A collection of approximately 77 printed items of stationery relating to telegraphs and telegrams from various companies in Canada, the USA, the United Kingdom and Ireland (circa 1947)
All items are neatly mounted on plain sheets of paper (foolscap folio, one or two per sheet, rectos only, attached with a piece of lightly discoloured tape along the top margin). In virtually every instance, a detailed caption is typed above the sample. The sheets are bound together with two split-pin fasteners with a plain card front cover (the rear cover is no longer present). Bound in before one section is a duplicate typed report, 'Use of Ornamental Telegram Stationery in Other Countries', signed by J.C. Harrison, Inspector (Telegraphs) (one page foolscap folio, written 'At Sea. 13th January 1948'). The report makes it clear that Harrison visited the countries in question, and that he collected these ephemeral items (the word 'Specimen' written in ink on a quantity of them is in his hand). The final comment in his report is 'I propose to file the attached specimens in the Branch papers for future reference'. It would appear he did this, but at some later stage, this volume was the only item rescued from the jaws of the incinerator into which a large quantity of those Branch papers was fed. An interesting website by Ron McMullen contains some information about J.C. Harrison (in the section on the Simplex Auto). Apparently he was 'a Telegraphist and later in 1945 was Inspector (Telegraphs) Telegraph Branch, Central Office, Melbourne'. He is also the author of 'Ninety Years of Telegraph Progress' [1945?], an unpublished paper held in the Australian Telecommunications Commission Library. Australia Post closed its telegram service on 7 March 2011.
Item #102133
Price (AUD):
$550.00