New South Wales - Colonial: 1857-1900.
Delivery envelope: NC-EO-4.
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: No form number.
TELEGRAM, IMMEDIATE printed in the top rectangular frame in blue.
Message area: Blank.
Reverse side: Has printed seal on flap.
Colours (text & envelope): Blue on blue.
Size of envelope overall: 81 × 137 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of the form:
 
NC-EO-4A NC-EO-4A.

For delivery from Bundarra to Tingha.
28 August 1878.



See another example of this envelope used at Molong
on 15 September 1884 with a handstamp across the flap of the envelope.
EO-4A rev NC-EO-4A - half of the reverse side showing greater detail.

Has a reasonable strike of a scarce Tingha backstamp of 29 August.

The peak of the flap has an embossed oval with
ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH/
NEW SOUTH WALES in the outer oval.
Inner oval is blank and uncoloured.

Flap has rounded peak and moderately curved sides.
The club was established in 1857 and located in Blight Street, Sydney. Its objectives were to create a leisure space for working-class people. The original Union Club building was a Georgian mansion on Bligh Street and had been designed by Francis Greenway.

In keeping with respecting Sydney's historical past, the building was later demolished to facilitate the construction of the Wentworth Hotel. 		NC-EO-4B.
For delivery to the Union Club.

The format differs in the following ways from EO-4A:

  1. the blue outlining for the lines around the heading is thicker;
  2. there is no comma after TELEGRAM but there is a dot after IMMEDIATE;
  3. the last two lines in the lower left corner are outdented to the H of CHARGES.

Same design of flap as for EO-4A and the seal is printed not embossed.
The style of lettering in the oval is significantly different.
A small stop splits top and bottom lettering at the right and it is much smaller
than the stops on each side of EO-4A.
EO-4C NC-EO-4C.

Used at Cumnock
4 April 1878.

Characteristics:

  • coloured background is darker;
  • to right of heading has details of "lawful use".

 

Source: Australian Postal History.

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number		 Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
EO-4A None 28 August 1878 at Bundarra. RRRR
EO-4B None No indication of the date but probably used at GPO Sydney.
Only recorded example.		 RRRR
EO-4C None. 4 April 1878 at Cumnock. RRRR