by catpaw | 1 Nov, 2020 | Airmail & Aviation, Catpaw's Picks, Espresso fueled mumblings, Stamps
Vance auctions has a unique must have Australian airmail souvenir in their Dec 2 sale. On the surface, this little pink ticket doesn’t look like much, but a bit of digging unearths its place in Australia’s rich aviation history.
1937 Australian airmail season ticket
Item 1538 Australia airmail ephemera SEASON TICKET for AIR MAIL EXHIBITION Melbourne 5-7 Oct 1937. Price 2sh6d, green on pink. VF. Beautiful collateral item for the Airmail collector …. Est 100.00+ Vance Auctions Dec. 2, 2020
This small slip of paper will be ignored by a lot of people which means they’ll be missing a true aerophilately gem. The $100 value doesn’t do justice to its historical value
Australian airmail and aviation legacy runs deep
The 1937 exhibition rang a bell. I remembered seeing references to it in past airmail studies. A quick search verified how important this item is. Between Oct 6-8, 1937, Melbourne City Hall hosted a 3 day aerophilately exhibition. One wonderful thing about the internet is the relative ease in finding original documents. My search through the Victoria government archives uncovered the event calendar.
Cover from the Melbourne Air Mail
The 38-page catalogue represents a timeline of early Australian airmail and aviation pioneers.
Aviation has made remarkable progress within a comparatively brief period and the many and varied exhibits, posters, charts and photographs illustrative of the many aspects of transportation by air makes it difficult for one to realise that the first Melbourne to Sidney air mail was carried in 1914 – twenty three years ago. – p. 18 Catalogue of the Air Mail Exhibition
The Bonney Boomerang – Maude Rose “Lores” Bonney OBE
One of the big draws at this exhibition was autographed covers flown by the Bonney Boomerang. Maude Rose Bonney was the first female to fly solo from Australia to the United Kingdom. She’s relatively unknown today, but she was a contemporary of Emelia Earhart and beat her in this race, She completed the 157-hour flight in 1933 and carried a limited number of covers with her. She posted them along the route and the catalogue lays out what autographed covers were on offer:
List of covers on sale at the exhibition
Stamp dealers & their catalogues
Another fascinating aspect of this exhibition were the dealer advertisements. A couple are legendary. WM Ackland issued his own catalogues, some of which can be found for sale online. Many old catalogues are still reliable references for collectors. They are an inexpensive way to acquire quality information about stamps and covers. Modern catalogues are expensive and far out of reach for many stamp collectors. Monetary values are out of date, but those are easy to find online.
Ackland’s Special Australian Stamp catalogue
Business card for William Ackland. Courtesy Victoria State archives
Sanabria – the best airmail catalogues around
Another renowned seller was Nicholas Sanabria. He took out a full-page ad in the catalogue promoting the 2nd printing of his specialty airmail catalogue Standard Catalogue of Air Posts Stamps.
Sanabria Air Mail catalogue ads
Sanabria specialised in aerophilately and his catalogues, though out of print for decades, are still invaluable for any airmail collector. The level of detail offered in his catalogues is excellent. A hard cover first edition can be had for as little as $12. It’s worth the investment if you specialise in aerophilately. I often refer to them when I need specialised details that are lacking in Scott or Stanely Gibbons editions.
Explaining Aerophilately & classification
The exhibition catalogue goes on to explain, in depth what Aerophilately is and the various classifications within the field. If you’re new to airmail collecting, print out the page below and keep it for reference. The classification system laid out is still in use today and a wonderful way to organise your collection. You’ll be hard put to find a better write-up.
