Brisbane Telegraph Counter Datestamp Type 2

The Telegraph service operating out of the Brisbane General Post office had a number of datestamps, but it appears that only two were also used for postal purposes. Type 1 has been seen postally used from 6 August 1894 to 2 March 1906 with one example seen 24 July 1909 and Type 2 from 11 September 1908 till 8 February 1913, but examples from 1909 and 1910 are much rarer than those from 1911 and 1912. (For Type 1 see here)

• Type 2 - A framed circle 25 and 25.5 mm in diameter, with 'Brisbane' round the top, 'T.C' at the foot, and right across the centre, in one line, is the time and date. There are two subtypes:
• 2a - curved bars either side of 'T.C'. The curved bars are smudged or indistinct (19 January 1912 - 20 November 1912) Rated 4R
• 2b - no curved bars (11 September 1908 - 8 February 1913) Rated 2R on stamp and 4R on cover

'T.C' stands for Telegraph Counter. Scudder writes that this date stamp was used for CTO purposes but I have found no evidence of this

L-R, type 1, type 2a, type 2b

Type 2a

1912

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2a rated 4R. Dated 19 January 1912

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2a rated 4R. Dated 20 November 1912

Type 2b

1908

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b on a cover rated 4R. Dated 11 September 1908. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1908

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b rated 2R. Dated 21 December 1908

1910

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b on a cover rated 4R. Dated 6 May 1910. From the Exhibit by Marius Wytenburg

1911

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b rated 2R. Dated 23 August 1911. Seen in a private collection

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b on a cover rated 4R. Dated 13 October 1911

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b on a cover rated 4R. Dated 24 October 1911. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b on a cover rated 4R. Dated 9 December 1911. Seen in the British Society of Australian Philately Facebook Group

1912

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b on a cover rated 4R. Dated 21 May 1912

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b on a cover rated 4R. Dated 21 July 1912. From the collection of Dr Andrew Mortlock

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b rated 2R. Dated 25 July 1912

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b on a cover rated 4R. Dated 4 September 1912

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b rated 2R. Dated 24 December 1912

1913

Brisbane Telegraph Counter datestamp Type 2b rated 2R. Dated 8 February 1913. Latest known date on a Queensland colonial era issue, but it continued to be used on Australian kangaroo stamps