1954 registered airmail to Australia with Costumes 30g & 1.50s and Airmails Birds 20s Eagle tied Vienna '19.III.54' cds with black on buff 'R' label alongside, Melbourne and 'CAMBERWELL ___ /29MR54/VIC.' (postal district code excised) b/s, couple of very minor blemishes. Nice usage of the top value of the Birds airmail series.
POST OFFICES IN THE LEVANT: 1907 commercial usage of Austrian Levant '10 CENTIMES 10' on 10h Postal Card with very fine 'CAIFA/OESTERREICHISCHE POST' (Haifa) cancel & fine 'JERUSALEM/OSTERR POST' arrival cds, the message in Hebrew or Yiddish. Superb!
POST OFFICES IN THE LEVANT: 1908 cover to Melbourne with Levant 1pi tied by largely very fine strike of the double circle 'ADRIANOPEL/ 26/10/08/OESTERREICHISCHE POST' cds, an unusually fine strike of the Victorian 'ENGLISH MAIL TPO NO301908' b/s. Terrific origin/destination cover. [Adrianopel is in Thrace, the European part of what is now Turkey]
1880 usage of 5c Postal Card with illustration for V Gevaert of three keyboard instruments in red, superb 'GAND (STATION)' cancel & 'LIEGE' arrival cds. A very early advertising 'picture postcard'.
1915 German OccupationDeutsche Bank correspondence postcard registered to Lambec with Germania 'Belgien' overprints 5c on 5pf & 25c on 20pf tied Bruxelles cancel, German red & black 'Brussel' R label & oval censor cachet in violet on face.
1933 'Amateur Photographic' illustrated advertising cover showing Box Brownie camera on face and Agfa film boxes on back, airmail to Germany with KGV 30c & 50c tied 'COLOMBO/9SP/33' cds, 'BRAUNSCHWEIG/18.9.33' arrival b/s, couple of minor blemishes. Very attractive.
1937 airmail cover to England with KGV Pictorials 50c pair tied 'COLOMBO/27NO/37' cds, carried on the ill-fated Imperial Airways Flying Boat 'Cygnus' which crashed on take-off at Brindisi (Italy) on 5.12.1937 killing 2 of the 13 passengers & crew, salvaged from the wreck and forwarded with British 'DAMAGED BY SEA-WAT[ER]' violet boxed h/s on face, a few blemishes as to be expected. Scarcer origin for Cygnus crash mail, enhanced by the stamps still being in place.
1942 OAS airmail cover to England with KGVI Pictorials 50c tied British 'FIELD POST OFFICE/40(?)' cds, censored with 'C151' Unit Censor cachet and unusually also with diamond 'PASSED BY 5 IND FD CENSOR UNIT/G' and scarce Indian-pattern 'OPENED BY/FIELD CENSOR' green-on-white resealing label, minor edge faults & aging marks.
1943 formular 'AIR MAIL/LETTER CARD' to Canada from Royal Canadian Air Force serviceman (return address) endorsed "Via Ceylon, Lagos, Brazil/USA Canada" with KGVI Pictorials 25c & 50c tied dumb bars cancel for carriage by BOAC to Nigeria and Pan-Am West African Clipper Flying Boat service to USA, airmail indicia with circular 'CANADA/AND U.S.A./ONLY' h/s in violet added below, censored with British 'R.A.F./CENSOR' cachet on face, very minor opening fault at U/R.
1944 airmail cover to Boston endorsed "Via Ceylon-Lagos-USA" with KGVI Pictorials 50c 1r & 2r tied 'VADDUKODDA/I4JA/44' cds for carriage by BOAC to Nigeria and Pan-Am West African Clipper Flying Boat service to USA, censored with 'L / 33' resealing label (the "L /" added in blue pencil), couple of minor blemishes.
1945 airmail cover to USA with KGVI Pictorials 30c pair & R1 pair tied 'KOLLUPITIYA/6FE/45' cds, censored locally with 'OPENED BY/EXAMINER/L478' label, carried by BOAC to London where red circular 'O.A.T.' cachet applied on face for onwards carriage by Trans-Atlantic Clipper Flying Boat service to USA, couple of minor blemishes.
