Parcel tags and labels

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that according to the logic that if anything exists it will be kept by somebody, parcel tags and labels are now collector's items. In some cases they are worth "astonishing amounts of money."

According to the paper, "Underneath most big city railway stations is a labyrinth of dimly lit tunnels where small red tractors used to drag around wicker baskets on wheels full of brown-paper parcels to be loaded onto trains."

"Each of those parcels had its own label or tag with an address, a series of stamps and stickers to ensure prompt and accurate delivery."

Shown above is a rare two-shilling first watermark stamp and associated stickers and labels. This exceptional piece of postal history was sent from Tasmania to Switzerland in 1913. It's now worth more than $10,000.

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