells] C B NEW HEBRIDES See also Lot 53, under Picture Postcards. Lot 429 INWARDS MAIL: 1915 (Jan) cover to a Samoan missionary at the Rhennish Mission in "Friedrich Wilhelms Hafen/Deutsche Neu Guinea" with Overprints 2½d tied by Apia cds but apparently considered invalid at some point & marked with a red-pencil box but not taxed (as indeed it should not have been), the address amended to "formerly/german New Guinea/via Sydney", Sydney transit b/s, minor faults. An exceptional origin/destination item. Ex J Edgar Williams: acquired for $506 at our auction of 5/12/2009. [Illustrated above Lot 428] PS A- Lot commercial usage to NSW of Australian 1959 formular aerogramme with 'AEROGRAMME/By Air Mail - Par Avion' at upper-left, 25c Fishing tied by Vila cds, the message headed "Nguna" from the missionary RW ("Bob") Murray. A very scarce item. 250

8 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 8 Postal History 665 C B Lot missionary's entire headed "Sept 18th 1840/Maraetai" & signed "WT Fairburn", to London with largely fine strike of the boxed 'PAID AT/KORORARIKA/- N.Z -' h/s in red & largely superb '[crown]/kororarika/28*de/ 1840/NEW ZEALAND' b/s, rated "7d" in red (4d NZ-Sydney + 3d inwards shipletter), 'PAID SHIP LETTER/ JA*1/1841/ SYDNEY' transit in red on the face & largely superb '[crown]/general POST OFFICE/ JA*11/1841/ SYDNEY' b/s, stepped 'SHIPLETTER/FALMOUTH' h/s across the flap & London arrival b/s of 3JU3/1841 in red, rated "8" in black for an inwards shipletter, ironed-out vertical filing crease just touching the 'PAID AT/...' marking. Carried per "Hannah" from the Bay of Islands; "Lord Eldon" from Sydney to England. Kororarika RO 1831; PO -/3/1840 as a NSW office (the first in New Zealand); renamed Russell Both markings continued in use until the change of name; 1840 examples are extremely desirable. Ex John Woolfe. A rare entire letter from the New South Wales Period: New Zealand was declared a separate Colony on 2/5/1841. The writer states "...we have been moving about from place to place forming new [mission] stations ever since we came [here]...more than twenty-one years hard service in New Zealand...nearly 100 have been baptized at this place and there are at this time upwards of 60 candidates..." 10,000T 668 C C Lot (Oct 14th) lengthy entire letter signed "D Hazlewood", to his brother in Suffolk with 'AUCKLAND/-NEW- ZEALAND' b/s, London transit b/s of 21MR21/1851 & 'BURY-ST-EDMUNDS' arrival b/s in blue, rated "8" for an incoming shipletter, soiled & internal reinforcing along the folds. Ex Gerald Patterson. The writer was the missionary David Hazlewood on leave from Fiji: see Lot 266. He states: "...[I was on the John Wesley] when she struck on the reef in going from Somosomo to Rewa. She stuck fast for 10 hours...she has just sailed out of Auckland harbour today with...rev Joseph Waterhouse for Feejee...There is a population of about ten thousand white people in New Zealand, and perhaps eighty thousand natives...formerly cannibals..." 400

