Victoria 1900 Sg374/75 Boer Patriotic Fund 1&2-D - Gift From Agent-General To UK Gov, Westminster

A letter to Victoria Office at Westminster seemingly sent from The Agent General of Victoria, with VICTORIA (AUS) 1900 SG374/75 Mint Anglo-Boer War Patriotic Fund 1&2d stamps attached.

The stamps are affixed by margins only so are MUH, but were found stuffed amidst kiloware so the gum is a litter worn underneath them.

On further inspection the letter carries a large crown watermark and a watermark saying 'Imperial Treasury'.

This could be an official presentation/gift used to showcase the design and fundraising intent of Victoria, formally record or archive their production with the Colonial Office, or represent the colony's war support efforts to Westminster.

For the crown watermark I think the D L R letters could be De La Rue
https://www.delarue.com/about/our-history. The 'Imperial Treasury ' watermark also has a third party to the watermark which is partially hidden underneath the stamps. I can only make out the end letters ARUE which I assume is also De La Rue.

This is honestly such a lovely find and has an amazing narrative. Let me know your thoughts, or if you have further information/examples regarding the stamps, watermarks, or other examples of stamp presentation in this manner.

I don't think it's to the Victoria Office in London, but from it to person(s) unknown, with office stamp.

It does look like a letter head that would suggest it was sent from and not to it.

This makes sense and I agree. The purpose of the stamps being sent goes back to mystery :)

These two stamps were the second set of Charity stamps issued in 1900 by the state of Victoria (Australia). The 1d sold for a shilling and the 2d sold for two shillings. They were printed on V over Crown (V4) paper with the watermark sideways. They were issued on the 22nd May and some were sent to the Victorian Agent-General in London. This is probably where the OP stamps came from.

Interest in the stamps was quite poor compared to the earlier Charity Stamps of Victoria (1897) that celebrated Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. As a result, the 1900 issues are scarcer than the 1897 issues.

About 40,000 of the 1d were released and about 20,000 of the 2d were released. Total proceeds raised was about 650 pounds for the Empire Patriotic Fund.

Thanks! Do you have a reference for the stamps having been sent to the Agent General in London?

Since there is the typewritten "WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE AGENT-GENERAL FOR VICTORIA," it is highly likely the agent-general forwarded some of the stamps received from the State of Victoria to someone. The most likely candidates are a stamp dealer or a prominent collector.

The address 15 Victoria Street Westminster was for the Agent-General for Victoria in 1901. See the following article:

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/...cle/19115410


Other articles from 1892 had this address for the Agents-General of South Australia and Western Australia.

The recipient may remain unknown, but regardless, surely this is a pretty rare item?

The reference for the material I wrote is from the book The Stamps of Victoria by Geoff Kellow (1990). He also quotes further reading from contemporary journals such as the Australian Philatelist March, May and July from 1900.
The rationing of mail orders is referred to in Miss H Serjeant White's publication Philately from Australia, December 1980 pp 87-88.

Thank you for the reference! I'll have a look :)

As for the rarity I'm still trying to gauge. I actually took it into Stanley Gibbon's main shop for a drop-in and they were polite, but seemed far more interested in what the back of the stamps looked like and I was slightly surprised when they said I could just peel them off the paper. I feel they care more about perfect stamps rather than the postal history aspect.

I feel it's uncommon and potentially rare or unique for now, but further thoughts on this are welcome. It's my first big "kiloware" find so can't complain :)

I agree with you. I would definitely leave the stamps as they are to preserve their postal history. A very nice find in kiloware!

Since the recipient is unknown, there is not much of a postal history aspect. The stamps themselves, never, were used to frank anything.

I agree with others that the item will be rare. The note is interesting and a nice addition to a collection. But the question is whether a collector is willing to pay extra for stamps with a note from the Agent-General of Victoria to an unidentified person. I think the answer to that question lies in where you discovered it, and that is reflected by SG not showing interest in the item beyond the stamps themselves.

It could well be the stamps are worth more on their own, as they, safely, can be put in an album.

The London Philatelist, the monthly journal of The Philatelic Society, London, was not impressed with the issue of these stamps.
From Issue No. 103, February, 1900:

The Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria was also unimpressed, announcing a letter of protest in The London Philatelist, March, 1900:

This protest was given the nod of approval by The London Philatelist: