Special envelopes

Australia - 1917-1988.
Special delivery envelopes.

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Special aspects

Almost all delivery envelopes used from the 1850s onwards can be classified into one of a few basic categories. These categories form the classes used in the menus for this site.

At least two delivery envelopes cannot however be classified into one of the basis classes. They are:

an O.H.M.S official envelope marked SECRET;
an envelope used to deliver one of many telegrams to a newspaper office in Brisbane.

Official OHMS envelope.

Front

Delivery envelope for a special SECRET telegram marked FOR URGENT ATTENTION.

Also has a MINISTER OF CUSTOMS hand stamp.

Reverse

Reverse side of the above delivery envelope with five special tamper-proof seals on top of sticky-tape reinforcing and MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS circular date stamps.

Very rare.

Courier mail delivery envelope.

Courier mail

Envelope sent from G.P.O. Brisbane to Townsville.
19 March 1943.

Cover is for the PMG Department, Brisbane and appears to have been designed to deliver Press telegrams received at the Chief Telegraph Office in Brisbane to the Courier-Mail Offices.

Perhaps the system was discontinued after the Courier-Mail installed its own telex equipment and so the envelopes were used for general internal PMG mail after being defaced.