The 2½d denomination paid the foreign letter rate.
Good covers with the 2½d (2/6) stamp are scarce although there are a reasonable number of covers offered each year by the Auction Houses and on sites like Ebay and Delcampe. Many covers are in poor condition with rust spots, stains tears or folds. Good covers are those with at least a semblance of being used postally in the correct way.
As noted previously, the postal validity of the Consumptives Home stamps ended on 31 August 1897.
The covers are grouped as follows:
2½d (2/6) only:
- First Day Cover;
- covers with single franking together with a listing of known covers with a single 2½d (2/6) franking;
- covers franked with multiple stamps;
2½d (2/6) in mixed frankings:
- mixed franking covers - the 2½d stamp with stamps from another issue.
Both NSW Charity stamps together on cover:
- combination frankings of both the NSW 1897 Charity stamps;
- mixed frankings of both the NSW 1897 Charity stamps with another issue.
First Day Cover (the real day of issue?).
The 2½d (2/6) Charity stamps was released on Monday 28 June 1897 - about a week after the 1d (1/-) stamp had been issued. The following cover therefore poses an interesting dilemma:.
22 June 1897.
Cancellation of 22 June is therefore the same day as the 1d (1/-) stamp was issued.
Franking overpays the local letter rate of 1d by 1½d.
Provenance: Cherrystone May 2007 Lot 1852;
Cherrystone July 2013 Lot 865.
- the stamp was in stock at Park Street and was sold to Mr. Shaw prematurely;
- the date stamp was turned back to 22 June to frank the 1d cover and used accidently on the 2½d cover.
There are 33 covers recorded with a single franking of the 2½d (2/6):
- five covers appear to be genuine uses of the stamp to pay the 2½d UPU foreign letter rate - to Sweden, to England, to Germany, to Ireland and to Scotland;
- other covers are clearly philatelic and "constructed" by collectors or stamp dealers. These covers were used locally within Sydney except for two which were used at Broken Hill (also for local delivery).
- one cover may have overpaid the 1897 inter-colonial letter rate;
- three of the recorded covers are outside the period of being valid for postage including one cover sent around the world (but well outside the period of postal validity).
Covers sent to an overseas destination.
Sydney to Helsingborg, Sweden.
Has arrival date stamp on reverse of Sassnitz-Trelleborg of 9.9.97.
Is a good example of a genuinely used cover paying the correct rate.
Stamp is # 29 in the sheet - Row 5, stamp 5.
Nutmeg Lot 4867 September 2006.
Sydney 10 to London, England.
Has a West Kent back stamp of 9 August 1897.
Flap is embossed with a ROYAL NAVY DEPOT/ SYDNEY seal in blue.
Stamp is number 3 in the sheet - the top row, number 3 and it has a major flaw on the M of Consumptives.
Provenance: Chartwell Collection (Spink, May 2018, Lot 64).
Sydney 10 to London, England.
Has a West Kent back stamp of 9 August 1897.
Provenance: Abacus November 2019, Lot 1522.
See also the companion cover for the 1d (1/-) stamp.
Jindera to Hamburg, Germany.
Has Albury transit backstamp on the same date as well as
a German arrival backstamp at Hamburg of 1 August 1897.
Is a good example of a genuinely used cover paying the correct rate.
Stamp is number 17 in the sheet - row 3, stamp 5 and there is a blue dot between the N and Y of PENNY.
Provenance: Matthew Bennett February 2003 Lot 565;
Prestige August 2012 Lot 269.
Kiama (Barred "25" rays) to Kingstown Ireland.
Has a Kiama backstamp of 18 July and transit backstamp of Sydney the following day. Also has a Kingstown arrival backstamp of ?7 August 1897. Is a good example of a genuinely used cover paying the correct rate.
Stamp is number 11 on the sheet - row 2, stamp 5.
Provenance: Matthew Bennett February 2003 Lot 565;
Prestige August 2012 Lot 269.
Another cover is known which, although in very bad condition, shows without doubt a genuine usage:
The cover was redirected via Tahoma, Washington
(21 April) then to Montreal, Canada (2 May) but it
could not be delivered and so it was ultimately returned
via Liverpool (10 May), Bradford, Yorks (15 May)
and Brussells (17 May) - where it "had a holiday"
until 3 June - before returning to Sydney (14 September)
and thence to the Dead Letter Office
in Sydney (16 September).