9 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 9 PAPUA - Postal History 783 C A- Lot (May 23) Cooktown-Melbourne registered & signed by the pilot "Ray Parer" & his passenger/co-pilot "W Schaufhausen", pilot at the Catholic Mission at Madang: see AAMC #P145. [Although this was carried by Parer & Schaufhausen en route to New Guinea, at Cooktown it was posted back to Victoria. On 6/8/1939, pilot Schaufhausen & three priests were killed when the plane crashed at Sek Aerodrome] 250T 790 C A Lot 790 COMMERCIAL AIRMAILS: 1937 (Sep 24) cover to Switzerland endorsed "Dr C Schumacher POD Bamu River" on the flap with 9d Fisherman & 1/- Air Mail tied by Daru cds. Most attractive. [The Bamu River Mission was active in native education] PAPUA - Missionary Mail When Rev Roger Lee sold his postal history in our auction of 5/12/2003, he retained his Missionary Mail. Roger, a Methodist minister with a passion for the history of the Methodists, has now decided to release this fascinating material to the market. The collection includes the earliest covers into Papua, and many other rare items, so it is far more than just a topical sideline! 150T 795 L A Lot pp letter in French headed "HMS Wolverene [sic] 16 Sept 1881" & signed "N Miklouho-Maclay", to Sir Arthur Gordon (Governor of Fiji) in which he states "...I intend...to undertake...a new excursion in New Guinea probably in the company of Rev James Chalmers...". [The Russian noble Nikolai Miklouho-Maclay was a prominent explorer/ethnologist in the South Pacific. From he was the first white resident of the Astrolabe Bay area. He was an anti-colonialist, a supporter of indigenous rights, and an opponent of "blackbirding" (the capture of Islanders & their enforced labour in Queensland). HMS "Wolverine" was flagship on the Australian Station ] The London Missionary Society (LMS) was the first to establish a permanent presence in BNG. Rev Samuel McFarlane arrived in 1871, followed by Rev WG Lawes in 1873, and Rev James Chalmers in 1877, each with South Seas lay assistants. The Methodists arrived in 1875; the Catholics in 1882; and the Lutherans in 1886.

10 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 10 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 796 L A Lot pp letter in French on Sacred Heart Mission notepaper headed "au Général Scratchley, Port Moresby" & signed "LA Navarre supérieur/de la Mission du Melanesie/et Micronesie/a Thursday Isld", light strike at upper-left of the triple-oval 'ASST DEP COMMR/RECEIVED/NEW GUINEA' cachet in violet, with Scratchley's notation in red pencil "Capt Musgrave would you reply if necessary, say I have left & asked you to reply PHS". This is the earliest recorded letter into British New Guinea. [On 22/11/1884, Major-General Sir Peter Henry Scratchley was appointed Special Commissioner for British New Guinea. Way ahead of his time, he declared BNG "must be governed for the natives & by the natives". He arrived at Port Moresby the very day this letter was written. His note relates to the first of two trips he made into the hinterland. On the second trip, he contracted malaria, was sent back to Sydney but died at sea 2/12/1885. He was succeeded by Captain Anthony Musgrave.] The Sacred Heart Fathers established a Catholic Mission on Yule Island. The letter speaks of the Mission's work at Yule Island & of their "petit lugger" traversing between Yule & Thursday Islands. 1,000T 797 C/L B/A- Ex Lot stampless cover to "Captain A Musgrave/Assistant Deputy Commissioner British New Guinea", endorsed on the face in pencil "Received PM/Per Ellengowan/1 Oct 85", minor repaired opening tears at right & pinholes at upper-left. This is the earliest recorded cover into British New Guinea. [With the enclosed letter - illustrated by Lee at page 3 - in English signed by Bishop Navarre, thanking Musgrave for visiting Yule Island & assisting Rev Fr Verjeis "and his sick comrades", superb strike at upper-left of the triple-oval 'ASST DEP COMMR/RECEIVED/ (" ")/NEW GUINEA' cachet in violet] There was no organised postal service at this time & mail was carried per favor by any available vessel. The "Ellengowan" was the 36-tons steam yacht owned by the London Missionary Society. (2 items) 5,000T

