Sydney Duplex Cancellations 1871-1882

This little study derives from my DLR holdings and examines the Duplex Cancellations of Sydney types D11 to D14 (see White p.57)

Type D11

The earliest known date can be pushed back to 14 February 1871.



Code letters B and K for this device have been confirmed to exist.

Type D12

Device A, code B not recorded in White.



Device P, code C not recorded in White.



Device P, earliest known date, by 8 days.

Type D13

Device 1, codes B and E not recorded in White.





Device 2, code L not recorded in White.



Device 3, code L not recorded in White.



Device 4, code L not recorded in White.

Type D14

Device 1, code I not recorded in White.





Device 2, codes B, I and K not recorded in White.








Device 8, last recorded date, by nearly 10 months.

Wow! Jolly good philately there Bobby
Pushing the boundaries.

Would you kindly expand on "White" please?
I am not aufait with this author.
Monograph? Hardcover?
Perhaps offer the best authorities on NSW Pmks, if you can.

What do you do with your discoveries?
Someone in Philas House?

Thanks Rod

White is the editor of the Postal History Of NSW, which was published in 1988.

I would think this book is still the go-to general reference for most folks.

Tobin & Orchard may have expanded the knowledge base but I don't have volume 6 of their Sydney books. Indeed, I don't have any of those publications.

Hopson & Tobin are probably the best resource for NSW datestamps, excluding Sydney. It's a four volume set. Freeman of course is the best resource for numeral postmarks, but the Brown & Campbell book hasn't been made completely redundant by Freeman's work.

I don't do much with the discoveries other than post my findings here!

Thanks Bobby.




...and the world is poorer for it.

Hopefully someone from the ASSC might get in touch!

If it were I,
email the link to the thread, to Philas, and ask if the information is
of interest to any members.
Surely progress has not halted in Philately.

You do excellent work Bobby.

Thanks again Rod

The big beastie next year is my NSW numeral postmark study from the area of the state I collect!

Superb Bobby De La Rue, thanks for sharing part of your collection.

Just beat me with that D11 date:

Thanks fairdinkumstamps

Nice strike!

In your 'Device P, earliest known date, by 8 days', are you sure it's a C. With its straight lower end, it looks more like a G to me.

Hi itma,

Not sure what you're looking at?

Device P, code A, dated 15 November 1872. No mention of a C or G.

Sorry Bobby. I quoted the text below (with an error - I was tired, having driven 800km of a 1500km trip, only to find that my destination was effectively shut down because of COVID) rather than above the image in question. It should have been:




It just looks to me as if there is a kink in the lower right part of the C which makes it a G. Of course, it could just be the inking.

Hi itma,

Yes I see what you mean now.

There are four duplex devices in this particular series, and none of them have a code G.

Indeed, code letter G is not known in any Sydney Duplex from the period 1858 - 1884.

I'd suspect this was a deliberate move by the authorities, to avoid any confusion.