Dec 16, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 170 Page: 1 Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD AFRICA Lot 104 104 C B CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1863 stampless unpaid cover endorsed "Ship Letter per Bahama", to Kent with part-'SHIP LETTER/AU18/63/LONDON' & 'TUNBRDIGE-WELLS' b/s, rated "6" & readdressed to Surbiton, flap & part of the back panels missing; with the enclosed 4pp letter headed "Narcissus/Simons Bay/July 10th" and signed "WR Kennedy" (= Lieut William R Kennedy). Carried per "Bahama" departed Simon's Bay 11/7/1863. [The letter states "The Bahama has just arrived from China...and sails tomorrow...That loss of the Anglo-Saxon [at Cape Race, Newfoundland] is a bad job...I don't think there is much chance of an American war..."] 400T Ex Lot 105 105 C B/C CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1868-69 covers to "Captain The Honble Ernest Cochrane/HMS Peterel/Cape of Good Hope" (or similar), four with Irish ' N /DERRY - 172' duplex & & 'CAPE-PACKET/DEVONPORT' transit b/s (two are superb strikes), the other from London, three at 6d - two with 1d block of 6 folded over the top of the envelope - & two double-rate at 1/-, condition variable. (5) 750T Lot 106 106 C (B) CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1869 officer's cover to County Donegal with 1d Plate '78' x6 (single, pair & strip of 3, some faults) tied by BN '466' cancels of Liverpool, light 'PAID/LIVERPOOL/BR PACKET/25OC69/ 2B ' cds (2-letter month) in red & part-Derry arrival b/s of OC26/69, Captain Ernest Cochrane's signet ring impressed in wax on the flap, ironed-out crumpling & the flap renovated. 250T Dec 16, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 170 Page: 2 AFRICA (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Lot 107 107 C A- CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1874 cover to "F O'Neill/HMS Basilisk/Cape of Good Hope/To await arrival" with 1/- green Plate '9' tied by bold 'DEVONPORT/JY24/74 - 250' duplex, no arrival b/s but endorsed on the face "Recd/13 Sept 74/Simons Bay" in red. 250T Lot 108 108 C A- CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1877 cover with handpainted illustration of a signaller on a barrel inscribed 'TOURMALINE/HMS', to "Commodore F Sullivan/Simons Town" with CofGH 4d incorporated into the design & tied by bold '4'-in-bars of 'KING WILLIAMS TOWN' (cds at upper-right), 'CAPE TOWN/CAPE COLONY' transit cds at upper-left & 'SIMONS TOWN/FE19/77/CAPE COLONY' arrival b/s. Delightful & whimsical. [In 1876, the addressee was appointed Commander-in-Chief Cape of Good Hope & West Africa Station. He retired as Admiral Sir Francis William Sullivan KCB] 850T Lot 109 109 C A- CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1881 cover to "Commander/AAC Parr RN/HMS Inconstant/Cape of Good Hope" with superb 'BICKLEY- STATION/MR23/81' b/s & 6d grey Plate '17' tied by superb 'BROMLEY/KENT - 144' duplex, minor discolouration at right. Ex Geoffrey Osborn: illustrated by him at page 117. [See illustration on our website] 200T Dec 16, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 170 Page: 3 AFRICA (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Lot 110 110 C B CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1881 cover endorsed "From W Gibbs Seaman HM Ship Carysfort Flying/Squadron Simons Bay Cape of Good Hope" & countersigned (Staff Surgeon) "R Bird", to London with 1d Venetian red tied by 'PLYMOUTH TO BRISTOL TPO/MY2/81' cds (affected by repaired opening tear), three different London b/s all in red. Carried per Union SS "Durban", departed Cape Town 12/4/1881, arrived Plymouth 2/5/1882. [HMS "Carysfort" was one of 5 ships comprising the round-the-world Flying Squadron. It was at Simon's Bay between 16/2/1881 & 9/4/1881] 1,000T Lot 111 111 C B CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: a similar 1881 cover from the same correspondence, to London with 1d Venetian red tied by superb 'B16' h/s used aboard to Plymouth-Bristol TPO, 'LONDON-SE/ V7 /MY16/81' arrival b/s in red. Carried per Union SS "Arab", departed Cape Town 26/4/1881, arrived Plymouth 15/5/1882. [The 'B16' - Harold Wilson #353 - was originally used aboard the P&O Mediterranean Packet "China". It was allocated to the TPO by 1874 & Wilson at page 116 states "I have it used in 1881"] 1,500T Lot 112 112 C B CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1881 cover with 'HMS TOURMALINE' embossed imprint in blue on the flap, to Hampshire with 1d Venetian red x6 (two strips of 3) tied by 'PLYMOUTH TO BRISTOL TPO/MR20/81' cds (Harold Wilson #354 without code letter), light 'WINCHESTER' arrival b/s, minor flap fault. Ex Geoffrey Osborn: illustrated by him at page 51. Carried per Union "Teuton", arrived Plymouth 20/3/1881. On 16/2/1881, HMS "Tourmaline" arrived at Simons Town with the Detached Squadron to support actions in the First Anglo-Boer War. The enclosed letter with matching imprint headed "Simons Bay/March 6th 1881" & signed (First Lieut) "GW Russell" states "...we hope to play cricket against the Carysfort...on cocoa nut matting..." and "...a rumour we hear that Laing's Nek has been taken [by the Boers] is true...they ought to account for the Boers satisfactorily tho I dare say resistance would be prolonged for some time...". In fact, hostilities ended 6/3/1881, the very day this letter was written. 