Date stamps.
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Victoria began to use date stamps on telegrams during the 1870s.
The earliest telegram recorded with a date stamp was used at Williamstown on 13 September 1877 (VC-DO-8B). The date stamp was unframed and was used for both postal and telegraph purposes.
On 12 June 1879 that the Post and Telegraphs Department issued an official instruction that all telegrams for delivery should be marked with a date stamp of the receiving office. Over time, the date stamps were made from steel or brass or from rubber. The first date stamps used were unframed and referenced only the location of the office and the date. Early examples used on telegrams are shown below.
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Details of each Office using each of the special formats can then be accessed through the hyperlinks below.
Click on the hyperlink above the date stamp showing the relevant wording or image.
| CHIEF TELEGRAPH OFFICE | TELEGRAPH OFFICE | |
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| BELT & BUCKLE. | T.O. | TEL. OFFICE. |
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Click on the hyperlink above the date stamp showing the relevant wording.
| TELEGRAPH | TELEGRAPH OFFICE | TELEGRAPH SECTION | POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE |
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The Barred numeral duplexes are not addressed here. The best reference available for these is the excellent book The Numeral Cancellations of Victoria by Hugh Freeman and Geoff White.