New South Wales - Colonial: 1857-1900.
Delivery envelope: NC-EO-5.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: No form number.
TELEGRAM, IMMEDIATE in the top rectangular frame with decorations as for the two previous formats.
Message area: Blank.
Reverse side: Blank with seal on flap.
Colours (text & envelope): Various shades and tones in blue on cream.
Size of envelope overall: 79 × 138 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:

 

 

This standard format was used over many printings at least until Federation in 1901. There are no records to indicate the actual printing dates nor the quantities.

NC-EO-5A NC-EO-5A.

Sydney to Maine via San Francisco, U.S.A.
8 April 1875.

Has a 6d violet sideface paying the foreign letter rate to the U.S.A.

Characteristics:

  • colour of text and frame is light blue;
  • letters and dots in the lower left corner are indented into the paper;
  • has serif letters for those words in the "CHARGES ..." line in the lower left corner;
  • M is aligned under C of CHARGES;
  • has 6 rectangular dots after MESSAGE and 5 after PORTERAGE.
NC-EO-5A flap NC-EO-5A (reverse):
Seal on the flap on the reverse side.

Has an embossed decoration.

Characteristics:

  • flap is pointed;
  • has colour on the inside of the inner oval;
NC-EO-5A
Used to deliver ordinary rate telegram form NC-DO-7C.		 NC-EO-5B.

Mudgee to Guntawang Station
21 August 1885.

Has two 1d orange to pay intra-colonial postal rate.

Characteristics:

  • colour of text and frame is light blue;
  • as sans serif letters in the lower left corner which are thin;
  • all three "G"s in CHARGES section have a distinct and thin horizontal bar;
  • M and P under CHARGES are aligned near the centre of H;
  • possibly 15 round dots after PORTERAGE.
EO-5A seal NC-EO-5B (reverse):
Seal on the flap on the reverse side.

Characteristics:

  • flap is rounded;
  • no colour on the inside of the inner oval;

 
NC-EO-5B
Status International May 2006 Lot 1315 and December 2006 Lot 1428.		 NC-EO-5C.

Sydney to Noumea.
2 December 1894.

Has the same type of seal on the flap as for NC-DE-5A.

Characteristics:

  • colour of text and frame is blue-green;
  • letters in the lower left corner are thick;
  • first "G" in CHARGES section has no horizontal bar;
  • M and P in CHARGES section aligned with right upright of H;
  • 4 dashes after PORTERAGE.
NC-EO-5C NC-EO-5D.

Addressed to a ship in Sydney Harbour with the tied telegram dated 30 December 1898 at the Postal & Tel. Dep, Sydney, N.S.W.

Characteristics:

  • colour of text and frame is slate-green
  • has the same formatting characteristics as for
    EO-5B;
  • top right corner has instructions for the proper use of the envelope.
NC-EO-5D
Delivery envelope for a type NI-DO-4C form to Lismore.		 NC-EO-5E.

Used for a telegram received "via Pacific" at the Sydney Station from Auckland NZ.
17 September 1906
(INC-DO-3).

Colour of printing is green.
EO-5D seal NC-DO-5E (reverse).
Printed seal on the flap on the reverse side.

Details of use and rarity.

In March 1886, a tender was placed for the supply of 3 million telegraph envelopes measuring 5.375 × 3.25 inches - although it is not known whether these envelopes were of format EO-5B above. The cost was 3s 1¼ d per thousand.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
EO-5A None. 21 August 1885 at Mudgee. RRR
EO-5B None. 2 December 1894 at Sydney. RR
EO-5C None. 21 December 1894 at Sydney.
Also an envelope with no date stamp but accompanying a telegram dated 15 May 1891.		 RRR
EO-5D None 30 December 1898 at the Postal & Tel. Dep, Sydney. RRR
EO-5E None. 17 September 1906 at Pacific Cable Board, Sydney Station.. R