AB-DU-3

Australia - Brown years: 1923-1939.
Urgent rate delivery form: AB-DU-3.

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Special aspects

General characteristics:

Heading and notes:	Form number E.T. No. 2A. Heading is URGENT TELEGRAM in one line;
Message area:	Blank - takes up only 46% of the form.
Reverse side:	Blank.
Colours (text & form):	Pink paper but text colour varies.
Size of form overall:	127 × 202 mm.
Size of datestamp box:	26 × 32 mm. Changed to a circular date stamp in third printing

Distinctive characteristics of this form:

large heading divided vertically into two divisions above a smaller message area. Designed for use with a window envelope;
the main distinctions between the varieties are:
3A: font is black;
3B: font is blue and date stamp box is rectangular;
3C: date stamp is circular.

Printing date is not known but it is probably early 1923.	AB-DU-3A. Paddington to Leeton (relay at Wagga Wagga). 26 September 1924. Characteristics: font is black; no schedule number printed on form but it does have a Stores number on the right of St. 124; letters in heading are thin and 5 mm high; rectangular box for date stamp. (Ebay August 2012 - Kevin Tyerman).
Printed in November 1923.	AB-DU-3B. Dalton to Bendigo 12 August 1924. Characteristics: font is blue; schedule number in lower left corner; letters in heading are thicker than in the previous printing 5 mm high; rectangular box for date stamp.
Printed in November 1923.	AB-DU-3Ba. Melbourne to Brunswick. 26 May 1925. Characteristics: same format and Schedule Number as the form above; appears to have been printed on plain cream paper not the usual pink reserved for URGENT rate telegram forms. The reverse side shows the distinction very clearly and so it is not a matter of the form fading in strong sunlight. Perhaps an emergency printing at the end of a run. Only example known.
	AB-DU-3C. Bolton to Oatlands, Tas. 25 February 1927. Characteristics: font is blue; no schedule number; letters in heading are thicker than for DU-3A and are 5.4 mm high; circular box for date stamp.

Details of use and rarity.

Form sub-number	Schedule number	Earliest recorded date	Rarity rating
3A	St. 124	26 September 1926 at Wagga Wagga, NSW.	RR
3B	B1426/11.23. - C.17527.	12 August 1924 at T.O. Bendigo, Vic.	RR
3C	None.	25 February 1927 at Oatlands, Tas.	RR