Prisoner's Letter Port Arthur, A fine strike of the rare 'Prisoner's Letter Port Arthur [crown]' handstamp, with mss date '3/7/61' applied on a 1d vermilion stamp of Van Diemen's Land. Offered together with Tinsley's 'Tasmania - Stamps and Postal History' [1986] which records only two on complete letters. A total of fewer than 6 examples known. This marking was used during the 1850's & 1860's on letters sent by convicts at Port Arthur in Tasmania. The mark was applied by the Commandant to signify that he had perused the letter and authorised the onward transmission (i.e. a form of censorship). By 1871 most of the convicts had been transferred to other jails and by 1877 Port Arthur was closed.