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Auction: 6004 - British Empire Stamps & Covers, featuring Australia
Lot: 668

x New South Wales Covers and Cancellations 1856 (11 Oct.) envelope "Per Montgomery Via Marseilles" to England, bearing 1854 3d. and 1856-60 6d. grey-green (both with margins mainly all round) sharing light dumb obliterators, showing large h.s. "3" and with "paid/liverpool/ship" tombstone d.s., both in red; the envelope with flap missing and a little torn at top through opening though a rare and unusual franking with few such covers recorded. Photo Estimate £ 200-250Note: The "Montgomery" did not proceed to Sydney as was the custom for most mail ships, which required NSW letters to be delivered from Sydney to Melbourne by private contract to catch the ship. Special arrangements were made for a 3d. franking to do this, contrary to the usual 6d. inter-colonial postage rate The following appeared in the "Sydney Morning Herald" on 11 October 1856 "Notice is hereby given that a mail containing all letters and newspapers marked for transmission to G.B. by the Montgomery, will be made up and forwarded to Melbourne THIS DAY, Saturday the 11th. October at 1p.m. All letters thus sent will be liable to the additional postage of 3d. the half ounce, the postage to the colony of Victoria. This must be prepaid, but the postage for the conveyance to England may be paid or not, at the option of the sender The mail finally closed at 10.00a.m. on the 13th., and was carried to Melbourne on the paddle steamer "Waratah" which sailed from Sydney at noon that day

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