Paterson

Paterson railway station, 44 km south west of Maryborough, opened on 25 August 1887

• Electric Telegraph Office oval handstamp rated 5R - $100

Electric Telegraph Office Oval Handstamp

Paterson Electric Telegraph Office oval handstamp. Rated 5R

Handbook of Queensland Datestamps and Instructional Markings

This handbook is a free, detailed, illustrated, priced online catalog of colonial Queensland postage stamp date stamps (postmarks) and instructional markings. It builds on and supersedes the printed catalog Queensland Colonial Postal History: The Town Datestamps, 2nd edition by Bernard Manning, published in 2014. 

It was awarded a Large Vermeil at EuroPhilEx 2025 in Birmingham, England.

All stamp images shown are from my own collection unless stated otherwise and are not for sale.

There were six main date stamp types in use, first unframed and then framed, with a number of subtypes. A detailed listing is available here. The rarity ratings are based on relative scarcity and range from common, meaning examples are plentiful, through to 5R, where only one or two copies are known.

It covers the period 1846 (with the opening of the Drayton and Ipswich post offices) to 1913. This can be broken down into two periods:

• 1846 - 1859/60 - the Moreton Bay period - before Queensland became a separate colony and when New South Wales stamps and date stamps were in use
• 1859/60 to about 1913 - the colonial (December 1859–1900) and State (1901–1913) periods - when Queensland stamps and date stamps were in use, before being progressively replaced by Australian Kangaroo and King George V stamps from 1913 onwards

The Handbook covers over 750 Queensland post offices, and some 20,000 colour images, arranged in date order, are included to assist with identification. Instructional markings are also listed, including Crown seals, Deficient postage, Late fee, Machine cancels, Missent, Paid, Telegraph, Too late and Unclaimed. The various railway Travelling Post Office (TPO) date stamps to 1936 are covered in detail and 140 Queensland post offices where date stamps have not yet been seen are also listed. 

The Brisbane General Post Office (GPO) opened in around 1841 and due to the large number of date stamps and handstamps in use there, I have created a separate Handbook for it here.

Use the pages (at the top on the web version, dropdown menu at the top right of the mobile version), labels or search function (web version only) to find the information you are seeking. 

A huge thank you to the members of the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group for all their help, encouragement and thousands of date stamp examples. I will continue to update this catalog 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 Catalog of Registered Handstamps and Labels
  
• 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 - January 2024

Coopers Plains

Coopers Plains post office, 11 km south of the Brisbane GPO, opened on 1 October 1876 and was reduced to a receiving office on 18 July 1890

• Datestamp type 3c (21 July 1882) rated 5R - $100 on cover

Datestamp type 3c

1882

Coopers Plains date stamp type 3c. Dated 21 July 1882. Rated 5R. Seen in Cavendish auction no 662, lot no 2229

Wooloowin

Wooloowin telegraph office, 6 km north of the Brisbane GPO, opened as a receiving office in 1889

• Electric Telegraph Office Oval rated 5R - $100

Electric Telegraph Office Oval

Wooloowin Electric Telegraph Office oval. Rated 5R. Seen in the collection of Tony Griffin

Wooloowin Electric Telegraph Office oval. Rated 5R. Seen here

Lyndhurst

Lyndhurst post office, 135 km south east of Georgetown, opened on 1 January 1870, closed on 31 July 1873, reopened on 14 December 1879 and was reduced to a receiving office on 1 January 1882

• Datestamp type 3a (29 November 1880) rated 5R - $100 on cover

Datestamp type 3a

1880

Lyndhurst datestamp type 3a dated 29 November 1880. Rated 5R. Seen in a private collection

Barcoo

Barcoo post office, 105 km south of Barcaldine, opened on 1 January 1864 on the Alice Downs Station and closed on 31 December 1868

• Datestamp type 1a (13 August 1866) rated 5R - $100

Barcoo numeral 38 HERE

Datestamp type 1a

1866

Barcoo date stamp type 1a. Dated 13 August 1866. Rated 5R. Seen in auction Galleries Hamburg

Kelvin Grove

Kelvin Grove post office, 3 km from the Brisbane CBD, opened on 1 August 1874 and was reduced to a receiving office on 1 May 1883

• Datestamp type 3c (April 1880) rated 5R - $100

Datestamp type 3c

Kelvin Grove datestamp type 3c dated April [1880]. Rated 5R. Seen on Ebay

Bloomsbury

Bloomsbury post office, 34 km south of Proserpine, opened in March 1909

• Datestamp type 5b (11 July 1911) rated 5R - $100 

Datestamp type 5b

1911

Bloomsbury datestamp type 5b dated 11 July 1911. Rated 5R. Seen in a private collection

