 Stamp Domain Home Page Country Index Page Australia Resource Page  Resource Page for Specialist Collectors of Victoria Stamps and Victoria Postal HistoryHISTORY The first post office to be opened in Victoria was in Melbourne in April 1837. By 1850 there were a total of forty-five post offices in operation within Victoria. On 3 January 1850 the first stamps were issued in Victoria - the "Half Lengths" , which were printed by Thomas Ham of Melbourne. They were actually issued eighteen months before Victoria was officially made a colony. The second type of stamp design for Victoria depicted Queen Victoria enthroned. This was a design produced locally in Victoria and it is believed to be based on a portrait of Queen Victoria painted in 1837 by Sir Thomas Hayter. Control of the Victoria State post office was passed to the Australian Federal Government on 1 March 1901 and the stamps of each the various states became valid for use in all other states. Stamps inscribed Victoria continued to be issued until the stamps of the Commonwealth of Australia were issued on 2 January 1913. History of Victoria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia PHILATELIC SOCIETIES FOR COLLECTORS OF VICTORIA STAMPS AND VICTORIA 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. Australian Philatelic Federation (AUSTRALIA) Australian Airmail Society (AUSTRALIA) Meetings 1st Wednesday of each month 7:45pm at SAPHIL House, 22 Gray Court, Adelaide Contact address: PO Box 395, Edwardstown, SA 5039 The Postal Stationery Society of Australia Postal Stationery and Postal History Society of Australia Incorporated (AUSTRALIA) 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 (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. Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria (AUSTRALIA) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The society was founded in Melbourne in 1892 and it received the "Royal" prefix in 1947 SELECTED PAGES ON VICTORIA STAMPS AND VICTORIA POSTAL HISTORY The 1880-83 Line Perforations Gauging 12 by Les Molnar The Double-Lined Circle Cancels of Melbourne by Maurice Mishkel There are 2 distinct types of the double-lined circle cancels of Melbourne. The emphasis of this paper is on the Type 1. Introduction to the Half Length Issues by Les Molnar The "Half Lengths" were the first stamps issued by the colony of Victoria. They were designed, engraved and printed entirely within the colony of Victoria, and represent one of the most interesting philatelic studies in the realm of philately. The Perforations Found in Victoria by Les Molnar Plating the 2d Queen-on-Throne by Les Molnar PTPO Newspaper Wrappers from Victoria Austalia 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. The Watermarks Found In Victoria by Les Molnar BOOKS, CATALOGUES AND PUBLICATIONS ON VICTORIA STAMPS AND VICTORIA POSTAL HISTORY The "Barred Numeral" Cancellations, 1856-1912, and the post offices which used them by J R W Purves, RPS of Victoria, 1963, 213pp The Cancellations of Melbourne 1861-1912  by D G Davies, G R Linfield and J R W Purves, Australian States Study Group, Royal Philatelic Society, 1980, 63pp Century of Happiness: The Centennial History of the Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria by Chisholm, 1992 The "Emblems" of Victoria 1857-63.  by J R W Purves, RPS of Victoria, 1957, 105pp Franked! The Official Mail of Victoria 1864-1902 by Carl L Steig and Max B Watson, Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria, 2008, 180pp, ISBN 9780947345204 The Half-Lengths of Victoria  by James Richard William Purves, 1953, 216pp + booklet of plates. (This book was printed in a limited edition of 120 copies) The Half Lengths of Victoria by J H Barwis FRPSL and R W Moreton FRPSL, Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria, Melbourne, 2009 Instructional and Informative Markings of Victoria, 1852-1913  by A G Rigo De Righi, 18pp, 1983, ISBN 0853973547 The Numeral Cancellations of Victoria by Hugh H Freeman and Geoff T White, The Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria, 2001, 420pp 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. The Philatelic Society of Victoria, 1892-1926 by A.J.Derrick, 1926, Philatelic Society of Victoria, 94pp A history of the Society from 1892-1926 The Post Offices and Handheld Datestamps of Victoria Vol 1 A-B by Gary Watson, John Webster & David Wood, 1989 The Post Offices and Handheld Datestamps of Victoria Vol 2 C-G by Gary Watson, John Webster & David Wood, 1992 Lists all known datestamps, including paids, money order, telegraph, postmaster etc. Early and late dates are recorded as is the use of colour inks. The Postal History of the Port Phillip District 1837-1851  by J R W Purves, Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria, 1950, 68pp Postmarks and Postal History of Warrnambool and District by W H Ewers A Reference List of the Adhesive Stamps of Victoria available for payment of postal dues  by R B Yardley, London Philatelist, 1921, 72pp The Stamps of Victoria by Geoff Kellow, B&K Publishing, 1990, 386pp A Subject Index for Victorian Philately by Geoff Kellow, Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria, 1988 VG: Victorian Government Punctures by Bryan Toop, self-published, 3rd edition, 1984, 34pp, ISBN 0959106006 VG: Victorian Government Punctures by Neale Scott and Bryan Toop, self-published, 5th edition, 1993, 54pp, ISBN 0646159119 Victoria, 1901-12 issue, the 1½d, 2d and 2½d values by J R W Purves, Hawthorn Press, 1954, 29pp Victoria, 1901-12 issue, the 3d, 4d, and 5d values by J R W Purves, Hawthorn Press, c1960, 42pp Victoria: 1901-12 issue: The 6d, 9d and 2/- values Find this book at Biblio.com by J R W Purves, pub Hawthorn Press, c1965, 36pp The 5/-, 1867-1901 & the 1/-, 5/-, £1, £2, 1901-1912 by J R W Purves, Hawthorn Press, 1979, 76pp Victoria, the "Butterfly" postmarks: The problem of their allocation to the post offices using them  by J R W Purves, Royal Philatelic Society, 1949, 16pp Victoria. The Half-Length Portraits and the Twopence Queen Enthroned by Charles Lathrop Pack, Collectors Club, 1923, 273pp Victoria, the Postage Dues by J R W Purves, RPS of Victoria, 1960, 70pp Victoria Postal Stationery, 1869-1917  by Carl L Stieg, Triad Publications, 2001, 219pp Victoria, the "Registered" and "Too Late" Stamps 1854-58 by J R W Purves, RPS of Victoria, 1966, 80pp Victoria, the Second Type of Obliteration: The "Barred Oval" 1851-56 by J R W Purves, RPSL, 1949, 11pp Victoria: A short study of the Two Pence Queen Enthroned engraved and lithographed, 1852-1857 by Charles A Stephenson, Stamp Collecting, 1923, 26pp Victoria: the Travelling Post Offices and their Markings, 1865-1912  by J R W Purves, Hawthorn Press, 1955, 55pp Victoria, the Travelling Post Offices and their Markings, 1865-1912  by J R W Purves, Hawthorn Press, 2nd edition, 1979, 66pp, ISBN 0725602201 Victoria, the V over Crown Watermarks: Types, Suppliers, Varieties, 1867-1905, 1912 by J R W Purves, Hawthorn Press, 1964, 31pp JAMES RICHARD WILLIAM PURVES J R W Purves, (5 March 1903 - 13 May 1979), as can be seen from the above list, wrote extensively on the subject of stamps from Victoria. A biography of J R W Purves from the Australian Directory of Biography Wikipedia entry for J R W Purves |
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