1908-10 Picture postcards, comprising a real Photo card of "Carters Aeroplane, the first flying machine designed and constructed in South Africa" depicting the aeroplane with an inset picture of Harry Carter; a French card depicting Albert Kimmerling, who made the first flight in South Africa; and 1910 real photo card (surface scrape at lower right) depicting Kimmerling in flight, written from Johannesburg. (3).

1911 (Dec 27) "First South African Aerial Post" illustrated postcard to Cape Town, posted at Kenilworth (Dec 22), carried on the first flight on December 27th from Kenilworth to Muizenberg, piloted by E. Driver. Franked Natal 1/2d tied by the "FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN / KENILWORTH / Dec-27-11 / AERIAL POST" c.d.s with similar Muizenberg arrival c.d.s on the front, and datestamps of Kenilworth, Muizenberg and Cape Town. An unusually fine example of this card. Photo on Page 38. (Image1)

1912 (Jan 3) "First South African Aerial Post" pictorial postcard to London franked Cape 1d, carried on the second flight from Kenilworth to Muizenberg cancelled by "FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN / KENILWORTH / Dec-30-11 / AERIAL POST" c.d.s with similar "MUIZENBERG" alongside, and a datestamp of Muizenberg (Jan 3). A couple of very small edge nicks at upper right corner, otherwise fine and uncommon to G.B. Photo on Page 38. (Image1)

1912 (Jan 3) "First South African Aerial Post" pictorial postcard to Poste Restante, G.P.O Cape Town, franked Transvaal 1/2d, carried in the second return flight from Muizenberg to Kenilworth cancelled by "FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN / MUIZENBERG / Dec-30-11 / AERIAL POST" c.d.s with similar "KENILWORTH" arrival c.d.s on the front, and datestamps of Cape Town and "CAPE TOWN / POSTE RESTANTE". Weather conditions prevented a landing at Kenilworth and the plane landed back at Muizenberg, and was then towed by road to Kenilworth, with the pilot E.F Driver and the mails. Very fine and scarce, only 179 cards carried on this return flight. Photo on Page 38. (Image1)

1918 (Oct 7) Red Cross "Make Your Sixpence Fly" card with large arms in blue carried on the first Cape Town flight from Wynberg to Green Point with KGV 1d tied by the Aerial Post c.d.s, a second strike on the front. Addressed to "Brigadier General J.H.W Pollard C.M.G, British Expeditionary Force, France", redirected to "106 Inf. Bde HQ" and then to England with "FIELD POST OFFICE / 121" c.d.s (Dec 4), the message describing the fund raising efforts for the Red Cross. Some edge faults, also a little creasing and minor staining, nevertheless a very scarce destination. Photo on Page 38. (Image1)

1918 (Oct 7) Red Cross "Make Your Sixpence Fly" card with large arms in blue carried on the first Cape Town flight from Wynberg to Green Point with KGV 1d tied by the Aerial Post c.d.s, addressed to Penhalonga, Southern Rhodesia with arrival datestamps of Umtali (Oct 16) and Penhalonga both on the front. The message states the card is to be flown from Wynberg to Green Point, also that Spanish Influenza is very prevalent. A few edge faults with creases to all corners, nevertheless a very scarce destination, just two other Red Cross Aerial Post cards recorded to Rhodesia. Photo on Page 42. (Image1)

1918 (Nov 27) Red Cross "Make Your Sixpence Fly" second type card with small arms in ultramarine, carried on the flight from Johannesburg to Pretoria with superb Aerial Post c.d.s, addressed to England, most exceptionally posted unpaid, handstamped octagonal "T / 20 / CENTIMES" with a "2" charge mark applied upon arrival and 1d postage due pair each cancelled at Chingford, very fine and unusual. Photo on Page 42. (Image1)

1918 (Nov 27) Red Cross "Make Your Sixpence Fly" second type card with small arms in ultramarine, carried on the flight from Johannesburg to Pretoria, with KGV 1d tied by the Aerial Post c.d.s, unusually with a Union Jack vignette applied to the front, addressed to Belfast, Ireland. Very fine and a scarce Irish destination. Photo on Page 42. (Image1)

1918 (Dec 1) Red Cross "Make Your Sixpence Fly" second type card with small arms in light blue, carried on the flight from Johannesburg to Benoni, with KGV 1d tied by the Aerial Post c.d.s, unusually addressed to Canada, with a South African Railways & Harbours "Big Push" 1d Governor General's Fund label affixed to the front, fine and rare. Photo on Page 42. (Image1)

