Australia - Brown years: 1923-1939.
Ordinary rate delivery form: AB-DO-6.

  
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: Form number T.G. 42 - first form with this number.
Message area: Blank and occupies about 35% of the form.
Reverse side: Three advertisements - for telegrams, telephones and correspondence.
Colours (text & form): Blue on white.
Size of form overall: 126 × 205 mm.
Size of datestamp box: 28 × 46 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:
 
AB-DO-6A
Printed in June 1929.		 AB-DO-6Aa.

Perth to Victoria Park
(8 January 1931).

Characteristics:

  • The 2nd and 3rd lines in the heading:
    COMMONWEALTH ...
    RECEIVED ...
    are in the same relative position to the form.
    The top line "TELEGRAPH! ..." begins begins 21 mm after the C of COMMONWEALTH in line 2:
    The 4th line
    "The first line ..."
    begins 13 mm before the R of RECEIVED.
  • 2nd line in Remarks box begins under the space.
AB-DO-6Aa rev

AB-DO-6Aa (reverse).

Reverse side of the Victoria Park telegram above showing the three advertisements used in this June printing.
AB-DO-6Ab
Printed in June 1929.		 AB-DO-6Ab.

Wicheproof to Maldon.
7 March 1931.

Clearly a separate printing requiring at least an adjustment to the printing plate.

Characteristics:

  • The 2nd and 3rd lines in the heading:
    COMMONWEALTH ...
    RECEIVED ...
    are in the same relative position to the form.
    The top line "TELEGRAPH! ..." begins begins 23 mm after the C of COMMONWEALTH in line 2:
    The 4th line
    "The first line ..."
    begins 17.5 mm before the R of RECEIVED.
  • 2nd line in Remarks box shifted to the left.

 
DO-6Ab rev

AB-DO-6Ab (reverse).

Reverse side of the Maldon form.

Characteristics:

  • no figure in the middle column;
  • no spacing between the lines for the heading in the third column;
  • IMPORTANT in the 3rd line of the right column begins under O of YOUR.
AB-DO-6B
Printed in October 1929.		 AB-DO-6B.

Melbourne to Perth
(Telegraphs Perth datestamp of 3 April 1930).

Different advertisement at the top:
"For Quick Service Use the Telegraph.".

 
AB-DO-6B rev

AB-DO-6B (reverse).

Reverse side of the Perth telegram above showing the three new advertisements used in this October printing. These same advertisements appeared on all the October 1929 forms.

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
DO-6Aa Sch. C425--6/1929. 27 June 1930 at Blackall, Qld. NC
DO-6Ab Sch. C425-6/1929 28 October 1930 at Warilla, SA. NC
DO-6B Sch. C425--10/1929. 3 April 1930 at (Telegraphs) Perth. NC