Melbourne 1956 Olympics Australian Sports Stamps

Atlanta 1996 Olympics (bid by Melbourne)

Melbourne 1956 | Atlanta 1996 (bid by Melbourne) | Sydney 2000 | Other

On 17 November 1988 Australia chose Melbourne to bid for the 1996 Olympics. 100 organisations joined a club and contributed to finance the bid and in turn were authorised to use the 96 Flame logo. Most members of the Club used the five-colour logo on their letterheads but very few printed it on envelopes.

Life had other plans and a new Olympic city-Atlanta, capital of Georgia in America's south, was born on 18 September 1990 in Tokyo. Rather than let our 1996 Olympic effort vanish with the verdict, we completed and complimented a range of items relating to the 1996 bid. Many scarce items are postmarked on the exact date of the decision to award the Games to Atlanta which was made in Tokyo on 18 September 1990.

Melbourne 1996 Commemorative Covers

Image	Description	Price AU	#	Order
	Australian Post Office, Sports souvenir cover (Cat GP12), 6¾ size (90 mm x 165 mm), over printed in black Olympic City of Melbourne 1956 1996, with sport stamp, postmarked 16 March 1990, Austamp 90*, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, commemorative postmark, 96 serviced.	$12	96MO-01
	Souvenir (event) envelope, 100 mm x 200 mm, with verse from closing song of 1956 Melbourne Olympics in red, 45¢ Sport stamp, postmarked 19 March 1990, Austamp 90, Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra, commemorative postmark, 25 serviced.	$12	96MO-02
	Australian Post Office, first day cover, DL size (110 mm x 220 mm), for Sport Series II, over printed in black with verse from closing song of 1956 Melbourne Olympics, $1.00 (airmail rate to U S A) Melbourne Olympics 56 96 and outline of the MCG* (main stadium of 1956 Olympics) franking machine meter slogan, dated 18 September 1990, 96 serviced.	$25	96MO-03
	Souvenir (event) envelope, 100 mm x 200 mm, with verse from closing song of 1956 Melbourne Olympics in red, 43¢ (local rate) Sport stamp, machine postmark, 18 September 1990, Melbourne Mail Centre, tying 100 Club 1996 full colour official publicity label for use on envelopes, 26 serviced.	$30	96MO-04
	Australian Post Office, Sports souvenir cover (Cat GP12), 6¾ size (90 mm x 165 mm), over printed in black Olympic City of Melbourne 1956í 1996 , $1 Athletics stamp, cancelled 18 September 1990, Philatelic Sales Centre, Melbourne, pictorial postmark, addressed Poste Restante Tokyo, with arrival and returned markings of Tokyo (Japan) and Dandenong (Australia), 13 serviced.	$75	96MO-05
	Australian Post Office, Sports souvenir cover (Cat GP12), 6¾ size (90 mm x 165 mm), over printed in black Olympic City of Melbourne 1956í 1996, $1.20 Sports stamp, cancelled 18 September 1990, GPO Melbourne, pictorial postmark, over printed in black on reverse with IOC ballot details, 30 serviced.	$20	96MO-06
	American First Day Cover Society, general purpose cover (GP3), 6¾ size (90 mm x 165 mm), 43¢ Sport stamp (local rate), cancelled 18 September 1990, GPO Melbourne, pictorial postmark, over printed in black on reverse with IOC ballot details, 50 serviced.	$15	96MO-07
	Souvenir (event) envelope, 6¾ size (90 mm x 165 mm), original design by Geerlings of Salem, Oregon, USA, showing the Melbourne Cricket Ground (main stadium for the 1956 Olympics) with portrait of Martin Luther King Jr and caption 1956 Olympic City Melbourne hopes all the dreams of 1996 Olympic City Atlanta are fully realised!, hand painted in eleven water colours, $1 Athletics stamp (airmail rate to USA), postmarked 18 September 1990, Melbourne GPO, pictorial postmark, with insert, limited numbered edition of 96.	$55	96MO-08