11 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 11 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 798 C B Lot cover with embossed "The Argus" (newspaper) on the flap, to Musgrave at "Granville/British New Guinea" & endorsed "Per SS Victory", with Victorian 6d blue tied by Melbourne duplex of DE17/86 fine strike of the triple-oval 'ASST DEP COMMR/RECEIVED/(" ")/NEW GUINEA' cachet in violet on the face, minor blemishes. This is the earliest recorded postal cover into British New Guinea. [Illustrated by Lee at page 4. Acquired by Roger Lee for 2500, in 1982!] With copy of a newspaper notice of 30/4/1885 advising that Burns Philp had been granted a contract to run a monthly mail steamer service between Thursday Island, Port Moresby & East Cape New Guinea for three years. The "Victory" was the first vessel to operate this service. 7,500T 799 C B Lot flapless cover to "Sir William MacGregor/Government House/British New Guinea" with Victorian 1d green pair tied by Melbourne duplex of SE25/89, Brisbane & Cooktown transit b/s & a superb strike of the rare 'GRANVILLE/OC18/89/B.N.G' arrival b/s (Lee #4; rated F), a couple of repaired opening tears. A marvellous inwards cover. [This is the finest strike of only four examples of the 'GRANVILLE' cds recorded on cover. Tim Rybak's May 1889 cover with a messy strike of the cds on the face sold for $43,700] 15,000T 800 C B Lot (May) cover to the LMS in London with Queensland 2½d rose tied by a large-part strike of the 8-bar 'B.N.G' cancel of 'PORT MORESBY' (cds alongside), Brisbane transit & London arrival b/s, redirected to Oxford (arrival b/s), central fold & minor soiling. [The cover was addressed by Rev WG Lawes, who John Conley (1959) noted as having founded the LMS station at Port Moresby in Lawes had a hand in the formation of the BNG administration. Captain Anthony Musgrave lived in Lawes' home] 800T

12 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 12 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 801 C B Lot (Mar 29) cover with embossed '[crown]/b.n.g.' on the flap & endorsed "GR Le H/Lt Govr BNG" at lower-left, to Sydney "By LMS SS John Williams" & endorsed "Telegraph Enclosed", Queensland Four Figures 2d tied by 9-bars 'BNG' cancel of 'SAMARAI/BNG' (26mm cds alongside), central vertical fold & minor opening tear at the top. [At this early period, there was no telegraph link with Australia. The SS "John Williams IV" was commissioned by the LMS in 1894] Sir George Ruthven Le Hunte succeeded MacGregor as Lieutenant-Governor in He supported the "civilising influence" of the missions. When LMS missionaries James Chalmers & Oliver Tomkins were killed & eaten, Le Hunte lead the force that killed some 24 Goaribiri, burned their ceremonial houses and smashed their war canoes. The LMS praised his "moderation" and "humanity"!, and in 1903 he was appointed Governor of South Australia. 1,250T 802 C B Lot (June 25) cover with embossed '[bishop's mitre]/m.j.s.-w.' on the flap, to Sydney, Queensland Four Figures 2d tied by 9-bars 'BNG' cancel of 'SAMARAI/BNG' (26mm cds alongside), small faults & some soiling. Ex Tim Rybak: acquired for $862. In 1891, an Anglican Mission was established at Samarai but relocated to Dogura, on Milne Bay, the next year. In 1898, Montagu John Stone-Wigg was appointed the first Anglican Bishop of New Guinea. In 1902 he spoke at Cambridge University on the similarities between Christianity and Papuan religions] 750T 803 C A- Lot usage to England of LMS PPC ("Trading Canoe") with printed 'Vatorata/B New Guinea' & message signed "WG & F L", the stamps unusually uncancelled, Port Moresby Cooktown & Brisbane cds all on the face and Queensland S&W TPO b/s. [In 1894, Rev William George Lawes & his wife Fanny established a LMS training college at Vatorata, near Kapa Kapa]

13 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 13 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 804 C A Lot (Nov 9) PPC to "Figi" [sic] with BNG 1d tied by Port Moresby cds of 5DE05 (another superb strike below), very fine 'SUVA' arrival cds. Unusual destination. The message, from Mrs Fanny Lawes, states "Yours just received per SS John Williams..." [Superb blue PPC of "A Gilbertese Warrior, in armour..."] 805 C C Lot LMS PPC ("Koitapu Chiefs") with 'Vatorata' crosed thru & "Port Moresby" added, to a child in Brisbane with BNG 1d tied by one of two strikes of 'PORT MORESBY' cds, a few faults. [Most children of British missionaries were sent to school in Australia] 200T 806 PS C Lot commercial usage of 1½d BNG Postal Card with message in French headed "Yule Island 30 Dec 1907", to Holland with 'PORT MORESBY/2JAN08/PAPUA' cds, Amsterdam arrival d/s & postman's 'A103' h/s both on the face, minor faults & a bit aged. An excellent origin/destination item. [From a Catholic missionary to his nephew. Although British New Guinea was officially renamed Papua in 1906, late commercial usage of the BNG Postal Cards is recorded into the early 1920s] 350T 807 CL B Lot OHMS cover with Government Secretary's Department imprint at lower-left, to London with Small 'Papua' Overprints 1d pair, Brisbane transit & London arrival b/s, slightly truncated at left. [The addressee, Rev George Cousins, wrote "The Story of the South Seas" (1894)]

