AB-GX-33

Australia - Brown years: 1923-1939.
1933 Christmas and New Year Greetings: AB-GX-33.

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Special aspects

General characteristics:

Heading and notes:	Form number T.G. 42c (sheet format) and T.G. 42d (for teleprinter rolls). Heading is CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR GREETINGS.
Message area:	Blank.
Reverse side:	Blank.
Colours (text & form):	Multi-coloured on cream.
Size of form overall:	193 × 222 mm.

Distinctive characteristics of this form:

multi-coloured heading;
form has a header with Santa reading his list at left and a family scene at right;
accompanied by matching opaque and window delivery envelopes;
the main distinctions between the varieties are:
Forms:
F-33A: sheet format with form number TG 42c;
F-33B: roll format for teleprinter with form number TG 42d;
Envelopes:
E-33A opaque window envelope;
E-33B: window envelope without a border in two formats.
Specimen: form - SF-33
publicity included a small brochure.

The third design for the Christmas and New Year ornamental greetings telegram form and envelope was issued on Monday 18 December 1933. Forms with this design were in use for about one month. They were reissued for a similar year for Christmas 1934.

The Post Office Monthly Circular for 18 December 1933 noted:

"Greeting forms of new design are being released to selected offices. When date-stamping these forms, care must be exercised to ensure that the impression is made directly beneath the family scene in the top right corner. Those offices supplied with the older type of forms should observe the same procedure as heretofore" (G.B. 33/2270).

Christmas Greetings telegrams rose again from 192,363 in 1933/34 to 235,250 in 1934/35.

	AB-GXF-33A. Hay Street, West Perth to Terang, Vic. 22 December 1934. Characteristics: form number T.G. 42c; has line of text at base.
	AB-GXF-33B. For use with teleprinter rolls. Note improper cutting with heading shortened and heading for the next form at the bottom. Perth to Adelaide CTO 22 December 1933. Friday of the same week as issue. Characteristics: form number T.G. 42d; line of text at base moved to heading above horizontal line.
	AB-GXF-33B. Characteristics: form number T.G. 42d; line of text at base moved to heading above horizontal line. This repositioning was necessary when the forms were made available in rolls. This strip shows parts of two forms on either side of the central form.
	AB-GXE-33A. Perth to Terang, Vic. 22 December 1934. Delivery envelope for the first format of this form to Cole. Opaque delivery envelope.
	AB-GXE-33Ba. Used window envelope with no date stamp. Characteristics: no border around window; no form number; incorporates a candle image top right corner rather than a family scene as in the form; flap has a rounded peak and curved sides.
No image is presently available.	AB-GXE-33Bb. Characteristics - window envelope with no border (the same as the previous GXE-33Ba) but with printed TELEGRAM underneath the window in large capital serif font.
	AB-GXF-33A-Specimen. Greetings form of same type (GXF-33A) with SPECIMEN handstamp in lower right corner. Advertising message displayed at the Launceston Exhibition.

An advertising brochure - referred to as Publicity Notice No. 43 - was also produced to promote the 1933 Christmas forms. It was to be displayed at all Post & Telegraph Offices from 1 December to 6 January 1934.

Size: 224 (high)× 89 mm (wide).

Click the image to see the details.

Details of use and rarity.

Form sub-number	Schedule number	Earliest recorded date	Rarity rating
GXF-33A	None.	22 December 1933 at Enfield NSW.	R
GXF-33B	None.	22 December 1933 at CTO Adelaide.	R
GXE-33A	None.		R
GXE-33Ba	None.	23 December 1936 at Chelsea Vic.	R
GXE-33Bb	None.		R