Melbourne 1996 Other Covers

Image	Description	Price AU	#	Order
	Envelope, DL size (110 mm x 220 mm), postage paid imprint, approved by Australia Post on 10 October 1986 for mailings at GPO Melbourne, in red and blue, showing outline of Melbourne Cricket Ground (Main Stadium of the 1956 Olympics), 33 used through the mail to local address.		96M-OC1
	Airmail envelope, DL size (110 mm x 220 mm), postage paid imprint, approved by Australia Post on 10 October 1986 for mailings at GPO Melbourne, in red and blue, showing outline of Melbourne Cricket Ground (Main Stadium of the 1956 Olympics), 31 used through the mail to USA.		96M-OC2
	City of Melbourne envelope, DL size (110 mm x 220 mm), with corner address and arms of the City in blue, 45¢ stamp, machine postmark, 22 September 1990, Melbourne Mail Centre, tying 100 Club 1996 full colour official publicity label for use on envelopes.		96M-OC3

Melbourne 1996 Postcards

Image	Description		Price AU	#	Order
	Melbourne 1956 Olympics official games advertising poster, reproduced in original colours as a postcard, 148 mm x106 mm, by the International Olympic Committee, Switzerland, over printed Back to Melbourne 1996, Melbourne Cricket Ground (Main Stadium of the 1956 Olympics) personal postage paid imprint approved by Australian Post for mailing at GPO Melbourne, 96 imported and over printed in Australian national colours of green and gold.
	Australian Post Office, full colour combined maximum card and postal card, set of five for Sport II series, 145 mm x 105 mm, cancelled first day of issue, Melbourne, commemorative postmark, 17 January 1990 on front (maximum card), 50 sets over printed on reverse in blue Greetings from the Olympic City of Melbourne 1956 1996,* cancelled on reverse (postcard) 18 September 1990, Philatelic Sales Centre, Melbourne, pictorial postmark. Set of 5 cards			96MPC 1-2-3-4-5
	Kayaking	Australian Post Office, full colour combined maximum card and postal card, for Sport II series, 145 mm x 105 mm, cancelled first day of issue, Melbourne, commemorative postmark, 17 January 1990 on front (maximum card), 50 sets over printed on reverse in blue Greetings from the Olympic City of Melbourne 1956 1996,* cancelled on reverse (postcard) 18 September 1990, Philatelic Sales Centre, Melbourne, pictorial postmark, kayaking.		96MPC 01
	Sailboarding	Australian Post Office, full colour combined maximum card and postal card, for Sport II series, 145 mm x 105 mm, cancelled first day of issue, Melbourne, commemorative postmark, 17 January 1990 on front (maximum card), 50 sets over printed on reverse in blue Greetings from the Olympic City of Melbourne 1956 1996,* cancelled on reverse (postcard) 18 September 1990, Philatelic Sales Centre, Melbourne, pictorial postmark, sailboarding..		96MPC 02
	Tennis	Australian Post Office, full colour combined maximum card and postal card, for Sport II series, 145 mm x 105 mm, cancelled first day of issue, Melbourne, commemorative postmark, 17 January 1990 on front (maximum card), 50 sets over printed on reverse in blue Greetings from the Olympic City of Melbourne 1956 1996,* cancelled on reverse (postcard) 18 September 1990, Philatelic Sales Centre, Melbourne, pictorial postmark, tennis.		96MPC 03
	Rock Climbing	Australian Post Office, full colour combined maximum card and postal card, for Sport II series, 145 mm x 105 mm, cancelled first day of issue, Melbourne, commemorative postmark, 17 January 1990 on front (maximum card), 50 sets over printed on reverse in blue Greetings from the Olympic City of Melbourne 1956 1996,* cancelled on reverse (postcard) 18 September 1990, Philatelic Sales Centre, Melbourne, pictorial postmark, rock climbing.		96MPC 04
	Fun Run	Australian Post Office, full colour combined maximum card and postal card, for Sport II series, 145 mm x 105 mm, cancelled first day of issue, Melbourne, commemorative postmark, 17 January 1990 on front (maximum card), 50 sets over printed on reverse in blue Greetings from the Olympic City of Melbourne 1956 1996,* cancelled on reverse (postcard) 18 September 1990, Philatelic Sales Centre, Melbourne, pictorial postmark, fun run..		96MPC 05

xxx