The Scope of Aerophilately
If you get a copy of the exhibition catalogue, check out page 14, which breaks down the categories in greater detail. It’s a handy resource for all airmail collectors to have on file. I’ve barely scratched the surface on this event, and a thorough examination of the 1937 catalogue will uncover much more historical value for Australian history fans. This old season ticket is an Australian airmail treasure. If you specialise in Australian philately or airmail, you might want to check out the auction here, https://www.vanceauctions.com/
Quick note on the catalogue:
I originally found the exhibition catalogue at the State Library Victoria, but when I went to verify the link for this article, it was no longer available. If it reappears, I’ll add a link. I downloaded the catalogue in pdf form when I began researching the ticket, so if you want a copy, drop me a line below and I’ll send it along to you.
by catpaw | 24 Oct, 2020 | Catpaw's Picks, country Stamps, Stamps
I acquired an impressive German FDC recently, courtesy of a fellow collector in Germany. He posted a message on a stamp collecting forum about a special Deutsche Post commemorative cancel honouring the Canadian army. He kindly sent 3 covers/postcards that had the cancel. What I didn’t expect was the FDC displayed below. It has 3 elements that make it one of the more attractive FDCs I’ve seen in years.
German FDC honouring the Canadian Army – Deutsche Post
2 Canadian soldiers in front of the Rathaus (townhall) in Leer, Germany
Deutsche post issued the First Day Cover (FDC) with a special cancel commemorating both the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and Canada’s role in liberating Leer, Germany. The cancel displays both the Leer Rathaus and the Canadian army badge. It’s a touching design.
Emblem of the Canadian army
It took some detective work to find details about both the cancel and the photo used on the FDC. I started with a (very) rough translation from the German FDC.
Original German:
Tag der Briefmarke 202075 Jahre Ende des 2 Weltkriegs1945 befreien kanadische Truppen die
Stadt und den Landkreis Leer
Verein der Briefmarkenfreunde
Leer E.V. |
Rough translation:
Stamp Day 202075 years end of World War II
In 1945, Canadian troops liberated the
City and the district of Leer
Association of Stamp Friends
Leer E.V.
|
Leer is in the Northwest of Germany, across the river from Groningen province, Netherlands. When Canadian troops swept across the northern parts of Europe, they crossed the bridge from Groningen to Leer and liberated the city.
The cancel was created for the annual German-Dutch exchange day. Apologies for the following bad translation from the original German.
The traditional German-Dutch Exchange Day 2020 will take place on 26 September in Hesel.
The hall, which philatelists know from the Northwest German Collectors Exchange, held in 2019, is large enough, with an area of around 600 square metres, to allow all visitors to maintain the necessary safety distance.
Exchange and day of the stamp.
The village community house in Jemgum, (Germany) on the other hand, measures only 300 square meters. Therefore, the event had to move from Jemgum to Hesel. On September 26, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Leer stamp society will not only be inviting you to the Big Exchange Day, but also to the release of a cover, which this year is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the city by Canadian troops.
An “Experience Stamps” team will be there with the new “75 years of AM Post” stamp as well. The association will have available the cover containing both an historic photo and the AM stamp.
Contact: Oswald Janssen, Am Helling 11, 26802 Moormerland, Tel. 04954 / 6346, Oswald.Janssen (at) t-online.de, www: briefmarkenfreunde-leer.de.
From: https://www.briefmarkenspiegel.de/2020/09/23/tipp-zum-wochenende-deutsch-niederlaendischer-tauschtag/
Closeup of the special cancel
Excellent cancel showing the badge of the Canadian army
AM – Allied Military stamp on the German FDC
There was a pleasant surprise on the FDC – the commemorative AM stamp. It has been released for the upcoming 75-year anniversary of the original AM (Allied Military) post war stamps. AM stamps were issued after the fall of the Nazis, under the US and Great Britain forces. These general issues were in use from Feb. 1946 to June of 1948.
Modern stamp showing Allied Military stamp issued in Germany 1946
The originals are an interesting grouping to collect. Aside from the basic set, avid collectors can hunt for varieties in colours, types of paper, cancels, perforations, and plate numbers. They are mostly inexpensive and easy to find.
