CCke

A RPOST JOURNAL

Volume XXVI Nu.mber 10

''THE MAN IN THE MOON'' supplement, bringing the current

Sanabria's Air Post Catalogue up to date, has just been released.

YOUR FREE COPY of 52 pages containing the complete

chronicle. new listings. important

price changes as well as interesting

articles and special offers will be

available wherever the catalogue was

bought. In case of difficulties write

us direct, stating date of purchase and

source of supply.

A few copies of the catalogue, includ­

ing supplement, are still at hand.

Post Free

ss.oo NICOLAS SANABRIA CO. INC.

A. Medawar, Pres.

521 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 17, N.Y.

StaiDps for Sale??? WE CAN BE OF SERVICE TO YOU!!

For more than a quarter of a Century, COLLECTORS, DEALERS, TRUST COMPANIES and EXECUTORS OF ESTATES have consulted us regarding the convenion o£ Philatelic Properties into cash.

IF YOU WANT TO SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION •••

we can offer early dates and attractive terms. Expert auperria­ion of all material by an experienced Philatelic Auctioneler. Liberal advances pending sale. Comprehensive insurance and Holmes Electric Protection safeguards your property while in our possession. Our Catalog distribution ia world•wide.

OUR PRIVATE SALES SERVICE .•.

successfully places Collections, Stocks and Rarities where thia method is preferred.

IMMEDIATE CASH IS WAITING .••

for the outright purchase of suitable material regardleu o£ amount.

Our Advice, Backed by 28 Years E"perience in the Stamp Trade, is at Your Dispmal

Information Cheerlully GiT&D

IRWIN HEIMAN, INC. Serving American Philately Since 1926

2 WEST 46th STREET NEW YORK 36, N. Y.

ROOM 803 TEL.: JTJ 2-2393

Issue Prospectus For Cuban Show; Convention And Other Plans Revealed

• 1000 Frames Available For CUPEX Displays; liberal

Allotment For Air Mail Exhibits

T HE First Prospectus for the great International Stamp Show to be

held in Habana, Cuba, from November 12 to 19 of this year, has just been re­

leased by the organizing Committee. It is a handsome production with the end pages showing striking views of the new Palacio de Bellas Artes in which the Ex­hibition will be held. The present GUPEX Bulletin is printed in both Spanish and English and gives general information as to the Exhibition; it extends a cordial in­vitation to all collectors everywhere to send their collections to Habana this fall. Of particular interest to collectors will be the announcement that there is no frame charge or fee of any kind for exhibiting. Of the 1000 frames available no less than one nor more than five will be assigned to any single exhibit, except by special vote of the Directing Committee. Accord­ing to the Prospectus "The Exhibition will be of a competitive character and will be dedicated exclusively to postal stamps of each and every one of the countries of the Western Hemisphere: the Americas, Spain, the Mother Country, and the Philippines." The scope of the Exhibition, of course, includes air mails and a generous number of frames has been set aside for air mail exhibits. The Exhibition will open on Saturday, Nov­ember 12 and will continue through Sat­urday, November 19. It will be open from 10 A. M. to 10 P. M. each day. The 32nd Annual Convention of the American Air Mail Society will be held during the CUPEX and will run from Sunday, Nov­ember 13 through Tuesday, November 15.

• at that tme they will be sent to all who have expressed a desire to exhibit.

The Exhibition is receiving the most effective kind of co-operation from the Cuban government and many of the fa­cilities have been made available gratis in consideration of this participation. Dr. B. Cruz Planas, President of the Club Filatelico de la Republica de Cuba, Chapter # 19 of the American Air Mail Society, is President of the Executive Committee for CUPEX. Rafael Oriol, a Past President of Chapter # 19 and pres­entlv Vice-President of the American Air Mail Society is Vice-President of the Cu­REX and Director of the Show. Dr. Er­nesto Bello is Assistant Director of the Show. Other members of the Board in­clude Dr. Raul Gutierrez, Secretary and Dr. Luis F. Aiamil. Treasurer. A dis­tinguished list of Foreign Representatives of the Show is headed by Harry L. Lind­quist, President of the National Federa­tion of Stamp Clubs and Publisher of STAMPS Magazine, New York. Mr. Lindquist, who is an Honorary Member of the American Air Mail Society, is serv­ing as the Philatelic Adviser of the Ex­hibition. There will be a special Court of Honor in which will be on display some of the foremost collections of the World .A distinguished group of phila­telists, recruited from many corners of the world, will comprise the International Jury.

The Exhibition commemorates three important events in the philatelic history of Cuba, l) The centenary of the first postage stamp used in Cuba, issued in 1855 2) The centenary of the first stamp

The First Prospectus has been mailed to be overprinted anywhere in the world, to all those who requested same from the - the famous "Y 1,4" Cuban stamp released Editor. The Prospectus does NOT con- on November 19, 1855 and 3) The 50th tain either a list of Classifications or an Anniversary of the first stamps printed in Entry blank. We are advised that these Cuba after its establishment as a Saver­will be available within a few weeks and eign state.

JULY, 1955 299

THIS ISSUE has been particularly dedicated to the fascinating collection of

AIR LETTER SHEETS and has been prepared under the Editorial direction of

GEORGE D. Kl NGDOM as Special Editor of the Month. Its release has been timed to

coincide with that of the new 1955 Edition of the

AMERICAN AIR MAIL CATALOGUE OF AIR LETTER SHEETS

( AEROGRAMMES) This new 176 page Catalogue is now on sale.

Elsewhere in this issue we print the first and tentative program for the three day Convention of the American Air Mail Society which will be held in Habana from November 13 to 15. This is a pro­gram to whet the anticipatory appetites of those planning' to attend. The Com­mittee promises that this Convention will be an occasion which will long be re­membered as was the highly successful Convention of the Society which was held in 1948. Those who attended the 1948 gathering will recall the afternoon at the Horse Races and will be happy to note that another such occasion is sched­uled for this gathering.

The trip to Varadero Beach will be a high point in the Convention activities. Many world travelers consider this to be the finest beach in the world. En route to Varadero a stop will be made at Mat­azanas and the beauitful Yumuri Valley. Ample time has been allowed in the pro­gram to permit sightseeing and shopping on an individual basis. An added feature of the program is the inclusion of a Folkloric presentation at the Palacio de Bellas Artes under the direction of the Department of Education of the Cuban government. The new Post Office build­ing will be in operation at the time of

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

the Convention and all delegates are in­vited to a reception at the new building sponsored by the Post Office Depart­ment. In addition to meals at some of Habana's finest and most exclusive Clubs, delegates have been invited for ccoktails at the world famous Bacardi and Arechabala private bars.

The Committee for the Convention consists of t!Ie following: President, Ra­fael Oriol. Vice-President, Edelberto de Carrera, Secretary, Richard Milian, Treasurer, Alfred Cano; Housing, Rich­ard MiUan and Frank . Villapol; Enter­tainment, Edelbe1to de Carerra and An­dres L. Reyes; Registration, Rafael R. Garcia and Silvio Pemet; Publicity, Raul Gutierrez, Ricardo del Campo, Adolfo Coleman and Luis F. Guzman; Recep­tion, Dr. Tomas A. Terry, Mrs. Sara Puyol, Mrs. Pauline Salazar, Ricardo del Campo, Adolfo Coleman and Frank Vil­lapol.

In our last issue we published a list of those who had indicated an intention to attend the Convention at Habana in November. Since then we have received a number of additional names and a completely revised and up to date list will be published in an early issue of the .JOURNAL.

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF TlD AMERICAN AIR l\4AIL SOCIJ:'1'Y

ll!ntered a11 serond-class matter, February 10, 1932. at the post office at Albion, Pa. under the Act of March 3. 18'19. Publlshed monthly .

.JULY. 1955 - VOL. XXVI, NO. 10 - ISSUE NO. 303 - 25c PER COPY

300 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

American Air Mail Society

195 5 Convention •

Habana, Cuba •

TENTATIVE PROGRAM

SUNDAY,NOVEMBER13

9 A.M. 1Registration at Palacio de Bellas Artes

12 Noon Cocktails ·at Bacardi Bar

1 P.M. Lunch at Habana Yacht Club

3 P.M. Horse Races

9 P.M. Dinner at Tropicana Night Club

MON•DA Y, NOVEMBER 14

9 A.M.

10 A.M.

12 Noon

1 P.M.

6 P.M.

9 P.M.

Registrativn continues at Palacio de Bellas Artes

Business Session

Reception at the Post Office Department

Cocktails at Arechabala Bar

Folklore Show at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, ;presented by the Department of Education of the Republic of Cuba

Convention Banquet at Hotel Sevilla-Biltmore Roof

TUESDAY, NOV•EMB•ER 15

7:30 A.M. Busses leave .for Varadero Beach. There will be a stop at ·the city of Matanzas and a visit to the beau­ful and world famed Yumuri Valley en route.

11 A.M. Arrive at Varadero Beach, Hotel Internacional

1 P.M. Luncheon

4:30 P.M. 1Busses leave Varadero Beach for iHa•bana

8 P.M. Arrive in Habana

RECOGNITION

Varieties of the B razilian Air Post Miniature Sheets issued in connection w ith their Stamp Centenary of 1843-1943. "Scoit # C53, San. # 76" . have long been known but O·n ly partially recorded heretofore.

In a splendid supplement that the Sanabria Co. has just issued to their catalogue af 1954-55, t.he results of a study just completed, is recognized in the publication of five additional listings of the Centen­ary 'Miniature Sheet Varieties.

Note: In the normal listing of #76, border of sheet is brown, 1 Cr. b lack and yellow , 2 Cr. black and blue green, '5 Cr. black and dull r ose.

