Australia - 1917-1988.
Slogan cancellations: Send Birthday Greetings.

 

A slogan postmark advertising

SEND BIRTHDAY
GREETINGS BY
TELEGRAPH
ON SPECIALLY
COLOURED FORMS

 Melb paid

was introduced at all main Post Offices except Perth during the week commencing 13 February 1934.

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 format of the Birthday Greetings telegram was probably first issued on 23 September 1934 although an official statement indicated the issue date was 5 November 1934.

The second format of the Birthday Greetings telegram was issued in 1939 with a smaller war-time economy size being issued in late 1941 and withdrawn during 1942.
The Send Birthday Greetings .... slogan was used in the five Offices shown below:
  • from 13 February 1934 according to official records but the earliest date recorded in the Census is on 5 September 1934 at Sydney;
  • to 26 August 1941 at Brisbane and Sydney (4 examples in the Census).

The slogan was gradually withdrawn from use - along with all other slogans - starting in the first half of 1940 although a number of 1941 uses are known - especially at Brisbane and Sydney.

The postmark was made from chrome steel. It was 20 mm high and 52 mm wide.

The slogan formats

The Send Birthday Greetings ... slogan appears to be the most inconsistently made slogan of all 11 slogans related to advertising the telegram and telegraph services. Certainly there are the usual variations in terms of shape of date stamp, type and number of box and the inscriptions at the top and base of the date stamp.

In addition, they also vary in letter positions and length of lines within and between Offices and across years in many ways which have no consistency - except perhaps for a lack of specification and quality control during the setting process. Sydney is perhaps the Office where most variations occurred and questions must be raised about why the realignment of letters occurred over such short periods. There are also several examples of dies wearing and not printing all letters as intended.

No precise classification is therefore possible for this slogan as was possible for the other slogans. It must therefore be a broad classification with sub groups but which still contains variations.

Within this restriction, four four categories are suggested for the Send Birthday Greetings ... 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. Primary classification: the position of the first letter S of SEND relative to the G of GREETINGS on the line below;
  2. Secondary classification: the relative starting positions (i.e. on the left) for the letters R, T and N in the next three lines.
Die 1: The G (of GREETINGS) is slightly outdented from the S (of SEND).
 
  • the G (of GREETINGS) is slightly outdented from the S (of SEND) due to the 2nd line being set to the left;

  • the line with C (of COLOURED) is outdented more than the other lines and hence, in lines 4 and 5, the O (of ON) and the O (of COLOURED) are not aligned.

This is an Adelaide Die.

 Die 1
10 August 1939 at Adelaide Box 4.

 

Die 2:

 

The G (of GREETINGS) is approximately level with the S (of SEND).
Die 2A:
  • the G (of GREETINGS) is approximately under the S (of SEND);
  • the O (of ON) is approximately aligned with the C (of COLOURED) below.

This die has a wide G for TELEGRAPH in Hobart but not in Melbourne.

 Die 1C
27 July 1938 at Hobart (circle).
Die 2B:
  • the G (of GREETINGS) is approximately under the S (of SEND);

  • the O (of ON) extends beyond the C (of COLOURED) below.

This is a Brisbane die.

 

 Die 2B
26 August 1941 with Brisbane Country Box 5 date stamp.
Die 2C:
  • the G (of GREETINGS) is approximately under
    the S (of SEND);

  • the C (of COLOURED) is significantly outdented.

  • the O (of ON) is approximately aligned over
    the O (of COLOURED) below.
 Die 1B
19 June 1941 with Sydney 8 Box NSW AUST date stamp.

 

Die 3:

 

The T (of TELEGRAM) is directly under center of the R (of GREETINGS) and
the S (of SEND) has about half a letter overlap with the G (of GREETINGS).
 
  1. the G is moved right to be about halfway under the S;

  2. D (of SEND) is partly over the 2nd E (of GREETINGS);

  3. the T (of TELEGRAPH) is midway under the R (of GREETINGS);

  4. the O (of ON) is above the CO (of COLOURED).
 Die 3
29 October 1937 with a Brisbane 2 POSTED PILLARS.

 

Die 4:

 

The T (of TELEGRAM) is level with or to the left of the R (of GREETINGS).
Die 4A:
  1. the G is moved right but still overlaps the end of the S;

  2. the D (of SEND) is above the 1st E (of GREETINGS);
 Die 4B
18 May 1938 at Sydney Pillar Box 1.
Die 4B:
  1. the G is moved right but still overlaps the end of the S;

  2. the D (of SEND) starts after the 1st E (of GREETINGS);

  3. the N (of ON) begins level with the 2nd O (of COLOURED);

  4. the T (of TELEGRAPH) is above the O (of ON);
Die 4B
9 April 1935 at Sydney Pillar Box 3.
Die 4C:
  1. the G is moved right but still overlaps the end of the S;

  2. the D (of SEND) starts after the 1st E (of GREETINGS);

  3. the T (of TELEGRAPH) is between the O and N below;

 Die 4C
21 August 1941 at Brisbane Pillars 7.
Die 4D:
  1. the G is moved right but still overlaps the end of the S;

  2. the D (of SEND) starts after the 1st E (of GREETINGS);

  3. the T (of TELEGRAPH) is above the N (of ON);
 Die 4D
17 June 1941 at Sydney NSW Aust 9.

 

Die 5:

 

The upright from the T (of TELEGRAM) is under the right side of R (of GREETINGS).
Die 5A:
  1. the G is moved right to be about at the end of the S (of SEND);

  2. the T (of TELEGRAPH) is at the end of the R (of GREETINGS);

  3. the O (of ON) is above the O (of COLOURED).

  4. The N (OF on) starts just after the L below and finishes at the start of the 2nd O.
 Die 5A
5 November 1935 at Adelaide (circle).
Die 5B:
  1. the G is about halfway under the S (of SEND);

  2. the T (of TELEGRAPH) is under the right side of the R (of GREETINGS);

  3. the O (of ON) starts halfway over the O (of COLOURED);

  4. The N (of ON) starts well after the L and finishes about the middle of the 2nd O.
Die 5B16 August 1935 at Sydney IN PILLAR BOX 1.

Use of the slogan by Office:

Adelaide:

Number of dies recorded: 5;

Earliest recorded date: 8 May 1935.

Latest recorded date: 30 June 1941.

Number in Census: 35.

A progressive error occurred to one of the circle dies in late February 1936.

 Adelaide 1939
5 November 1935.
Brisbane:

Number of dies recorded: 5;

Earliest recorded date: 19 March 1935.

Latest recorded date: 26 August 1941.

Number in Census: 44.

 Brisbane1935 March
19 March 1935.
Hobart:

Number of dies recorded: 1;

Earliest recorded date: 5 July 1937.

Latest recorded date: 27 July 1938.

Number in Census: 3.

 

 Hobart
25 July 1938.
Melbourne:

Number of dies recorded: 5;

Earliest recorded date: 15 July 1937.

Latest recorded date: 1 November 1940.

Number in Census: 29.


3 February 1938.
Sydney:

Number of dies recorded: 27;

Earliest recorded date: 5 September 1934.

Latest recorded date: 28 August 1941.

Number in Census: 45.


Radio Lic
9 April 1935.
On a card for a Radio Licence renewal.