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Australian Stamp Resource Page for the collector of Australian Stamps

Resource Page for collectors of Australia Stamps and Australia Postal History

Australia 10/- ten shilling grey and pink stamp SG 14


Australia Flag - postage stamps and postal history
Australia

Initially each of the Australian states issued their own stamps.
New South Wales from 1850
Queensland from 1860
South Australia from 1855
Tasmania from 1853
Victoria from 1850
Western Australia from 1854
Control of the post was passed to the Federal Government on 1 March 1901
National Postage Due stamps were first issued in 1 July 1902.
Issues of the various states were valid in all states till 13 October 1910
Postal rates for Australia were standardised from 1 May 1911
First Australian national stamps were issued on 2 January 1913


PHILATELIC SOCIETIES
for Collectors of Australian Stamps and Postal History

Australian Philatelic Society
(AUSTRALIA)

Society of Australasian Specialists/Oceania (AUSTRALIA)
The Society of Australasian Specialists was founded in July 1936 by a small group of collectors interested in Australasian philately. In 1965, the American Society of Australian Philatelists, later to become Oceania, Inc. was established for the same purpose as the older SAS. In 1978, the two Societies consolidated to better serve the members of both organizations. Today, the Society has many members, not only in the United States and Canada, but also in New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, and a few other countries.

Western Australia Study Group (AUSTRALIA)
The WASG was founded in 1974 to promote the collection and study of all aspects of the philately of Western Australia. Postal history started in 1826 with the settlement at King George Sound as an outpost of New South Wales. The Swan River Colony was founded in 1829 and its first adhesive postage stamps appeared in 1854 followed by postal stationery in 1879.

Australian Philatelic Federation (AUSTRALIA)

Australian Airmail Society (AUSTRALIA)
GPO Box 954, Adelaide SA 5001

The Postal Stationery Society of Australia
postal stationery in Australia

Postal Stationery and Postal History Society of Australia Incorporated
The society was formed to cater for collectors who are interested in aspects of philately other than the study of postage stamps alone. Its members are interested in postal stationery, postal history and the exploration of the new areas associated with postal stationery and postal history including postmarks, airmails, military mail, cinderellas, literature etc

British Society of Australian Philately (UK)

The Perfin Club of New Zealand and Australia
The Club was formed in 1987 and currently has about 150 members. Members' interests include the Official and private perfins of Australia and New Zealand. The Club has produced two publications: "Australian Official Perfins", by David Andersen (2007) and "Handbook of Australian Private Perfins", by John Mathews (2003)


NEW ISSUES
of Australian Postage Stamps

Australia Post
This site has special section for young collectors, a gallery of new issues and details of post office operations including rate information

Australia Stamp Agency in North America




Selected philatelic pages for collectors of
Australian Stamps, Australian Postal History and Australian Rare Stamps

Australian Stamps designed by Czeslaw Slania
  by Ann Mette Heindorff

Predecimal stamps of Australia
by Mike Andrew

World Jamboree Stamps - Australia 1988 

Australian Postal History & Social Philately
by Maurice Mishkel

Queensland Postal Markings until 1913
by Marius Wytenburg


A selection of Frank Stamps from Western Australia
by Jan Kosniowski

British Commonwealth Postmarks WESTERN AUSTRALIA
by Robert S Cragg

Postal Mechanisation in Australia
Ken Sparks

Official Airmails of Australia
Ken Sparks

Bass Strait Mails from Federation to WWII
Ken Sparks

Thursday Island Covers
by Garry Law

Late Fee Cancels of Australia
by L J Tyler
First published in Australian Stamp Monthly, August 1963.

Lord Howe Island "Paquebot"
by Glen Stephens

More Than One
by Stephen D. Schumann
Multiple die postal stationery of the Commonwealth of Australia

Australian 1932 Postal Stamp Forgeries
by Alan Sparks
Many forgeries of Australia’s rare stamps exist and this forging is still going on. In 1932 two of Australia’s stamps were forged with the intention to defraud the Australian Post Office.

Revenue & Railway Stamps of Australia
by Dave Elsmore


NEW SOUTH WALES
Postage stamps and postal history of New South Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


SOUTH AUSTRALIA
FAULDING’S MEDICAL JOURNAL WRAPPER
by Maurice Mishkel

South Australia OS newspaper wrapper
South Australia ½d Newspaper Wrapper uprated with ½d green, SG O80, (issued 12.02.1900), to Hamburg in Germany

Printing Differences on South Australia Newspaper Wrappers
by John K Courtis

The Early Stamp Issues of South Australia
by William Cochrane
From a paper given at the meeting of the Herts Philatelic Society on October 25th 1921 by Ernest H Collins.


