Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi Handstamp

Insufficiently paid handstamps were used to indicate that the correct postage had not been applied for specific routes. Two types of the "Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi" Handstamp are known for the Brindisi route, one used at Brisbane and one at Rockhampton.

If the letter was endorsed "Via Brindisi" but was franked only to cover the route via Southampton, it was sent by the latter route, without incurring a penalty. If, however, it was endorsed 'Via Brindisi" and was franked at a single rate for that route, but was in fact a double-weight letter, it was sent by the Southampton route, but being still 3d short for that route, it incurred a fine of 6d, making a total of 9d to be paid by the recipient.

After Queensland joined the Universal Postal Union in October 1891, the treatment of underpaid mail for overseas was governed by U.P.U. regulations, and mail insufficiently pre-paid was stamped with accountancy markings and then forwarded to the intended destination, with the deficiency and a fine of the equivalent amount being recovered from the recipient

The "Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi" Handstamp used at Brisbane is a framed handstamp with 2 lines, the top line reading 'INSUFFICIENTLY PAID' and the bottom line 'VIA BRINDISI' within a rectangular frame 51 x 12 mm with rounded corners. The capitals are in sans-serif except for 'BRINDISI' which is seriffed. Seen used from 1872 - 1879 and rated 4R

• Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi Handstamp (27 February 1872 - 8 December 1879) rated 4R

Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi Handstamp. Brisbane at left and Rockhampton at right. The differences are: BRISBANE. Frame measures 51 x 12mm. The initial capitals are higher than the following letters, except for the 'B' of 'BRINDISI'. ROCKHAMPTON. Frame measures 47 x 12mm. All initial capitals including the 'B' are higher than the rest. There is a stop after 'BRINDISI'.

1872

From Caboolture to London, England dated 27 February 1872 with an "Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi" handstamp rated 4R. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 98 lot no 823

1874

From Caboolture to London, England dated 10 February 1874 with an "Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi" handstamp rated 4R. Seen in Abacus auction no 242 lot no 1414

1875

From Pimpama to Devonshire, England dated 1 February 1875 with an "Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi" handstamp rated 4R. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 98 lot no 826

1879

From Brisbane to Sweden dated 8 December 1879 with an "Insufficiently Paid via Brindisi" handstamp rated 4R. Seen in Corinphila auctions

Insufficiently Pre-Paid Handstamp

Insufficiently pre-paid handstamps were used to indicate that the correct postage had not been applied. When the handstamp was first introduced, overseas mail with insufficient postage was stamped in Brisbane with an "INSUFFICIENTLY PRE-PAID" handstamp and then usually sent to the Dead Letter Office before being returned to the sender. However, Australian mail appears to have still been delivered. 

By 1881 it had become the practice to forward overseas-bound insufficiently pre-paid letters to their intended destination provided that they bore single-rate franking for the cheapest route.  

After Queensland joined the Universal Postal Union in October 1891, the treatment of underpaid mail for overseas was governed by U.P.U. regulations, and mail insufficiently pre-paid was stamped with accountancy markings and then forwarded to the intended destination, with the deficiency and a fine of the equivalent amount being recovered from the recipient

It is a framed handstamp with 2 lines, the top line reading 'INSUFFICIENTLY' and the bottom line 'PRE-PAID' within a rectangular frame 37½ x 9 mm with rounded corners. Seen used from 1866 - 1882 and rated 3R

• Insufficiently Pre-Paid Handstamp (31 August 1866 - 25 September 1882) rated 3R

Insufficiently Pre-Paid Handstamp

1866

From Yaamba to London, England dated 31 August 1866 with an "Insufficiently pre-paid" handstamp rated 3R. Seen in Prestige Philately auction no 97 lot no 1045

From an unknown location to Bendigo, Victoria dated 1866 with an "Insufficiently pre-paid" handstamp rated 3R. Seen on the Internet

From Charleville to Aberdeen, Scotland dated December 1866 with an "Insufficiently pre-paid" handstamp rated 3R. Seen in Campbell, p. 112

1879

From Cardwell to Toronto, Canada dated 4 July 1879 with an "Insufficiently pre-paid" handstamp rated 3R. Seen on Ebay

1881

Cambooya to Dublin, Ireland dated 2 April 1881 with an "Insufficiently pre-paid" handstamp rated 3R. Seen in Abacus auction no 234

From Mackay to Brandon, England dated 18 April 1881 with an "Insufficiently pre-paid" handstamp rated 3R. Seen in Campbell, p. 115

1882

From Cooper's Plains to London, England dated 21 July 1882 with an "Insufficiently pre-paid" handstamp rated 3R. Seen in Cavendish auction no 662 lot no 2229

