CORINPHILA AUCTIONS 297 - 308 Day 3

Postal Stationery 1915: Essay for ½ d. Star design for postal stationery envelopes, hand-drawn and painted by J.E. Wilby, painted in British racing green shade with the scrolling, hair and shading in pale blue-grey and values and head-plate picked out in Chinese white on card (87 x 89 mm.), endorsed at side by J.B. Cooke: "Approved design for ½, 1d. + 2d. / envelopes. Treasury Memo 15/13529 / J.B.C. / 1/9/15""First Impression 29-10-18" . Overall soiling as this was a working Essay and distributed for approval. Illustrated in Brusden White on page 192. Unique and wonderful and one of, if not the, most important Australian Commonwealth stationery items extant BW EP6(E)1 =  $ 25'000.rnProvenance:  The Samuel Reading archive; Collection Rev. J.C.W. Brown; Collection John Sinfield, Prestige, Melbourne, 22 Nov 2004, lot 495.