1944 airmail cover to New Zealand with Airmails 5c 20c & 50c Plane plus ½c Postal Tax tied by Habana duplex cancels, censored locally with '.../No.1/PASADO/...MINISTERIO DE DEFENSA NACIONAL' cachet in red and again with US 'EXAMINED BY/30798' tape aplied at Miami, no transit or arrival markings, a couple of minor blemishes. [The rate paid was substantially higher than that required for airmail to the USA only, indicating the sender was attempting to pay for onwards-air by American Army Transport service at least part-way to New Zealand]
1938 (Jan 21) airmail to Australia addressed only to "North Street, Victoria" with Numeral 5o and Caravel 15o x8 tied by Copenhagen cds, per Lufthansa to Germany with 'BERLIN-ZENTRALFLUGHAFEN/21.1.38' (same day) b/s and by Imperial Airways/Qantas service with Melbourne arrival b/s of 2FEB/1938 where boxed 'NO POST TOWN' cachet applied on face and "Try 30 North Road S.5" pencil annotation alongside (which seems to have worked), minor blemishes and small part back flap missing. ['S.5' was the postal area code for Brighton, where North Road is a prominent thoroughfare]
Sale No: 1
Lot No: 262
Symbol: C
Cat No: Collection
1941 airmail to USA from British serviceman Capt J Pyke, 2nd Support Group, Light Repair Section, MEF (letter enclosed) endorsed "Via PanAmerican Airways and India" with King Farouk 2m & 10m and Airmails 100m pair tied 'FIELD POST OFFICE/372' cds, military censor cachets x2, carried by BOAC/Qantas to Australia where Sydney civilian censor label & cachets applied, then onwards by TEAL to New Zealand and PanAm FAM-19 service to USA, unfortunately roughly opened at right with some edge faults.
A very unusual 'wrong way round' cover to avoid the delays experienced on the 'Horseshoe Route' service by air to Durban then by sea to GB. The enclosed letter gives detailed instructions on how to send mail including "Don't for heaven's sake write via the Clipper and Transatlantic [ie per the Horseshoe Route] as those mails are frightful and will take at least two months". The letter also states "... the PanAmerican people take the mail TransPacific to Singapore & thence it comes across India by Dutch Air Lines I think". However, the FAM-14 extension to Singapore did not commence until May 1941 so this item had to be carried via Australia and NZ to connect with FAM-19.
1938Orient Line envelope registered airmail to Victoria endorsed "By Air Mail from Sydney" with KGVI Pictorials 1d x3, 1½d pair & 2d tied 'SUVA-FIJI/REGISTERED' cds and boxed 'R' cachet alongside, 'G.P.O. SYDNEY/AIR' transit & 'BENALLA/VIC' arrival b/s, couple of minor blemishes.
1939 registered to New Zealand with solo franking of KGVI Pictorials 5d 'Blue Canes' tied 'NAUSORI/11OC39/FIJI' cds and boxed 'R' cachet alongside, 'SUVA-FIJI/REGISTERED' transit b/s, not censored.
1942Bank of New South Wales envelope airmail to USA endorsed "Honululu - Philadelphia" for carriage by US Military Transport flight from Hawaii, franked with KGVI Pictorials 1d 3d & 1/- tied by 'SUVA' cds, not censored but on arrival 'SUPPOSED TO CONTAIN MATTER/SUBJECT TO...EXECUTIVE ORDER 8389...' cachet applied on face, minor blemishes. [US Military Transport air services used ex-PanAm Flying Boats to continue providing limited trans-Pacific airmail services. Executive Order 8389 related to international money transfers]
1951 KGVI 3d Air Letter with lengthy personal message from "Coqueloa [Plantation] Post via Labasa PO" (return address), to "St Anthony's Orphanage/Mapuca/Bardez, Goa/Portuguese India" with KGVI Pictorials 1d pair & 2d added tied 'LABASA' cds, '...ESTADO/DO/INDIA/MARGAU' arrival b/s, couple of very minor blemishes. Very scarce destination. [The 3d rate was for internal airmail only. 7d was the external rate]
1961 PPC (Tavua Bay') airmail to Germany with QEII Pictorials 1/6d Train tied 'NADI AIRPORT' cds, oval 'OAT/FS' h/s (Heifetz type XVIII) in black applied alongside at London to indicate onwards air transmission to Europe.
1963 PPC (map of Vanua Levu) airmail to Germany with QEII Pictorials 1/6d Meridian solo franking, boxed 'OAT/FS' h/s (Heifetz type XIX) in violet applied alongside at London to indicate onwards air transmission to Europe.
