Edward VIII Stamps of Australia
A large article about Proposed Edward VIII Stamps of Australia is published in the October issue of Gibbons Stamp Monthly.
The short reign of Edward VIII in 1936 represented a constitutional time bomb caused by the king’s determination to marry his sweetheart, Wallis Simpson. In common with many British Empire postal administrations, the Australian Post Ofice made extensive preparations for a series of Edward VIII stamps. Everything came to an abrupt end with the abdication, but in Australia’s case there was a complication. A block of six 2d. Edward VIII stamps had been presented to a British philatelist and it could not be retrieved for destruction. The unique block of six stamps had been part of the Vestey Collection for 60 years when it was publicly exhibited for the rst time in 1996. Up to this stage, practically no one had any inkling these remarkable stamps existed. It took 60 years for the story to emerge. Now the unique block is to be offered for auction on 16 October...