Public Auction #186 - Postal Stationary

1d+1d rose with the message-half on unsurfaced buff stock & the reply-half on highly surfaced white stock, the reply-half CTO with 'PERTH/23DE12/WESTN AUSTRALIA' cds BW #P20(1)w, Cat $10,000. Ex Ray Kelly. One of the "key" items for a collection of Australian Postal Cards. [The ACSC notes that five examples - of the two variants combined - are recorded in private hands, of which only one - this example - is CTO. Tim Rybak's unused example sold for $7475 at our auction of 24/5/2008. At that time it was priced in the Australian Stamp Catalogue at $3000]

John Sinfield notes that JB Cooke printed 13,440 reply cards by a print & turn method that resulted in 50% of the printing having the unsurfaced face & 50% having the surfaced face. Only 7200 cards were distributed, all of them to Western Australia. The balance were retained in stock in Melbourne. No postally used example is recorded and it is almost certain that these cards were never issued.