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The James Kelly Collection of Postal History

We recall writing an article twenty years or so ago discussing the “story behind the stamp.” It is an aspect of the hobby often overlooked. While it has long been recognised that medal collectors, for example, are interested in the personal story of the medal’s recipient, this is not so much the case with stamp collecting.

Stamps tend to be viewed as discrete entities which can be identified, catalogued and valued, depending on scarcity, condition, and desirability. Any personal connection, or story behind the collection, is often overlooked.

With items of postal history however, things are a little different. Establishing “worth” is not straightforward, and this idea of “story” becomes important. The actual stamp itself can become a secondary consideration. We are interested in the journey the stamp made, the scribbles and markings on the envelope, perhaps the addressee or sender themselves. In fact, there are a multitude of things to consider.

And we imagine too, in days gone by, a letter received from an exotic and distant land could trigger one’s curiosity and fuel a newly discovered passion for philately. These were days long before affordable flight travel or easy internet brought us access to faraway places.

Sadly, as fewer people even use stamps anymore, let alone send handwritten postcards or letters, this notion of postal history becomes increasingly remote. So, it is rewarding when a collection comes through which, along with the usual stamp albums, includes a wide variety of interesting covers from all around the world. And even more so when many of these covers were addressed to the collector himself, or his family members, from over a hundred years ago. One wonders if one of these letters from overseas was indeed the initial seed which laid foundation to the fascinating result which now presents itself, the Postal History Collection of James Kelly.

There are letters, postcards and covers from all around the globe, including India, China, Australia, and the French Somali Coast. Lovely items addressed to James and his family dating back a century or more.

We thought it would be fitting to name this collection, and to put together a list of contents, including individual covers and small groups, to allow others the opportunity to become the next custodians, and ensure that James’ work and hobby is recognised and remembered. Below is a short biography of James, provided by his loving daughter and family.

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Mr James Kelly

 

James John Kelly, or Jim as he was generally known, was born in Bristol on 25 July 1931 and died on 15 July 2024 just a few days shy of his 93rd birthday. His father was James Edward Kelly, and his mother was Daisy Elsie Kelly, nee Bromfield. Jim spent his early years in Bristol where his father was working for the railway. But the family relocated to Chudleigh in Devon which was the home of the Kelly family. Jim’s Grandfather was a potter and ran the Big Jug China shop in Chudleigh.

 

Jim started his early schooling in Chudleigh but then his secondary school was in Exeter. Jim would have travelled up to Exeter by train every day, which could have started his love of trains and anything railway connected. He began his early career on the Teign Valley Railway line at Heathfield station and then moved on to Newton Abbot Station where he met his wife, Julia. They were married in 1954 and went on to have four children. They lived at Bromfield Chudleigh, a house that Jim’s Father had built in 1938, later relocating to the village Hennock.

 

Jim was an avid collector from an early age and inherited a love of stamp collecting from his father. He was a late child for his Father and Mother and had a much older stepsister, so he was brought up mostly on his own and became quite a serious boy. So, his various collections became very important to him. Aside from stamps and covers Jim was also an avid railway memorabilia collector. He also had collections of china, maps, flags, tins, pencils, and books. He was very interested in the history of Chudleigh and had many old documents and photographs of the village.

 

However, his postal history collection has been the most interesting to discover. Following on from his Father he also found an interest in covers, perhaps more than stamps, and had an extensive and interesting collection He was careful and meticulous in cataloguing and sorting his collections and finds and was delighted to explain to anyone willing to listen, why the covers were so interesting. In his later days, when mobility was difficult for him, he spent long hours in his study, happy with all his collections. After a memorial on 7th August 2024, his ashes were interred in St Mary’s Church yard in Hennock, where his family made sure a small magnifying glass and penknife went with him, as these were items he was never without.

Items for Sale - listed 19/10/24

1. Great Britain. World War II Censored Air Mail Chudleigh to Murree, India December 1941, bearing KGVI 8d and 10d. This cover was redirected to Kohat, Lucknow, Ranchi, Lower Topa before being returned to Chudleigh in May 1942. Multiple backstamps, with the return address printed on reverse as “M Kelly, Glass and China Dealer, 31 Fore Street, Chudleigh,” the shop run by James’ grandfather as mentioned in the introduction. Opened at top and well-travelled!     £30  SOLD

2. Great Britain. GWR Air Service 1933 Teignmouth to Bristol via Haldon to Cardiff. Opened at top, with toning to perforations of 3d GWR vignette, with 1.5d Mackennal. Hand inscription “Teignmouth 26/6/33” to vignette.     £30