Sale No: 1
Lot No: 285
Symbol: CO
Cat No: Collection
1932 (Sep 5) cover (227x151mm) to the Finnish Consulate in Sydney with scarce franking of 3m 5m & 10m and black/pale blue airmail label, transit b/s of 'STOCKHOLM/AVG UTR A', German 'BERLIN-SASSNITZ' TPO & 'DHANUSHKODI' (India), minor folds/creasing & red ink blot on the face. Very early airmail from Scandinavia.
Sale No: 1
Lot No: 286
Symbol: C
Cat No: Collection
1935 airmail to Australia with Red Cross 2M+20p & 2½M+25p and Lake Saima 10M tied Helsinki '3.XII.35' cds, carried by ABA to Sweden and train to Germany with Stockholm '4.12.15', Swedish 'P.K.X.P. No.62C/5/12/1935' & German oval 'BERLIN-SASSNITZ HAFEN/BAHNPOST/Zug14---5.12.35' Travelling Post Office transit b/s, then probably per Lufthansa to Athens to connect with the Imperial Airways/Qantas service, 'LINDFIELD/21DE35/NSW' arrival b/s.
1945 airmail to Australia franked on back with 5d Chariot 'New Drachmas' overprint x3 and 25d Glory x3 tied Athens '-5.V.45' cds, 'PAR AVION/AU DELA DU CAIRE' ["onwards from Cairo"] cachet in violet on face for carriage by BOAC to India and QANTAS 'Liberator' service via Ceylon, censored locally with scarce post-liberation Greek censor label and again on arrival with Sydney label (neatly part-removed on opening) tied diamond cachet, minor blemishes.
1787 folded entire headed "Kingston, Jamaica" in response to "your favour of the 3d April last, I received by private ship, only about a month ago", to England with Kingston 'IAMAICA' undated h/s (Proud PS8) on back and indistinct London arrival b/s, minor edge faults.
1814 folded entire headed "Duplicate, Original per HMS Snake" to London endorsed "p HMPB Duke of Montrose" with faint Kingston 'JAMAICA/3 JY/1814' b/s (Proud PS16), variously rated "2/2" and "8", London 'G/9 AU 9/1814' arrival b/s where re-directed to Ramsgate, minor blemishes.
1840 entire from England endorsed "Paid" rated "1/-" with 'CLITHEROE/AU25/1840' despatch cds in blue on face and London 'F/PAID/26AU26/1840' d/s alongside, 'KINGSTON/OC14/1840/JAMAICA' arrival b/s (Proud D5), minor edge faults.
1843 outer to England with watery strike of 'CLARENDON/4MAY/1843/JAMAICA' cds (Proud D1) on face, endorsed "Paid 4" in red ink but crossed out and rated "1/-", London 'X/18JU18/1843' arrival b/s, docketed "Four Paths, May 3, 1843, WG Barrett" on inside flap, minor blemishes and light central fold. Clarendon PO 1773; closed 1876. [Clarendon was a parish and no town of this name existed. The PO was located at 'The Cross' and became known as 'Four Paths' by 1850. In 1876, it was moved to the small town of that name]
1844 entire from a daughter in Edinburgh to her mother "Eleanor Affleck/Parish of Hanover/Greenisland", rated "1/2" with 'PAID at EDINB/MAY13/1844/S' despatch cds and London 'V/PAID/15MY15/1844' transit alongside, 'GREEN-ISLAND/OC17/1844' arrival b/s (Proud D2; ERD), endorsed "unclaim" in pink pencil on face, minor faults including repaired tear. Green Island is a small town on the NW tip of Jamaica between Negril and Lucea near Orange Bay.
1845 folded entire headed "Ridgmount/Mandeville/Manchester" to England with almost-fine strike of 'MANDEVILLE/ 8JAN/1845/JAMAICA' cds (Proud D1) on the reverse, rated "1/2", London 'NN/11FE11/1845' arrival b/s, light central fold.
1942Fred L Myers & Son, Sugar Wharf, Kingston envelope airmail to Australia with KGVI Pictorials 2/- pair tied by 'KINGSTON/FE24/42/JAMAICA' cds, endorsed "TRANS-ATLANTIC" for carriage by PanAm via New York to England and Imperial/Qantas 'Horseshoe Route' service to Australia, censored on arrival with Melbourne label & cachet, a couple of very minor blemishes. [The rate paid is the same as that for the earlier PanAm Trans-Pacific Clipper service via New Zealand, which was suspended immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 7.12.1941]
1939Ferd. Mulhens Koln envelope airmail to the firm in Germany from Valetta with KGVI Pictorials 1d, 1½d & 4d tied 'AIR MAIL/MY23/39/MALTA' cds, boxed 'PAR AVION/JUSQU'A/ROME' cachet (ter Welle type MAT-A15) in violet on face, fine condition. The rate was 2½d for foreign surface mail plus 4d airmail surcharge for carriage by Italian airmail to Rome and onwards by train.
