AIRMAIL LABELS & VIGNETTES: An accumulation in 2 albums with official Post Office issues, aviation company and publicity issues. Noted 1920 "Herald" labels (4), red "PALS" label (1), 1925 "Angel" vignette (sheetlet of 15), 1937 Airmail Exhibition sheetlets (8), N.E.A.L. (complete sheet), QANTAS "See Western Queensland" labels, QANTAS pictorial labels, etc. (qty). (Image)

Estimate AU$500-750
Min. Bid. AU$400

November - December 1919 (AAMC.27) A cover carried on the first flight from England to Australia, crewed by Ross & Keith Smith, Jim Bennett and Wally Shiers. With the rare "Ross Smith" vignette attractively tied by the special "FIRST AERIAL MAIL/RECEIVED" handstamp. with another alongside. Address to S.H. Long at Lake Macquarie. (Image)

Estimate AU$6,000-7,500
Min. Bid. AU$

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$8,000-12,000
Min. Bid. AU

1919 (AAMC.27b, Frommer 1a) "Ross Smith" Flight vignette with full margins and superb unmounted mint full gum. Probably the finest example in private hands. This is #C16 in the Frommer listing, illustrated at page 126. Cat. $18,000 for mounted mint.The AAMC entry 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 20 had the selvedge removed in anticipation of being affixed to envelopes. (Image)

Estimate AU$12,500-15,000
Min. Bid. A

2019 First Aerial Post vignette, limited edition [#0392/1919] 24 carat gold coated Centenary Tribute in stunning display stand; with original paperwork and packaging. (Image)

Estimate AU$80-100
Min. Bid. AU$60

The Ross & Keith Smith Flight - England to Australia: A souvenir advertising fan produced by John Martin & Co. Ltd. (Adelaide Department store), thefront depicting a map of the route flown, the Smith brothers, the dates of their stops and the names of the crew members; Martin & Co advertising verso. A rare example. (Image)

Estimate AU$200-300
Min. Bid. AU$160

EARLY FLIGHT VIGNETTES: 1920 "Herald" in brown (AAMC.48a), 1920 "PALS" in red (AAMC.51c) and 1922 "HERALD" in dark blue (AAMC.64b), (3). Cat.$525, (Image)

Estimate AU$150-200
Min. Bid. AU$120

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 & blue 'Herald/Air Mail' label (Frommer #5a) affixed alongside; tied by Geelong machine cancel. Cat $1500. (Image)

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

17 Apr.1922 (AAMC.64c, Frommer 5b) For the "Herald & Weekly Times" experimental air mail flight from Melbourne - Geelong & return, a 'Herald Air Mail' vignette in blue was prepared; a very rare complete block of 4 with selvedge, MUH. It is believed that fewer than 5 blocks survive.Provenance: Tom Frommer (Image)

Estimate AU$2,500-3,000
Min. Bid. AU$

5 Nov.1922 (AAMC.66) Cloncurry - Charleville cover flown by QANTAS on the first return airmail delivery flight over this route and bearing the extremely rare "FOR AERIAL TRANSMISSION" red on white vignette. Flown by Hudson Fysh (Cloncurry - Longreach) and P.J. McGinness (Longreach - Charleville) and addressed to C.G.Grey, editor of "The Aeroplane" in London.Of the approximately 15 covers known from these inaugural Qantas flights, 2 are recorded to New Zealand addresses and this is the only other cover known to a foreign destination. Grey has annotated the cover in pencil at lower left "Arrived December 21." On annotated exhibit page together with March 1924 Qantas flown commercial cover from McKinlay to Longreach, bearing the black on pale green 2nd Qantas vignette. [Qantas had expanded its' route to include several small settlements like McKinlay, 71 residents, 80kms south of Cloncurry]. Cat.$12,000.Provenance: John Cress (Image)

Estimate AU$6,000-8,000
Min. Bid. AU$

Late 1923 (Frommer 10) QANTAS black & red on emerald-green vignette "BY AIR MAIL / See Western Queensland" attractively used on an April 1924 flown cover from Cloncurry to Mrs Hudson Fysh, at "Dahra", Longreach; displayed on an exhibit page together with the booklet covers ("The Spirit of the Times is in Aerial Travel.") and a strip of 7 of the vignettes.Provenance: Ex Maurice Williams, Director of Australia Post. (Image)

Estimate AU$500-600
Min. Bid. AU$400

2 June 1924 (AAMC.71) Adelaide - Sydney flown cover, carried on the first A.A.S. flight via Mildura, Hay and other intermediates. Cat.$550. (Image)

Estimate AU$200-250
Min. Bid. AU$160

7 June 1924 (AAMC.72) Sydney - Adelaide registered flown cover carried on the inaugural service by Australian Aerial Services, with Adelaide arrival cds. (Image)

Estimate AU$250-300
Min. Bid. AU$200

QANTAS AIRMAIL VIGNETTE PROOFS: 1924 (Frommer 11e1) "See Western Queensland BY AIR MAIL" strip of four IMPERFORATE proofs in red and black on yellow stock, (4). Extremely scarce. Cat. $1500.Believed to be unique. See Frommer Australian Air Mail Vignettes 1920 - 1960"  (Image)

Estimate AU$500-750
Min. Bid. AU$400

QANTAS AIRMAIL VIGNETTE PROOFS: 1924 (Frommer 11e2) "See Western Queensland BY AIR MAIL" strip of four IMPERFORATE proofs in black on yellow stock, (4). Extremely scarce. Cat. $1500.Believed to be unique. See Frommer Australian Air Mail Vignettes 1920 - 1960"  (Image)

