Auction 321 - 332 Australian States & Commonwealth of Australia, St. Helena, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Swaziland, Brazil 1843 –1870 - Day 1

Stamp Duty 1884/96: Stamp Duty 1 s. 6 d. rosine, 6 s. apple-green perf. 13, Naish 1884 2 s. 6 d. brown-orange and laureated "STAMP DUTY" 3 d. orange (3) used on 1886 cover to France endorsed "S.S. Potosi via Suez and Naples" all tied by "1" numeral obliterators in black with five strikes of "R" below. Oval "REGISTERED / MELBOURNE" datestamp below (Oct 15). Red 'Modane a Paris' transit cds (Nov 20) and reverse with Bordeaux arrival cds. Illustrated in "The Stamps of Victoria" by Geoff Kellow RDP on page 207. Listed in the Ben Palmer census on page 95. One stamp missing at top left and a few small age spots not detracting from a superbly colourful and famous cover.rnrnProvenance: London & Brighton, London, 17 Nov 1978, lot 151.rn                     Collection Rod Perry, DF, Geneva, 16-21 Nov 1987, lot 20043.rn                     Rod Perry, Melbourne, 14 Nov 1989, lot 662.rn                     Rod Perry, Melbourne, 5 Dec 1997, lot 512.rn                     Stanley Gibbons, Melbourne, 18 March 1999, lot 1661.rn                     Prestige, Melbourne, 23 Sept 2011, lot 735.