THE FIRST AIRMAIL IN AUSTRALIA - June 1914
16 June 1914 (AAMC.1) Melbourne - Bendigo - Ballarat, real photo postcard flown by French aviator, Maurice Guillaux, signed and endorsed by him (in French) with a greeting to the mayor of Ballarat. Superb condition. Provenance: Nelson Eustis Gold Medal Collection, Leski Auction, March 2008, Lot 1. The card is accompanied by a letter to Nelson Eustis from the Ex-Mayor of Ballarat, dated September 1936. It is clear from that correspondence that Eustis already owned the signed card at that time. He had sold it to a delaer in London in 1946, together with the rest of his Australian Air Mail collection, and it was sold shortly afterwards. The buyer was an American soldier who took it home and put it in his safe where it was forgotten until early 1992. Much to my surprise, the American ex-soldier, by then a retired Professor of Tropical Medicine and a great friend and client, showed me the "little collection of Aussie flight covers" he had bought in London in 1946. We were sharing a fine bottle of California red wine when he brought out the two volumes he had purchased all those years ago. I only needed to see the first page (where this card was displayed) to realize I had rediscovered Nelson's pre-War collection. Intact! I was able to bring the collection back to Melbourne for auction, which took place in December 1992. Nelson attended the auction in person and was delighted to be able to re-purchase his long lost and much beloved "Number 1" as well as a number of the other pieces. After Nelson passed away, his daughter consigned his Gold Medal collection for auction with us and that sale took place in March 2008. On that occasion, this fabulous card was heavily contested, finally being knocked down to the present vendor for $30,000 + commission. It was been proudly owned (but not exhibited) for the next eleven years and we are delighted to be offering a new generation of collectors the opportunity to own this wonderful piece of Australian aviation history. CL. (2 items) (Image)

Estimate AU$25,000-30,000
Min. Bid. A

9 June 1914 (AAMC.1a) Bendigo - Ballarat letter from D.Andrew (Mayor) on 'City of Bendigo' letterhead to "His Worship the Mayor of Ballaarat" flown by Maurice Guillaux in his Bleriot monoplane with added message in French including "...j'avoir transporte le premier en Australie un lettre" ("I have carried the first letter in Australia"), signed "M. Guillaux" at upper left, undercatalogued at $15000.Ex Frommer, sold for $33600 in the September 2016 sale of his Grand Prix Pioneer Australian Air Mails Collection.[This letter was the only item carried on the flight and is therefore the earliest known item flown by aeroplane in Australia.] (Image)

Estimate AU$25,000-30,000
Min. Bid. A

June 1914 (AAMC.2) Melbourne - Sydney Official Souvenir postcards for proposed first official airmail flight by AB 'Wizard' Stone which was cancelled following a crash on 1 June which extensively damaged the plane and badly injured Stone, the cards subsequently carried by rail with the Kangaroo 1d red frankings tied 'SYDNEY/AU24/NSW/1914' roller cancels on arrival, the former with 'WIZARD STONE' crossed out and replaced by manuscript 'Guillaux Pilot', the latter with Frommer 'TF' marking on address side, both with minor blemishes, Cat $1,600. Ex Frommer, sold for $1440 in the September 2016 sale of his Grand Prix Pioneer Australian Air Mails Collection. (2 items)  (Image)

Estimate AU$1,200-1,500
Min. Bid. AU$

16 July 1914 (AAMC.3) Melbourne - Sydney Maurice Guillaux Official Souvenir PPC flown on first Australian official airmail with 1d Roo tied by 'AUSTRALIAN/MELBOURNE/16-JUL-1914/VIC/AERIAL MAIL' d/s and 'SYDNEY/18JL14/64' arrival alongside. Cat $750. (Image)

Estimate AU$400-500
Min. Bid. AU$320

Estimate AU$600-800
Min. Bid. AU$550

6 Aug.1919 (AAMC.21e) Adelaide - Minlaton Flights  Harry Butler souvenir postcard with printed message re. Unley Aviation Day at the Unley Oval;  unused. Cat.$650. (Image)