- NEWLY LISTED VARIETIES . 76a Color omiited from 1. 2. or 3 stamps (background

in brown) ....... ..... ........ ... .. .. ............... . .. ... $500.00 76b Background omitted (Colors of stamps normal) 500.00 76c As 'a' and 'b' (no background. color omitted from 1.

2. or 3 stamps) .. .. . .. ... .............. .. 500.00 76f Gray green background (Stamps in color) 500.00 76g As ' f' Gray green background (stamps colorless) 500.00

When it is consider ed that the total number existing of these Great Rarities of Aerophilately range from ·only 12 to 18 (see San. cat. W54 p age 43 ) the logic of their pricing ·of ·$·500.00 for each v-ariety can well be understood.

All fine Ai'r Stamp Collections should include one or more of these Rarities.

There has been placed in my hands, for disposal • •• the very limited number remaining of the

BRAZILIAN STAMP CENTERARY MINIATURE SHEET VARIETIES.

Special quotations on request for a, single re presentative var iety, b , set of five different v arieties.

This presen t opportunit y will not come again. Prefe:~tence to earliest inquir ies - write, wire, or phone Wisconsin 7-3834.

Note: Selections of Brazilian & Air Stamp Proofs. Errors and Varieties as well as Air Stamp Varieties o·f many countries. priced at from $2.00 each and upward, submitted for private inspection. - Reference please.

Original Discoveries Of Air Sta.mp Varieties Purchased -

John W. Nieklin Pioneer of Aerophilately

llO West 42nd Street New York 36, N.Y.

~PECIAL sheets and commemora­~ tives vie for attention in this

month's new issue parade. Egypt and Ecuador give us a few surcharges and

Colombia continues to add new items.

ARGENTINE REPUBLIC For the 25th Anniversary of Commer­

cial Aviation a 1.50 pesos bistre was is­sued June 18 1955. It shows a man and a you"th with a glider and a four engined plane in the background. Designed by Dell 'Acqua and produced by the Na­tional Printery the stamp does not bear a specific inscription indicating it is an air mail.

CHILE The 100 pesos Peron visit stamp is

colored red and was issued May 24, 1955.

The current Exterior and 10c are re­ported in new shades and with no water­mark and the 40p is in a new shade and watermarked.

COLOMBIA Bogota's Tequendama Hotel is con­

trasted with the Church of San Diego on a 15c reddish brown stamp produced by Courvoisier.

The 15c brown Church of San Pedro Claver has been released in souvenir sheets in a quantity of 15,000. It is simi­lar to the 1954 stamp of the same design.

CUBA The Tampa centenary 12c stamp is

brown in color.

ECUADOR A daily periodical exhibition was held

in Quito this past June. The 10c purple ( C-196) has been. surcharged· with "E. M. P. 1955" and new values. The 1 S is

•

ALTON J. BLANK 1089 WINSTON ROAD,

SOUTH EUCLID 21,0HIO

in black ink; the 1.70 S is in red; and the 4.20 S is in brown.

EGYPT The current two values showing a dam

without inset of ex-king Farouk have been surcharged "Palestine" in red or blue for use in the narrow Gaza strip in south-west Palestine.

FRENCH OCEANIA A 13f stamp is being prepared for

early release. It is reported to show Pahia Peak on Bora-Bora island in this iPacific group.

HUNGARY A 5 Florints stamp in green and red

shows the P. 0. building in Budapest and commemorates the 100th anniver­sary of the Govern~ent Post Office Building. It is in a miniature sheet com­mon in size to rece111.t Hungarian issues. The item was released May 28 1955.

MONACO The Jules Verne stamp noted here

some months back is colored deep blue.

NICARAGUA Reports state that a 25c and 50c air

mail pair are being prepared showing the portrait of Pope Pius XII.

PANAMA General Jose Antonio Remon Cantera

is pictured on a 6c violet and black stamp bearing the dates "1908-1955" and issued for national mourning in honor of the recently assassinated President. The item was printed at the "Estrella de Panama" printing plant.

The 1 Balboa Rotary stamp has been reissued in a greyish purple color and on

· different paper bearing a watermark. Ten thousand copies are reported issued.

JULY, 1955 303

-Stamps for Illustration, Courtesy F. W. KESSLER

e New Airpost Stamp Issues Of The Month

The $1 face stamp is already wholesaling at $3 as we go to press.

SAN MARINO The 27th of June saw the First Inter­

national Olympic Stamp Show and a 80L red and brown and a 120L green and brown pair of stamps were issued. One shows a man over a hurdle and the other features a relay. The paper is water­marked multiple stars such as recently introduced in Italy.

U.S.S.R. Three more airs have just been releas­

ed. A 2 rubles blue and 2 rubles brown are small in format and show a plane over a globe with the domain of the U. S. S. R. darkened. The 1 ruble is colored brown, pink and green and is larger sized. It shows a plane over Ros­t ck.

Cooperators whom we appreciate very much are: Nicolas Sanabria Co., Inc., Irving E. Ray, Sant01·d Folkman, George A. Blizil, Luther Harris, . .Harry .. AUen, Michael Cassel, Richard Cone, Charles I. Ball ami Lou. B1·oton.

Philatelic Literature Review

• The second quarter, 1955, issue of the

Philatelic Literature Review, released June 30th, features a "Bibliography of Palestine-Israel Philatelic Literature" compiled by Martin J. Warmbrand.

Copies of the 36-page REVIEvV may be obtained from the Editor, Daniel W. Vooys, P. 0. Box 300, Canajoharie, New York, at 25c each. Subscription to the publication is included in Philatel-ic Li­brary Associat-ion membership costing $1.00 a year. Applications should be for­warded to Mr. Vooys promptly to insure recei.ying a copy of the current number.

Air Letter Sheets Used By South African Forces In Korea

• by F. W. KESSLER

• SHORTLY after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea, the Government of the

Union of South Africa, a member of the United Nations, sent a contingent of South African Troops to Korea to fight alongside the troops of the United States and other United Nations member soldiers.

In order to help these soldiers to write to their families back home, a Free Post­age Concession was granted to them. Three Nations have used Air Letter Sheets for this purpose, namely Belgium, Netherlands, and the Union of South Africa. All mail sent by them was processed through the United States Army Post Offices in Korea.

This article deals with the issues of Air Letter Sheets of the Union of South Africa and is in effect a recapitulation of the excellent research and study made by our collaborators, I. H. C. Godfmy of Johannesburg, South Africa and S. ]. Vermaak of Selwyn Discovery, Transvaal.

Four distinct types of sheets were produced by overprinting and were printed in lots of 21,600 each by the Government Printer of Pretoria, South Africa. While for each printing a new plate was made, there are no differences within each printing except on the third issue ( 5 & 6 MLS ) .

The basic Air Letter Sheet used for this overprinting was the 11hd Inland Letter Sheet of the Union of South Africa which exists in two forms, depending upon which language appears first in the upper left corner imprint on the sheet, whether English ( Letter Card) or Afrikaans ( Brief Kaart). Theoretically therefore, these over­printed forms should exist on both these two l:<jpes, but up to this date only sheets with the Afrikaans inscriptions first have been noted on the first and last issues ( 2 MLS & 8 MLS).

Aside from the mechanical and easily seen differences in the overprints, there are also differences in the color of the overprints as well as color shadings of the basic Inland Letter Sheets.

A word about the cancelling of these Air Letter Sheets. While all mails were pro­cessed through the United States Army Post Offices in Korea, practically none re­ceived a cancellation. As a matter of fact, the only ones which this writer has seen with a United States Army Post Office cancellatio~ were those of the last issue ( 8 MLS). Earlier issues have been seen with cancellations of the Union of South Africa, but only when the addressee had moved to a new address and the Air Letter Sheet had been remailed at the original arrival Post Office in the Union of South Mrica.

Below we are illustrating the various known types and the characteristics of each issue. In the measurements below each type we refer to the following:

JULY. 1955 305

"Air Label" mean the overprint at the extreme left with a spr.ingbok and the words: "Par Avion- By Air Mail- Per Lugpos."

"English means the length of the overprint: "Free Forces Mail."

"Afrikaan" means the length of the overprint: "Posvry Vanaf Magte."

"Bars" means the length and height of the obliterating bars over the basic llhd value imprint.

ALL MEASUREMENTS ARE IN MILLIMETERS.

Aside from mechanical and easily seen differences in the overprints, there are also differences in the color of the overprints as well as the color shadings of the basic Inland Letter Sheets.

Below we are illustrating the various known types and the characteristics of each ls9ue.

FIRST ISSUE

December 3, 1950, 2 MLS. Only 3 bars obliterating the basic 1!/2 d value imprint. (All other issues have four lines). Known only on the "Afrik­aan" first Basic Sheet. Measurements are: Air Label 48 x 18!/2 mm, En~­lish 38 1/2, Afrikaan 46, Bars 31 x 3!/2 • Colors: Royal blue on emerald green.

SECOND ISSUE

May 15, 1951, 3 & 4 MLS. Four bars are U$ed to obliterate . the 1!12 d value imprin,t. ~ars always slant slightly to the left. Found on both Eng­lis.Q. and Afrikaan first sheets (3 & 4 MLS). ~easurements are the same

306 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

SOUTH AFRi CAN AI R LETTER SHEETS-

• as the First Issue except bars: 31 x 7. Exist s in two colors: Roy al b lue on basic emerald green as well as blue green sheet . ·

THIRD ISSUE (Type A )

August 23, 1951, 5 & 6 MLS. The two center bars protrude Y2 mm. to the left. Known on both English and Afrikaan first sheets. The Air Label on this and all subsequent Issues measures 47 x 18 mm. and always has a notch on th.! bottom left below the hind legs of the springbok. Other measurements: English, 42; Afrikaa.n, 52Y2 ; Bars, 29 x 8. Colors: Deep royal blue (darker than previous issues) on basic bluish ~reen as well a s a purplish tinted paper.