Crash Mail. 1920 (Feb 14) Cover to Johannesburg endorsed "Per Aerial Mail", 2d postage + 2/- air fee paid by 2d + two 6d pairs all cancelled by Cape Town c.d.s, handstamped red "CARRIED BY / AEROPLANE" and violet circular "HANDLEY PAGE SOUTH AFRICAN TRANSPORT LTD / AERIAL / POST". The Handley Page aircraft "Pioneer" piloted by Major Meintjies left Cape Town for Johannesburg on February 15th, with 7 passengers and 422 letters, but crashed at Beaufort West, the mail being forwarded by rail. Minor creasing and flap missing but otherwise unusually fine, only about 20 cover from this flight believed to still exist. Photo on Page 40. (Image1)

1925-26 Alan Cobham London - Cape Town Survey Flight. Pictorial printed postcard to Johannesburg with South Africa 2d cancelled at Cape Town (Feb 24 1926) and oval violet "BY SPECIAL AIR MAIL / 16-11-25 / LONDON / CAPE TOWN", the reverse bearing red flight vignette tied by the violet flight cachet and a Cape Town machine, signed "Alan Cobham". Fine and scarce, about 90 postcards with vignettes (both produced by "Flight" magazine) were posted at various stops en route. (Also see lot 249). Photo on Page 42. (Image1)

1925-26 Alan Cobham London - Cape Town Survey Flight. Menu for a dinner given by the airmen of the Cape in honour of Alan Cobham and his party on the completion of their flight from London, held at the Junior Civil Service Club, Cape Town, on Saturday 20th February 1926. Signed on the front by Alan Cobham, Arthur Elliot and eleven others including Major A. Miller, Capt. C.T Black, Capt. Bradley of the "Cape Times", etc., a little staining and soiling but rare.

1926 Cape to Cairo R.A.F. Survey Flight. Cover from Athens to England with "BRITISH LEGATION / ATHENS" cachet and seal, signed by the Consul and endorsed "By Kindness of OC Cape to Cairo flight R.A.F", apparently flown on the entire journey to the Cape and back to Cairo and England, signed "C. Pulford Wing Cdr 12/3/26", the R.A.F flight then at Kisumu in Kenya, franked by Greece 3L and GB 11/2d both cancelled by Lee on the Solent c.d.s (June 22). Two pressed vertical folds, otherwise fine and a unique cover from Greece flown to the Cape and back. With 1932 Francis Field letter of authenticity which states it originated at Kisumu on March 12th, though probably just signed by Pulford on that day. Also the 50 page booklet "Royal Air Force Cape Flight March 1st to June 21st 1926" published by D. Napier & Son Ltd (manufacturers of the aeroplanes engines) with maps and photos. (Also see lot 250). Photo on Page 40. (Image1)

1932-46 Post Office Notices comprising 1932 (Sep 28) air mail rate and despatch dates; 1935 (May 1) first mail despatch on the Imperial Airways London to Brindisi route; 1936 (Mar 9) alterations to S.A.A timetables; 1936 (Mar 27) alterations to Wilson Airways and R.A.N.A services in KUT and Rhodesia and to Imperial Airways and S.A.A services in South Africa; 1946 (Feb 4) detailed air mail rates and despatch dates. (5).

1931 Glen Kidston London - Cape Town Record Breaking Flight. Printed cover numbered "22" addressed to Cape Town, with typed dates of departure or arrival at each stop and "7500 miles in 6 days 11 hours", signed by the pilot Owen Cathcart-Jones, the reverse handstamped oval "STATION HEADQUARTERS / 1 APR 1931 / R.A.F. HELIOPOLIS", bearing G.B 11/2d cancelled at Amesbury (Mar 30), KUT 5c + 10c cancelled at Kisumu (Apr 3) and South Africa 2d cancelled upon arrival at Cape Town (Apr 7). O. Cathcart-Jones and L. Johnson carried just 22 covers on their record breaking flight, of which just 56 hours was spent flying. Fine and rare. Also several contemporary news cuttings. Photo on Page 40. (Image1)

1932 Amy Mollison London - Cape Town - London Flight. Cover from London (Nov 5) with 1/2d meter mark, addressed on the reverse to Mrs J. A. Mollison at Seapoint, Cape, carried on the flight to Cape Town with circular cachet "CAPETOWN MUNICIPAL AIRPORT / 18 NOV 1932 / WINGFIELD" (with "15.31 hours" added in manuscript) and a South Africa 2d tied by Cape Town c.d.s (Nov 23). The cover then flown on the return flight by Mollison, addressed to R.V Cholmondeley at Welshpool and redirected to London, backstamped at Welshpool (Nov 7). Mollison flew from Lympne to Cape Town in 4 days 6 hours 54 minutes, beating her husband's previous record by 101/2 hours; the return flight took 7 days 7 hours 5 minutes. A rare cover, just a very few covers carried for personal friends. Also a photograph of Mollison possibly taken at Croydon Airport. Photo on Page 42. (Image1)

1934 (Nov 19) Cover to Simonstown endorsed "By Seaplane" with South Africa 1d cancelled at Simonstown, flown from H.M.S "Dorsetshire" to the naval base at Simonstown, therefore arriving a day earlier than the ship. Flap removed, otherwise fine and very scarce, very little mail carried.