Estimate AU$350-400
Min. Bid. AU$300

4 Sept. 1919 (AAMC.23) Hobart - Launceston cover with Peace Loan advertising and KGV 1½d brown carried by ED Cummings in a Sopwith Pup on the first aerial mail flight in Tasmania, violet two-line 'FIRST TAS. AERO MAIL/DPMG' handstamp and 'LAUNCESTON/-5SE19/TASMANIA' arrival backstamp, very fine with only 6 examples believed to have survived, Cat $4000. Accompanied by photo of the Sopwith Pup circling Hobart GPO.  Ex Frommer, sold for $3100+ in the September 2016 sale of his Grand Prix Pioneer Australian Air Mails Collection.     (Image)

Estimate AU$2,800-3,200
Min. Bid. AU$

Nov.1919 - Feb.1920 (AAMC.27a) A Ross Smith flight cover with the vignette affixed at left, together with an Iraq ½ anna on 10para in combination with an Australian KGV 1d red; all tied by the 26 Feb.1920 oval "FIRST AERIAL MAIL" cachet (with an additional strike below), posted from the ANZAC Wireless Squadron stationed in Mesopotamia (Iraq) en route for Australia. Addressed to Mrs A. Laxton in Lewisham and endorsed at lower left by Lieut. R.L. Laxton, this is cover #193 in the Frommer listing [illustrated at page 59]. The cover is signed and dated "12.12.19" on reverse by crew member Sgt. J.M. Bennett and is accompanied by a [1981] E. Diena Certificate.One of the most noteworthy of the flown covers being the only example with stamps of Iraq and Australia, signed by a crew member and being an intermediate.  (Image)

Estimate AU$10,000-12,500
Min. Bid. A

Nov.1919 - Feb.1920 (AAMC.27a) Mesopotamia (Iraq) - Australia flown cover endorsed "On active service" at top, and flown by Ross Smith, Keith Smith, Jim Bennett & Wally Shiers on their onwards flight to Australia; the vignette tied by one of two superb strikes of the oval "FIRST AERIAL MAIL" cachet, and addressed to Mrs J.Morris, Maroona, Victoria. Exceptionally, the cover is signed by Keith Smith, J.M.Bennett & W Shiers on the reverse & inscribed "Darwin 12-12-19" in Bennett's hand. A magnificent example, now listed as #228 by Frommer and illustrated at page 65. (Image)

Estimate AU$8,000-10,000
Min. Bid. AU

Nov.1919 - Feb.1920 (AAMC.27a) a "Ross Smith" vignette attractively tied by one of 2 strikes of the oval "FIRST AERIAL MAIL" cachet on a cover picked up at RAMADI, MESOPOTAMIA, one of the refuelling stops on the flight from England to Australia. With the three-line violet h/stamp on the back flap together with the sender's name and address. The lot also includes the original handwritten enclosure "...an aeroplane came hovering around the camp and landed and out came 5 Aussies....one of them has promised to carry this through the air and post it for me in Aussie." A marvelous example of an intermediate from this important flight. The sender, Corporal James Thomson was loacted at Ramadi as part of the 6th Light Light Armoured Motor Battery. The cover is #318 in the Frommer listing, illustrated at page 85.Provenance: Lucien Toutounji (Image)

Estimate AU$8,000-10,000
Min. Bid. AU

Nov. 1919 England - Australia (AAMC.27b) Ross Smith vignette with full margins, very well centred and unmounted with just light traces of hinging in margins only, an exceptional example of this iconic item, Cat. $18,000 for mounted mint. [AAMC states "about 25 mint copies are held in museums ... about 50 specimens with complete selvedge exist in private collections"; of the 576 issued, 364 were attached to letters carried and cancelled on arrival in Melbourne on 26 Feb 1920, 125 were destroyed and of the 87 remaining about 10 had the selvedge removed in anticipation of being affixed to envelopes.]Provenance: Tom Frommer   (Image)