Estimate AU$500-750
Min. Bid. AU$400

QANTAS AIRMAIL VIGNETTE PROOFS: 1924 (Frommer 11e3) "See Western Queensland BY AIR MAIL" strip of three IMPERFORATE proofs in black on red stock, (3). Extremely scarce. Cat. $1200.Believed to be unique. See Frommer Australian Air Mail Vignettes 1920 - 1960"  (Image)

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

THE 1925 "ANGEL" VIGNETTE of AUSTRALIAN AERIAL SERVICES LTD: A complete booklet of 27 (3 panes of 9) together with front and back covers (AAMC.90b) together with a complete sheetlet of 15 with instructions in the lower margin (AAMC.90d); scarce and mainly fine. Cat.$775. (Image)

Estimate AU$300-400
Min. Bid. AU$240

1925 (AAMC.90e) Australian Aerial Service "Angel" vignette, horizontal pair, Imperforate vertically between; full gum. Ex. Frommer Collection. (Image)

Estimate AU$100-150
Min. Bid. AU$80

July 1927 (AAMC.107b; Frommer 17c) QANTAS black on red "See Western Queensland BY AIR MAIL" vignettes: a complete booklet (lacks staple only) comprising of 3 complete strips with top margins and the complete back and front covers. Cat.$1200.Extremely scarce. See Frommer "Australian Air Mail Vignettes 1920 - 1960"  (Image)

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

July 1927 (Frommer 16b) QANTAS "FIRST FLIGHT / TH GULF AIR SERVICE / VISIT NORMANTON / FOR BIG GAME FISHING" black on red "BY AIR MAIL" vignette, complete booklet pane of eight units + top margin, Unused. Cat.$550.Ex. Tom Frommer Gold Medal Collection, 2003. (Image)

Estimate AU$200-300
Min. Bid. AU$160

A RARE COVER FROM THE FIRST TRANS-PACIFIC FLIGHT: 8 June 1928 (AAMC.122b) Naselai Sands, Fiji - Eagle Farm, Brisbane cover flown by Kingsford Smith with Ulm, Lyon & Warner, on their epic trans - Pacific flight via Hawaii and Fiji in the 'Southern Cross', posted and cancelled in Sydney during the week after their arrival. The cover is signed by Kingsford Smith & the relief pilot Charles Ulm & is endorsed on reverse "From Mrs H.Marks" (wife of the Mayor of Suva) and is one of only six carried on this leg.An important piece of Australian aviation history. The dramatic last leg was the most difficult because of storms, loss of radio contact and shortage of fuel and has been well documented and much written about. This cover, a centerpiece of the Cress Gold Medal collection was previously offered in our Auction 262 (May 2005), when competition resulted in a hammer price of $19,000.Provenance: John Cress (Image)

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

13-14 October 1928 (AAMC.126) New Zealand (Blenheim) - Australia (Sydney) cover, flown aboard the "Southern Cross" on it's return flight following the triumph of the first crossing from west to east in September (see AAMC.124). The crew comprising of Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, H.A. Litchfield and T. McWilliams was the same; this rare cover being signed by Charles Ulm and addressed to his wife. [One of only 16 flown]. (Image)

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

17 April 1929 (AAMC.132a & 133a) Brisbane - Charleville - Normanton, and Brisbane - Toowoomba flown covers, both bearing the scarce "See Western Queensland" red airmail labels; both tied. (2). Cat.$400+. (Image)

Estimate AU$160-180
Min. Bid. AU$140

AIRMAIL LABELS & VIGNETTES 1929 - 1960: A wonderful group, mostly drawn from the Gold Medal Tom Frommer collection, which we auctioned in 2003 and now available for the the first time since then. Using Frommer Catalogue numbers, this lot includes F.21b (W.A.A. BY AIRMAIL strip of 7), F22b (W.A.A. Earliest Delivery strip of 3), F.23a (W.A.A. Earliest Delivery strip of 3), F.34a (QANTAS chequerboard label pair), F.38b (QANTAS See Western Queensland in olive booklet pane of 8), F.38b (N.E.A.L. complete sheetlet of 8 plus single), F.39a (1932 QANTAS 10th Anniversary label strip of 4), F.40b (1933 Pigeongram vignette complete sheet of 10), F.49d (1937 Moonee Valley Aerial Pageant sheetlet of 4), F50b (1935 Southern Cross vignette sheetlet of 4), F.53b (1937 A.N.A. vignette in complete sheetlet of 16), F.67b1 (1947 QANTAS 25th Anniversary labels in booklet pane of 2), F.73a (1948 QANTAS Espiritu Sano - Vila - Sydney label), F.77a & 78a (1948 QANTAS Sydney - Johannesburg and return labels), F.80b (1948 A.N.A. booklet pane of 2 labels), F.88b (circa 1950 QANTAS pictorial vignettes complete sheetlet of 12), F.91b (1952 QANTAS South Africa route labels in booklet pane of 3), F.98 (1954 QANTAS Christmas Mail labels, strip of 10), and a few other items. Cat.$2600+ Virtually impossible to replicate! Accompanied by the Frommer book. (Image)

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

Oct.1929 (AAMC.145b) Eyre Peninsula Airways Ltd vignette (black on deep blue), block (4). Very fine Unused. Extremely rare multiple. Cat.$750.

Estimate AU$300-400
Min. Bid. AU$240