Examples of covers overpaying the local letter rate (within the period of postal validity):
See below for the list of known covers with single frankings of the 2½d. (2/6).
Sydney to Elizabeth Street, City.
Addressed to Fred Hagen who was one of Sydney's first and most influential stamp dealers.
Overfranking by 1½d for a local letter.
Provenance: Ebay (techgifts) October 2014, September 2018.
Edgecliff to Bathurst.
Overfranking for a intra-colonial letter.
Corinphila Nov. 2025 Lot 5020 (The Cowling Collection).
Plain cover to Mr. Burgoyne cancelled at The Exchange with a Barred Numeral 113 duplex and sent to Sydney.
Overfranking by 1½d for a local letter.
Provenance: Grosvenor, April 2017, Lot 119 and September 2017, Lot 294.
3 July 1897 with Star BN 182 cancellation plus two usual postal cancels.
Overfranking by 1½d for a local letter.
ACE Auctions, November 2021.
(Blumenthal was a well known stamp collector in the day).
Mosman, NSW for local delivery addressed to Mrs Arthur.
Provenance: Prestige August 2012 Lot 266 and in August 2013 Lot 359 then
in Abacus November 2019, Lot 1521. and again in February 29 2024, Lot 541.
To Mrs Arthur (in the usual format).
The date stamp extends beyond the top of the cover with
the 1348 duplex cancelling the stamp in the TLC; the stamp is affixed straight.
Provenance: Grosvenor Auctions September 2025, Lot 282
and Grosvenor March 2026, Lot 307.
Cover with a single franking sent from The Exchange to Darling Point.
Overfranking by 1½d for a local letter.
Addressee bears a striking resemblance to the person nominated on the Berry cover below.
Provenance: Ebay February 2011.
Petersham for local delivery (a long cover).
Provenance: Prestige Auctions August 2012 Lot 268 and May 2014 Lot 1336.
Longueville for local delivery.
On pre-printed registered envelope with 3d prepaid registration fee which
was paid with the printed stamp image on the flap on the reverse side.
The franking is therefore overpaid by 1½d.
Provenance: Ebay (techgifts) March 2016.
A summary of the covers a single 2½d (2/6) stamp:/p>
- 22 June 1897 with a Park Street 924 duplex to Park Street, Sydney.
Provenance: Cherrystone May 2007 Lot 1852; Cherrystone March 2009 Lot 1075; Cherrystone July 2013 Lot 865. - 29 June 1897 Sydney 3 NSW duplex. Elizabeth Street, City (to Fred Hagen).
The date stamp and duplex are upside down with the duplex clear of the stamp.
Provenance: Ebay (techgifts) October 2014, Sydney 41 September 2018. - 2 July 1897 Sent to Bathurst and cancelled with an Edgecliff 890 duplex.
Provenance: Corinphila (The Cowling Collection) November 2025 Lot 5020. - 2 July 1897 Cover with a single stamp sent to Mrs Arthur at Mosman. Provenance Matthew Bennett February 2003 Lot 567.
- 3 July 1897 Cover with a single stamp sent to Mrs Arthur at Mosman.
- 3 July 1897 cancelled with Sydney duplex sent to Helsingborg. Has an arrival date stamp at Sassnitz-Trelleborg on 9 September 1897.
Provenance: Nutmeg Lot 4867 September 2006. - 3 July 1897 Cover sent to Cuthbert Burgoyne and cancelled with a The Exchange 113 duplex and
sent to the Hotel Metropole in Sydney. - 3 July 1897 Cover to Mr. Blumenthal with two strikes of the usual Newtown canceller (one tying the stamp to the cover)
and a star BN 182. Provenance: ACE Auctions November 2021. - 3 July 1897 on cover to to Mr. C von F(?)reehnen with a Sydney 10 NSW duplex to the right and across part of the stamp and sent to Box 140 GPO.
Provenence: Millenium April 2018 Lot 25. - 3 July 1897 on cover postmarked at Newcastle and for local delivery to H. C. Brown at Scott Street Newcastle. Stamp has two selvedges showing it is from position 30.
Cover has a horizontal crease under the stamp.