1937 (Mar 22) La Espana Industrial airmail cover to Australia with very fine 'SERVICIO POSTAL AEREO/ TRANS-ATLANTICO' cachet and Airmails 5c 20c & 1p x2 tied by Mexico City cds, carried by Air France to Europe with 'PARIS R.P./30 III/1937/AVION' transit b/s and onwards by Imperial Airways/Qantas with Melbourne '13AP37' arrival b/s, very minor blemishes.
1901 usage of real photo postcard showing crowd of people & pigeons in square, to "Lower Burma, Indien" with message on view side headed "Monte Carlo" and Prince Albert 10c carmine tied 'MONTE-CARLO/ 24/MARS/01/PRINCIt DE MONACO' cds, carried via Bombay-Aden Sea Post with fine strikes of 'SEA POST OFFICE/B/AP7/01' transit and 'KYAIKTO/20AP/01' arrival alongside, couple of minor blemishes.
FRENCH: 1940 airmail to Australia from "Consulate de Suede, Casablanca" (return address) but with Pictorials 2fr50c 5fr & 10fr tied 'MOGADOR/11-1/40/MAROC' cds, presumably carried by Air France to Marseilles and onwards by Imperial/Qantas service to Australia, censored on arrival with Melbourne boxed 'PASSED BY/CENSOR/V54....' cachet in violet on face and resealing label on back, minor blemishes.
This route ceased in June 1940 with the fall of France and Italy's entry into WWII cutting the Imperial service via the Mediterranean; as French Morocco remained loyal to the Vichy government, mail service to Allied nations was suspended and not re-instated until Allied forces prevailed in North Africa in November 1942.
1896 commercial usage of Wilhelm 12½c Envelope uprated with Numerals 2½c & Wilhelmina 10c x2 tied by 'SEMARANG' squared-circles & very fine 'R' h/s below, to Sweden with 'GOTEBORG' arrival, forwarded to Saxony with 'MITTWEID' arrival b/s, minor blemishes.
1930 (c.) real photo postcard to Australia posted on board ship with Pictorials 2½c x2 & 5c tied by oval 'KONINKLIJKE PAKETVAART/S.S./NIEUW HOLLAND/MAATSCHAPPIJ' undated ship cachets, on arrival at Townsville boxed 'PAQUEBOT' h/s (Hosking #1526) applied alongside, a few blemishes.
1939Nederlandsche Handel-Maatschappij NV shipping line cover airmail to Australia with 'BATAVIA/-6.9.39' 25c meter cancel, carried by Imperial Airways Flying Boat Cambria with Melbourne '12SEP' arrival b/s, censored on arrival with early Melbourne boxed 'PASSED BY/CENSOR' cachet (without 'V') in blue.
1940Remonte Depot cover airmail to Amsterdam with Wilhelmina 10c pair tied 'PADALARANG/16.3.40' cds, carried by KNILM to Singapore where censored and resealed with 'PASSED BY CENSOR/[crown seal]/Em.77' black/white label (Morenweiser Type 2B; rated 8 but only one date recorded), transferred to Imperial Airways and flown via Bangkok where Thai '7'-in-circle censor check marking applied alongside on face.
1946 OAS cover endorsed "On Active Service, EX P.O.W. AIRMAIL" airmail to Java with 'POSTKANTOOR/ ORANJE-BOULEVARD/ 3APR1946/(BATAVIA)' rubber cds in violet and 'BATAVIA C/4.IV/1946' cds alongside, minor closed tear & a couple of blemishes. [The sender was Res VLieut HA de Vroom]
1946 airmail to USA from a liberated POW endorsed on the back "The Marines are fighting the Japs on Java", franked with Pictorials 5c x2 & 7½c pair and Wilhelmina 30c x2 & 1gld on face plus 10c 15c & 60c on back tied by 'MARINE POSTKANTOOR/SOERABAIA' undated h/s in purple overstruck by '22APR1946' killer in violet, a few edge faults & sender's name removed from the flap. [The sender was MS Kahn, 1st Neth Mar Bde HQ. Some Japanese units continued fighting into 1946. South East Asia Command, relocated from Ceylon to Batavia, included up to 35,000 "Japanese Surrendered Personnel" used both as labour and security guards (and occasionally seeing combat alongside the British against Indon insurgents), which was greatly resented by the remaining Dutch population & armed forces]
1908 local philatelic cover with British ½d & 1d, French 5c & 10c plus New Caledonia x3 all tied by French 'PORT-VILA/NELLES HEBRIDES' cds, minor blemishes. Proceeds to Victorian Bushfire Relief charities.