1,000T Dec 16, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 170 Page: 4 AFRICA (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Lot 113 113 C C CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1894 cover endorsed "From Frank C White HMS Penelope/Cape Town Cape of Good Hope South Africa" & countersigned "RW", to Kent with "Hope" 1d tied by poor numeral of 'ALFRED DOCKS/CAPE TOWN' (cds alongside), 'HIGH ST/ GC*A /TUNBRIDGE WELLS' arrival b/s, damp-spotting. A very scarce item, having been sent through the civilian postal system. 1,500T Lot 114 114 C B CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1894 cover to a seaman aboard "HMS Penelope/Simons Bay" with 1d lilac tied by very fine 'HAMPTON-HILL/ JU28/94 - G74' duplex, superb 'SIMONS-TOWN' hooded d/s on the face, redirected to Cape Town with '1D' h/s & 'ALFRED DOCKS/CAPE TOWN' arrival b/s, repaired flap. 300T Lot 115 115 C B CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: an essentially identical cover from a month later. 300T Lot 116 116 PS A- CAPE OF GOOD HOPE: 1896 usage of COGH 1d Postal Card to Germany with the message headed "HMS Magpie/Simons Town/14.12.96" & with pen & ink drawing of the ship at upper-left, hooded 'SIMONS TOWN/15DE96' d/s, 'CAPE TOWN/CAPE COLONY' transit b/s & 'SIEGBURG' arrival cds on the face. The message states "...It's blowing gales here at present, making landing almost impossible...manage to get a little tennis now & then..." [In February 1897, HMS "Magpie" was part of a squadron that landed a Naval Brigade in what is now Dahomey where the "city" of Benin was captured. The British suffered almost 3000 casualties, mostly from "fever"] 250T Dec 16, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 170 Page: 5 AFRICA (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Lot 117 117 C B EGYPT: 1875 cover endorsed "Jas Rossey/IS [= Indian Ship] Jumna" & "Comng Officer" but not countersigned, to Hampshire with 1d Plate '181' x3 tied by 'BO2' cancels of 'SUEZ' (cds at left), 'PORTSMOUTH/NO29/75' arrival b/s affected by flap fault. Ex Gerald Sattin (private transaction). Carried per Italian Packet arriving Brindisi 24/11/1875; mails arrived London 29/11/1875. [Her Majesty's Indian Troopships made three round-trips each year. WG Stitt-Dibden stated that the concessional rate for sailors' letters from the East sent via Brindisi was reduced from 4d to 3d from -/1/1871. However, Gerald Ellott found no GPO notice that confirms this. It seems that this cover was sent at the UPU letter rate of 2½d, overpaid 1d because the ship's purser probably had only 1d stamps available] 750T Lot 118 118 C A- EGYPT: 1881 cover to an army officer aboard "HMS Malabar/Suez" with 1d Venetian red x3 tied by fine 'POOLE/JA20/81 - 624' duplex, 'PARKSTONE' & 'ALEXANDRIE' transits & 'SUEZ/28JA81/ARRIVEE' b/s, minor flap fault. The rate was the UPU letter rate of 2½d, which was overpaid ½d. [The illustration is above Lot 117] 200T Lot 119 119 C B EGYPT: 1882 cover with 'BICKLEY STATION' b/s, to "Commander/AAC Parr RN/HMS Inconstant/Alexandria" with 2½d blue Plate '23' tied by 'BROMLEY/11AU/82/KENT - 144' duplex, repaired flap. Ex Geoffrey Osborn. [HMS "Inconstant", "Carysfort" & "Tourmaline" were detached from the round-the-world Flying Squadron & returned from Hong Kong to GB. However, at Madeira, orders were received to make haste for Egypt where a insurrection had broken-out. The "Inconstant" was used to ferry troops & supplies between Malta & Egypt] 250T Dec 16, 2011 Prestige Philately - Auction No 170 Page: 6 AFRICA (continued) Lot Type Grading Description Est $AUD Lot 120 120 C B EGYPT: 1882 cover endorsed "From W Gibbs Seaman HM Ship Carysfort/Ismailia Suez Canal Egypt" and countersigned (Staff Surgeon) "R Bird", to London with 1d lilac tied by '1'-in-diamond of the London Foreign Branch, two London b/s of AU11/82 both in red. [On its return with the Detached Squadron from the round-the-world cruise of the Flying Squadron, HMS "Carysfort" was ordered to join the Mediterranean Fleet. Involved in the Red Sea Littoral Campaign. On 20/8/1882 "Carysfort" was involved in the capture of the key town of Ismailia, situated half-way along the Suez Canal] 500T Lot 121 121 C C EGYPT: 1882 cover endorsed "From M Sullivan Skilled Carp [= Carpenter's] Mate/HMS Seagull Suez Canal" and countersigned "ER" (Lieut Ebenezer Rae), with 1d lilac x2 tied by poor numeral-in-diamond of the London Foreign Branch, superb 'BIRMINGHAM/ 20J /AU31/82' arrival b/s, faults.