Urgent label - Teleg. Messenger

An important but very rare label was used in Victoria in the 1890s to indicate that an URGENT LETTER was to be delivered immediately by the Telegraph Messenger.

No details are known about this provision as it is not referenced in the Regulations. It can be inferred that the additional cost was 6d for the express fee. Given that special labels were printed and used in at least two quite distant offices implies that the provision was well founded.

Only four examples of the label are known - one is in very poor condition and not shown here.

Those printed in the Victorian Colonial era are printed in black on thin green/grey paper and applied to the envelope with gum at the top.
The label used in the Commonwealth era is printed in black on green paper and also applied to the envelope with gum at the top..

Provenance: Hugh Freeman, Johnstone.
Prestige September 2011 Lot 810.

Horsham to South Richmond.
19 September 1894.

Franking of 2d purple and 6d blue Stamp Duties.

Size of label: 74 × 110 mm.

Provenance: Johnstone.

Northcote to Bendigo.
23 October 1894.

Franking of a pair of 1d brown Naish and 6d blue Stamp Duty.

Size: 70 × 110 mm.

Corinphila Dubois Collection, Sale 320, November 2023, Lot 30625.

Birchip to Melbourne City
7 April 1937.

Label used on a registered envelope fronked by a 6d brown Commonwealth period Kookaburra.

Label has:

C.O. 15 in the TRC and a Schedule number C. 6410 in the LLC.
squarer full-stop after MESSENGER than with the Victorian printings.