The EA & VI Crome collection consists of some 20,000 items of postage stamps featuring airmail and space philately plus a large number of envelopes flown and posted back to Mr Crome. Many are signed by the pilots or astronauts.

Ernest Alfred Crome (1902-1987) worked his way up from office boy to manager of the Newtown & Enmore Starr Bowkett Co-operative Building Society. In the 1920s when aviation at nearby Mascot Airport was in its infancy he gave envelopes to pilots to sign and post back to him seeing them as 'miniature log books' of these early experimental flights. It was not until 1939 that he married his wife, Virtie, who continued to encourage him in his hobby.

Ernie Crome went on to form one of the first 'aerophilatelic' collections and may be considered as the joint father of Australian aerophilately, Nelson Eustis (of airmail catalogue fame) being the other. Ernie sold his first collection to the National Library in Canberra in 1965 ('the Crome collection') but soon began to build another. He had made his first donation to the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences in 1949 so it was logical for him to continue and 'The EA & VI Crome collection' is made up of a large purchase in 1981 plus many other donations.

The particular strength of Ernie's collection is early Australian aviation from 1910 to 1939. It contains many envelopes posted back to him from private fliers as well as the more famous. Two large selections trace the flights of CTP Ulm and PG Taylor and the Catalina 'Frigate Bird II' was donated by Taylor to the Museum in 1953 at Ernie's instigation. Ernie had been friendly with Taylor since the latter's heroic exploit when he climbed onto the wing of the 'Southern Cross' in 1935 and transferred oil from one engine to the other to save the plane. Much of the airmail carried on that flight was jettisoned but Ernie Crome managed to collect some of the few which survived!

Ernie Crome also saw the space age as a logical development from aviation and he continued to collect space stamps and covers. He was also a noted collector of music, in particular the violin, and he also donated to the museum in this field.

The space stamps were issued in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics between 1957 and 1980.

The music, dance and performing arts stamps were issued in a variety of countries and territories including the United Kingdom, Japan, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua, Cuba, Australia, United States of America, France, Monaco, Germany, Brazil, Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Uruguay, Liberia, Mongolia, Turkey, Nepal, India, Israel, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Austria, Guinee (Republic of Guinea), British Solomon Islands, East Germany, the Spanish province of Ifni, Guinea Espanola (Republic of Equatorial Guinea), Singapore, French Polynesia, Papua and New Guinea, Sverige (Sweden), Hungary (Magyar Posta), North Vietnam, Republic of Dahomey, Romania, Poland, Greece, Shqiperia (Albania), the Republic of Maldives, Rwanda, Suriname, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, Republic of China, Czechoslovakia, Korea, Israel, Nigeria, Burundi, Bhutan, Samoa, Granada, Italy, Indonesia, Finland, Norge (Norway), Martinique, Monserrat, Barbuda, Canada, People's Republic of the Congo and Togo.

The music and performing arts stamps were made between 1884 and 1979.

Two of the stamp albums were made by Lighthouse in Western Germany, date unknown. The other two albums are maker unknown.

Philatelic albums (4), containing stamps about the Russian space program, music and the performing arts, paper / cardboard / plastic, stamps issued in various countries, 1884-1980

Four philatelic albums containing stamps relating to the Russian space program, music, dance, the performing arts, Christmas and various monarchs.

Red stamp album, with gold decoration, containing postage stamps relating to the Russian space program. There are 239 stamps, in colour, of different size and spanning a variety of years. The stamps feature illustrations of spacecraft and satellites, planets, Russian astronauts, the Soviet flag, the Communist hammer and sickle and Vladirmir Lenin.

Black stamp album, with gold decoration, containing postage stamps relating to music, dance and the performing arts. There are 259 stamps, in colour, of different size and spanning a variety of years. The stamps feature illustrations of scenes from plays, Japanese actors in traditional costume, Jamaican dance, people in carnival costume, ballet dancers, Dame Nellie Melba, jazz performers, American composers, musical instruments, Cuban musicians, Wagner's Opera, the centenary of the Bolivian anthem, composers from Ecuador, scenes from Mongolian theatre and dance, and Indian dance. Six stamps are telephone stamps. There are handwritten notes next to some of the stamps that describe the stamps and their date of issue.

Brown stamp album, containing postage stamps relating to music. The album has gold decoration and is labelled 'Music and the Violin Family'. There are 486 stamps, in colour, of different size and spanning a variety of years. The stamps feature illustrations of musical instruments, people playing instruments and music composers. There are handwritten notes next to some of the stamps that describe the stamps and their date of issue. A page of handwritten notes is inside the front cover.

Red stamp album, with gold decoration, containing postage stamps relating to music, literature and the performing arts. There are 457 stamps, in colour, of different size and spanning a variety of years. The stamps feature illustrations of musical instruments, music composers and conductors, stage actresses, architects, authors, scenes from literature and the stage and dancers in traditional dress. There are also some Christmas stamps and stamps with heads of state. There are handwritten notes next to some of the stamps that describe the stamps and their date of issue.

Made: 1884 - 1980

No marks

A8434

1884 - 1980