Victoria - Colonial period: 1854-1900.
Post Office Telegraphs ordinary rate delivery form: VC-DO-8.

 
General characteristics:

Heading and notes: Form number E.T. No. 1.
Heading is
POST OFFICE TELEGRAPHS
(118 mm wide).
No Crest or postal authority.
Message area: 32 boxes in 8 lines.
Reverse side: Blank.
Colours (text & form): Blue on cream.
Size of form overall: 214 × 233 mm.
Distinctive characteristics of this form:
 
VC-DO-8A
Printed in July 1876.
VC-DO-8A.

Sandhurst to Richmond
(20 November 1876).

Characteristics:

  • TELEGRAM (under top left box) is written in script font.

 

VC-DO-8BPrinted in January 1877. VC-DO-8B.

Melbourne to Williamstown
(13 September 1877).

Characteristics:

  • TELEGRAM (under top left box) is written in ordinary italic font.

 

This is the earliest recorded Victorian telegram form with a date stamp.

Details of use and rarity.

Form
sub-number
Schedule number Earliest recorded date Rarity rating
DO-8A 750,000 - 7/76 20 November 1876 at Richmond. NC
DO-8B 750,000 - 1/77 13 September 1977 at Williamstown
from Melbourne..
NC
  750,000 - 7/77 12 September 1877 at Richmond
from Prahran.
NC
  750,000 - 1/78 28 February 1878 at Richmond
from Hawthorn.
NC