Estimate AU$9,000-12,000
Min. Bid. AU

Nov.1919 - Feb.1920 (AAMC.27d) A Ross Smith "FIRST AERIAL POST" vignette, Mint with gum, but with margins removed. Rare and fine. This is example M3 in Frommer's listing, illustrated at page 130. (Image)

Estimate AU$7,000-9,000
Min. Bid. AU$

Nov.1919 - Feb.1920 (AAMC.27e) A Bandar Abbas - Karachi "intermediate" cover flown by Ross & Keith Smith; with 3-line "PER VICKERS "VIMY" AEROPLANE TO AUSTRALIA" cachet and endorsed "By Aerial Post" at left. Accompanied by the original enclosure, dated 23/11/19 from the I.E.Telegraphs office at Bandar Abbas.The cover, addressed to the Superintendent of the Persian Gulf Telegraphs, with KIMARI & KARACHI backstamps. [Only 13 covers documented flown without vignette. This is #7 in the Frommer listing and is illustrated at page 120]. A similar cover, #13 in the Frommer listing, was recently sold in a London auction of the John Crowe Collection. It was Lot 294 in the Argyll Etkin sale of 1st March 2019 and it brought £5,500 + BP. (Image)

Estimate AU$8,000-10,000
Min. Bid. AU

26 Feb.1920 (AAMC.27f) forgery of Ross Smith flown cover addressed to Mrs R.P. Ford, 16th A.G. Hospital, Mcleod, Melbourne,  with genuine vignette tied by "FIRST AERIAL MAIL/RECEIVED/26FEB1920/GREAT BRITAIN TO AUSTRALIA" oval flight cachet (cachet possibly forged - 'GR' of 'GREAT BRITAIN' at left resembles a '62') , with typed endorsement "Per kind favor of Captain Ross Smith/on his competition flight.", Cat $3000. Ex Frommer.There are two genuine "Ford" covers in existence (Frommer #108 & #109) both to the same hospital address, each have Indian stamps affixed, and have similar endorsement (in manuscript) to the forged cover but with an English spelling of "favour", suggesting that this forgery was created in the United States.  (Image)

Estimate AU$2,000-2,500
Min. Bid. AU$

Aug.1920 (AAMC.47c) "Velvet Soap" advertising postcard dropped over Melbourne by R. Graham Carey in his Maurice Farman Shorthorn biplane, as depicted on the card. The reverse of the card shows Carey in the cockpit and an aerial view of the soapworks of J. Kitchen & Sons, the manufacturers of Velvet soap. [Eustis says "Only four cards known on his exhibit page.]. Provenance: Nelson Eustis Gold Medal Collection, March 2008, Lot 56 : $4,600 incl. BP. (Image)

Estimate AU$3,500-4,000
Min. Bid. AU$

10 Aug.1920 (AAMC.48) Melbourne - Hamilton cover, flown by Captain E.W. Leggatt for The Herald & Weekly Times. A special "Herald Air Mail" vignette in brown was issued; unusually (and apparently uniquely) this cover bears 2 examples of the vignette; one tied by the Post Office re-sealing tape used in conjunction with a boxed "UNCLAIMED AT HAMILTON' h/stamp. [700 flown, but it is believed only about 50 now exist.].

Estimate AU$2,000-2,500
Min. Bid. AU$

Sept. 1920 (AAMC.51c) "Pals" Air Mail vignettes; a horizontal pair with selvedge at sides and base and full gum. Multiples are scarce. (2) Cat.$400+ (Image)

Estimate AU$400-500
Min. Bid. AU$300

30 Sept.1921 (AAMC.55) Adelaide - Alice Springs cover to Unley, SA carried by Francis Birtles and pilot Lt FS Briggs in a DH4 on their Railway Commission survey flight, franked with KGV 2d orange tied Adelaide '27OCT21' roller cancel on arrival also tieing Northern Territory 'Stamp Duty' 1d violet with manuscript date '20/10/21' affixed alongside on face, plus 1939 letter from Birtles authenticating cover as 'most likely sent from Alice Springs or Charlotte Waters'; one of only three items known; Cat $3500.  (2 items).Ex Frommer, sold for $2700 in the September 2016 sale of his Grand Prix Pioneer Australian Air Mails Collection.  (Image)

