Great Britain and British Commonwealth Postal History - Commercial Airmails
Sale No: 6
Lot No: 402
Symbol: C/CL
Cat No: Collection
1931-39 group comprising to Java at 9d (1936), Singapore at 9d (1937), Austria at 1/9d (1936, & post-Anschluss 1939), Germany at 1/- (1931) or 1/9d (1938 & 1939), Italy at 1/9d (1937), Netherlands at 1/9d (1938), and Switzerland at 1/9d (1937), also 1940 at 9d Forces Rate from the Middle East, fine to very fine.
(Qty 11)
1930 (Oct 3) to Bavaria endorsed "Indian Air Mail/Karachi-London" with Kangaroo SMult Wmk 9d solo franking tied by Sydney cds, 'KARACHI AIR' & 'NURNBERG-FURTH/Flughafen' transits & 'MUNCHEN' arrival b/s, boxed 'Mit Luftpost befordert/...' forwarding h/s of Nuremberg & Munich both in rosine on the face. The rate was foreign letter rate of 3d per ounce + Karachi-London supplement of 6d per ½oz.
Sale No: 6
Lot No: 404
Symbol: C
Cat No: Collection
1930-38 group all to Great Britain at various rates comprising 8d (1930), 10d (1938), 11d (1932), 1/2d (1931), 1/11d (1931), 1/6d x3 different make-ups & 3/1d (1936, with '1934' date error), various adhesives including Kangaroos to 1/-, KGV to 5d & SA Centenary 1/- strip of 3, fine to very fine.
(Qty 9)
1931 (Mar 20) to a Rhennish missionary in Germany endorsed "Per aerial Mail/till Fremantle" with Kangaroos SMult Wmk 1/- + KSmith 2d tied by Broome (WA) cds, carried by MacRobertson-Miller Airways south to Perth, then by surface, some soiling. A very unusual rate comprising foreign letter rate 3d for the first ounce + 2d for the second ounce + internal airmail supplement 3d per ½oz x3 = 1/2d.
1931 (Mar 31) quadruple-rate cover from country NSW to Kent with scarce franking of Kangaroos SMult Wmk 9d block of 4 + KGV 1d green & 3d Airmail tied by 'BOWRAL' cds, minor creasing & light vertical bend. The rate was Empire letter 2d per ounce x2 + domestic airmail 3d per ½oz x4 + Karachi-London airmail supplement 6d per ½oz x4 = 3/4d.
1931 (Apr) Experimental Air Mail flight to GB with Kangaroos SMult Wmk 1/- pair + 2d KSmith & 3d Air tied by '____/21AP31/CASTLEMAINE' cds ('MILITARY CAMP' excised), red/white R label, flight cachet in violet on the reverse. [The rate was 1/11d per ½oz + 3d registration. The additional 3d paid was probably for air between Melbourne & Sydney. The vast majority of mail carried was philatelic. Commercial mail is scarce, moreso for being registered]
1931 KLM Experimental Air Mail flight per 'Abel Tasman' apparently commercial Sydney to Java with Kangaroos 6d & 1/- plus 3d Air & 3d Sturt, arrival airmail slogan cancel & boxed 'B106' postman's h/s both on the reverse. Martin Walker states that the rate was 1/9d per ½oz. In fact, it was 2/-, which was printed on souvenir envelopes prepared for the flight.
1931 (Oct 1) merchant's cover to Czechoslovakia with Kangaroo 1/- + 3d Air tied by Melbourne cds, endorsed in error "Via Karachi-London" but offloaded at Athens with Greek transit & bilingual 'JABLONEC NAD NISOU 1 / ...' arrival b/s. [The rate paid was Foreign Letter 3d for the first ounce + Karachi-London airmail supplement 6d per ½oz x2, which was the same whether offloaded at Greece as here, or flown to GB & forwarded by surface, which would have taken much longer]
1935 (Jan 19) to the Netherlands with scarce franking of Kangaroos CofA Wmk 9d deep bright violet (ACSC 29B) pair + Macarthur 3d tied by 'ARMIDALE/NSW' cds, Paris transit b/s & very fine 'AMSTERDAM-CENTR STATION' arrival cds of two days later on the face. A beautiful cover. The rate was 1/9d for air to France, then by train. The endorsement "Australia/Singapore" suggests that the sender expected the cover to be transferred to KNILM, although that would have occurred, if at all, at Batavia.