THIRD ISSUE (Type B)

August t3, 1951, 5 & 6 MLS. Same measurements as Third Issue, Type A except t h at the bars are in alignment. Exists on both Enclish as well as Afrikaan first sheets. Colors: Deep royal blue on emerald green.

J'ULY, 1955

THIRD ISSUE (Type C)

August 23, 1951, 5 & · 6 MLS. Same measurements as '.rhird Issue, Type A except that the bars are placed very irregularly and measure from top to bottom in ord<~r: 30 1-2, 29, 29 1-2, and 29 1-2. Height of bars is still 8 mm. This variety has been seen only in the Afrikaan first Sheet. Colors: Deep blue on emerald green.

~, . ,.,, r '""'\!'<', ... , t ,,

_l ' ~ ~ -~ \.A! :... ! •

I- [): • I J •

FOURTH ISSUE

July 31, 1952, 8 MLS. The bars are heavier than in previous types and are in alignment. Air Label is the same as in the Third Issue. Known to exist only on the Afrikaan first basic sheet. Measurements: Air Label: 47 x 18, English; 39, Afrikaan; 46V2 • Bars, 29 x 7. Colors: Royal blue on bluish green.

307

Any additional data arbout these interesting Korean Issues will be greatly ap­preciated.

1r~J¢ Official Publication of tile j\ atrslPJDJI~~ 3!l®Ul!l1i!U

WORLD'S LEADING AERO-PHILATELIC MAGAZINE American Air Mail Society. PUb• -"'<========j!JEJS:);;TA~B~LJigjSH~E~D1dJI9~2J9ff====fi'"""' lished monthly at Albion. (J!lrie

Co.), Pennsylvania, U. S. A. Entered as second-class matter at the Post ctffice at Albion, Pa.,

February 10, 1932, under the Act of March 3, 1879 . • The AIRPOST JOURNAL is not conducted for profit. The Editor. Business

Manager, and all other editors, feature writers and contributors serve gratis and without compensation of any kind. All receipts from advertising, subscriptions and contributions are applied directly to the betterment of the magazine and the

promotion of aero~philately.

EDITOR L. B. GATCHELL - 6 The FairWay, Upper Montclair, N. J.

BUSINESS MANAGER GEORGE D. KINGDOM, Tyler Building, Conneaut. Ohio

ASSISTANT EDITORS ALTON J. BLANK- 1089 Winston Rd., So. Euclid 21, Ohio

GRACE CONRATH, P. 0. Box 519, Albion. Penn'a ERNEST A. KEHR- 230 West 41 Street, New York 18, N. Y.

ART EDITOR EDWIN L. HASTRY

DEPARTMENT EDITORS R. LEE BLACK - Interrupted Flight Cover News

FLORENCE L. KLEINERT - A. A. M. S. Chapter News

RICHARD L. SINGLEY- F. A.M. Air Mail Routes WILLIAM R. WARE - Contract Air Mail Routes

WILLIAM T. WYNN - Dedication Covers Assistant EQitor ALTON J. BLANK also conducts "Airs of the Month" Department

- ASSOCIATE EDITORS FRANCIS·J;'FIELD F. W. KESSLER DR. MAX KRONSTEIN

I'HOI\tAS J. O'SULLIVAN JAMES WOTHERSPOON

SUBSCRIPTION RATES Anywhere ................. ____ $3.00 per year.

Second (duplicate) copy sent to Subscriber's same address, $1.1!0 per year. Back Numbers, 25c each; Bound Volumes, if in stock, $4.75 per volume.

ADVERTISING RATES One Inch, per issue ................ --$ 3.00 Fro"'t Inside or Back Cover ............ $17.50

Quarter Page, per issue -----..$ 4·5° Composition charge for solid, tabular Half Page, per issue ............ ----$ 8.00 or special typographic layouts: 10c to Full Page, per issue ·-·------.. $15.00 25c per inch additional. Interested advertisers may apply for contract rate for space used every issue for a period of 12 months. Advertising and editorial copy MUST BE RECE!VED BY THE 20TH OF THE MONTH preceding publication date.

The right is reserved to refuse any advertising.

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL has been published under the auspices of THE AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY since October, 1931. It has reached its hi'h place of usefulness to the hobby primarily through the genius. industry and devotion of the late

WALTER J. CONRATH successively Business Manager and Editor. To his memory are the future

issues of the JOU!f.NAL gratefully dedicated.

WHERE TO 1VRITE

Correspondence concerning advertis­tnc. new ana renewal subscriptions, back numbers and bound volumes, address changes and other matters of circulation. business matters of all ldndll and all remittances should be ~~ent direct to the Publication Office at

.AI..BIION. PENN' A

Department Editors may be written direct at the addresses printed at the top of their columns. Al: general edi· torial copy and communications on all other matters shoula be sent to the personal attention of the Editor at

8 The Fairway UPPER MONTCLA:Dt, X. :S •

JUNE, 1955 271

FREE! VALUABLE CATALOG In this Taluable catalog you will find "Everything for the Stamp CoUector"­beautifully illusirated. clearlr deec:ribecL

priced to save you moaerl

• UNITED STATES STAMPS Postage and Airmail issues Complete

• ALBUMS AND PHILATELIC SUPPLIES

• PACKETS & COLLECTIONS • MONEY-SAVING FREE

OFFERS-This big new edition will be seD! to yoa free of charge. Interesiiag often on ap­proval will alao be included. Write fw

your copy todayi

H. E. HARRIS & CO.- 1200 Transit Bid.- Boston 17 Mass The World's Large5t Stamp Firm

e"M~ J Ua'l.ietie~ and .lliJunaie~ For 30 years we have been specializing in all unusual items: Errors, Varieties, etc .• regardless as to whether they are or are not lisied. Now we have on hand a very large selection of Airmails U.P.U., U.N., Inverted Centers, Sports, Topicals, Miniature Sheets, De Luxe Sheets, Proofs, Die Proofs, etc., etc.

We have oddities and unusual items from many different countries as:-

Albania, A!byssinia, Belgium, Brazil, Carra·ry Islands, Colombia, Congo, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Danzig, Ecuador, Epirus, Far East, France & Colonies, Greece, Georgia, Honduras, Iceland, Ifni, Iran, Italy & Colonies, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Monaco, Nicaragua, Paraguay, 'Poland, Romania, Russia, Saar, Salvador, Scadta, Spain & Colonies, Tangier, Tanna Touva, Uruguay, Venezuela.

We will gladly make up special offers or selections on approval. Please write countries, p·rice range and specialties. (Usual refer­ences, please). Don't miss your opportunity to make additional profits with no risk or outlay of capital.

We are also always buyers of similar material Please write what you have to offer - turn it into ca·sh

if it is idle stock.

S. SEREBRAKIAN 15 Park Row New York 38, N.Y.

Air Letter Sheets Of Canada •

by BARRY M. KOSTENKO

• THE air letter sheets of Canada

can easily serve as an example of the unlimited range open for study to the followers of aero-philately's newest branch - air letter sheets. In addition to the two military air letter sheets and the "Liberated Prisoner of War" sheet, Can­ada has issued fourteen major varieties of air letter sheets for civilian use. Four different companies have held contracts for the production of these fourteen sheets ... Le Comptoir National Engr., Montreal, now the Enveloppe lnterna­tionale, Lt' e.; Globe Envelopes, Ltd., Toronto; Bm·ber-Ellis Company, Brant­ford, Ont., and the Canadian Bank Note Company. As a result, a variety of folds, sizes and "printing die varieties" exist.

Canada's first civilian air letter sheet (1 LS) was issued on August 27, 1947. It was printed by Le Comptoir National Engr. and was of the "Two-Fold" type. The sheet measured 6 x 3 1-2 inches when folded and was printed on paper watermarked "Rolland Croydon Air Mail Canada", the same watermark that ap­pears ·on all Canadian air letter sheets. The notation "NO ENCLOSURE PER­MITTED" appears on the back fold and is 1 3-4 inches wide. All printing, in­cluding the 10c stamp, is in blue. As may be expected, due to the many printings that were made (a total of 1,206,293 forms were printed) several shades of blue exist varying from milky blue to metallic blue. In a box located in the upper left corner and measuring 45 mm. wide and 27 mm. high appear the words "Canada/ Air Letter/Par Av­ian" in block letters. The imprinted stamp, profile of King George VI facing left, is 20-3/4 mm. wide x 25 mm. high. All sheets are printed on light gray paper.

On September 3, 1947 Canada issued the second major variety air letter sheet which was printed by Globe Envelopes, Lt., Toronto. The sheet measures 6 x 3-

5/8 inches when folded and the imprint­ed stamp (similar to that on the first sheet) is 20-1/2 mm. wide x 25 mm. high. All printing is in blue and varies from light blue to dark blue. The words "Canada/ Air Letter/Par Avion" are in serif lettering and are contained in a box measuring 47-1/2 mm. wide x 27 mm. high. The notation "No en­closure permitted" appears on the back fold and is 1-3/16 inches wide. A total of 1,883,600 forms were printed.

The third air letter sheet was also printed by Globe Envelopes, Ltd. and was issued on October 4, 1947. This sheet, as were the first two sheets issued, is of the "Two-Fold" type and measures 6 x 3-1/2 inches when folded. All printing is in red varying in shade from a light red to dark red. The imprinted stamp is similar to the design previously issued and measures 20 mm. wide x 24-1/2 mm. high and is of the 15c denom­ination. The box in the upper left cor­ner is 48 mm. wide x 27-J I mm. high. The notation on the back fold is the same as on 2 LS. As a result of cutting, this air letter sheet is sometimes found with no watermark.