1935 (May 20) Cover from Cape Town to Queenstown franked Silver Jubilee 1/2d + 1d and bearing an Air Mail label, carried by emergency flood air mail, with Queenstown backstamp (May 22) and "Emergency landing due to / heavy rains at normal / stopping places". An emergency flight went from Durban to Cape Town via Queenstown and Beaufort West on May 18th returning on May 20th. Rare, very little mail carried. Photo on Page 42. (Image1)

1938 Seaplane "Mercury" Distance Record Flight. Covers posted from Dundee (Oct 3) to F/O I. Harvey at R.A.F Leuchars franked G.B. 11/2d, redirected to Cape Town with arrival c.d.s (Oct 10), backstamped boxed "METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE / AIR MINISTRY / 6 OCT 1938 / LEUCHARS" and endorsed "Carried on RMA "Mercury" on Seaplane Record Flight Dundee to S. Africa 6-10-38 to 8-10-38, I. Harvey F/O"; and a cover from the Commissioner for the Union of South Africa in London, addressed to Cape Town bearing an uncancelled G.B 11/2d pair, the reverse signed "D.C.T Bennett, "Mercury", Scotland to South Africa, 6th-8th Oct. 1938". Bennett and Harvey flew the Seaplane "Mercury" 6045 miles non-stop in 42 hours 5 minutes, a record that still stands. Just one official and 25 souvenir covers carried. A fine and scarce pair. (2). Photo on Page 44. (Image1)

ChallengerCrash. 1939 (Apr 19) Cover from Chicago to Durban "via S.S "Aquitania" by air from London", bearing a 35c meter label, recovered from the Imperial Airways flying boat "Challenger" which crashed upon landing in Mozambique, with violet boxed bilingual "FLYING BOAT CORRESPONDENCE DAMAGED BY SEAWATER", probably a unique origin for a "Challenger" crash cover.

Revenue Documents - VOC Seals. 1679-1849 Revenue documents (19), the initial 1679 document without any revenue stamp, eight 1723-1821 documents with embossed "VOC" revenue stamps and five other documents bearing wax seals impressed with a ship and "CDGHOOP" (4) or the royal arms and "MAY BRITAIN FLOURISH". Also an 1802 document concerning a ship bound for the Cape with an embossed Dutch revenue stamp, 1830 document with embossed Cape 3d + 2/- stamps, 1803 documents signed by Earl Grey (2), 1821 "Bataviasche Courant" newspaper, and cut-out wax seals. An interesting lot with an 1808 licence to keep a retail shop, etc. (20+)

c.1760 Front with lower flap, which bears an impressed wax seal, addressed to "Monsieur Tulback Gouverneur et Commandant de la Colonie du Cap de Bonne Experance du Cap". Ryk Tulbagh was Governor from 1751 until 1771. Attractive and scarce.

c.1760-1840 Entires sent to (15) or from (5) the Orphan Chamber (Weeskamer), the post 1816 ingoing letters all prepaid or charged, the letters from the Orphan Chamber prepaid 2d, charged 7d to pay or allowed free as official mail (3), one 1799 entire strangely with a "2" charge. Handstamps include boxed "POST PAID", circular crown handstamps of Cape Town (2, both superb), Caledon, George, Uitenhagen, Clanwilliam and Zwellendam, oval Cape Town datestamps (4) and circular crowned Cape Town datestamps (3, all superb). Also 1841 entire letter from London and 1868-1903 entire or fronts (2) with Cape stamps to the Chamber, and a c.1890 cover with "General Estate and Orphan Chamber" printed heading franked 1d to the House of Assembly. An interesting lot, the Orphan Chamber officially abolished in 1834, though its business was clearly still being sorted out 70 years later. (25).

c.1780 Entire addressed in Dutch and endorsed "P. Expresse", fine and very unusual.

1784-1853 Entire letters (8) and entires (4) including 1784 entire "to a Burgher residing in the veldt", 1795 entire letter to the Consul General of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, entire letters to the Consul of France (2), Thomas Maclear at the Royal Observatory, or to "The Church Wardens of Clan William, If Mr Steinberg away any Church Warden be present, then Sexton Foster will please without delay bring this letter to the nearest Church Warden in order that he may answer it". One letter sent free to Beaufort has a superb double oval Cape Town crown handstamp, four others with crowned oval Cape Town datestamps. (12).