Australia - 1917-1988.
Slogan cancellations: Convey Congratulations By Telegraph ....


 

A slogan postmark suggesting

CONVEY CONGRATULATIONS
BY TELEGRAPH ON
SPECIALLY DESIGNED FORMS

was introduced at main Post Offices except in Western Australia from 26 January 1935.

Code Sydney 61

The success of the Christmas Greetings forms and the Sydney Harbour Bridge issue led the PMG to extend the range of the ornamental greetings forms in 1934 to other types of ornamental forms - Mothers' Day, Birthday and Congratulations forms.

The first Congratulatory Telegram was first issued in May 1934. 

The Convey Congratulations .... slogan was used between 27 November 1934 at Sydney and 10 July 1941 at Adelaide.

The slogan was generally withdrawn from use starting in the first half of 1940 although a number of 1941 uses are known. The latest date of use for the 1939 Congratulations Telegram form is 21 December 1940.

There appear to be six distinct dies for the Convey Congratulations .... slogan - in addition to the use of circles or boxes and the inscriptions at the base therein. The variations can be identified by considering:

  1. the position of the first letter C of CONVEY relative to the G of CONGRATULATIONS on the line below;
  2. the relative starting positions (i.e. on the left) for the last three lines;
  3. the relative positions of the S at the end of the second line and the H at the end of the third line.
Die 1:
  1. C (of CONVEY) extends from about the middle of N to about the middle of G of CONGRATULATIONS;
  2. Lines 2 to 4 starting CBO are nearly aligned at the left. The line starting DES is outdented slightly.
  3. The H at the end of line 3 from the space after the N above to about the middle of the S at the end of line 2.

Further confirmation is given by the relative positions of other letters in lines 1 and 2 - for example the top of the A of line 2 is just inside the N above.

Die1
28 November 1934 with Sydney 3 Pillar Box.
Die 2:
  1. the right vertical of N (if extended upwards) just touches the left of C (of CONVEY);
  2. the 4th line starting ON is indented slightly;
  3. lines 2 and 3 finish with the S and H level or nearly so (State variations).

Further confirmation is given by the relative positions of other letters in lines 1 and 2 - for example the top of the A of line 2 is outside the N above.

CONGRATULATIONS is 35 mm long.

Die 1 marked
1 July 1939 with a Brisbane 2 IN PILLAR BOX.
Die 3:
  1. C (of CONVEY) is placed directly above the G of CONGRATULATIONS and is clear of the N below;
  2. the line starting ON is indented compared with BY above while the line starting DES is outdented slightly.

The S at the end of line 2 is often directly above the H at the end of line 3 although in some State variations the H is only partially under the S.

CONGRATULATIONS is 35 mm long.

Die 3 marked
H fully under the S.
Die marked
11 January 1940 with Adelaide Box 4.
H partially under the S.
Die 4:
  1. C (of CONVEY) spans the GR of CONGRATULATIONS and starts from about the middle of G;
  2. the last three lines are indented compared with CO;
  3. The H at the end of line 3 spans NS at the end of line 3.

CONGRATULATIONS is 34 mm long.

BOD aligned
9 July 1941 with Adelaide circle.
BOD aligned
Die 5:
  1. C (of CONVEY) spans the GR of CONGRATULATIONS and starts almost at the end of the G;
  2. the lines starting with BY and ON are indented about the same distance;
  3. the 2nd N (of CONGRATULATIONS) is directly above the H at the end of line 3.

CONGRATULATIONS is 34 mm long.

 

C over GR
22 July 1937 with Sydney Box 1.
Die 4 marked
Die 6:
  1. C (of CONVEY) is placed to the right of the G of CONGRATULATIONS.
  2. The 2nd and 3rd lines are indented further than for Die 5 with the ON starting at the middle of the B above.

CONGRATULATIONS is 36 mm long.

Right of G
23 July 1937 with Sydney 1 IN PILLAR BOX.
Die 5 marked

Use of the slogan by Office:

Adelaide.

Number of dies recorded: 6;

Earliest date recorded:
22 August 1935.

Latest date recorded:
10 July 1941.

Number in Census: 26.


Adel 1935
22 August 1935.

Brisbane.

Number of dies recorded: 9;

Earliest date recorded:
19 February 1935.

Latest date recorded:
10 July 1941.

Number in Census: 78.


 
Anzac
18 September 1935.

Hobart.

Number of dies recorded: 2;

Earliest date recorded:
14 May 1938.

Latest date recorded:
5 March 1941 (very late usage).

Number in Census: 3.

 

Hobart Pt Lincoln
14 May 1938.

Melbourne.

Number of dies recorded: 2;

Earliest date recorded:
21 March 1940.

Latest date recorded:
18 April 1941.

Number in Census: 2.

Brunswick
18 April 1941.

Sydney.

Number of dies recorded: 19;

Earliest date recorded:
27 November 1934.

Latest date recorded:
2 July 1941.

Number in Census: 48.

Sydney 1
30 March 1935.