H. L. White Postage Stamp Collection, 1838-1913

H. L. White Postage Stamp Collection

fonds

1838-1913

Philatelic Records, Prints

825523

352 trays in 8 cabinets and 1 album of postage stamps and philatelic material - printed - 315 x 133.5 x 70 cm (cabinets)

Henry Luke White (1860-1927) began collecting stamps in 1871 but spent much of his life managing the family estates of Edinglassie and Belltrees in the Hunter Valley. He became a noted ornithologist and philatelist and with guidance from Sydney stamp-dealer Fred Hagen, he began building an extensive specialised collection of postage stamps from all the Australian colonies in that year.

In May 1917 H. L. White donated his valuable collection of New South Wales postage and duty stamps to the Mitchell Library. He later donated the stamps of Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania. It is a rich and extensive collection and contains many rarities and specially fine copies. It was a condition of the gift that the Trustees of the Library should properly house and display the collection. Cabinets of Queensland maple were custom made and fitted with glass topped slides. The collection was officially opened by the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir William Cullen on January 23, 1918.

The emphasis in White’s collection is on New South Wales stamps, beginning with the 1838 pre-stamped letter sheets (embossed covers) and the ‘Sydney Views’ stamps of 1850 through to 1913, when the printing and issue of postage stamps became the responsibility of the Commonwealth. The collection also includes sets of Queensland and Western Australian issues including the extremely rare fourpenny blue ‘inverted swan’. The ‘Sydney Views’ series consists of some six hundred and twenty five stamps in many colours and varieties, both used and unused and includes the first NSW adhesive postage stamps which were issued in January 1850. Other collection highlights include the Laureate issues of 1851-1856 featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria, the Diadem series, Postal Union series, the Jubilee issue and Commonwealth stamps before Federation, including a ninepenny stamp printed on Victorian paper, punctured stamps, ‘Postage Due’ stamps of 1891-1902, rare ‘Telegraph’ stamps and a range of Fiscals. Another strength of the collection is the number of postage errors represented.

The 1938 embossed covers included in this collection are addressed to Richard Connor, Dr Bland, Henry Parkes and Messrs Cooper Bros. The Henry Parkes cover is a 1838 pre-paid letter sheet embossed with the GPO seal for used in the Sydney Town Post and used in 1848. See Slide 1

The stamps are housed in 8 cabinets of Queensland maple each holding four columns of horizontal sliding trays. There are eleven trays in each tier and 352 trays in all. The stamps are arranged by state of which there are 4 cabinets allocated for New South Wales, 2 cabinets for Queensland, 1 cabinet for Tasmania and Western Australia and another cabinet solely for Western Australia. Slides 164-176 ; 260-264 are empty.

SERIES 01
H. L. White Postage Stamp Collection of New South Wales stamps, 1838-1913

SERIES 02
H. L. White Postage Stamp Collection of Queensland stamps

SERIES 03
H. L. White Postage Stamp Collection of Tasmanian stamps

SERIES 04
H. L. White Postage Stamp Collection of Western Australian stamps

SERIES 05
H. L. White Postage Stamp Collection album of New South Wales duty stamps, 1865-1881

F.W. Hill catalogue of the H. L. White stamp collection. Sydney, 1958, is available on open access in the Mitchell Library Reading Room at REF 1/Q339.3/H. The catalogue is arranged by the slide or tray number under each state. All particulars in the F. W. Hill catalogue have been taken from Stanley Gibbons' priced catalogue of postage stamps, London : Stanley Gibbons Ltd, 1944.

Contents list of the H.L. White postage stamp collection. Sydney : W.A. Gullick, 1918 located at ML 339.3/M ¶¶The Australian Philatelist, 23 (10) (1917) located at ML 339.3/M ¶¶The art of collecting national heritage : the letters of Henry Luke White, 1910-1913 compiled by Judy White. Scone : Seven Press, 2006 ¶¶Treasures of the State Library of New South Wales : Australiana collections by Anne Robertson. Sydney : Collins, 1988.

Nelson Meers Foundation Heritage Collection - State Library of New South Wales