Share Your Sydney Cds Postmark Canceller Numbers On NSW Colonial/State Stamps

Notes from the Bruce Collection:

The Sydney duplex with 'U' in place of time was applied:

1. To letters posted on train. In this case as an obliterator.
2. To T.P.O. letters received - as a backstamp.
U = Up (to Sydney)

"UP" would be my guess, but it's nice to have confirmation of the actual usage.

I'm doing some research into who manufactured the Sydney (and country) datestamps.

The pre 1870 period is challenging as the successful tender result was not published in the NSW Gazette.

Bobby De La Rue,
As you would know, in his book The Numeral Cancellations of New South Wales, Hugh Freeman has John Sands with the contract from 1863 until 1870. John White also names John Sands as the contractor during this period.

In 1870 Hugh mentions the contract then going to 'newcomer' John Thornthwaite.

In fact, John Thorn(th)waite had the contract in 1863 but it was cancelled - apparently due to 'bad work' - and awarded instead to John Sands.

Legislative Assembly questions were reported in 'The Empire' in January, 1864:


Despite the prior engraver's 'anonymity' in both Freeman and White, it appears that the original contractor was probably Hugh Carruthers (an engraver who worked as a butcher) then J. C. Thornthwaite who, according to Basset Hull, was engaged for a number of projects from 1850 - including postal stationery and 'silver and copper tokens'.




Finally, Basset Hull quotes 1850 correspondence from the Post-Master General to the Colonial Secretary that shows payment to Hugh Carruthers and J. C. Thornthwaite for 'the obliterating stamps for various post offices'.


Hugh Carruthers returning to engraving in 1858:

Great work fairdinkumstamps

Carruthers gets a brief mention in White.

1863 ties in well with the brief change in datestamp type (Hopson & Tobin 1B) which only appeared for another year, before reverting to the unbordered type.

Echo.
Extraordinary work!

New South Wales had new types of datestamps introduced in 1852 and again in 1857.

Knowing the Gazette wasn't going to help, I searched Trove for Die Sinkers and got these two results (among others).

John Francis - Sydney Morning Herald 4 May 1857



Alfred Flack (note typo) - Sydney Morning Herald 10 May 1858



By 1862 Flack was advertising his address at York & Barrack Streets. The GPO was on Barrack Street in the 1860s, pending the construction of the building that is still in use today.

DIE SINKER
My father was a "tool and die maker" for Westlands Helicopters in Somerset.

I had to look up "Die sinker" was not familiar with that.

It's wonderful that the work of this skilled craftsman has been captured on film for posterity.

I do not have much in the way of NSW material but have posted what I have. If you spot anything that would be relevant to your project, please let me know and I will post a decent scan of the individual stamp.

Nice little collection backroads

The picks are the 1321 of Coolabah (scan 2 line 5 stamp 4) and an early 528 of Hillston (scan 1 line 5 stamp 1). Also the Travelling PO 1 South on the 6d centennial (scan 2 line 1 stamp 8).

Thank you for sharing!

Here are the three scans that you picked out. Glad to be of any help that I can. I do have similar sized groups from other Australian states and, if they are of any use to you, can do similar posts to the one done with NSW.

Here is the only stamp in my meagre colonial collection that fits this topic.

This one just floated past the transom:

itma, yours is duplex type D13, device number 3. There would have been a time code at the top of the handstamp.