Provenance: Ebay (techgifts) Dec 2018. - 5 July 1897 Cover with a single stamp sent to Mrs Arthur at Mosman. Date stamp extends beyond top of cover but the 1348 duplex cancels the stamp in the TLC; the stamp is affixed straight.
Provenance: Millennium February 2005 Lot 50; Grosvenor September 2025, Lot 282 and March 2026, Lot 307. - 5 July 1897 on cover to Mrs Arthur on Military Road. The date stamp is within the cover and the duplex extends to the top perfs. The stamp is rotated slightly counterclockwise.
Provenance: Corinphila November 2017 Lot 6127 and Corinphila Sale 235, June 2019, Lot 3531. - 5 July 1897 From Sydney sent to Mr. Dent in England and cancelled with a Sydney duplex (faint). Has a West Kent back stamp of 9 August 1897.
Provenance: Chartwell Collection (Spink, May 2018, Lot 64). - 5 July 1897 Mourning cover sent from Sydney to Mrs Reynolds Edinburgh, Scotland and cancelled with a faint Sydney 10 date stamp. Provenance: Abacus November 2019, Lot 1522.
- 6 July 1897 on a cover with a Ashfield duplex 193 to Master J. F. Stephen for local delivery at Ashfield.
Provenance: Millenium February 2005 Lot 49 and Ebay (techgifts) December 2017. - 8 July 1897 Cover to Cyril Giles with a single 2½d (2/6) stamp cancelled with an Exchange duplex 1134 and sent to Darling Point.
- 9 July 1897 on cover sent to G. H. Gordon and tied with a Sydney 36 NSW duplex at 11:00 am for local GPO delivery. SYDNEY etc is double printed; S (of NSW) is to the left side of the perforations.
- 9 July 1897 on cover sent to G. H. Gordon and tied with a Sydney 36 NSW duplex for local GPO delivery. SYDNEY is clear of the stamp; S (of NSW) is cut by the left side perforations. Provenance: Spink July 2017 Lot 477.
- 11 July 1897 on cover addressed to H. B. Bilborough at Craigmounting, Burwood and tied with a Burwood 201 duplex
at 10:50. The date stamp is faint and incomplete. The stamp is rotated 90 degrees.
Provenance: Spink Auction 16030, Lot 1017. Stanley Gibbons, October 2017. - 12 July 1897 on cover from Jindera to Hamburg with three strikes although none the stamp to the cover. Does have an intermediate transit stamp at Albury and a German arrival backstamp at Hamburg of 1 August 1897. Provenance: Matthew Bennett February 2003 Lot 565; Prestige August 2012 Lot 269.
- 18 July 1897 From Kiama to Kingstown, Ireland with Barred 25 Rays of Kiama.
Provenance: Matthew Bennett February 2003 Lot 565; Prestige August 2012 Lot 269. - 28 July 1897 on cover from Newtown to Stanmore. The stamp is in the top left corner just overhanging the top edge.
It is clearly a "contrived cover". The date stamp in the top right of the stamp is Newtown JY 28/5 40 pm/97
and it appears to tie the stamp to the cover. There is also a Petersham 303 duplex across the stamp
with the right side of the duplex tied to the cover. The date stamp has the date JY 15/3 PM/97.
On the reverse there is a two line Petersham date stamp of AU 5/97. - 11 August 1897 with a Broken Hill 1331 duplex on cover for local delivery.
Provenance: Matthew Bennett Feb 2003 Lot 561; Millennium April 2003 Lot 543. - 23 August 1897 with the stamp tied by a Hurstville duplex 1127 for local delivery.
- 23 August 1897 on a cover addressed to Mr. C. A. Gilles. The stamp is tied by an Edgecliff duplex
for local delivery at the Edgecliff Post Office (the cover probably never made it to the back room).
Provenance: (Amazing!!) Spink Sale February 2013 Lot 685 (the Hutson Collection). - 24 August 1897 tied to a cover for local delivery with a Greenwich with 1207 Barred Numeral duplex. Provenance: Status Auctions May 2006 Lot 1299 and Ebay (techgifts) December 2018.
- 25 August 1897 used at Edgecliff for local delivery. Provenance: David Feldman Geneva Sept. 2013 Lot 41228.