1935 (Feb 27) oversize envelope (355x225mm) sent airmail to General Motors Holdens, Melbourne endorsed "20ozs" in blue pencil franked with Victorian Centenary 2d orange block of 4 & single, a 6d Kookaburra and Lyrebird 1/- green x12 including a block of 9 tied by Brisbane Air Mail cds paying a combined 13/4d comprising the 2d per 1oz domestic letter rate x20 plus the 3d per ½oz airmail surcharge x40, Sydney arrival b/s of next day, some aging marks around perforations, a couple of stamps slightly creased, and the envelope with a closed tear at left and other minor edge faults. Nevertheless a remarkable item: the 1/- Lyrebird block of 9 must surely be a contender for the largest known multiple on cover.
1935 (Oct 29) long cover (272x113mm) with QME 'Star of David' logo on back flap sent airmail to London franked with KGV 2d red strip of 3 and Kangaroos 5/- CofA Wmk x2 (ACSC $350 on cover) tied Brisbane Air Mail cds paying seven-times the 1/6d per ½oz airmail letter rate, one 5/- with part of adjoining stamp attached at top, the other with minor perf faults at base, the envelope with a couple of corner faults & lightly discoloured at left. (Image1)
Estimate AU$150
Opening AU$ 115.00
Sold...AU$ 115.00
Closed..Sep-30-2021, 03:00:00 EST
Sold For 115
Sale No: 6
Lot No: 413
Symbol: C
1936 (May 8) endorsed "Australia-Greece-Denmark" with Kangaroo 2/- + KGV 5d tied by 'MACKAY/QUEENSLAND' cds, first sent south to Brisbane (b/s) with 'KOBENHAVEN/LUFTPOST 3' transit & 'ODENSE' arrival b/s. [The rate was 1/9d by air to London then by surface or 2/2d for all-up air via Athens + 3d registration]
1936 (June 2) to the Netherlands with Kangaroos CofA Wmk 2/- + KGV 1d tied by Sydney cds, Paris transit b/s. The rate was 1/9d for air to France, then by train, or 2/1d for the all-up service.
1936 (Oct 30) double-rate registered to "Rens pr Tinglev/Denmark" endorsed "Australia-London" with Kangaroos 9d x2 (one damaged) & 2/- + SA Centenary 2d, 'FEDERICIA/FLENSBORG' arrival b/s, redirected to "Ollerup" with 'SVENDBORG' arrival b/s & indistinct cds on the face. The rate was 1/9d by air to London then by surface x2 + 3d registration = 3/9d so underpaid 1d but not taxed. [Rens is 230km W of Copenhagen, on Jutland. Ollerup is between the capital & Rens, on the Danish island of Fyn (Funen) in Svendborg Municipality] (Image1)
Estimate AU$125
Opening AU$ 95.00
Sold...AU$ 95.00
Closed..Sep-30-2021, 03:00:00 EST
Sold For 95
Sale No: 6
Lot No: 416
Symbol: C
1937 (May 13) endorsed "Australia-Greece-Denmark" with Kangaroo 2/- + KGVI 2d tied by Sydney cds, Athens b/s & Greek currency control h/s. [The rate was 2/2d for all-up air via Athens]
1937 (Dec 1) TS Beaumont & Son, Melbourne cover to Rhode Island, USA endorsed "Aust-Hong Kong-Frisco-Boston-RI Airmail" with NSW Sesquicentenary 3d blue and Kangaroos 5/- CofA Wmk (ACSC $350 on cover) tied Melbourne machine cancel apparently paying the 4/8d per ½oz airmail rate for carriage by QANTAS/Imperial Airways to Hong Kong via Singapore and then by PanAm Trans-Pacific Clipper service to San Francisco plus 7d surcharge for internal US airmail, 'VICTORIA/7DE/37/HONG KONG' transit b/s, a couple of minor repaired tears not affecting stamps.
Prior to the commencement of the PanAm Hong Kong service in April 1937 there was no 'all-the-way' airmail service from Australia to the USA; mail could be accelerated either by being sent airmail to England, by ship across the Atlantic to New York plus US internal airmail, or by being sent airmail to Sydney, by ship across the Pacific to San Francisco plus US internal airmail. From 1934 the surcharge for internal US airmail was 7d per ½oz. According to Martin Walker, the PanAm Hong Kong service was open for Australian acceptances from 19.4.1937 at the 4/8d rate, and the mixed surface/airmail service was withdrawn. Perhaps our sender was not aware that the new rate included US airmail to destination, or perhaps the additional 7d remained payable for some time (?): more research required.