The Allies had set up a temporary postal service in the occupied German Reich, which could also be used for civil mail from March 1945. The “AM-POST” stamps (“Allied Military”) were the first stamps of the Allies on German soil at that time. They initially came from the USA (MiNr.: 1-9), later they were printed in England (MiNr.: 10-15) and Germany (MiNr.: 16-35). – Duetsche Post website
The “75 years of AM-POST-Brands” stamp came out Sept. 3, 2020, just prior to the release on Sept. 26, 2020 of the German FDC with the Canadian soldiers’ photo.
Canadian soldiers stand in the Leer city harbour
Two Canadian soldiers stand in the city’s harbour after the conquest. Images: Dieter Simon, The End of the War 1945 in Leer, Verlag Schuster 1995
It was difficult to find any reference to the photo used in this German FDC. I found only one in an online newspaper from Germany. Beyond this one link, I couldn’t find anything else. I searched Canadian archives too, but nothing popped up.
This is a good find for any Canadian militaria collector as well as stamp fans, both German and Canadian.
by catpaw | 22 Sep, 2020 | Airmail & Aviation, Catpaw's Picks, Espresso fueled mumblings, Stamps
I rediscovered an early Austrian airmail gem while rooting through my collection, looking for something. It’s a great little cover, primarily because the cancels are pristine. Nothing says frustration like a messy, unreadable cancel. A clear cancel offers up a treasure trove of information such as when the letter was sent, where it was sent from, and in the case of early airmails the actual routes taken.
Vienna-Zagreb-Graz-Belgrade 1931
Considering this cover is 89 years old, it’s looking pretty good. The stamps are bright and crisp with a clean cancel tying them together. It’s one of those treats found in the bottom of a junk stamp box lot I purchased at an auction years ago. Someone didn’t appreciate its beauty.
First Austrian airmail route
Austria established it’s first regular airmail route during WW1 on March 31, 1918. Starting at Aspern airfield in Vienna and ending in Kiev, pilots flew Hansa-Brandenburg C.I 2-seater recon biplanes at first. It covered over 1,200 kilometres along a route that included Vienna to Krakow, Lviv, Proskurow, and Kiev at the end. This route, by-the-way, predates the US airmail permanent route by 2 months.
The Vienna to Kiev route ran until Oct 15, 1918 and ceased with the end of the war. The Saint Germain peace treaty further disrupted airmail service when it demanded the dismantling of aircraft in Austria, killing off the establishment of permanent airmail routes for a couple of years. However, in its short lifespan, the airmail route delivered a substantial amount of civilian mail:
- Vienna-Krakow 6488 pieces.
- Krakow-Vienna 8333 pieces.
- Vienna-Lemberg (Lvov) 9428 pieces.
- Lemberg (Lvov)-Vienna 11038 pieces.
- Vienna-Budapest 2411 pieces.
*figures from 90 Years of Aviation in Austria
The first stamps were overprints of 1916 Coat of Arms stamps.
Flugpost overprints Austria #C1-C3
My venerable, and much loved 1944 edition of Sanabria describes them this way:
Issues of the Monarchy
Issued March 30, 1918, for air post service operated by military aviators between Vienna and Kieve (Ukraine), via Cracow and Lemberg. First Flight took place on March 31, the service being discontinued on October 15. Printed by State Printing Office, Vienna. Original printings were on grayish-white paper (25 x 30 mm), a second printing on yellowish tinted paper (26 x 29 mm) was issued on June 24, 1918. Imperforate stamps were specially prepared for members of the Imperial Court, and not for public distribution. p. 53 Sanabria’s Air Post Catalogue, Worldwide, 1944
I don’t have any of the first Austrian airmails in my collection. But I do have a few later stamps and covers. The one at the top of the page is a bit of a favourite. It’s one of those finds you don’t expect in a box of common (and often battered) stamps. Pulling it out was a bit like opening up a Cracker Jack box and finding a genuine metal whistle rather than a plastic one that thwips instead of tweets.
While poking around the Austrian archives, I found an interesting photo dating to the 1918 flights.
Title: From the newly opened Vienna-Budapest air mail. Empress and Queen Zita greets the pilot of a mail plane upon arrival in Vienna. Courtesy Austrian Archives.