TASMANIA
Notes on Tasmanian Revenue Stamps 1827-1990
by Bill Lloyd-Smith

British Commonwealth Postmarks TASMANIA
by Robert S Cragg

Circular Date Stamps on Tasmanian Pictorial Stamps 1899 - 1912
Alphabetical list and Rarity Rating
by R E Lancaster


VICTORIA
The Watermarks Found In Victoria
by Les Molnar

The Perforations Found in Victoria
by Les Molnar

TPOs of Victoria
by Les Molnar
Most of the mail in the colony of Victoria was transported by rail from town to town. The rail network grew rapidly in the 1860s and 1870s to serve the growing population in the interior of the colony and to support the growing economy in those regions.

Plating the 2d Queen-on-Throne
by Les Molnar

The 1880-83 Line Perforations Gauging 12
by Les Molnar

PTPO Newspaper Wrappers from Victoria Austalia


WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Kalgoorlie Western Australia to Poquetanuck Connecticut USA
by Prof Maurice Mishkel
Cover with the blue 2½d Swan stamp which took 6½ weeks to travel across Western Australia to the east coast of America



BOOKS on Australia Stamps & Australia Postal History

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Australian Antarctic Postal History 1911-1965
by Roy M Milner, 1975, (also 1980 and 1986 printings)

Aerogrammes of Australia and its Dependencies 1944-1980,
by Robert C Stein, 188pp, 1985

The Recess Imprints of John Ash, by Brian Pope
published by Fagott Press, 1975

The External Air Mails of Australia
by H C Baldwin, published by Francis J Field, 1966

The Early Commonwealth Period and the Kangaroo and Map Series
published by the Australian Post Office, 1968

The First Postage Stamps of the Commonwealth of Australia 1901–1912
by Max Hooper, 1995, 56pp

This work covers the neglected period of Australian philately during which stamps in the ‘Colonial’ designs were issued by the Federal Government. These, and not the ‘Kangaroo and Map’ stamps are the first of the Commonwealth. A highly detailed study that contains much information unavailable elsewhere.

Postmarks of the Australian Forces from all Fronts 1939-1953
by Stephenson Stobbs, published by Harry Hayes, 1976


NEW SOUTH WALES
History of the Post Office and of the Issue of Postage Stamps in New South Wales 1890
by Andrew Houison, publ View Publications, 1983

New South Wales Numeral Cancellations

 by Alan G Brown and Hugh M Campbell 
1977, 96pp (2nd edition)
This Second Edition gathers together much additional information accumulated during the 14 years from publication of the First Edition. An essential work for the collector of this field. 

The Postage Stamps, Envelopes, Wrappers, Post Cards and Telegraph Stamps of New South Wales
by A F Basset Hull, publ Stanley Gibbons, 1911 & 1913, 240pp & 334pp (2 vol)

The Postal History of New South Wales 1788-1901 
John S White (ed.). Issued 1988, 481pp
Postal Rates, hammer data, P.O. regulations, etc. A wealth of information.

The Stamps of New South Wales
by Guybon John Hutson, 1960


SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The Postage Stamps of South Australia
by The Philatelic Society of South Australia, 1949

South Australia

by Napier & Smith, 135pp, 1894

South Australia The Department Stamps
by A R Butler, 1978

Travelling Post Offices of South Australia
by A D Presgrave, 
pub by Stuart Rossitor Trust, 1998


TASMANIA
Handbook of Tasmanian Revenue Stamps
by William D Craig, publ Revenue and Railstamp Publications, 1997

A History of the Post Office in Tasmania
published by the Australian Post Office, 1975

The Revenue and Railway Stamps of Tasmania
by William D Craig and Owen G Ingles, publ Revenue and Railstamp Publications, 1978, 68pp

Tasmania, Stamps and Postal History, by W E Tinsley, 1986
published by The Royal Philatelic Society of London


VICTORIA
Cancellations of Melbourne 1861-1912
by Davies, Linfield & Purves, 1980

The Half Lengths of Victoria
by J R.W. Purves 1953, 216pp + booklet of plates. 
(Limited edition of 120)

Instructional & Informative Markings of Victoria 1852-1913
by A G Rigo De Righi, 18pp, 1983

The Numeral Cancellations of Victoria
by Hugh H Freeman and Geoff T White, The Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria, 2001, 420 pp
This work extends the previous volume devoted to this subject, Barred Numerals of Victoria, by J.R.W. Purves published in 1963 and now long out of print.


WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The Postal History of Western Australia, by George E Owen
published by Hawthorn Press, 1959

Western Australia, the Postal Markings Illustrated,
by Brian Pope, 414pp

Stamp Forgeries of Western Australia
by M. Pope, 1993, 108pp


PRIVATE LOCAL POSTS IN AUSTRALIA

THE AUSTRALASIAN NEW HEBRIDES COMPANY LIMITED

The Australasian New Hebrides Co had headquarters in Sydney and was subsidised by the governments of Victoria  and New South Wales. They carried mail privately to the islands of the New Henrides and amongst the islands. The comapny traded between 1887 and 1899. Two stamps were produced in 1897. The islands called at were Anietyum, Aniwa, Aoba, Aurora, Epi, Erromanga, Futuna, Mai, Nguna, Petecost, Tongariki, Tonga, Sandwich and Vannaleva.

Australasian New Hebrides Co
by Bonnie & Roger Riga

Australasian New Hebrides Company
by Maurice Mishkel

New Hebrides - 1897 - Private Local Post - Australasian New Hebrides Company - Interisland Postage
by Roland Klinger

BURDELL & COMPANY

Imperf stamps issued in 1854 inscribed "Forwarded by Burdell & Co's British & Australian Express. For forwarding and delivering Gold Dust, Specie, Bankers, and other valuable Packages and Merchandise to Geelong, Sydney, Adelaide, Launceston, the Diggings, and England, Ireland and Scotland." Very few copies of this stamp are known to exist.


CITY EXPRESS MESSENGER CO LTD

Stamps inscribed City Express Messenger Co Ltd Despatch Stamp, were not sold but were affixed to parcels or messages after the fee had been paid.


Boyd's City Express Messenger Co Pty Ltd

COOLGARDIE CYCLE EXPRESS

The Coolgardie Cycle Express was organised by James A Healey in 1893 following the discovery of gold in Coolgardie. The service was closed in December 1896 when the government post was established.


Coolgardie Cycle Express Co history

FRENCH NEW HEBRIDES CO

Stamps incribed Nouvelles Hébrides Syndicat Français Poste Locale


New Hebrides - 1903 - Private Local Post - Syndicat Français des Nouvelles Hébrides - Interisland Postage Stamps
by Roland Klinger


LAKE LEFROY

A service was stared in February 1897 to carry letters from Lake Lefroy to Coolgardie and was closed with the opening of an official service in June 1897.  A total of 1,000 stamps were printed with a face value of 6d, less than 50 copies of this stamp have survived. The stamps are inscribed Lake Lefroy Goldfield Cycle Mail Western Australia.

MURRAY STEAM NAVIGATION CO

Stamps inscribed "Murray S N Co / Victoria / N S Wales" were issued in 1872. Stamps issued were a ½d black, 1d red, 2d blue and 3d green. These stamps were used on mail carried by McCullock's steamers on the River Murry.

6d stamps were also produced inscibed "W McCullock & Co Limited / Parcels Express"

BOOK REVIEWS

Australian Commercial Perfins Discovered Since March 1992
by John Mathews, self-published, 2001, 123 pp
Available from the author - John Mathews, 21 McConnel Cres., Kambah ACT 2902 Australia. Email for more information to johnm@student.canberra.edu.au





PHILATELIC LIBRARIES

Philatelic Association of New South Wales Library
Norman J. Sheppard, Librarian
17 Brisbane Street, Darwinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia

Philatelic Society of Canberra Library
Ian McMahon, Librarian
G.P.O. Box 1840, Canberra, ACT 2801, Australia

Philatelic Society of South Australia Library
Ray Price, Librarian
P.O. Box 1937, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia

Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria Library
Russell Turner, Librarian
General P.O. Box 2071, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia


PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Australian War Memorial Research Centre


Image of an Australian Stamp recently sold at auction.


MAGAZINES / JOURNALS
Australia Stamp News, Macquerie Publications Pty Ltd
51-59 Wheelers Lane, Dubbo, NSW 2830, Australia Philately from Australia, Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria Inc,
Box 2071, GPO Melborune, Victoria 3001, Australia