14 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 14 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 808 C A- Lot cover to Scotland with Monocolour Perf 14 1d scarlet cancelled with an untidy strike of the scarce 'POST OFFICE RIGO C.D/3SEP14/PAPUA' cds (Lee #83; rated D) overstruck with Glasgow machine cancel. PO 1/6/1913; Receiving Office 26/7/1919; closed c [According to Lee, only three commercial covers are recorded from Rigo. Roger's 1913 long cover, also untidily cancelled, sold for $952 (2002)] Sent by Rev Robert Lister Turner, to his mother. Lister served in Papua c and spent a period in charge of the LMS Training College at Vatorata. 750T 809 C A- Lot cover with 4-line Kwato Extension Association imprint at upper-left, to GB with Bicolours 1½d addressed in the hand of Rev Charles Abel. Rev Charles William Abel served in Papua , establishing a mission on Kwato Island near Samarai. His practical methods were at odds with other local missionaries & in 1917 he persuaded the LMS directors to lease the Kwato Mission to him personally, from where he oversaw as many as 27 outstations. 150T 810 C A- Lot black/buff Postage Due docket to "Pastor Tausa/co Rev Rankin Moru" advising 3d due on a letter, Bicolours 1½d pair (left-hand unit damaged) tied by Port Moresby cds, printer's imprint at lower-right shows 2000 were printed in -/11/1927. [Rev Robert Rankin was an LMS missionary at Moro in the Gulf Division where he was assisted by Pastor Ta'usa, believed to be a Samoan] 300T

15 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 15 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 811 C A- Lot native cover to "Samoan Hospital/Pago Pago/Samoa" (American Samoa) endorsed on the flap "From Pastor L Tuliau/Moru Papua" with ½d pair & 2d tied by Port Moresby cds. Excellent destination item at the 3d foreign rate. 200T 812 C A- Lot commercial airmail cover to England with remarkable & very scarce three-issue franking of 3d Dandy x5, Declaration 1d & Silver Jubilee 2d tied by 'CAIRNS/QLD' cds, superb boxed 'PAQUEBOT' h/s (HD&M #1356) at the base, readdressed on arrival. [The sender was Mary K Abel - daughter of Rev Arthur E Abel & niece of Rev Charles Abel - who was a teacher at Kwato Mission from c.1929] 300T 813 C B Lot surface cover from England to "Kikiri/Papua/Australia", Port Moresby cds of 9JY36 & very fine ' MISSENT' handstamp (Lee #i23; rated G) on the face, forwarded to Samarai (b/s of 18JY36) but returned to England where forwarded to Anglesey, light vertical fold. [We have recorded only one other example of the Missent h/s] Missionaries were in charge of most health care services & hospitals in Papua. The addressee, Rev Dr GEG ("Cecil") Gill, a brother of Rev SRM Gill, worked at the Gona Anglican Hospital. 750T