There is no date on the photo, and the archive information was sparse. But it’s a fabulous peak into early airmail history.
The 1931 Vienna cancel is worth looking at closely.
Aug 31, 1931 post mark
One thing I’ve noted in early airmails, the cancels often seemed to be applied with great care. Even if the date was badly smudged, the modest little monoplane shows it’s later than 1918.
The Austrian airmail stamps C16 and C20 issued 1926.
C16 and C20 – 1926 Austrian airmail
The two airmail stamps (C16 and C20) are clean, with a well-placed cancel. This cancel isn’t the same as the big bold Erstflug cancel at the top of the cover but does add nicely to the overall appeal.
Apologies for only referencing Scotts stamp numbers. I don’t have easy access to specialty catalogues like Michel. If you have Michel numbers handy, feel free to post them in comments.
NOTES:
- *90 years of aviation in Austria – https://austrianphilately.com/aspern/index.htm
- Vienna was the birthplace of the World’s first airmail company – https://oevz.com/en/vienna-was-the-birthplace-of-the-worlds-first-airmail-company/
- Sanabria – you can occasionally find them second hand at book fairs or online. They are a great resource for tracking down information on the earliest flights. The one I used in this article was Sanabria’s Air Post Catalogue – 1940 Tenth Edition, Nicolas Sanabria & Harry M. Konwiser. Published by Nicolas Sanabria, Inc., N.Y. Check out ABE books if you’re interested in acquiring one.
by catpaw | 20 Aug, 2020 | Stamps
Stanley Gibbons posted an interesting question on their Facebook page about essential stamp collecting tools:
What tools do you use the most? A good magnifying glass is useful for examining stamp detail. Tweezers are useful for handling them. Perforation gauges and watermark detectors are needed in the more advanced stages of the hobby.
Stanley Gibbons Facebook page
That started me thinking about what my essential tools are. Yes, I have the usual suspects, a good pair of tweezers, various perforation gauges, watermark fluid, magnifier, and a UV light. I also consider a handy little position finder and the Stanley Gibbons Stamp colour key essentials as well.
The position finder is invaluable when trying to figure out the position of a flaw or detail on a stamp. It took me awhile to master using one, and if you’re interested, I can post a tutorial on it.
Handy position finder for stamp collecting
I rely heavily on Stanley Gibbons catalogues, even if they are getting a little long in the tooth, because the amount of detail they offer so when I look at colours, I tend towards SG’s key. I keep it tucked into a dark cupboard, so the colours haven’t faded over the years.
Catalogues, catalogues, and more catalogues
I have a lot of catalogues as well. Scott, Stanley Gibbons, Unitrade, Sanabria are the main ones. I scour book sales looking for editions I don’t own and often get them for a song. Well, except for the two I use the most, which I saved up for and purchased new – Stanley Gibbons Commonwealth & Empire Stamps 1840-1952 (With the exception of Canadian stamps, I don’t tend to collect after 1950) and Scott Classic Specialized Catalogue of Stamps & Covers 1840-1940. I rely on the two old Sanabria airmail catalogues for identification, but the prices are sorely out of date.
For Canadian stamps, I switch between SG, Unitrade and Canadian E.F.O.’s: Errors, Freaks and Oddities (Darnell), which I can’t seem to find, at the moment. I put it down somewhere the other day and for the life of me, can’t remember where. It’ll turn up.
What’s missing is The Pioneer and Semi-Official Air Stamps of Canada 1918-1934 by Longworth-Dames. No idea why I keep putting off buying this essential guide. I’ll have to remedy that one day.
There are 3 more tools I use extensively – an excellent quality scanner, Tineye/Google image search and my largish collection of stamp related bookmarks. I rarely see these make the list of essential stamp collecting tools. I can’t live without them.
Scanners as an essential stamp collecting tool.
