This is a free, detailed, illustrated, online Handbook by Dr Jeremy Hodes of the various Queensland registered hand stamps and labels used in colonial Queensland on Chalon and Sideface postage stamps and postal history from 1860 to 1913. It includes the use of the Queensland Chalon registered postage stamp as well as New South Wales registered handstamps and registered postage stamps used before Queensland came into existence and which were in use from 1850 to 1860.
Registered markings have so far been seen for over 400 Queensland post offices during the colonial period. As there were around 850 Queensland post offices in existence there is therefore plenty of scope for further discoveries!
The registered handstamp comprised two lines with the first line containing the word registered and the second line the name of the post office. This type of registered handstamp came in two different sizes, one with small type and the other with large type. As well a single line registered handstamp with the post office name omitted was used at the Calliope, St George and Yaamba post offices.
The registered handstamp comprised two lines with the first line containing the word registered and the second line the name of the post office. This type of registered handstamp came in two different sizes, one with small type and the other with large type. As well a single line registered handstamp with the post office name omitted was used at the Calliope, St George and Yaamba post offices.
There was also an R in oval registered handstamp (Ⓡ) that was used in a number of post offices from around 1891 onwards. These are best collected on piece or cover in order to identify the post office associated with them.
A number of the larger post offices also used dedicated registered date stamps. Beginning in late 1908, registered labels began to be provided to Queensland post offices. Again, these are best collected on piece or cover. There were also printed registered envelopes, and these are very scarce, especially used. This Handbook only lists those labels used during the colonial period.
The rarity rating is Common, for the most commonly found handstamp cancels, Scarce for those that are less common but still readily obtainable, Rare for hard to get handstamp cancels, 2R for very hard to get handstamp cancels and finally 3R where only a handful of examples have been seen.
All covers and postcards with complete handstamp cancels and labels command a premium as do those registered cancels on piece or postage stamps that have a complete strike. Registered labels, usually only surviving on cover from this period, are also rare and desirable.
A huge thank you to the members of the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group for all their help, encouragement and hundreds of examples. I will continue to update this Handbook as new material comes to hand. If you have any examples to add, please contact me at jeremy2929@gmail.com
I encourage you to explore my other free Queensland Philatelic blogs
- Numerals on Queensland Postage Stamps
- Queensland Handbook of Datestamps and Instructional Markings
- Brisbane General Post Office Datestamps, Handstamps, Obliterators and Cancellations
- Queensland Postage Stamp Manuscript Cancellations
- Queensland 1st Sideface Postage Stamps
- Queensland 2nd Sideface Postage Stamps
- Queensland 3rd Sideface Postage Stamps
- Queensland Postal history
- Journal articles on Queensland Philately, Postage Stamps and Postal History
- Queensland Philately Portal
Dr Jeremy Hodes, New South Wales, Australia - September 2025
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