Longreach

Longreach post office, 100 km west of Barcaldine, opened on 1 October 1891

• Datestamp type 3c (22 June 1892 - 27 September 1898) rated Common - $8, $15 on cover
• Datestamp type 4a (3 June 1899 - 29 March 1911) rated Common - $9, $12 on cover
• Datestamp type 4at (8 June 1898 - 25 August 1910) rated Rare - $11, $15 on cover
• Datestamp type 4bt (27 August 1903 - 2 July 1905) rated 4R - $45 on cover
• Datestamp type 6t (7 June 1911 - 3 March 1913) rated 4R - $35
• Deficient postage 2d (1896) rated 5R - $100 on cover

The Longreach duplex canceller numeral 592 is seen used from 1900 onwards. It comprises a framed datestamp 25 mm in diameter and the obliterator portion of the canceller comprises 32 unbroken rays. It is easily distinguishable from the Longreach datestamps as they are all unframed, except for type 6t which has the date in one line whereas the date stamp portion of the 592 duplex canceller has the date in three lines

Longreach duplex obliterator

Longreach numeral 458 HERE. Longreach numeral 592 HERE. Longreach registered HERE

Datestamp type 3c

1892

Longreach datestamp type 3c dated 22 June 1892. Rated common. Seen on Delcampe

Longreach datestamp type 3c dated 3 August 1892. Rated common. Seen on Delcampe

1893

Longreach datestamp type 3c dated 14 June 1893. Rated common. Seen in Smithies

Longreach datestamp type 3c dated 25 November 1893. Rated common. Seen in Smithies

1895

Longreach datestamp type 3c dated 14 February 1895. Rated common. Seen on Ebay

1896

Longreach datestamp type 3c dated 10 March 1896. Rated common. Seen on Ebay

Longreach datestamp type 3c dated 15 June 1896. Rated common

Longreach datestamp type 3c dated 9 December 1896. Rated common

Longreach datestamps type 3c dated 5 August 1895 - 10 September 1897. Rated common

Datestamp type 4a

1899

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 30 September 1899. Rated common

1900

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 10 January 1900. Rated common. Seen on Ebay

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 4 July 1900. Rated common. Seen on Ebay

1901

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 19 February 1901. Rated common. Seen in a private collection

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 19 February 1901. Rated common. Seen on Stampboards

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 21 February 1901. Rated common. Seen in Auction Galleries Hamburg

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 16 March 1901. Rated common. Seen in Abacus auction no 261 lot no 274

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 26 August 1901. Rated common. Seen in Phoenix auction no 23198

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 1 December 1901. Rated common

1903

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 1 October 1903. Rated common. Seen in a private collection

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 1 October 1903. Rated common. Seen in a private collection

1904

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 22 April 1904. Rated common

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 14 September 1904. Rated common. Seen in a private collection

1905

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 11 January 1905. Rated common. Seen in a private collection

1906

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 11 October 1906. Rated common. Seen on Ebay

1907

Longreach datestamp type 4a dated 22 August 1907. Rated common

Datestamp type 4at

1898

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 8 June 1898. Rated rare. Seen in a private collection

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 3 December 1898. Rated rare. Seen on Ebay

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 6 December 1898. Rated rare. Seen on Stampboards

1899

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 16 May 1899. Rated rare. Seen on Ebay

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 24 August 1899. Rated rare. Seen on Ebay

1907

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 10 January 1907. Rated rare. Seen on Ebay

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 5 July 1907. Rated rare. Seen in Phoenix auction no 2198

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 13 July 1907. Rated rare

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 15 October 1907. Rated rare. Seen in a private collection

1910

Longreach datestamp type 4at dated 25 August 1910. Rated rare. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting facebook Group

Datestamp type 4bt

1903

Longreach datestamp type 4bt dated 8 September 1903. Rated 4R. Seen in a private collection

Longreach datestamp type 4bt dated 15 September 1903. Rated 4R

1904

Longreach datestamp type 4bt dated 31 August 1904. Rated 4R. Seen in a private collection

Datestamp type 6t

1911

Longreach datestamps type 6t dated 7 June 1911. Rated 4R

1912

Longreach datestamp type 6t dated 13 May 1912. Rated 4R

Longreach datestamp type 6t dated September 1912. Rated 4R. Seen in Phoenix auction no 2198

Longreach datestamp type 6t dated 20 October 1912. Rated 4R. Seen in Smithies

Deficient Postage 

1896

Longreach Deficient Postage dated 10 March 1896. Rated 5R. Seen on Ebay