An interesting variety of this sheet was discovered in October, 1948 by C. G. B. Stuart of Toronto. It consisted of a packet of one hundred sheets of which only the top sheet was normal. The bal­ance of ninety-nine sheets had the die­cutting of the. sheet reversed. This error resulted when the printer reversed a pile of sheets when inserting into the die­cutting press. Some of these sheets were sold to collectors and in 1949 the unsold balance was acquired by an air letter sheet collector in Montreal.

Canada's fourth air letter sheet ( 4 LS) was issued on April 6, 1948 and was of the 10c denomination with all printing in blue. The sheets were printed by Le Comptoir National Engr. from curved

T

JULY. 1955

plates. They are now of the "book-fold" type and measured 4-15/16 x 3-3/4 inches when folded. The words "Canada I Air Letter/Par Avian" are in serif let­tering and appear in the box located in the upper left corner as on previous sheets. The size of the box varies from 45 mm. to 47 mm. wide x 26-1/ mm. high. Due to the fact that the stamp die was separate from the remainder of the printing on the face of the form and was placed in safe-keeping when not in use, variations exist in the spacing between the left edge of the stamp imprinted and the right edge of the "etiquette" in the upper left corner. These variations range from 36-1/2 mm. to 43 mm. The notation "NO ENCLOSURE PERMIT­TED" in capital letters on the back fold varies from 1-3/4 to 1-11/16 inches. The color of the printing varies from a chalky to a dark blue and is found in both light and heavy printing. "Albino" examples of this sheet are also known containing no printing but showing the impression of the stamp which is 21 mm. wide x 25 mm. high.

Globe Envelopes, Ltd. produced the fifth air letter sheet of Canada from flat plates. This sheet was issued in Septem­ber of 1948. The sheet was of the "back­fold" type measuring 4-3/4 x 3-3/4 inches when folded. All printing was in blue including the !Oc denomination stamp imprinted. The "etiquette" was in serif lettering and was contained in a box located 40mm. to the left of the stamp. The box varies in width from 45 to 47 mm. and in height from 25 to 26-112 mm. This sheet has been the source of much study of "printing die varieties" such as the following:

"BROKEN DIE" VARIETIES AIR LETTER SHEET NO. 5

TYPE A

(a) Break in horizontal line above "POSTAGE".

(b) "P" in "POSTAGE" not com_ pletely fo1·med.

(c) Breaks in frame above "10" at right.

(d) Eye heavily inked.

TYPE B

(a) Breaks in horizontal line above "CANADA".

(b) Broken "C" in "CANADA". (c) Broken frame below "CA" in

"CANADA''. (d) Dot missing above "C" in

"CENTS". (e) Broken "O" in "10" at left. (f) Indistinct detail in upper left

corner. (g) Broken vertical lines at left

and right of stamp. (h) Broken and irregular bottom horizontal line.

311

Another varietv has the cross-bar miss­ing in "CANADA" and appears as an in­verted 'V' in place of the first 'A' in 'CANADA'. Several sheets exist with a large blot on the upper part of the head in the stamp.

In April of 1948, the sixth air letter sheet was issued. It was printed by Globe Envelopes, Ltd. from flat plates, was of the "book-fold" type and meas­ured 5" x 3-3/" when folded. All print­ing, including the 10c imprinted stamp, is in blue varying in shade from a deep to a purplish blue. The "etiquette" is contined in a box varying from 47 to 49 mm. wide x 26-1/2 mm. high with serif lettering. The imprinted stamp is 21 mm. wide x 24 mm. high and is of 10c denomination. The notation "No en­closure permitted" appears on the back fold and is 1-3/16 inches wide. The sheets are lightly scored for folding.

On May 28, 1948 Canada issued the seventh air letter sheet of 15c denomina­tion and printed, as usual, on light gray paper with the stamp· imprinted in red and the "etiquette" in blue with serif lettering. The sheet was printed by Globe Envelopes, Ltd. from curved plates and was of the "book-fold" type measuring 4-15/16 3-3/4 inches when folded. The size of the imprinted stamp varies from 20-1/2 mm. wide x 24 mm. high to 21 mm. wide x 24-1/2 mm. high and in color from a light to deep red. The notation on the back fold is the same type and size as on the previous sheet.

The eighth air letter sheet of 10c de­nomination was printed by Barber-Ellis Company and was issued in 1949. The sheet was printed on a thinner paper -"Sub. 10" - as contrasted with 6 LS which was printed on "Sub. 13" paper.

(Continued on page 325)

Your Philatelic Needs! Remember: Write to Long for your philatelic

ne;eds! A large and varied stock of the stamps, seals, covers, albums, catalogs and supplies is in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania awaiting your inquiry.

IF YOU CAN VISIT US: You are cordially wel­come to drop in our store! Open daily 9 am to

5 pm (Thursdays 9 am to 9 pm) closed Sundays, Labor Day and similar Holidays, you are wel­come to browse around!

IF YOU CAN'T VISIT US: Your letter will do the trick! Just write and let me know how you can he helped in any way. If you need catalogs or albums or supplies, you will find our

COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK

mighty helpful. A copy of this Free hooklet is yours on request. If you don't have the blue col­ored 1955 edition (our 39th edition) you SHOULD ask for it today. You won't get a selec­tion of unsolicited approvals when you write for a Handbook from J,ong!

ELMER Ro LO~G

IF YOU'D LIKE TO SEE: Anything in the world, on approval, write today. No, we don't have every stamp and we will probably not he able to furnish that one stamp to complete your 99th album, hut you will he surprised ... over a per­iod of time ... at the variety of material which can he sent you "on approval".

IN SHORT: It pays to deal with Long!

ARE YOU SELLING? If you have a fine collection for sale, you will he glad to know that in a per­iod of twenty-one years and through over 270 auction sales, a tremendous number of A.A.M.S. collections have been sold, to the full satisfaction of the owners. If, for any reason, you have some­thing that would lend itself to a Long Auction, do not hesitate to pack it up and ship with in­structions attached. Prompt and careful attention will he given your correspondence.

AUCTIONS AS A SOURCE: Our mail auction sales are a great source of varied material. Regardless of your philatelic interests, sooner or later there is hound to he a lot which will interest YOU!

THE DEPARTMENT STORE OF PHILATELY: WRITE TODAY!

1. 1. 2 IIIA\RKJE'][' § 1f OC)

HA\RRBSBIJRGC) P A\o

Life Member: AAMS APS SPA

~ =

POSTAL STATIONERY NOTES

Conducted by

Aero Postal Stationery Society Of America

A Unit Of The American Air Mail Society GEORGE D. KINGDOM, Organizing Secretary, Conneaut, Ohlo

ADEN According to the Bulletin of the

"Crovm Agents" dated July 1 "Aero­grammes have been ordered bearing a facsimile of the 50 cents stamp in deeper blue". BURMA

The 15p letter sheet of this country has been noted with the words AIR LETTER - AEROGRAMME .in two lines rubber stamped in purple on the face of the sheet. The Post Office Department writes Richard L. Singley that this leg­end is stamped on the sheet bearing an additional 35p postage in adhesive stamps.

CHINA There have been a large number of

new Air Letter sheets from this country. The current $1 blue in small format and without the words REPUBLIC OF CHINA within the impressed stamp has been noted with patriotic slogans added at bottom face of sheet. These slogans are in Chinese characters and come in a

• total of five varieties. According to Walter R. Guthrie, they translate as fol­lows:

A. Reconstruct a new China; re­organize the old Mountains and Rivers

B. Fi~ht for Saving the Country and the Nation; Fight for Ex­istence and Freedom

C. Fight for Resisting Dictatorial­ness and Terrorism; Fight for Implementing the Three Peo­ples Principles

D. 1\lake Positive Preparations for Country Offensives ; Liberate the Brethern on the Mainland

E. Sure Victory in Resisting Com­munism and Sure Success in the National Reconstruction

This same sheet is also now available in the $1.50 value. The stamp is printed in brown and is flanked by the word AEROGRAMME in both English and Chinese characters at top and bottom of same. This legend is in light blue as is all other printing. Finally, the large for­mat exterior design, last issued with an impressed $3 stamp in purple is now

e The New Queen Elizabeth II Sheet Of Grenada

JULY, 1955 31S

e Attractive New Sheet From Dutch New Guinea.

found with a $4.50 impressed stamp, p rin ted in green.

CYPRUS A new Air Letter sheet on blue paper

has been released from this British Col­ony. Strangely enough the 4lh piastres gray impressed stamp bears the inset portrait of the late King George VI. The inscription at top left is the modified Coronation type which has the words BY AIR MAIL in a ribbon together with ~AR AVION - AIR LETTER - AERO­GRAMME in three lines below the rib­bon. There is a three line inscription on the back of form

FIJI The Bulletin of the "Crown Agents"

for May states that new aerogrammes have been ordered bearing a Fiji 3d stamp in blue in the design previously used for air mail letter forms but with portraits of Queen Elizab eth II.

GRENADA A new 12c Air Letter sheet is at hand

from this Colony. Printed on blue paper the impressed stamp is printed in mauve and is in the same design as heretofore except that it now bears the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. All other printing including the inscription at top left is in light blue. The inscription is in the modi­fied Coronation type with three lines of printing under the ribbon containing th e words BY AIR MAIL. The back of the form has lines for Sender's Name and Address arranged horizontally and the three line inscription reading AN AIR LETTER SHOULD NOT CONTAIN ANY- ENCLOSURE; IF IT DOES IT WILL BE SURCHARGED - OR SENT BY ORDINARY MAIL. This sheet was released on May lOth.

ISRAEL Three new items are at hand from this

country. Both Richard L. Singley and Walter R. Guthrie report them to us. All three items are on light blue unwater­marked paper and there is no longer any overlay. Otherwise the design and layout generally folows that for the most recent sheets. A 120 prutah is now in light green and the impressed stamp is now outlined with simulated perforations. The new 180 prutah follows the same design and the stamp and all other printing is in light blue. A 220 prutah in red com­pletes the set of three.