From Warwick to Columbia, South Carolina, USA dated 25 September 1882 with an "Insufficiently pre-paid" handstamp rated 3R. Seen at Abacus auction no 234 lot no 146

Customs Duty Paid Handstamps

I am indebted to Dave Elsmore for the material and information on this blog page. Dave's Commonwealth of Australia Customs Duty Revenues exhibit can be seen HERE

The Commonwealth of Australia Customs Tariff Act of 1902 included a 3d per lb tax on foreign price lists, catalogues, and all printed lithographed matter for advertising purposes. This was done to deter such Items from being printed abroad and sent back to Australia. The tax was initially identified by a boxed "Customs Duty Paid handstamp" (type 1), 52 x 8 mm in diameter. 

Around 1903 custom officers began to levy the duty on individual items and two new handstamps were introduced for this purpose; a boxed "Customs Duty  ½d  handstamp" (type 2), 45 x 8 mm in diameter and a boxed "Customs Duty 1d handstamp" (type 3), 44 x 8 mm in diameter.

• Customs Duty Paid Handstamp type 1 (1902 - 8 July 1903) rated 5R - $100 on cover
• Customs Duty ½d Handstamp type 2 (1903) rated 5R - $100 on cover
• Customs Duty 1d Handstamp type 3 (1906 -  2 January 1908) rated 5R - $100 on cover

Top row: Customs Duty Paid Handstamp type 1
Bottom row, L-R: Customs Duty ½d Handstamp type 2, Customs Duty 1d Handstamp type 3

Customs Duty Paid handstamp type 1

1902

Brisbane Customs Duty Paid handstamp type 1. Dated 1902. Rated 5R. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

Brisbane Customs Duty Paid handstamp type 1. Dated 8 July 1903. Rated 5R. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

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Customs Duty ½d handstamp type 2

1903

Brisbane Customs Duty ½d handstamp type 2. Dated around 1903. Rated 5R. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

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Customs Duty 1d handstamp type 3

1906

Brisbane Customs Duty 1d handstamp type 3. Dated around 1906. Rated 5R. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

1908

Brisbane Customs Duty 1d handstamp type 3. Dated 2 January 1908. Rated 5R. Seen in the collection of Dave Elsmore

Telegraph Department Handstamp

A number of Telegraph Department / Branch handstamps are known - probably used for administrative purposes - but only one type has been seen postally used

• A framed four-lined handstamp within an outer and inner rectangular frame with corners cut off the outer frame and measuring 28.5 x 39 mm. The outer frame has the words 'POST AND TELEGRAPH DEPARTMENT' around the sides, a five digit number preceded by a letter in the inner frame, the word 'QUEENSLAND' underneath, and the bottom line comprising the date with day in two digits, month in three letters and year in two digits. Two examples are known postally used, both in blue ink and dated 3 May 1891 and 5 April 1895. Rated 5R

Telegraph Department Handstamp postally used

1891

Telegraph Department Handstamp dated 3 May 1891 and rated 5R. Seen in an exhibit

1895

Telegraph Department Handstamp dated 5 April 1895 and rated 5R. Seen in Mossgreen auction no 89 lot no 951

NOT CALLED FOR Handstamp

A handstamp subsequently applied when a letter carrier could not locate the intended recipient and which then resulted in a mail item not being collected at the Brisbane general post office.

After a specified period of time, if an item had not been collected, a NOT CALLED FOR handstamp was applied and the item sent to the Brisbane Dead letter Office where further attempts were made to locate the intended recipient, such as advertising in the Queensland Government Gazette.

A framed singe-line handstamp within a rectangular frame with corners cut off measuring 30 x 9 mm. Known struck in red from around July 1863 to May 1866 and then in black from around March 1869 to January 1889. Because the handstamp did not include a date, this has to be estimated from the other dated markings on the cover. Rated 3R on both Chalon and Sideface era examples

NOT CALLED FOR Handstamp

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in red dated around July 1863. Rated 3R. Seen at Millennium auctions no 48 lot no 113

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in red dated around January 1864. Rated 3R

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated late 1869. Rated 3R. Seen at Phoenix auction no 85 

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated about March1869. Rated 3R. Seen at Phoenix auction no 22 lot no 964

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated around July 1870. Rated 3R. Seen at Abacus auction no 234 lot no 162

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated late 1877. Rated 3R. Seen at Abacus auction no 234 lot no 166

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated around April 1884. Rated 3R. Seen in Gartner sale no 48

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated about August 1886. Rated 3R

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated late November 1887. Rated 3R. Seen at Prestige Philately auction no 142 lot no 316 