16 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 16 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 814 C/L B/A Ex Lot cover endorsed "from Duvira Mamba to Ioma by bush track, by plane from Ioma..." with very fine 'IOMA.P.O.' cds, minor tonespots, with the enclosed letter signed "SRM Gill" stating "...the Magistrate at Ioma is my next door neighbour, and though only about 50 miles away by river, it takes one three days to get up to him. He has made a drome there and planes are starting to make calls..." (2 items) 100T 815 C B Lot stampless OHMS cover to Raukele with largely very fine strike of the rare double-oval 'ASSISTANT RESIDENT MAGISTRATE/(" ")/RIGO, C.D.' cachet - see Lee at page 65 - & Port Moresbyarrival cds of 22MY37, minor blemishes. The cachet is occasionally seen on PO documents: this is the only example recorded on cover. [Rev HJE Short was with the LMS mid-1920s to mid-1930s. Raukele is a village near Port Moresby] 300T 816 CL B Lot commercial airmail cover to England with Aeroplane Overprints 3d x2 & 1/-, with very fine strike of the rare 'TOO LATE' h/s (Lee #120A; rated F) at upper-left, minor wrinkling. [The cover was addressed by Russell Abel, son of Rev Charles Abel, to his cousin Mary] 450T 817 CL B Lot OHMS cover to London with superb 'GOVERNMENT ANTHROPOLOGIST/PAPUA' cds at lower-left & endorsed "Air to Sydney", 5d Air tied by Port Moresby cds, boxed Censor cachet (part only, as usual). [Many missionaries were keen anthropologists and ethnologists] 150T

17 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 17 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 818 C B Lot (June) commercial surface cover to France endorsed "Sister M Paul/Yule Island" on the flap with 3d Dandy cancelled at Port Moresby where red/white 'OPENED BY CENSOR' label affixed, inspected in Sydney where boxed 'UNDELIVERABLE/RETURN TO SENDER' h/s in violet applied, minor blemishes. Very few such covers from Papua have been recorded. 300T 819 C A- Lot commercial airmail cover from Uruguay "via USA" to "Convent du Kubuna/Catholic Mission/Yule Island/ Papua", censored at Sydney, sender's endorsement "Monique de Boismenu" on the flap. Terrific origin/destination cover. [The sender was almost certainly a relative of the Catholic Bishop of Papua. Kubuna was a Catholic Mission north of Port Moresby. However, the cover was probably delivered to Yule Island] Bishop Alain Marie Guynot de Boismenu succeeded Bishop Navarre in He opposed the government's "spheres of influence" policy that limited mission activities to defined areas. He challenged the LMS "heretics" at Kwato, and expanded Catholic mission activities into the Highlands. 300T 820 C A- Lot (Sep) commercial cover with 'EVA STANTON/MADIRI/via DARU & PORT MORESBY' handstamp on the flap, to Auckland with 2d Bird tied by 'DARU' cds, 'OPENED BY CENSOR' tape unusually tied by complete strike of the large boxed 'PASSED BY CENSOR' h/s in violet. 200T

18 Prestige Philately - Auction No 176 Page: 18 PAPUA - Missionary Mail (continued) 821 C (A)/A Ex Lot (Jan & Feb) commercial covers from 1) the LMS to NSW by air with Airs 2d & 3d, repaired flap; or 2) from Yule Island (?) to USA by surface with Bird 2d x2; both with McCracken Printing ½d added for the war tax. Scarce pair. [The war tax was introduced 1/12/1941; civil administration in Papua ceased 16/2/1942] (2) 300T 822 C Ex Lot 822 The annotated balance of the collection including 1901 cover to "Rev HM Dauncey/Delena" with BNG set to 1/-, 1903 cover with BNG 2½d (fault)& small 'SAMARAI/BRITISH NEW GUINEA' cds, 1904 damaged cover to GB with BNG ½d & 1d pair, 1919 cover to England with war tax unpaid & GB Postage Dues ½d pair, 1938 from Yule Island to France, 1941 internal registered cover to Kwato Mission, etc & a couple of PPCs, condition variable. (15 items) PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Postal History 600T 967 C A Lot commercial cover to Mosiraka Village Mission with 3½d Native tied by a superb strike of the 'MADANG/3FE56/PAPUA-NEW GUINEA' cds G&H #MA-2. A little-known & underappreciated rarity: believed to be the most elusive cds of PNG. Ex Max Bulley: acquired for $2796 at a Melbourne auction in [Garwood & Heward state "...was in use from 16/1/1956 to early -/2/1956", when it was withdrawn from service. This is one of the finest of the few recorded covers] 1,000