JAMAICA Word comes from Jamaica that the Air

Letter sheets with impressed stamp have been exhausted. A provisional sheet without impressed stamp has been pro­ducing locally and is furnished free at the Post Office to all patrons requesting same. No doubt new sheets with im­pressed stamp and perhaps of new de­sign are on order.

NIGERIA The current type 6d Air Letter sheet

showing the IFE BRONZE in the stamp design is now on issue with the back thereof showing lines for Sender's Name and Address arranged horizontally and with the two line admonition IF ANY­THING IS ENCLOSED THIS LETTER - ·wiLL BE SENT BY ORDINARY ,MAIL.

PHILIPPINES Due to an increase in postal rates the

Air Letter rate from the Philippines has been raised to 50 centavos. Richard L. Singley tells ns that his correspondent advises that new Air Letter sheets were scheduled "to be releasd on July 1. How-

( Continued o n page 320)

AIR lETTER SHEETS

Rarest of the Rare! •

by WALTER R. GUTHRIE

'-.\"\\ THICH Air Letter Sheet is the \~V rarest - the most valuable?

It is always a little difficult to say which is the rarest stamp or cover. There are many rare stamps, and when I use the word rare, I use it to mean number known. There are many rare items, but they are not necessarily worth as much money as others not nearly so scarce. There is then, a distinction between rarity and value. Popularity is a factor which is seen to play an enormous part in a stamp's intrinsic value. In order to command a high price, a stamp must be pare - but it must also be popular or desirable.

This same rule applies to Air Letter sheets.

In the following article I do not touch on Military Sheets or "Specimens". The Military Sheets, almost without excep­tion, are quite scarce, and in a great many cases only a very few copies are known. Without question, all of the "Specimens" are rare. Some are so scarce that, at the present time, only one or two copies of many of them are known. In all probability, some others exist which have not as yet come to the knowledge of the collector.

The si1eets that I do touch on in this article were all regularly issued by rec­ognized governments, sold to the public at post offices at the prevailing rate, and all were good for postage via air.

An outstanding Air Letter sheet in this category is LIBERIA 1 LS. This sheet was regularly issued, and was available to the public at a rate still in force. This sheet was discovered by a Liberian miss­ionary, who, after over a year of diligent search, turned up but one copy. This copy is now in the collection of a prom­inent philatelist. According to the cata­logue, this sheet was issued in 1948, but

• I would guess that it was issued much earlier, possibly in 1945. During the en­suing years, no other copy has come to light.

Another Air Letter of which only one copy is known is SOUTHERN RHO­DESIA 2 LS. Very little is known of this sheet except that it is supposed to have been made locally, presumably in Bula­wayo. I wrote to Major Creasy, the Southern Rhodesia specialist, and the man to whom collectors are indebted for 90% of all the data on Southern Rhodes­ia Military Sheets, but he disclaims any knowledge of it. If any additional infor­mation is known, the author would be glad to hear from those informed. Sup­posedly issued sometime .in December 1946.

Probably the most popular of all are the COLOMBIA SCADT A Air Letters, with 2 LS the scarcest. These were issued by the Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transportes Aereos in 1923, and were sold to the general public for 20 cvos., equivalent to 20c U. S., as the dollar and peso were at par at that time. Coll­ectors of the SCADTA issues were quite numerous in the 30s, and as a consequen­ce, a number of these Air Letters are now in collections, but there are not nearly enough to go around - probably only a half dozen of 2 LS exist.

Germany 2 LS is another Air Letter of which only a half dozen or so copies are in the hands of Air Letter collectors. A rather handsome sheet, it was issued on Philatelist's Day in Bremen, June II, 1938. Of the overprints, SWAZILAND 4 LS

and .5 LS easily fill the bill for scarcity and popularity. Overprinted in red on the 1948 printings of the Union of South Africa sheets, it is hard to say just how many of these exist in collections. A good

JULY, 19SS

guess would be about eight to ten of each, possibly less. These are particular­ly popular since they fall in the British Colony group.

Two other extremely scarce items are CEYLON 1 LS and 3 LS, the second of which is a fairly recent discovery. This colony was one of the first to issue im­printed Air Letter sheets for use by civilians, the first having been printed and sold in 1944, during the war. 3 LS is a rather interesting sheet in that it was printed on paper made in the United States. The watermark reads: HAMMER­MILL BOND - MADE IN USA. Only one or two mint examples are known.

MOZAMBIQUE 4 LS, view ( 11) and 5 LS view ( 9) are so scare th·at for a time I doubted their existence, and voted that they be deleted from the catalogue. I have since seen one of each. In all prob­ability there were a number printed, but due to an oversight, when these Air Let­ters were supplied tb the dealers here in the United States and in England, these two views were .left out. So far as I know, only one of each are in known col­lections. Naturally these Air Letters do not fall into the same category as the pre­ceding, inasmuch as they are varieties, and not major numbers.

Errors of course are always attractive, and I would say that the outstanding ex­ample is hte recently discovered NIGE-R­IA "Ife Bronze". This sheet is normally printed in two colors, bronze and gray black against a white background. In the error, the bronze head is completely missing. So far, only one copy has come to light.

FOREIGN USED. AIRMAILS ,-he 19SS Price 8c Check List with thousands of net prices of used airs is NOW AVAILABLE for SOc -which SOc is deductible from your first order of $S.OO. List is kept up to date with supplements for 19SS. NO FREE LISTS, SO PLEASE

DON'T ASK GEORGE HERZOG, INC.

~ 8 Nassau St. N.Y. C.

317

Air Mail Speuial 5,000 fine stamps at 14 catalogue

value.

No damaged and all Scotts or

Sanabria listed. No duplicates.

$4.00 Cat. for $1.00

In $1,00, $2.00 and $5.00 lots

postage and insurance extra if

wished.

All Stamps Guaranteed

SALLADE Box 7256 Tampa 3, Florida

AIR LEITER SHEETS

Mint Flown

Formosa $1.00 ................. 25 .30

Viet Nam $3.50 ................ ,40 .45

Israel ISOP ...................... 25 .30

Ceylon 40c ......................... 25 .30

Trinidad 12c ..................... 2S .30

Sudan 3lhPt. ................ .25 .39

Pap11a IOd ......................... 25 .30

Singapore .. .. .. .... . .. .. .. .. .. .. . .25 .30

Austria 2.80 .. .. .... .. .. .. . ..... .30 .35

Venezuela 20c ................. 2S .30

Iceland 1.75 Aur .............. 25 .30

Gam·bia 6d ......................... 25 .30

WALTER R. GUTHRIE

SEA CLIFF HEW YORJt

Balloon Post Of The Siege Of Paris 1870-71

• by LOUIS A. CHAINTRIER

• Translated by

DR. EVERETT E. THOMPSON and GEORGE W. ANGERS

• CHAPT·ER VII

WASHINGTON ·(This balloon was named after GEORGE WASHINGTON (1732-1799), one of the founders of the Republic of the United States, of which he was the .first president.)

The eighth postal balloon was charter­ed by the Administration of Telegraph Lines and contained 2045 cubic meters; its envelope was of percaline with a sur­face made glossy with linseed oil.

ilt was the first new balloon to leave Paris after the investment and it was the first manufactured in the series ordered by the Administration of Posts from the workshops of aerostatic manufactUre, di­rected first by Eugene Godard and later by Messrs. Camille Dmtois and Gabriel Yon.

It was piloted by Albert Bertaux, man of letters and poet, who was interested in the navigation of balloons and who had himself invented a special varnish for airships.

The passengers were: ( 1) Louis van Roosebecke, bootrnaker by trade and a pigeon fancier, a Belgian by nationality and vice-president of the Pigeon Fan­ciers' Society, "L'Esperance." He was delegated by the Administration of Posts to organize the service of carrier pigeons from the province into Paris.

( 2) Edouward Alphonse, Count Le­Febcre de Behaine, age 41 years, ex-sec­retary of the embassy at Berlin in 1864 and at Rome in 1869, who was going to Vienna charged by the Government with a diplomatic mission to the Emperor of Austria.

The _postal consignm~pt comprised five sacks of dispatches weighing a total of 300 kg. ( 660 lbsJ, three baslrets con­taining 25 pigeons, of which 12 belong­ed to Louis van Roosebecke and 13 to

Mr. Ca.~siers. The departure was made from the Orleans station under the direc­tion of Mr. Godard on Wednesday. Oc­tober 12, 1870, at 8:30 in the morning in a strong southwest wind.

:whether the gas did not possess a great enough ascensional force, or whether the basket was overloaded (it was in fact the first time that a balloon was carrying so great a weight of dis­patches), the fact was that the departure was effected under the most deplomble conditions, which must have made the passengers foresee the outcome of their voyage.

Herewith is the story of the flight as it is related in the report transmitted to Mr. Steenackers: "As it left the precincts of Paris the balloon was assailed by a sustained fusillade of the enemy, which very fortunately did not reach the trav­elers thanks to the elevation of 1000 to 1100 meters they· had attained. They were followed to Chantilly, Senlis, Com­piegne, and Noyon by enemy rifle fire,

which did not dishearten them. Beyond Le Fere the storn1 of bullets appeared to increase in intensity, and the aeronauts, being out of ballast, decided, in order to maintain their altitude, to sacrifice a sack of dispatches; this was recovered five days later in a field near the village of Renansart by a farmer named Lemaire who turned it over to Mlle. Tutin in charge of the post office of Crecy sur Serre.