Estimate AU$2,600-3,000
Min. Bid. AU$

4 Dec. 1921 (AAMC.56a & 57a) Perth - Derby flight, Hamilton, Macrae, Ltd long merchant cover to Broome flown by Western Australian Airways on inaugural flight of Australia's first regular airmail service only as far as Geraldton where suspended due to fatal crash, flown back to Perth and most items forwarded by the steamer SS Bambra, however this item carried on subsequent non-contract "special aerial mails" flight by Major Brearley and Lt Charles Kingsford-Smith leaving Perth 14 Dec (AAMC.57a) with 'BROOME/18DE21/WESTN AUSTRALIA' arrival datestamp on back, franked with Kangaroo 3rd Wmk 2½d blue marginal pair (left-hand unit showing "Heavy Coastline to WA"variety) tied by Perth cancels paying domestic letter rate plus 3d airmail surcharge with black 'PERTH DERBY/4DE21/AERIAL MAIL' skeleton cachet alongside on face. The mail from the original suspended flight carried by the SS Bambra to northern ports did not reach Broome until 19 Dec., Cat $1100 + $1,250. Ex Frommer, sold for $1680 in the September 2016 sale of his Grand Prix Pioneer Australian Air Mails Collection.  (Image)

Estimate AU$1,500-2,000
Min. Bid. AU$

17 April 1922 (AAMC.64) Geelong - Melbourne flown cover carried on the return flight of the Herald & Weekly Times experimental service with KGV 2d red and blue 'Herald/Air Mail' label (Frommer #5a) affixed alongside; tied by Geelong machine cancel. Cat $1500. (Image)

Estimate AU$900-1,200
Min. Bid. AU$75

2 June 1924 (AAMC.71) Adelaide - Sydney cover, flown and signed by the pilot, Frank L. Roberts, in a Sopwith Wallaby. This was the inaugural service over this route for Australian Aerial Services Ltd. Cat.$550. (Image)

Estimate AU$300-350
Min. Bid. AU$220

7 June 1924 (AAMC.72a) Sydney - Adelaide intermediate Sydney - Narrandera with KGV 4½d tied by 'NEWTOWN/4JE24/NSW' cds, very fine, Cat $550+.  (Image)

Estimate AU$240-280
Min. Bid. AU$190

April - May 1925 (AAMC.78a) Calcutta - Australia (Melbourne) cover (half) carried by Francesco de Pinedo and Ernesto Campanelli on the final legs of their flight from Rome in an SIAI flying boat. [1 of 51 for Melbourne]. NB: Due to a disagreement with the promotors in Calcutta, the portion of the envelope bearing de Pinedo's signature was cut off before being handed over to the Italian Consul General in Melbourne.]. Cat.$2000.Provenance: Nelson Eustis (Image)

Estimate AU$1,500-1,750
Min. Bid. AU$

April - May 1925 (AAMC.78b) Calcutta - Australia (Sydney) cover (half) carried by Francesco de Pinedo and Ernesto Campanelli on the final legs of their flight from Rome in an SIAI flying boat. [1 of 42 for Sydney].Provenance: Nelson Eustis (Image)

Estimate AU$1,500-1,750
Min. Bid. AU$

21-22 July 1925 (AAMC.80-89a) Adelaide - Melbourne - Sydney per Australian Aerial Services intermediates group comprising Melbourne-Echuca, Melbourne-Sydney, Echuca-Broken Hill, Deniliquin-Broken Hill, Hay-Broken Hill, Broken Hill-Echuca, Broken Hill-Mildura, Sydney-Deniliquin & Sydney-Echuca between #80-89a, KGV adhesives including 4d olive (2) & 4½d (5); generally fine to very fine, Cat $2700. (9 covers) (Image)

Estimate AU$1,000-1,200
Min. Bid. AU$