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated around January 1888. Rated 3R. Seen at an auction

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated around May 1888. Rated 3R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated around January 1889. Rated 3R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

NOT CALLED FOR handstamp in black dated between August 1882 and 1887. Rated 3R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Missent to Brisbane Handstamp Type 2

Sometimes letters were put in the wrong bag and so ended up at the wrong destination. As Campbell observes, this was most likely to happen with mail from overseas, as the sorter may not have known the exact location of the place to which the letter was addressed. Thus mail sent from Europe to Queensland via the Torres Straits could have ended up first in Brisbane rather then at intended destinations along the route, such as Townsville or Rockhampton. When this occurred post offices had missent handstamps that where applied to any misdirected mail, to indicate why a particular letter was delayed. If the mail was missent in error by the postal authorities, then no redirection fee would apply.

The Brisbane GPO had four different types. Type 1 is known postally used in January 1861 (For Type 1 see here); Type 2 is known from a single example in 1872; Type 3 is known postally used by Campbell from 1875 to September 1882 as well as a postcard sent from Ulverstone, Tasmania to France in 1897 that somehow ended up in Brisbane (For Type 3 see here); and Type 4  from 1900 to 1908 (For Type 4 see here).

• Type 2 - A one lined handstamp reading "MISSENT TO BRISBANE" within a rectangular frame with scalloped corners, similar to type 4 but used in an earlier period and with noticeably different corners. Rated 3R 

The four types of Missent to Brisbane handstamps. First line: Type 1 at left, Type 2 at right; on the bottom row: Type 3 is on the left and Type 4 on the right

Missent to Brisbane Handstamp Type 2 rated 3R. Dated December 1872. Seen at Spink auction no 12043 lot no 1145. This registered envelope was sent from Goondiwindi to an unknown address in Queensland and was missent to Brisbane along the way

Dead Letter Office Record No (D.L.O. Record No) Handstamp

Dead Letter Office Page

The Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp is known used on a handful of postal items from 1903 onwards. It would appear that this handstamp was for internal DLO use only and  was applied to postal mail in error. 

It is a two lined handstamp reading "D.L.O RECORD" on the first line and "No" followed by dashes for a number to be written in manuscript on the second line within a rectangular frame with squared corners, measuring 40 x  17 mm

• Brisbane D.L.O. Record No handstamp (September 1903 - December 1912) rated 4R - $65 on cover

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. handstamp

1903

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp rated 4R. Dated September 1903. Seen at Abacus online auction no 6 lot no 562

1904

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp rated 4R. Dated 1904. Seen Corinphila auctions

1908

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp rated 4R. Dated September 1908. Seen at Spink auction no 14015 lot no 2379

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp rated 4R. Dated December 1908. Seen on Ebay

1909

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp rated 4R. Dated January 1909. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp rated 4R. Dated March 1909. Seen in Turnbull, The postal history and postal markings of Thursday Island, p. 26

1912

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp rated 4R. Dated March 1912

Brisbane Dead Letter Office Record No. Handstamp rated 4R. Dated December 1912. Seen in Leski auctions

Missent to Brisbane Handstamp Type 1

Sometimes letters were put in the wrong bag and so ended up at the wrong destination. As Campbell observes, this was most likely to happen with mail from overseas, as the sorter may not have known the exact location of the place to which the letter was addressed. Thus mail sent from Europe to Queensland via the Torres Straits could have ended up first in Brisbane rather then at intended destinations along the route, such as Townsville or Rockhampton. When this occurred post offices had missent handstamps that where applied to any misdirected mail, to indicate why a particular letter was delayed. If the mail was missent in error by the postal authorities, then no redirection fee would apply.

The Brisbane GPO had four different types. Type 1 is known from one example and was postally used in January 1861. Type 2 is known from a single example in 1872 (For Type 2 see here); Type 3 is known postally used by Campbell from 1875 to September 1882 as well as a postcard sent from Ulverstone, Tasmania to France in 1897 that somehow ended up in Brisbane (For Type 3 see here); and Type 4 from 1900 to 1908 (For Type 4 see here). 

• Type 1 - An unframed one-lined marking with "MIS-SENT TO BRISBANE". Rated 3R 

The four types of Missent to Brisbane handstamps. First line: Type 1 at left, Type 2 at right; on the bottom row: Type 3 is on the left and Type 4 on the right

Missent to Brisbane Handstamp Type1 rated 3R. Dated January 1861. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group. This cover was sent from Alness in Scotland in October 1860 to Sydney NSW via London and should have gone direct to Sydney and not via Brisbane