"A few minutes after 11 o'clock, in an excessively violent wind, Mr. Bertaux, in throwing out the anchor, fell from the basket and suffered a very bad fall into a beet field, followed at once by Lefeb­vre de Behaine who losing his head

JULY, 1955

leaped .from the basket as soon as it touched ground .

"The balloon after rising abruptly was again thrown to the ground by the wind and was subjected to a dangerous and very long dragging in the course of which ~fr. ~_;an Roosebecke was badly bruised, but happily the balloon was thrown into a screen of trees where it was tom and came to a stop. It was 11 : 30 o'clock.

"It was at 21h km. (about P/2 miles) from Boussieres in Cambresis, 1200 met­ers from Rieux an d 1800 meters from Avesncs lcs Aubert, halfwav from Pont a Vaqucs and from the road called 'des RetPs (rakes),' which cuts the road from Avesnes les Aubert to Carnieres."

The landing point is near the great highway from Cambrai to Solesmes, 9 km. ( .51/z miles) to the east of Cambrai and 165 km. ( 102 miles) as the crow flies from Paris. The duration of the iflight was about 3 hours and the aYcr­age rate of speed .55 km. ( 34 miles) per hour.

The people crowded around the travelers. Mr. Be1tra.nd, mayor of Cam­brai who was at the home of friends in Carnieres, had brought them a\\·ay in his carriage. Mr. Be1taux, seriously injured , was cared for at the home of ~!r. Bri­cmnt-Ledien, municipal counselor of Carnicres; this unlucky pilot, actually a man of letters, was an aeronaut only by inclination . Although of a weak con­stitution and with his chest affected by the illness that spares no one, he played his part later as paymas ter captain of th e Company of ~lilitary Aeronauts which served at Orl eans and Mans, and he nev­er failed to show courage and energv. He died some time after the armistice at the a!!e of 30, carried awav by the dis­ease that threatened him , th e fatal end hastened by the hardships he had born e.

ln spite of th e unlucky landing the pigC'ons had not suffered from the violent fall and the four sacks of dispatches were delivered into the hands of ~fr. Rossea u., p ostmaster at Cambrai.

More fortunate than his companions, Mr. Lefebvre de Behaine, whose fall was broken by a stack of straw, made his way to Douai, where he arrived in the eve­ning and where he spent the night. The

319

-from the ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS, December 31, 1870

• Departure Of A Balloon From Paris At Night.

next day he turned O\"Cr the letters en­trusted to him to ~[r. Vincent, postmast­er.

Also on the following day iVlr. Tellier, th e leadin g citizen of Carnicres, proceed­ed with the help of ~l essrs . Marquaille, De/croix, and Cacheux to the work of disposing of the balloon . On his arrh·al at Tours on October 14 with the 2.5 pigeon s, ~fr. ~_;an Roosebecke placed himself at the disposition of the Delega­tion and organi zed th e service of dis­patches for Paris bv means of carrier pigeons. Two clays later, on October 16, the first pigeons were released at Blois with d ispa tches, and th e pigeon post was opened to th e publ ic by the gm·ernment.

LOUIS BLANC (Named in memory of JEAN ,JOS­EPH CHARLES LOUIS BLANC, French journalist and political leader, born in Madrid in 1811 and died at Cannes in 1882.)

The ninth postal balloon was charter­eel hy th e' Administration of Telegraph Lines, contained 1200 cubic meters and had an envelope of white silk.

It was piloted by Eugene Farcot, spe­(Continued on next page)

3ZO

BALLOON {Continued from preceding page)

• cialist in precision watchmaking, later known in this line as having perfected the system called the "keyless action" of Breguet.

.In 1870 he was an employee of the Administration of Telegraphs. A former member of the Aerostatic Society of Dupuis-Delcourt he had offered his ser­vices when the creation of the balloon corps was organized in the great ball­room of Elysee-Montmartre, near St. Pierre Square, services that were prompt­ly accepted. Mr. Farcot's thumb on the right hand had been cut off as the re­sult of an explosion of an engine that he had designed for a dirigible balloon of his invention. The passenger was Mr. Gustave Tracelet, a cloth designer and a pigeon fancier, member of the "Esper­ance" Society, who had placed himself at the disposal of the Government. The postal consignment comprised: ( 1)

four sacks of dispatches to a total of 125 kg. ( 275 lbs.); ( 2) a basket containing 8 pigeons, of which 6 belonged to Mr. Tracelet and 2 to Mr. ]anody; ( 3) sev­eral packages of proclamations of Victor Hugo and I.ouis Blanc, addressed to the Gennan people, written in French and Gennan, and which were thrown out along the flight course on the Gennan troops. The proclamation of Victor Hu­go urged 'the Gennan Soldiers not to fire on the French, who had had the courage after the fall of Napoleon III to modify their ronn of government"; it re­called "to the Gennans that France no longer had an emperor or king, and that if they had the good sense to imitate us, they would no longer destroy themselves stupidly, just as wild beasts do."

The proclamation of Louis Blanc, who, named ambassador to London, refused to leave Paris by 'balloon, was addressed to the British people. (Here it may be noted that English censorship greatly modified its text and that the distribution of the few copies that reached England was forbidden.) The departure took place from St.

Pierre Square in Montmartre, Wednes­day, October.12, 1870 at 9 o'clock in the morning in a strong wind from the

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

southwest, and in the presence of certain officials, among whom was Louis Blanc, author of "The Organization of Labor" and godfather of the balloon ascensions. As in the case of the Washington, which had depaprted a half hour before it, the Louis Blanc endured, happily without any unpleasant result, several enemy salvos which forced its pilot to seek alti­tude.

(To be continued)

• AERO-POSTAL NOTES

(Continued from pa~e 315) ever, no such sheets have been seen to date. SINGAPORE

Air Letter sheets from this British de­pendency have been noted with the single 25c yellow orange impressed stamp and with both two lines and three lines of inscription on the back; the same basic sheets have also been noted with the additional 5c machine turned stamp in red. UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA

The current 6d Air Letter sheet on blue paper has now been noted with the word POSGELD substituted for POS­SEEL. The sheet seen has the word SUID-AFRICA in the top label of the impressed stamp. Although just recently noted our correspondent I. H. C. God­frey advises us that this new sheet ap­parently has been on sale since January of this year. The 1 V2d Inland Letter card has recently been issued on blue paper and the impressed stamp used on this sheet also has the new wording POSGELD instead of POSSEEL.

LAND OF LINCOLN Lincoln covers from the Land of

Lincoln. Dedication of .. New .. Salem, Illinois State Park 10/26/33, Dedica­tion of tomb, Springfield, Ill. S/17/31, 100th Anniv. 'Commissioning as P.M. 5/7/33, 125th .. Anniversary of birth 2/12/34, 75th Anniv. of Debate and many others.

Covers made up into $2 and $5 lots. A real value. You must be satisfied

MAREL --- The Cover Girl ASHLAND. ILLINOIS

JULY, 1955

Airport

Dedication Covers ... •

By WILLIAM T. WYHR 13537 Rockdale. Detroit 23. Mich.

• 1955 Check List of Airport

Dedications

Jan. 1 Charleston, S. C. Covers were mailed but it's been impossible to find any record of any dedication being held.

Jan. 5 Fort Sill, Okla. A few covers mailed for dedication of Helicopter base with inscription by commanding officer.

Feb. 1 Herrin, Ill. Williamson Co. AM

107. POD cachet.

Feb. 1 Marion, Ill. Same as above. (Note covers were mailed from al­most every post office in William­son County this date.)

Feb. 1 Elgin Air Force Base, Fla. Re­activation. Inscription by Command­er.

May 1 Alexandria, La. England Air Force Base renamed; few covers.

May 15 Alliance, Nebr. OMNI Range dedication, sticker cachet, 192 covers

May 22 Carey, Idaho. Mun. Printed cachet. 50 covers by postmaster.

May 22 Hazelton, Pa. Mun. C. of C. cachet on 200 covers.

May 22 San Juan, Puerto Rico. Isla­Verde International, cachet by Stamp Society; 1314 covers, all mailed with cachet on 22nd. Covers were mailed on other dates but it's believed that the 22nd was actual dedication date.

321

1955-1956 Season's Opening

Auction will contain a section

of attractive

AIR POST •

\Vrite now to ensure that you

will receive a copy of the

catalogue when

published.

• H. R. HARMER, Inc.

International Stamp Auctioneers

8 West 48th S:t., New York 36, N.Y.

June 5 Lander, Wyo. postmaster.

Inscription by

The editor of this column still sends out cards on coming dedication events if a supply of cards is kept on hand with him. A number of events are due in the next 30 days and cards have been sent out. There is no charge for this service. News of coming dedication events is greatly appreciated in order that it may be made available to all collectors. News of other dedications not listed above will pe greatly appreciated.

JOIN THE

AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY

. P. 0. Box 595. Malden. Mo .

• Authorizations by the CAB since our

last notes involve the addition of Fort Dodge, Iowa to Route # 48 flown by Braniff Airways, Inc. Since this city has ihad air mail service in the past, the ad­dition to Route #48 will not warrant catalogue recognition unless the Depart­ment provides an official cachet for· First Flight covers.

In a later decision involving Western Air Lines; Sioux Falls, S. Dak. was awarded to Western's #35 for service. At this writing, service has been an­nounced for .. on or about July 16th". Howover, no official cachet will be pro­vided for First Flight covers in this in­stance and as such, such covers will also not receive catalogue recognition as this city has likewise previously had air mail service.