I’m not a fan of squinting into a magnifier for any length of time, especially with the vision issues I have. That’s where a good scanner allows me to capture details, I’d otherwise miss with just a magnifying glass. With the scanner set to a high resolution, outstanding results can be produced. The benefits of a scanner over a camera, is the stamps lay flat and I get a quality image every time. I don’t have to worry about flash, lighting, or weird angles. I have most of the scans stored in the cloud for reference. When I have a question, they are all categorised and stored away.
Careful scanning will show flaws, condition clearly (nibbled corners, small tears will be easier to spot), fine details and, if you get lucky, you can also see the watermark on certain stamps.
Here’s how my stamp folders are organised. 001 signifies airmail, 002 general stamps (pre-1950), 003 covers and used post cards, 004 revenues, 005 all reference materials, including inventory lists and album pages, and finally 006 a catch-all for photos I’ve taken of postal boxes, postcards not used, but interesting (usually air related), and posters I’ve found about stamps. The numbering makes it easy to scan down the list and locate what I need.
A partial view of my stamp collecting folders.
Another use for the scanner is to scan magazine and book articles for later use. I have an extensive archive of pdfs, culled from library sources, stamp magazines and old publications. Instead of letting them accumulate, collecting dust on a shelf, they are scanned, labeled, and stored in one of the 005 folders for easy access. By keeping them on the cloud, I can access them from any device. I think of it as my personal library of essential stamp resources. I’m going to resort the 005 this weekend because it’s becoming a bit large. I need to refine the categories such as 005 Canadian Reference, 005 Flaws.
Scanning also allows me to create visual lists of the stamps I own. I struggled for years with trying to catalogue my collection and finally realised most of the software was too clumsy to use. Instead, I scan the stamps into contact sheets, label them and store them for future reference.
Click on the image to see it in full size
Not as tidy, but still easy to use for cataloguing purposes.
If I’m looking for a stamp to buy, I’ll call up my master lists and see if it’s there. In newer lists, I’ve been including various catalogue numbers and details like flaws, colour variations etc. I also now list the type of cancels I have. This is great when I’m looking for a specific cancel.
Those are the basic tools I use. Next article, I’ll discuss how to use Tineye and Google image search as a reference tool. If you aren’t familiar with using them, come back in a week to find out how. I’ll also finish the article on my stamp related bookmarks.
What are the essential stamp collecting tools you couldn’t live without? Drop a comment below or on Facebook and let me know. Don’t forget to give the article a like to let me know you want more articles like this.
by catpaw | 25 Apr, 2020 | Stamps
Well, this was fascinating. I kept an eye on the Maresch & Son auction from earlier this week. I suggested in my post from the 21, the stamps might go for significantly less than the estimate and I was correct. Mind you, it didn’t take a clairvoyant to figure out the prices would be lower. With the current economic crash and pandemic fears, people are being extremely cautious. I was surprised at how low some went for. Makes me wish I had been in a position to bid on them.
The collection of early Canadian airmail proof cachets sold for less than half the estimated $1000 value. Someone snagged them for $425 (cdn). This could be a great centre-piece for pioneer airmail collectors. I have about 20 different cachet covers and love looking at them.
Lot 624a, full sheet of Patricia Airways
Valued at $480 sold for a mere $177 (cdn). Oh what a bargain. This one made my heart skip a bit. I own just one Patricia and coveted this full sheet. Ah the sins of stamp collecting.
Lot 627 – Special Delivery block, sold for $307 (cdn)
The estimate was @ $1500.
And finally lot 708a – early Nova Scotia
It was a big surprise and I’m sure collector of Nova Scotia stamps received a hell of a shock when their $325 (cdn) bid won a lot estimated at $2200.
Not all lots sold for far below the estimates. A few even exceeded the predicted price. But that’s the way auctions go. Some days bargains are to be had and other days, bidders war breaks out. The pandemic certainly had an impact. I’ll be watching a couple of upcoming auctions to see if this was a one off or not.
Notes:
Check out the prices realised at https://stampauctionnetwork.com/RM/RM557.cfm . Not sure how long it will available so don’t waste time.