1937 (Dec 17) Kohl & Krech, Melbourne cover front pre-addressed to 'Messrs Furhmann & Co, GmbH, Berlin, Germany' sent airmail with KGV CofA Wmk 1d green and 1/4d blue x3 (ACSC $350 on cover) tied Melbourne cds paying 2/1d for the first ½oz and 2/- for the second ½oz 'all-the-way' airmail rate for carriage by QANTAS/Imperial Airways to Greece and onwards by Deutsche Lufthansa, Greek currency control marking applied at Athens on face, slighlty reduced most noticably at left not affecting stamps.
1938 (Feb 9) cover flown to Italy then by surface to Germany with Kangaroo 9d x2 + KGVI 2d & boxed 'LATE FEE' h/s & underpaid with superb 'T/16 2/3c' h/s both of Melbourne, tear on the back only. The rate was 1/9d + 1d Late Fee so underpaid 2d. With no superscription, the sender may have been seeking to take advantage of the 1/6d rate to England to be onforwarded to Europe for 1d extra + 1d late fee = 1/8d. Curious.
1938 (Feb 23) Victorian Casing Co to Switzerland with KGV 3d + 1/6d Hermes tied by Melbourne cds, blue/white advertising label affixed at left. [The rate was 1/9d air to Italy then by rail, or 1/10d for all-up air via France]
1946 (Feb 7) registered to Maine USA with KGVI 3d brown & 1/4d magenta strip of 3 tied 'ELANORA/QLD' cds with blue & black R label at U/L, Sydney '-9FE' & New York '2-19' transits and Brunswick (Maine) 'FEB/20' arrival b/s, a couple of minor blemishes. Carried by QANTAS/BOAC re-established airmail service via Ceylon & India to London and onwards by Trans-Atlantic airmail service (at the same combined rate as the Pan-Am Trans-Pacific Clipper service that ceased after Pearl Harbor). NB: the post-war Trans-Pacific services direct to the USA were not re-established until late-1946/early-1947, at which time the rate was reduced to 2/6d per ½oz. This is an early example of the post-war civilian 'all-the-way' rate to America of 4/- per ½oz + 3d registration fee. Recorded by Martin Walker dating from January 1946]
1965 (July 30) Mobil Oil oversize envelope (267x217mm) to Brisbane with Aborigine 2/6d sepia No Watermark solo franking tied by 'WANDOAN/QLD-AUST' cds paying triple 5d per 1oz domestic letter rate plus five-times 3d per ½oz airmail surcharge for non-standard mail, a couple of minor blemishes and the stamp with one pulled perf at right, ACSC $200 for solo usage. The inclusion of airmail service where available in the domestic letter rate from 1.10.1959 applied only to standard-size envelopes; the additional 3d per ½oz airmail surcharge was still payable for non-standard articles. [Wandoan is 400km NW of Brisbane but from where was the cover flown?]
1968 (Dec) airmail to England endorsed "2nd Class" with Birds 15c Galah solo franking tied West Ryde (NSW) machine cancel paying the Zone 5 airmail greeting card rate, flap unsealed as required to qualify for this reduced rate, light central fold not affecting stamp.
1969 (May 1) small cover sent airmail to London with Birds 6c Honeyeater solo tied Canberra machine slogan cancel paying the British Forces in Australia concessional airmail rate to the UK, 'DEFENCE FORCES/ 1 /POSTAGE CONCESSION' and 'ON SERVICE' h/s in red on face, British Defence Liason Staff, British High Commission, Canberra return address, minor closed tears at top not affecting stamp and a couple of corner bends. The ACSC gives the usage as "make-up use" and does not price solo frankings; this is the only specific solo rate for this stamp. [By comparison, the civilian airmail letter rate to the UK was 30c per ½oz at this time]
1973 (April 4) oversized cover (365x240mm) airmail to London with Navigators $1 Flinders & $2 Bass x2 plus Pioneers 10c Water & 50c Transport tied Newcastle (NSW) cds, light folds & bends mostly clear of stamps. The rate was Zone 5 airmail 35c per ½oz x16 = $5.60 (Image1)