Further expanding Ozark Air Lines' Route # 107, the Board on June lOth awarded this Feeder Line operator with still another segment to Route #107. This involves a segment from Sioux City, Iowa via the intermediate points Fort Dodge, Mason City, Waterloo and Du­buque, Iowa and Rockford, Illinois to ~chicago, Illinois. This service was for­merly handled by Route #106 flown by Braniff. In the decision involving this service, the certificate held by Braniff for Route # 106 is to be rescinded and at the same time, Braniff's Route #26 will be extended from Sioux City via Water­loo to Chicago; furnishing these cities rwith Trunk Line service in additon to the Feeder service to be provided by the new segment to be awarded to Ozark. If present policy of the Department is fol­lowed, official cachets will be pr0vided for this new segment to Route # 107. However, in view of the fact that Bran-

iff has previously served the three cities to be added to AM Route # 26 on their Route # 106, it is doubtful if these three cities can be recognized with official ca­chets.

Further to our recent remarks in con­nection with the permanent certification of Feeder Routes now operating, the Board has now announced that as the certificates for these routes (which have been temporary) come up for renewal, the entire route of each carrier will be analyzed before permanent certification is granted. It is contemplated that a large number of cities now receiving air mail service will be eliminated from ser­vice as not warranting permanent certi­fication. As a basis for permanent certi­fication, the Board has announced that :where the record indicates that five or more passengers on an average have en­lPlaned at any stop, such traffic should provide a "'reasonable basis" for perman­ent certification. Of course, this does not mean that any city that does not provide such traffic will be eliminated from ser­vice but at the same time, it does feel that service to such cities that do not

JULY, 1955

produce sufficient traffic to justify a stop should not be certified on a permanent basis although some points may contin~e to receive service on a temporary basis. It is thought that the matter of perman­ent certification of these Feeder Routes will result in extensive route changes for a number of such routes and it will be interesting to watch this matter.

PERSONAL A recent news release by' United Air Lines, titled "~arne Bo:~·ne High" furnishes us with the mformation that one of United's new DC-7s has been named the "W. D. Williams". Captain Williams is one of the pioneer air mail Pilots havina learned to fly in 1918 and

, 0 •

was with the Post Office Department s Air Mail Service as a pilot prior to the CAM ERA. He ]ater went with National Air Service which was one of the parent companies of Un-ited Air Lines and par­ticipated in the inauguration of CAM Route #17 between Chicago and New York on September I, 1927. Should you happen to see. United's plane, the .. W. D. Williams", you will know for whom it was named. Incidentally, Captain Wil­liams is presently Manager of Flight Op­erations for United at San Francisco. CHRONICLE-

AM ROUTE #87 - EXTENSION CHARLESTON, W. VA. TO COLUM­BUS, OHIO. Feeder Route #87 flown by Piedmont Aviation, Inc. was extended from Charleston, W. Va. via Parkersburg, W. Va. - Marietta, Ohio (both cities use Wood County Airport) to Columbus, Ohio on March 18, 1955.

The inaugural Eastbound Flight from Columbus was made via Flight #60 flown by Capt. B. B. Slaughter and First Officer W. M. Barnes. This flight hand­led 1924 pieces of mail from Columbus and ll27 pieces of mail from Columbus AMF of which 902 pieces were for col­lectors. Stopping at Parkersburg-Mari­etta, this flight picked up 702 pieces of mail from Parkersburg all of which was reported as collector mail and 1666 pieces from Marietta, also being phila­telic mail. Mail on this flight was back­.stamped at Charleston, W. Va. at 12

Noon, March 18th. The inaugural vV estbound flight over

this extension was made via Flight # 6.5

U. 5~ AIR MAIL a-~

]ltfn1Jtr'Si JI~JK~rght ~~ Burbank, ~~~~ 10 California 7'6

323

flown by Capt. ]ames A. Craig and Fir~t Officer H m·bert H. Foltz. However, this flight was not scheduled to stop at Par­kersburg-Marietta and as such. h~ndled onlv mail from Charleston consisting of 2396 pieces of philatelic mail. Flight #97, a later flight leaving Charleston at 9:17 P. M. and flown by Captain M. M. Brown·ing and First Officer E. V. Settle stopped at Parkersburg - M~riet~ an~ picked up 1320 pieces of philatelic matl from Parkersburg and 319 pieces from Marietta, aU of which was reported as philatelic except 12 pieces.

A new type of map-cachet showing states of Ohio and West Virginia with route of the extension was .furnished for this extension to AM # 87. It was ap­plied in areen at Charleston, blue at Parkersbu~g. purple at Marietta, black at Columbus and magenta at Columbus AMF.

AM ROUTE #105 - SEGMENT #3. Effective April 25, 1955 Bonanza Air­lines, Inc. inaugurated service over Seg­ment # 3 of this route. This segment was awarded to Bonanza in order to pro­vide service to Burbank, Indio, Ontario and Riverside, Calif. and improved ser­vice to Blythe, Calf. by removing this city from Segment # 2 and placing on new SecYment # 3 in order to provide Blvthe ~ith more direct service to Los A~geles.

This segment operates from the ter­minal Phoenb:, Ariz. via Blythe, Indio, Ontario - Riverside (they use the same

(Continued on next pa~~

324

(Continued from preceding page)

• airoort) to the co-terminals Los Angeles and Burbank. Under the present method of operation, the carrier elected to ter­E1inate flights on this segment at Bur­bank which situation resulted in Los An­geles being an intermediate point on this ~egment.

The inaugural Eastbound flight over this segment was made via Flight #_ 46 flown by Capt. John M. Boyle and Fnst Officer Donald S. Gilday. This flight originated at Burbank and handled ~298 pieces of mail from Burbank, 60 pieces from Los Angeles, 38 pieces from Los Angeles AMF ., 2352 pieces fr_om On­tario, 1750 pieces from Riverside, 561 from Indio and 20 pieces from Blythe.

The inaugural 'l'l estbound flight was made via Flight #45 flown by Capt. Claude H. Ferguson and First Officer Robt. V. Schafranka and handled from ,Phoenix 33 pieces of mail, Blythe 45 pieces, I11dio 1983 pieces, Ontario 418 pieces, Riverside 384 pieces, Los An­geles 46 pieces and Los Angeles AMF 35 pieces.

Official cachet in the form of a rect­angle featuring citrus growing was ap­plied in green at Burbank, blue at On­tario, magenta at Riverside and purple at Indio. No official cachets were pro­vided at Phoenix, Blvthe and Los An­geles although Blythe- used an unofficial cachet applied in magenta in three lines reading: First Flight - AM 10.5 - 4/25/ 55.

AM Route#86- CHICAGO TO DE­TROIT SEGMENT. Flown by Notth Central Airlines and inaugurated on May 1, 1955; this segment operates from Chi­cago via South Bend, Ind., Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Jackson, Michigan to Detroit-Ann Arbor. Detroit and Ann Ar­lror are "bracketed", both cities using t:!:le Willow Run Airport.

The initial Westbound flight was made via Trip #802 on May 1st and was flown by Capt. G. F. Wallis and First Officer Raymond W. Kelly. This flight handled: 1251 pieces of philatelic mail from Detroit, 1539 pieces from Oe-

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL

troit AMF., 2099 pieces from Ann Arbor, 1352 pieces from Jackson, 1360 pieces from Battle Creek, 1381 pieces from Kalamazoo and 820 pieces from South Bend. This same crew in charge of Trip # 805 made the inaugural Eastbound flight over this segment and handled: 1298 pieces of philatelic mail from Chi-cago, 1.555 pieces from Chicago AMF, 373 pieces from South Bend, 267 pieces from Kalamazoo, 27 4 from Battle Creek and 248 from Jackson; the Eastbound covers from the intermediate cities being the scarcer covers.

All covers bore an · official cachet. Those from Chicago, Chicago AMF, Jackson and South Bend showed map of this segment while those from Detroit, Detroit AMF, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Ann Arbor carried a scenic cachet showing the "Original Irish Mills To\v­er." We are not familiar with the his­tory ~£ this structure. Colors: Detroit, black; Detroit AMF, green; Ann Arbor, purple; Jackson, blue; Battle Creek, ma­genta; Kalamazoo, purple; South Bend, black; Chicago, blue and Chicago AMF, magenta.

• JOIN

THE A. A. M.S.

JULY, 1955

CANADA AIR LETTERS (Continued from page 311)

• This sheet was also of the "book-fold" type measuring 4-15/16 x 3-718 inches when folded. The "etiquette" contained the inscription in block lettering. The notation on the back fold was the same as on the previous sheet. The imprinted stamp was printed in blue with the shade varying from a very pale to a deep blue and measures 21 mm. wide x 24-l/2 mm. high.

The ninth air letter sheet was also is­sued in 1949 and is similar to the pre­ceding sheet with the exception that it is of 15c denomination with the stamp printed in red. All other printing is the same as 8 LS. Sheets exist with the spacing between the imprinted stamp and the "etiquette" varying from 38 mm. to 41 mm. Corresponding spacing on 8 LS was 36 mm.

On August 18, 1950, the tenth air let­ter sheet was issued. The sheet was printed by the Enveloppe Internationale Lt' e. on a rotary press from rubber plates, resulting in differences in the size of the stamp impression and inscrip­tion caused by the warpage of the rubber plates under varying conditions of heat and pressure. The sheet is of the "book­fold" type measuring 4- 7 I 8 x 3-3 I 4 inches when folded. The imprinted stamp is of 10c denomination, printed in blue, and shows an airplane in flight. The stamp imprint measurements vary from 34-112 to 22-112 mm. in height. An interesting variety - the "paste-up" sheet - exists showing the seam resulting when continuous rolls from which this sheet was printed were spliced during the printing process and before they were die cut by hand machine. Another variety of this sheet exists in the form of unfinished. proofs without imprinted stamp. Frve proofs were prepared with the sheet cut to shape and with the flaps gummed and with all printing except the stamp imprint. Proofs also exist 8-112 x 11 inches in size imprinted with the in­sc~iptions, etc. but without the stamp im­pnnt and not die-cut to size.