- 27 August 1897 used on a cover to Miss. E. P. Bedford at Petersham on a cover for local delivery.
Provenance: Prestige August 2012 Lot 278 and Prestige May 2014 Lot 1336. - 30 August 1897 used on a cover addressed to Master Stephen and tied with an Ashfield BN duplex 193 for local delivery. Provenance: Millennium February 2005 Lot 49.
- 31 August 1897 on cover addressed to Mr. D. L. Perston and tied with a Broken Hill Barred Numeral 1331 for local delivery.
Provenance: Ebay March 2017. - 23 (or 28) December 1897 used on cover addressed to F. B. Levick with Longueville date stamp for local delivery. Provenance: Ebay March 2015.
- 1897 - details unclear - Cover sent from Stdney to Toowoomba. Provenance: Cherrystone, July 2006, Lot 1327.
- 24 March 1899 The mistreated cover which went around the world for 2½d (2/6)!!!
Beyond postal validity.
Four covers are known with just the two 2½d (2/6) Charity stamps. Two of these are pairs and the other two have two singles.
Date unclear.
The pair pay the registered intra-colonial rate.
Rare use of a pair on cover.
Provenance: Prestige Philately August 2012, Lot 270. Status Auctions December 2012, Lot 1748.
Sent from Berry to Sydney.
Two single 2½d (2/6) Charity stamps well tied to the cover with 337 rays numeral cancellation.
The right stamp is # 9 (row 2, stamp 3) and shows the flaw
of the G of POSTAGE being almost closed as to appear as an O.
5d registered intra-colonial rate (3d registration fee and 2d postage)
Provenance: Matthew Bennett February 2003, Lot 564;
Millennium Auctions April 2003 Lot 544.
Sent from Sydney to London.
Two single 2½d (2/6) Charity stamps tied to the front of a cover with Sydney 10 cancellations.
5d overseas double rate.
Provenance: techgifts (Mike Berry) September 2017.
In addition to these three covers with multiples of the 2½d (2/6) stamps, there is also a fourth cover with multiples of the 2½d (2/6) NSW Charity stamps.
It is a legal size cover with a Registered Sydney c.d.s. tying a horizontal pair and sent to Melbourne dated 30 June, 1897 (3rd day of issue). The cover has relevant backstamps.
Provenance: Matthew Bennett February 2003 Lot 568) - never seen since.
There are only five covers with a single 2½d (2/6) stamp and stamps from another issue. Two of these covers were sent to England while three were sent to Queensland.
Sent from Oxford Street to the S.S. Stuttgart which was berthed in Circular Quay.
A single 2½d (2/6) Charity stamp plus a 2½d Prussian blue (Die II) Queen Victoria
from the Jubilee issue tied with a Oxford Street 699 duplex a cover which has
a Registration number 18 the the top left corner and a related written annotation
in the lower left corner.
The combination of the to stamps paid the 5d registered local letter rate.
Provenance: Prestige Philately April 2009, Lot 354.
The corresponding cover with a 1d (1/-) Charity stamp is included elsewhere.
The five mixed franking covers with a single 2½d (2/6) Charity stamp together with stamps from another issue which have been sighted are:
- 2 July 1897 Charity stamp and a 2½d (Die 2) Jubilee tied by an Oxford Street dulex and sent to the SS Stuttgart at Circular Quay.
Provenance: Prestige, April 2009 Lot 354. - 2 July 1897 Charity stamp and 1d Arms (on reverse) cancelled with Enfield "189" rays (in TRC of stamp) on plain cover sent to Toowoomba.
Provenance: Matthew Bennett February 2003 Lot 562 and Cherrystone September 2006 Lot 1327. - 24 July 1897 2½d (2/6) Charity stamp pair plus 2d Jubilee and pair of ½d grey with Dulwich Hill 1373 barred numeral sent to Miss Maude Posseby in Harroldtown near Brisbane, Qld,
Provenance: Millennium February 2005 Lot 73. - 6 February 1899 Charity stamp with 3d green diadem (under the Charity at right) sent from William Street to Derby England. Provenance: Nutmeg September 2006 Lot 4857.
- No date decipherable - 1897 Charity with a 2½d Jubilee sent registered from Sydney to Rockhampton.
Provenance: Matthew Bennett February 2003 Lot 566.