1909 philatelic cover to France with Overprints 1/- (SG 3 or 9??) tied by French 'PORT-VILA' cds, superb Paris arrival b/s, the address neatly erased. Proceeds to Victorian Bushfire Relief charities.
1909 registered philatelic cover to Switzerland with Overprints 6d x2 tied by French 'PORT-VILA' cds, Sydney transit & Bern arrival b/s, central vertical fold. Proceeds to Victorian Bushfire Relief charities.
1959New Hebrides Condominium ... Sevice des Postes envelope registered airmail to USA with Pictorials 20c, 25c & 30c tied 'PORT-VILA/22.1.59/NOUVELLES HEBRIDES' cds, Australian-type blue 'R/VILA' label on face, carried by air via Australia with GPO Sydney 'AIR/25JA59' transit and 'TRENTON,N.J./JAN/28/1959/YARDVILLE BR.' arrival b/s, fine condition.
1937 airmail cover to Germany per Imperial Airlines Flying Boat 'Courtier' which crashed on landing at Phaleron Bay (Greece) on 1.10.1937 (Sanford #371001), stamp washed-off and only small-part 'HAIFA' cds visible, officially sealed on arrival with 'Amtlich verschlossen!' glassine label (Type J) affixed on back tied by 'MUNCHEN/ BPA1/14.10.37' cds and 'Aus verunglucktem Flugzeug/durchnasst geborgen' explanatory cachet (= "Salvaged from crashed plane waterlogged"; Type C) in violet below, a few faults as to be expected.
1943YMCA, Jerusalem, Palestine flimsy airmail envelope to USA, carried privately to US Embassy in Beirut where Lebanon Pictorials 20p affixed and onwards by US diplomatic service with boxed 'Approved for Pouch/[signature]/American Consul General' cachet on face, censored on arrival with US clear 'EXAMINED BY/2992' tape, 'MA/from FC' [Mail Arrived from Foreign Country] cachet and stamp tied 'WASHINGTON,D.C./AUG31/1943' machine cancel, a couple of minor blemishes.
1916Orsk Goldfields (Eastern Siberia) cover to New Zealand with Arms 10k blue x3 tied Cyrillic 'NIKOLAYEVSK ON AMUR' cds with violet 'R' cachet on face and red/black local (Cyrillic lettering) and international (Roman lettering) 'Nikolaevsk, Siberie, Russia' registration labels on back, 'KOBE/JAPAN' and 'REGISTERED/SYDNEY,NSW' transit b/s, green & black New Zealand re-direction label (partly removed) tied by faint arrival marking. [The top left stamp has been removed and replaced with a similar stamp that sadly does not belong]
1895 commercial cover to "Hobart/Tasmania Exhibition" with Davis 1/- Bisect tied by very fine 'APIA/APR/29/95/ SAMOA' cds in blue, Sydney, Launceston & Hobart transit b/s & a largely superb arrival strike of the rare triple-oval 'POST OFFICE/16MAY95/TASMANIAN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION' b/s, horizontal fold at the base just clear of the backstamps, minor aging. An outstanding origin/destination item: mail into temporary post offices is rare. Robert Odenweller Census #145.
1948 airmail cover to a US soldier at North Fort Louis, Washington DC with Pictorials '3d' on 1½d Chief overprint, 1/- Stephenson's Tomb & 3/- Falefa Waterfall tied by 'APIA/7OC48/WESTERN SAMOA' cds for carriage by PanAm Pacific airmail service, minor blemishes. Scarce usage of the top value.
1938 flimsy registered cover by internal airmail to Majorca with 1938 Historic Buildings M/S 'heart' (the four stamps only; selvedge removed) tied by '29SEP38/SAN SEBASTIAN ...' boxed cancels, red '...CENSURA/E.M./MILITAR/ SAN SEBASTIAN' cachet on the face & '.../1-OCT38/PALMA DE MALLORCA' arrival b/s. Pretty. [The stamps are overprinted 'Via Aerea' and are apparently uncatalogued as such]
