Sunday 1 October 2023

Queensland Stamp Manuscript Cancellations

This is a listing of the different Queensland receiving office manuscript and other cancellations found on Queensland (Chalon, Sideface and Commonwealth) postage stamps. To find the receiving office you are looking for select from the alphabetical tabs above or the labels at the right.

While hundreds of receiving offices existed for various lengths of time, almost all did not use distinctly recognisable markings. Most receiving offices followed the instructions of either not cancelling the stamp but letting the first "Official" Post Office that the mail arrived at do this, or they followed a later instruction to write the receiving offices' name on the envelope or postcard near the stamp. To see this you would need the envelope or postcard.

However, if the letter was a "local" mail, that is used in the same town / area, then
 postage stamps were to be obliterated by lines drawn diagonally across the stamps with a pen and black ink, and the name of the office and the date written on the upper left-hand corner of the letter. This is where most of the crosses, wavy lines, names and initials come from. Occasionally this was applied to mail destined for outside the local area as well.

All identifiable manuscript cancellations are therefore extremely scarce and hard to find, with the possible exceptions of Cania, Mt Larcom, Parson's Point and San Jose.


The rarity rating, given this caveat, is Scarce, for the most commonly found cancels, Rare, and then Very Rare where only 1 or two examples have been seen by me. All covers and postcards (with the possible exception of Parson's Point) are extremely rare and desirable.


Information about the receiving offices comes from Joan Frew: Queensland Post Offices 1842-1980 and Receiving Offices 1869-1927, published in 1981. 
Stampboards material can be seen at the Queensland Receiving Office Manuscript Cancels on stamps page here.

Railway numeral cancellers were also in use for material sent by rail and using railway stamps. Sometimes these were inadvertently used for postal purposes, especially when the railway station and the post office was co-located. This usage has also been noted when the railway office was located with a receiving office, the use of the railway numeral being the only implement on hand to cancel postally used items.

The postal use of railway cancels is covered in my Queensland Catalog of Numeral Cancellations on Postage Stamps here and therefore I have not duplicated this usage in this blog

Wooroolin

Wooroolin receiving office, 12 km south south west of Wondai, opened in 1900 and was elevated to a post office in February 1907
  • Manuscript cancellation (August 1905) rated Very Rare -$100 on cover
Wooroolin numeral 635 HERE. Wooroolin registered HERE. Wooroolin date stamp 5b HERE

1905
Wooroolin registered manuscript cancellation dated Brisbane 30 August 1905 and rated Very Rare. Seen on Facebook

Thursday 10 August 2023

Tungamull

Tungamull receiving office, 20 km east north east of Rockhampton, opened as Swanson's Receiving Office in 1887 and was renamed Tungamull in 1889 and elevated to a post office around December 1906. The original receiving office keeper was N. Swanson in 1887 followed by A. Kenny, the station master in 1888
  • manuscript cancellation dated 1899 rated Very Rare
Tungamull date stamp 5b HERE

Tungamull manuscript cancellation dated 24 April 1899 and rated Very Rare. Seen in an Receiving Office exhibit by Nigel Dickinson

Saturday 3 December 2022

Queensland Receiving Office Exhibit by Nigel Dickinson

An exhibit of Queensland Receiving Offices by Nigel Dickinson. It won 1st place in postal history at federation level. Clicking on the images will enlarge them









Friday 18 November 2022

Miva

Miva receiving office, 5 km north west of Gympie. The Receiving Office opened in 1888 and was elevated to a post office in May 1908 
  • Manuscript cancellation (July 1899) rated Very Rare
Miva numeral 665 HEREMiva date stamp 5b HERE

1899
Miva manuscript cancellation rated Very Rare. Dated July 1899. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Miva manuscript cancellation rated Very Rare. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Friday 16 July 2021

Wootha

Wootha receiving office, 7 km south west of Maleny. The Receiving Office opened in January 1907 

  • Manuscript cancellation dated 1909 - 1910 rated Very Rare

Wootha manuscript cancellation with a numeral ray 170 for Maleny dated 1 April 1910  and rated Very Rare. Seen on Ebay

Wootha manuscript cancellation dated 8 June 1909 with a numeral ray 170 for Maleny and rated Very Rare. Seen on Ebay

Mungallala

Mungallala receiving office, 43 km east of Morven. The Receiving Office opened 1887 and was elevated to a post office in May 1911

  • Manuscript cancellation dated 1904 and rated Very Rare
Mungallala numeral 724 HERE. Mungallala railway numeral 153 HERE. Mungallala registered HERE. Mungallala date stamp 6 HERE

Mungallala manuscript cancellation on a registered letter with a Roma date stamp dated 16 October 1904  and rated Very Rare. Seen in Phoenix auction no 67

Guymer

Guymer receiving office, 13 km north east of Gayndah. The Receiving Office opened on 1 January 1903 and closed in mid-1911

  • Manuscript cancellation rated Very Rare

Guymer manuscript cancellation and rated Very Rare. Seen in Phoenix auction no 67

Redlynch

Redlynch receiving office, 8 km north west of Cairns. The Receiving Office opened in December 1887

  • Manuscript cancellation dated 1899 rated Very Rare

Redlynch registered manuscript cancellation on a registered letter with a Cairns date stamp dated 27 January 1899  and rated Very Rare. Seen in Abacus auction no 234 lot no 224

Mullet Creek

Mullet Creek receiving office, 14 km east of Rosedale. The Receiving Office opened in 1896

  • Manuscript cancellation dated 1911 rated Very Rare

Mullet Creek manuscript cancellation dated 15 March 1911 with a TPO NCR No 4 down date stamp cancel of the same date  and rated Very Rare. Seen in Phoenix auction no 65

Yandaran

Yandaran receiving office, 22 km east southeast of Rosedale. The Receiving Office opened in September 1888 and was elevated to a post office around November 1908

  • Manuscript cancellation dated 1904 rated Very Rare

Yandaran manuscript cancellation dated 5 December 1904 and rated Very Rare. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Thursday 3 June 2021

Merinda

Merinda receiving office, 8 km from Bowen. The Receiving Office opened in 1898 and closed about 1901 before reopening in 1903. It was elevated to a post office in early 1911

  • Manuscript cancellation dated 1904 rated Very Rare
Merinda date stamp 6 HERE



Merinda manuscript cancellation dated 26 February 1904 and rated Very Rare. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group. Ex Campbell