Palestine Mandate. The 'Blues' #1 / Civilian mail through Military post: 21 FE 1918 illustrated business stationary commercial cover from APO SZ44 (JERUSALEM) to Greek Hospital in CAIRO franked 1pia at period foreign letter rate using rouletted deep-blue Ba1 frank with bottom gutter tied by APO SZ44 (Sacher A2) postmark - 11 days after first use of Ba1; backstamped 2-3-18 CAIRO arrival; opened and resealed by censor at top; Cairo censor cachet on front; opened at top, vertical & horizontal folds; fine. Est. value $850+.

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Palestine Mandate. The 'Blues' #2 / Civilian mail through Military post: 28 FE 1918 picture-postcard of Golden Gate, JERUSALEM from APO SZ44 (JERUSALEM) to CAIRO franked at period 5m inland postcard rate (applied also to Egypt) using 5m on 1p cobalt-blue Ba2 stamp and tied by APO SZ44 postmark (Sacher A2) - 12 days after first use of Ba2; marked by local and Cairo censor cachets. Near-identical item (same date, stamp & correspondents) displayed in Sacher p.70. Very fine & rare; estimated value: $2000+; with Royal Philatelic Society certification & Hoexter/Tsachor signatures.

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Palestine Mandate. Paquebot incoming Mandate sea mail: undated 1934 commercial cover on bilingual Greek/Turkish business stationary from ISTANBUL (or near region) to JAFFA, franked 20Krs + 20 Para & 1 Pia Red Crescent surchage tied by 2 strikes of very rare blue double-circle Bulgarian ship postmark "PARAKHOD BULGARIA" (???????a ???????? = Steamship "Bulgaria") with crowned anchor in center; front-stamped by large circular Bulgarian shipping company "Société Commerciale Bulgare de Navigation á Vapeur | Agence de Haifa" forwarding service cachet (with Star of David separators) which received the mail before depositing it into the Mandate postal system where front-stamped 23 JA 1934 HAIFA transit & backstamped next day JAFFA arrival. Backflap missing. The "Bulgaria" was built in Britain and entered Bulgarian service in 1894; was employed 1913 in the evacuation of Bulgarians from Asia Minor & was the first Bulgarian vessel to cross the Polar circle & steam in the Arctic ocean, 1947. Rare postal link; Nakri certification.

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Palestine Mandate. 1938 1st flight Haifa-TEL AVIV: 28 OC 38 commercial cover from HAIFA to TEL AVIV franked 5m (Ba93) at period letter rate (20g) and tied by HAIFA postmark GD-50, with British "by Airmail" label on front; carried by Palestine Airways' new Tel-Aviv/Haifa service (as of 22 Sept.) here on its 1st day of carrying mail due to the Arab Revolt affecting land delivery routes - at no extra charge; backstamped same day TEL AVIV arrival. The service existed for less than a month; only 16 covers from Haifa recorded. Slit open at bottom; very fine. Estimated value $800+

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Palestine Mandate. 1948 late domestic Mandate mail: registered cover from TEL AVIV to JERUSALEM franked 25m at the period rate and postmarked 14 AP 1948 (day before last date of full Mandate mail service) tied by scarce Groten-D41 oval registry cancel (backstamped twice; exceeding his latest recorded date of use) and received in JERUSALEM 16 AP 48, backstamped by scarce Sacher D18 / Proud R27 oval cancel (exceeding their latest dates recorded) - 4 days before the start of the siege; opened gently at back. Letter in German included.

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Palestine Mandate. Late Mandate / Kofer HaYishuv mail: 21 AP 1948 commercial cover on "Doar" stationary from TEL AVIV to BNEI BRAK franked 10m per period letter rate using a Kofer HaYishuv stamp instead of a Mandate frank. Backstamped (unusually, as not a registered letter) 23 AP arrival (Dorf-5, rated B+). Although Kofer HaYishuv stamps were unauthorized for postal use, in the period March-April 1948 these were used for patriotic reasons by senders and generally accepted by the post offices who transmitted those letters onwards - here per postmarks, the franking was accepted untaxed both in TEL AVIV and BNEI BRAK. Very fine strikes; slit open at top.

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