No other source addresses the Electric Telegraph Ovals issued by Queensland. They are regarded as "not real philately" by many traditionalists - yet these ovals are at least equal in terms of their position in philatelic and telegraphic history. They are classified under Exhibition rules in Class 2B: Marcophily.
Format and material: The oval date stamps used in Queensland for telegraphic purposes were mostly made of brass although several formats were made from rubber. All had the heading ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH OFFICE at the top between the inner and outer ovals. They differ in terms of the format of the ovals (see classification of Telegraph date stamps), in their size and shape and in the details included.
The main types are:
Rating: All of the Queensland ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH OFFICE date stamps are rated as RRRR.
Period of use for the ovals is unclear. The evidence can be summarised as follows:
Hence most usage was between 1880 and 1900 with continuing use in a few individual offices for some considerable time after.
Almost all of the date stamps below have not previously been recorded. The list of Queensland ETO Oval date stamps which have been seen is recorded elsewhere.
Format 1 oval date stamps are a basic oval with only the date in the inner oval. | ||
Format 1 - RO3-ETO.
Outer and inner lines only for the ovals. Date inside. No Crown or dotted line. |
Brisbane Electric Telegraph Office. 28 June 1880. Provenance: Queensland Archives. |
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Format 2 oval date stamps: Have a Crown and "No." in the inner oval. Lines forming the ovals are continuous. | ||
Format 2a - BO3-ETO:
Characteristics:
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St Lawrence Electric Telegraph Office. Size: 29.5 × 45 mm (e = 0.76). Archival strike. Possibly in January 1898. |
Thursday Island Electric Telegraph Office. Size: 26 × 44 mm (e = 0.81). 29 March 1888. Used on QC-EO-2. |
Toowong Electric Telegraph Office. Size: 29 × 45 mm (e = 0.76). Provenance: Alan Griffiths. See QC-EO-5. |
Townsville Electric Telegraph Office. Size: 29 × 45 mm (e = 0.76). Provenance: Alan Griffiths. |
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Format 2b - RO6-ETO:
Characteristics:
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Herberton Electric Telegraph Office. 9 December 1889. Size: 27 × 45 mm (e = 0.80). Provenance: Dave Elsmore. |
Port Alma (no date maybe used in 1905) - see Status Auctions August 2011 Lot 1637. |
Format 3 - RO7-ETO:
Characteristics:
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Cairns Electric Telegraph Office in violet. No date. Size: 27 × 44 mm (e = 0.79). Used on QC-TO-3 on 1 April 1882. |
Herberton Electric TelegraphOffice. Used on 7 October 1882. Size: Used on QC-DU-2. |
Provenance: Dave Elsmore. |
Format 4 - RO7-ETO. Characteristics:
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Provenance: Dave Elsmore. |
Format 5 oval date stamps: Have only a dotted line in the inner oval. | ||
Format 5 - BO3-ETO:
Characteristics:
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Bowenville Electric Telegraph Office. No date. Premier Postal June 2014. |
Boynedale Electric Telegraph Office. No date. DnJays October 2013. |
Clintonvale R. S. Electric Telegraph Office. No date. |
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Dakabin Electric Telegraph Office. Used 29 May 1935. Size: 26 × 39 mm (e = 0.75). |
Durah Electric Telegraph Office. Size: 26 × 42 mm (e = 0.79). Provenance: Alan Griffiths. |
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DnJays November 2013. |
Previously unrecorded. |
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Nanango Electric Telegraph Office. No date on date stamp. Used on QC-DO-8 with a date of 18 July 1906. Size: 27 × 42 mm (e = 0.77). 3 mm letters. |
Nangwee Electric Telegraph Office. No date - archival strike. Size: 26 × 39 mm (e = 0.75). 2 mm letters. Provenance: Carl Burnett, Johnstone. |
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Wiles River RS Electric Telegraph Office. |
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Format 4 oval date stamps: Have nothing in the inner oval and are smaller. | ||
Format 4 - RO3-ETO:
Size: 21 × 36 mm (e = 0.81). |
Townsville Electric Telegraph Office. Also see elsewhere. |
Townsville Electric Telegraph Office. Provenance: Alan Griffiths. |
Format 5 oval date stamps are smaller ovals and less elliptical (hence a low value for the eccentricity). They include the date and may or may not have a "No. ---" below. | ||
Format 5a - BO3-ETO:
Size: 27 × 34.5 mm (e = 0.62). Major variation is the Crown above the ellipses. Has a one line date with Only known used at Rockhampton at the end of 1902 and beginning of 1903. |
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Format 5b - BO3-ETO:
Size: 27 × 34.5 mm (e = 0.62). Has a two line date only in the central oval. |
Bowen Post and Telegraph Department oval. 18 April 1905. Only known example. |