3. Great Britain and India. Group of letters and cards addressed to members of the Kelly family, including an attractive1937 India (opened at top) to M. Kelly, The China Shop, Chudleigh, Devon, bearing 3 x KGV Adhesives cancelled “Telephone Saves Time and Money, Karachi”, also 2 x 1951 Festival of Britain Postcards, 1935 Jubilee with interesting Bristol cancels, and Postcard to James Kelly confirming the sender had “made it as you see” to Cranmere Pool, Dartmoor (purple circular hand-stamp to card).     £40

4. Great Britain. Group including railway interest to members of the Kelly family, with 1922 Teign Valley Railway Company Director’s report in 1/2d printed stationary wrapper to “J. Kelly Esq, Chudleigh, Devon”, 1901 and 1935 correspondence with GWR, and others. Mixed condition (9 items).     £40  SOLD

5. Great Britain. Two covers Guildford to a Colonel T(?) Calcutta, August and October 1940. One opened and passed by censor, with triangular cachet. The other marked “not opened by censor.”  Both with “Buy Defence Savings certificates” boxed on reverse. A nice contrasting pair.     £18

6. Great Britain. World War II Airmail to Surgeon G Baker (Dental Surgeon HMS Nile), airmail to Cairo Sept 1943 “GPO Found Open or Damaged and officially secured” strike. Bearing KGVI 7d and 8d definitives.     £20

7. Great Britain. Internal censored cover Shoreham-by-Sea to Cricklewood May 1944. Begs the question, why censored? Possibly German addressee on letter (Mrs S. Wolff) from South Coast, and with D-Day approaching.  Opened at top, some foxing.     £15  SOLD

8. Great Britain. Provincial Airways West Country Air Service 1933 Plymouth to London 3d label tied purple oval, bearing 1.5d and 1d Mackennal heads, and “West of England Air Service” cachet, both front and reverse.     £22  SOLD

9. Great Britain. Group of 12 Line engraved and surface printed covers, including James Kelly family interest 1873 Jersey to Bovey Tracey (“Mr Thomas Kelly, Opposite the School House),” also IR Official 1d Lilac including mourning covers, IR Official 1d lilac redirected 1st Jan 1896 , 1844 Embossed Postal Stationary with Blue Selby strike 1844, Foreign Bill Fiscal used as postage 1894 (address cut out), Mourning Cover with pair 1d Red Plate 188, Internal Bill for China Sylvester Pottery, Burslem to Chesterfield 1875 with 1/2d Plate 13, 1d Red American Line cachet to Cornwall, plus other items of LE and SP. Nice group.     £80  SOLD

10. Great Britain. 1934 Railway Air Service covers x 2, with Belfast to Liverpool, and Isle of Wight to Bristol with Pink Liverpool label “By First Airmail.”     £20

11. Great Britain with Channel Island Interest. Group of 8 items including Bisects, 12th April 1944 2.5d Ultramarine FDI, and others. Mixed condition.     £30

12. Great Britain. Balance of items, noted 1875 cover addressed to Disraeli, (former Prime Minister), also including censors, 1936 Queen Mary First Voyage, Postal Stationary, plenty of standard KGVI including to India with multiples. Very mixed condition. 66 items. Useful lot.     £100  SOLD

13. Austria. Interesting Airmail from Austria to Hooper & Wollen, Torquay, opened by censor in 1949, several years after the end of WWII thus interesting. Opened at top, foxing to stamps.     £12

14. Barbados. 3 covers from KGVI, including a tidy FDC 21st April 1947 of SG 264 One Penny Overprint in pair.     £20

15. Belgian Congo. A group of 4 Periodic Wrappers to Ashford, dated 1950-1951, with Oil palms, Native masks and Carvings.     £30

16. Bermuda. Group of 4 x 1940s censor covers including KGVI Key Types.     £50  SOLD

17. Brazil. Group of 4 with 3 x Condor / Graf Zeppelin Airmails, to London and Frankfurt Germany, plus 1877 mourning (front only and torn) to Tunbridge Wells, bearing pair of 1866 200 Reis Black. Mixed condition.     £50  SOLD

18. China. Group of covers including Airmail Commercial cover Canton to London 5 March 1937, with note, “very tatty, rescued from Junk box!”  damaged but quite striking, plus Junks, Dr Sun Yat-Sen issues, a few Hong Kong.     £145   SOLD

19. Egypt. A group of 7 Airmails and covers including a WWII Registered to Alexandria to Calcutta British Censored.     £30  SOLD

20. France. Group of 4 early covers, with 20c Napoleon issues, plus Marseille to Gravesend 23 Jun 1883, with 25 cent peace and Commerce, Gravesend thimble strike 25th June on reverse, together with letter from SS Avoca, seaman to his mother.     £25  SOLD

21. French Somali Coast. Registered cover Djibouti to Beyrouth 7th November 1922, redirected Rosario Argentina. With strikes Beyrouth 17 November 22, Buenos Aires 22 December 22, and Rosario 23 December 22 on reverse.     £20

22. Germany. Group of 12 covers from the 1930s and 1940s, including registered Airmails, Hindenburg Luft post, and some internal censors.     £50  SOLD

23. Germany. Thurn and Taxis 1857 to Birmingham, very attractive and colourful with 5 adhesives but front only and with tears.     £30

24. India. 1893 Embossed registered Cover Sultanpur to London, addressee “Her Majesty the Queen” with “Too Late” strike on reverse.     £25

25. India. Group of 9 KGV and KGVI WWII censors, various marking.     £18  SOLD

26. Poland. Post WWII Airmail to Polish Forces London 4th October 1945, redirected with pair of Warsaw Liberation 5z red, unopened but censor in blue, together with a 1982 censor cover, a reminder that postal censorship in Europe continued long after the end of WWII. Tatty, opened at top and left-hand side. Together with WWII 1945 Registered Airmail.     £20  SOLD

27. Russia. Registered cover Riga to Calcutta 1915 Russian Heroes, reverse Hong Kong strike 3 may, Tuticorin strike 22 May, Calcutta strike 25 May 1915. Posted 26th of March and much travelled condition!     £30  SOLD

28. Russia. Group of 9 covers from the 1930s to London.     £30  SOLD

29. Russia. Two items of late nineteenth century Postal Stationary 1884 and 1891.     £10

30. Sudan. Group of three with 1944 Railway cover, 1915 Sudan Railway TPO, and 1941 Sudan censor in green.     £25  SOLD

31. USA. SS Queen Mary First Voyage to England. 2 covers.     £10

32. USA. Group of 13 covers including WWII censors, some flight interest.     £30  SOLD

33. Mixed Lot. Group of 15 censor covers including WW1 and WWII, interest in Spain.     £30  SOLD

34. Mixed Lot. Group of 18 censor covers including WW1 and WWII, with interest in South America, mixed condition.     £40  SOLD

35. Mixed lot. Balance of censor covers and others (foreign and overseas), mixed condition.     £30

36. Mixed lot. Balance of censor covers and others (foreign and overseas), mixed condition.     £30

37. Mixed lot. Balance of censor covers and others (Australia and British Commonwealth), mixed condition.     £30  SOLD

38. Mixed lot. Balance of censor covers and others (British Commonwealth), mixed condition.     £30

39. Mixed lot. Balance of censor covers and others (world), mixed condition.     £30

40. Mixed lot. Balance of censor covers and others (world), mixed condition.     £30

41.  Postcards. A delightful album offered intact, housing a collection of approximately 270 cards, many Greetings and Subject cards, but includes some RP including Norton Fitzwarren, Torquay Pavilion, Chelsea pageant and so on.     £270

42. Postcards. Ring binder, with a range of general subjects and views. Mostly GB KEVII and KGV period.     £30  SOLD

43. Postcards. Ring binder, overseas with Greece, USA, Japan, mostly early 20th century period, with a range of subjects and views.     £40  SOLD

44. Postcards. Ring binder, early twentieth century, British Commonwealth countries including Ceylon, India, Malta, with a range of subjects and views.     £40  SOLD

45. Postcards. Ring binder, overseas with Belgium, France, Germany, early 20th century, with a range of subjects and views.     £40

46. Postcards. Ring binder. Mostly GB KEVII and KGV, general subjects and views, cards in mixed condition.     £30

47. Postcards. Ring binder. Mostly GB KEVII and KGV and Germany, condition a little mixed.     £25

48. Postcards. Ring binder. Mostly GB and KEVII and KGV including some censors with markings, interesting.     £40  SOLD

49. Postcards. Shoebox of modern postcards, plus qty general commercial mail.     £20

50. Stamps and covers. The stamp collection of James offered intact, in effectively 6 volumes, plus others and covers including interesting Austrian. General ranges of stamps, very nicely presented, with main value in one alum including 2 x 1d Blacks, and British Commonwealth ranges including 2x Cape Triangulars etcetera.     £230  SOLD

Postage and Packing: All items will be well packed and sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery. A total flat rate of £10 will be charged for each shipment regardless of the number items purchased. We aim to post within 3 working days.

Returns Policy: Single items can be returned within 14 days of purchase, but please contact us to advise. Collections and mixed lots cannot be returned due to the very nature of the material.

Orders please to tim@fenstonstamps.com, including item number and return telephone number for payment. Orders will be dealt with on a first come / first served basis. If an item has already been sold and not yet marked as such, we will notify you by return. 

Thank you for your interest, and for helping to keep this wonderful hobby alive!

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