Out Of Course Sydney Cds

As I have never seen this Sydney NSW postmark before I would appreciate any help I can, and without going into lengthy detail the following is applicable.
It is on the rear of a boomerang cover (which has some issues itself) Australia to New Guinea and return in 1934. The CDS reads as follows;- "Out of Course 2 Sydney" and the date. The red highlight is on the scan only, not the cover.

Sorry I don't know why the scan has appeared upside down!!!!

A little too modern for my knowledge database but it sounds like a mis-sorting event.

Can we have an image of the cover please?
It is possibly Catalogue #395B
Approx 30,000 covers flown.
The Australian Air Mail Catalogue Page 64

FYI
Unlisted in the worldwide Airmail directional Handstamps
(should that have been considered an "intermediate" flight destination)

It appears to have several uses.

One of which, is to treat Registered mail, not posted over the counter, (Mailbox?) then received at a point where Registration could be written and began

also as Bobby advised mis-sorting.
"Out of course" auxilliary markings can appear on GB and other
countries.

Author : "Davo"

Tobin, Postal History of Sydney, Vol 6 page 113, discusses "Out of Course" CDS's used at Sydney from 1939 to 1983. These CDS's had the initials 'O.O.C.' and were used to cancel stamps on mail which, for diverse reasons, ended up in the wrong place. I have an example dated 3/7/66.

Tobin also mentions that there were 3 older CDS's in use at that time which would be discussed in Vol 7, which I believe was never published.

Rod222 thank you very much for you reply I've attached a scan of the cover front. Do you know if apart from Tobin is there any other publications that may be able to add to this.

Scan of the front of the cover.

I am aware of the covers history - it is the CDS that I am interested in finding more about. When was it first used -when was it last used etc.

Hi Starpez,
No sorry, today is the first time ever, having seen this CDS

Googling, sourced heaps of covers with the hammer impression,
but very limited information,if any on how it was used in Australia.

At first I thought it may have been "an intermediate" destination out side the forcasted flight route.

The CDS which appears to read 31st August, triggered the
query as perhaps being lost, or miss sort.

Best I can do at the moment.

Cover query
Eustis has the flight leaving Lae 30th July 1934
reaching Townsville same day

How can we then have a CDS Postmarked SALAMAUA at 31st of July

Was it left in Papua for the return flight?
Re-Registration notation in Sydney was as late as the 1st September!

I see no evidence of the flight landing at Salamaua (38 Km South of Lae) on the trip home.

Rod222, I'm not sure if you are aware that any of these so called boomerang covers were only returned by airmail if they had sufficient value of postage stamps being 8d.for airmail plus 3d if registered. Theoretically this cover did have but for some unknown reason it was returned by surface mail, it was sent to Salamaua where it was accepted on the 31st July. The airmail flight had left Lae on the 30th.

Right. That now makes sense.

Leaves me with 2 queries.
How do we explain the Papua and New Guinea stamps on cover?

Eustis, shows a boomerang cover, with cachet, "Lae to Port Moresby"
Yet, Port Moresby was not called at, on the return Journey.

rod222 Once again thanks for your reply, great map by the way.
Rather than go too far off topic and discuss the flight I would refer you to my article regarding the "First Experimental Airmail Flight Australia to Papua New Guinea" and return in the Australian Stamp Professional Jan/Feb and March/April 2022. Since that time this cover has come into my possession and as I mentioned earlier it has some issues as follows:-
A) The unusual combination of mixed Papuan and New Guinean stamps which should be sufficient for return by registered airmail.
B) They were cancelled in Grafton.
C) There is no Lae Registration label or cachet affixed.
D) When it returned to Australia via surface mail it went through the Registered section of the Sydney PO.
E) Along with other correct postmarks it has this "Out of Course 2 Sydney CDS"

Like yourself I went searching and all I could come up with was:-
That at that time (1934) there were three "Out of Course CDS" in use by the Sydney PO, being numbers 1, 2 or 3 and the postmark was used if:-
A) An article was posted incorrectly or ended up in the wrong place in the GPO
B) If the correct rate was affixed for registration, crossed with registration lines but then put in a post box rather than handing it over the post office counter, thus bypassing the registration process.

Was this "Out of Course CDS" applied because of reason A) or B) or both?
Or the facts that
1) It could be construed that it had no stamps for the return trip as the stamps had already been cancelled in Australia by the Grafton CDS which effectively made the cover totally unpaid for the return from New Guinea, whereas theoretically for all intent and purpose it had sufficient value of stamps for a Registered Airmail return trip.

2) Owing to the fact that it was tied with a mixture of New Guinean and Papuan stamps, did the Lae Post Office not recognize the Papuan 5d.stamp as being legal in New Guinea and they regarded the cover as not having sufficient for return by airmail hence it being sent home via surface mail.

And this is where I came unstuck as I needed to know for what reason was this 'Out of Course CDS' applied. I have a feeling that the CDS numbers 1, 2 and three might have something to do with it, like each number was used for a different reason.
In this day and age I would have thought there was much more data to be found regarding this CDS.

Thanks! Nice overview

Hard to find information? the old chestnut arises again
"Philately begins where the catalogue ends"



Wow! that publication still going, I am surprised
When living in Perth I had all the early copies,
regularly picked up at the Perth Phil. Soc.

Not seen an issue for some years now.

PS: Personally I would contact "Philas House" in Sydney for the CDS info.
I have found them extremely helpful (and prompt) in past queries.
Good Luck!

rod222, again thanks for your reply.

Love your phrase ""Philately begins where the catalogue ends" Its the chase and the hunt for more information that makes the hobby work for me.

Yes Australian Stamp Professional still going strong.




I will be contacting Philas House, and thanks for that.

"Philately begins where the catalogue ends"