Western Australia - Colonial: 1869-1900.
Delivery envelope: WC-EO-4.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: No form number.
Heading is
TELEGRAPHIC MESSAGE BY POST.
Message area: Blank.
Reverse side: Blank.
Colours (text & envelope): Black on cream.
Size of envelope overall: 98 × 148 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:
 
WC-EO-4 WC-EO-4.

Fremantle to London
31 January 1911.
Has rare oval TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamp in violet of reverse side (RO-5).

Has 4d. Yellow Swan with mss Fremantle and tied with "COLOMBO" transit datestamp of 9 February 1911.

Referenced in "Black Swan" Sept 1986.

Provenance:
Prestige Philately November 2010 Lot 257.
(The Cecil Walkley Collection).
Johnstone.


WC-EO-4 rev

WC-EO-4 (reverse).

Reverse side of the above delivery envelope showing the rare oval date stamp (RO4-TO).

 

An earlier example is also known - also sent to London from Fremantle. It is a cover franked with a 4d yellow Swan with a Fremantle oval date stamp (RO7 - TO) of 10 December 1909 in blue. The cover has a London arrival date stamp of 7 January 1910. It was originally described in Sydney Views (February 1986, p.13) and nothing had been heard of it since. However Abacus Auctions offered the cover in the December 2023 Sale (no. 254) as Lot 3393. Images can be found there.

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
EO-4 None 31 January 1911 at Telegraph Office Fremantle. RRR