1919 (Oct) stampless cover from England to South Australia with a fine example of the 'FIRST/AERIAL POST/ENGLAND-/AUSTRALIA' flight vignette (a few short perfs) tied by one of two very fine strikes of the large double-oval 'FIRST AERIAL MAIL/RECEIVED/26FEB1920/GREAT BRITAIN TO AUSTRALIA' datestamp, small part of the flap missing AAMC #27a, Cat $5750+ (2008). Plus English Photochrom PPC of the flyers & their plane, and three different facsimiles of the label. [See also Lot 2291] This was the first completed flight from England to Australia, winning the £10,000 prize offered by the Australian Government for the first aviator(s) to achieve this epic feat, that today we take for granted. Tom Frommer (2011) identified 364 covers from the flight, of which this is #190.  (5 items)

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,000

1919 England-Australia Ross & Keith Smith Flight cover with a superb & exceptionally centred example of the 'FIRST/AERIAL POST/ENGLAND-/AUSTRALIA' flight vignette (slightly overhanging the edge of the cover but not creased) remarkably in combination with KGV 1½d red-brown tied by two of three very fine strikes of the large double-oval 'FIRST AERIAL MAIL/RECEIVED/26FEB1920/GREAT BRITAIN TO AUSTRALIA' datestamp, locally addressed at Melbourne, minor aging and a few small blemishes, AAMC #27a, Cat $5250+ (2008) but no price given for a cover with additional stamp(s). This was the first completed flight from England to Australia, winning the £10,000 prize offered by the Australian Government for the first aviator(s) to achieve this epic feat, that today we take for granted. Tom Frommer (2011) identified 364 covers from the flight, of which this is #289. This is the first time this cover has been offered at auction, which explains Frommer's lack of detail and an illustration. At page 14, he lists the 13 covers (this is the 14th) with an Australian KGV 1d (4) or 1½d (9) affixed, and states "These are among the scarcest & most valuable of the flown covers". Because the 1½d stamp is in the normal position at upper-right, we expect that it was affixed by the sender, probably but not necessarily in England, with the label being added, as always, on arrival at Melbourne. In 2019, another Melbourne auction sold a cover with stamps of Iraq & a KGV 1d red for $10,930. Another damaged cover with stamps of the Dutch Indies sold for $9715.

Grade B (Image1)

Estimate AU$5,000

1932 (Oct-Nov) world flight per 'Spirit of Fun' flown Sydney-Melbourne-Adelaide-Wyndham...Shanghai-Hong Kong-Hanoi-Calcutta-Bombay-Karachi-Baghdad-Khartoum-Johannesburg where this cover was cancelled 13NOV32 AAMC #288, signed by the pilot "James B Dickson" at upper-left, Cat $2000. Only 5 carried all the way. Ex Tom Frommer, and illustrated in the AAMC at page 63. [On 19.11.1932, after flying over the Victoria Falls, the plane crashed, Dickson was killed & his two passengers injured]

Grade A (Image1)

Estimate AU$750

1952 Sydney-Johannesburg AAMC 1307 Jack Peake hand-painted cover of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and South African Gold Mines, Hermes 1/6d & Aborigine 2/6d tied by Sydney cds, flight cachet in violet and Johannesburg arrival cds, very minor blemishes.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$100

ROCKET MAIL: Small group all signed "Alan H Young" comprising 1934 SS Canonbar-Brisbane (AAMC R1), 1935 Fraser Island-SS Maheno with label (R2), 1935 Silver Jubilee per 'Zodiac' (R4a; closed tear) and 'Orion' with 'EXPERIMENT POSTPONED' & 'MAIL DAMAGED/BY WATER' cachets (R5a) each with label, 1936 'RT7' Enoggera Rifle Range with label & Queensland Philatelic Exhibition cds (R7), 1937 'RO3' Mount Nebo real photo PPC of Alan Young (?) holding the rocket with 1d green & triangular label (R9) and 'RZ2' Enoggera Rifle Range real photo PPC of two Rocket Society members holding the rocket & parachute, plus flimsy covers on pink or on yellow stock x2 each with triangular labels (R10 & R10a), a couple with minor blemishes, Cat $1500+.  (11)

Grade A/A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$300

ROCKET MAIL: 1936 Fishermen's Bend (Melbourne) Experiment AAMC R8 cover with 'EXPERIMENTAL/ ROCKET/TRIAL FLIGHT/MELBOURNE, 3'10'6' handstamp at upper left and SA Centenary 2d tied by Melbourne 'ENCOURAGE/YOUR/DEFENCE/FORCES' machine cancel of 5.10.1936, addressed to "Mrs L Atock, Glen Iris" [wife of Ken Atock who conducted the experimental flight], "Noel S Morrison, Hon Sec Aust Rocket Society, Box 2038X GPO Brisbane" return address and "This is one of the covers sent in the rocket" pencil annotation on reverse, a couple of minor blemishes, unpriced. The AAMC states that only 19 covers were carried. A similar cover sold at a Perth auction on 29.8.2015 for $11,000+.

Grade A- (Image1)

Estimate AU$2,000