Air Letter Sheet No. 11 was issued

325

during December of 1950 and was simi­lar to the preceding sheet with the ex­ception that the imprinted stamp was of 15c denomination printed in red. The balance of the printing was in blue as on 10 LS.

During 1951, a change from rubber plates to steel plates was made in the printing of the two preceding sheets re­sulting in two more major varieties being added to the air letter sheet records . . . 12 LS and 13 LS. The clearness of printing distinguishes them from the pre­ceding sheets - 10 LS and 11 LS -printed from rubber plates. The 1951 printings carry no other distinguishing marks. However, the 1952 printings can be identified by the numerals "52" to the left of the imprinted border. These numerals are known in different sizes from different printings.

A printing error variety exists of 12LS in which the inscription on the back lacks the apostrophe in the word "L'ENVOYEUR".

On July 1, 1953 te 15c air letter sheet was discontinued when the 15c rate was abolished. The 10c rate now prepays postage on air letter sheets to any part of the world.

The current air letter sheet ( 14 LS) was issued on August 11, 1953 and was printed by the offset process by the Canadian Bank Note Company in Otta­wa. The imprinted stamp showing an airplane in flight and the Maple Leaf of Canada in the lower left corner of the stamp measures 38-1/2 mm. wide x 26-112 mm. high including border. In the upper left hand corner, the inscrip­tion "Aerogramme" appears on Canadian air letter sheets for the first time. All printing, including the stamp imprint, is in deep blue. The sheet is of the "book­fold" type and measures 4-7/8 x 3-3/ inches when folded.

The exchange of information between collectors of air letter sheets has made possible the compilation of the American Air Mail Catalogue of Air Letter Sheets serving as a reference to present collect-

(Continued on page 328)

PRESIDENT

JoHN P. V. HEINMULLER

580 Fifth J.venue,

New York 36, N. Y.

EXECUTIVE BOARD (Forruer Presidents)

HARRY A. TRUBY RICHARD L. SINGLEY

GEORGE w. ANGERS

HERBERT H. GRIFFIN L. B. G.~TCHELL

WILLIAM R. ALLEY

GEORGE D. KINGDOM M. 0. W A.l\N8

GRACE CoNRATH

JEssE G. JoHNSON

VICE-PRESIDENTS

A

ALTON J. BLANK

LoUISE S. HoFFMAN

ERNEST A. Kmm RAFAEL 0RIOL

Non-Proftt Corporation Under the Laws of Ohio

Organized 1923 Incorporated 1944

SECRETARY-TREASURER

JoHN J. SMJTB Ferndale & Emerson Sts.

Philadel'l'"ia 11. Pa . OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

THE AIRPosT JoURNAL Published monthly and sent to

all members in good standing.

EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT

. DIRECTORS Term Expires 1955

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California

BERNARD DAVIS

Pennsylvania

Each member is entitled to PERHAM C. NAHL two 25-word Exchange Notices Illinois per year in the Official Publica-tion, without charge. Address direct to the publication officl WILLIAM T. WYNN, JR. at Albion, Penn'a. Michigan

ADVANCE BULLETIN SERVICE GRACE CONRATH

ManaJ:"er The Airpost Journal, Albion,

Penn'a.

The Advance Bulletin is sent regularly by the manager only to those members who are in good standing and provide a supply of self-addressed regula­tion Government Postal Cards.

Term Expires 1957

GERALD BooKHOP

New York

SAMUEL s. GOLDSTICKER

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Missouri

JAMES WO'I'HERSPOON

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EDITOR OF PUBLICATIONS

L. B. GATCHELL 6 The Fairway

Upper Montclair, N.J.

ATTORNEY

GEORGE D. KINGDOM

CHAPTER CHAIRMAN

FLORENCE K1.EJNJmT

HISTORIAN - RECORDD

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SAMUEL S. GoLDSTICKER

70-D Fremont St. Bloomfield, N. J.

MEMBERSHIP DUES $3.00 PER YEAR

Dues include subscription to THE AIRPOST JOURNAL. Applicants mun furnish two references, philatelic preferred. At least one of these reference• must reside in Applicant's home town. Applicants under 21 years of age· must be guaranteed by Parent or Guardian. Membership is a privilege - not a right - and may be terminated by the Society in accordance with its By-LawL

WRITE SECRETARY-TREASURER FOR APPLICATION BLANK

SECRETARY'S REPORT •

NEW MEMBERS 4201 Davis, Robert A., 406 Shady Nook Ave., Baltimore 28, Md. 4202 Husak, Jerome D., 3306 N. 50th Street, Milwaukee 16, Wis. 4203 Fitzgibbons, Wayne J., 3911 N. Sayre Ave., Chicago 34, Ill. 4204 Cutright, Dr. Paul R., 312 Summit Avenue, Jenkintown, Pa. 4205 Teizeira, FrankL., Box 906, Mission, Kansas.

NEW APPLICATIONS Brady, Hugh R., 3252 E. Willetta Street, Phoenix, Ariz. Age 53. Store Clerk. AM

UC PB FF GF RP CC OF DC CF 1D EX by John J. Smith; Holcomb, Edward Howard, 544 Colby Street, San Lorenzo, Cal. Age 31. Whseman.

All Air Mail Material by John J. Smith. Harris, Herman A., 918 Beacon Ave., Los Angeles 18, Cal. Age 65. Retired. AM AU

U20 UC lD APS by John J. Smith. Armenis, Andrew G., 2335 Beaconsfield Ave., Montreal, Quebec. Age 58. Retired.

AM AU EX by John J. Smith. Moorhead, Dudley Thomas, San Jose State College, San Jose 14, Cal. Age 42. Prof.

History. PC FF GF CAM FAM OF Z 1D EX. by John J. Smith. Futterman, Melvin M., 12426 Rye Street, North Hollywood, Cal. Age 36. Self Emp.

AM U20 UC EX by Jesse G. Johnson. Norris, Henry Pepper, Virginia Ave. & New St., West Chester, Pa. Age 73. Lawyer.

APS by John J. Smith. Shallenberger, Martin, Harrods Creek, Kentucky. Age 41. Artist. AM EX

by Mrs. Charles W. Allen. Zierler, Henry, 1115 Union Street, Brooklyn 25, N. Y. Age 52. Govt. Empl. AU

U20 EX by Grace Conrath •. Cohn, Louise M., Mrs., 12051 Ventura Place, Studio City, Cal. Age legal. Dealer.

AM AU by John J. Smith.

DECEASED Lohr, Joseph J., New York, N. Y.

CHANGES OF ADDRESS Gonzalez, Jose F., 680 W. 239th St., Riverdale, Bronx, N. Y. Painter, James C., 809-B Broadway, Jefferson City, Mo. Lake, Richard B., Box 276, Hackensack, N. J. Watchorn, Hugh, 1425 Williston Road, Burlington, Vt. Ray, Gordon W., Box 674, Springdale, Conn. Moreyra, Ricardo _r, Ave. Felipe Entre Cristo y Universidad - Rpto. Biltmore, Hav-

ana, Cuba. Littin, Basil R., 100 Vermont Ave., Room 211, Washington 5, D. C. Thomen, Dr. Luis F., Dominican Embassy, 37, Eaton Square, London, England Hillier, V. W., Apt. 406, 600 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto 12, Ontario, Cauda. Siskel, Jacob, 3022 NE 13th St., Portland 12, Oregon. Jackson, Clifford, 6157 Wentworth Ave., Chicago 21, IU. Jackson, Jerald Arthur, 7753 S. Lowe Ave., Chicago 20, Ill. Cooper, Edwin 0., ] 2634 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, Cal. Canter, Herbert M., 618 E. 21st Street, Chester, Pa. Reichenthal, Harry, Box 73, New York 60, N.Y. Curtis, Albert W., 48 Beverly Road, Worcester, Mass.

A. A. M. S. Chapter News •

FLORENCE LAMPORT KLEINERT auction were made. Gerald Bookhop, News of AAMS Chapters should be 31 Worden Rd., Schenectady, N. Y., will

sent direct to Mrs. Kleinert at send a copy of the auction listings to members requesting it, acocrding to 213 Virginia Avenue, Fullerton, Pa. Vincent A. DeMase, Secretary.

• Laura LeVesque, President, Boston Air Stamp shows, meetings and auctions

highlight the news of chapters.

' The Essex Stamp Club, Chapter #25, will continue its weekly Monday night auctions at 984 Broad Street, Newark 2, N. J., according to John A. Lutz, Secre­tary. Stephen G. Rich and Jack Pomer­antz are assisting in arrangements for the big "FIPEX Show" to be held in New York City next March at the Coliseum.

Earl Wellman, President, reports that the Jack Knight Air Mail Society, Chap­ter #23 had a booth at the Mid-West­ern A. S. D. A. Show in the Palmer House, Chicago, May 13-15th. American Air Mail Society's catalogues and publi­caitons were on display. Perry Nahl spoke on "C. A. M. Flights" at the ex­hibit. Juniors, Lowell Iverson and Charles Zapotocky took major Awards. These awards and certificates will be given to the members at the September ;18th meeting which will be held at the home of Earl Well man, 3532 Oak Ave., Brookfield, Ill. American Air Mail So­ciety's members are invited to the First Flight Federation auction at this meet­ing. The Jack Knight members are plan­ning a tour to Havana for the A. A. M. S. - CUPEX Show in November. The tour will leave Chicago, November 5-6th and will return November 19-20th. Members can contact Earl Wellman for further de­tails of this tour.

Robert L. Jones was host to the Phila­delphia Air Mail Society, Chapter #6, for the June 9th meeting which was held at 702 W. Venango St., Philadelphia, Pa.

The C. F. Durant Air Mail Society, Chapter #28, met on June 25th at 10 MacPherson Terrace, Albany, N. Y. An election of officers for the ensuing year was held. Mr. Barringer showed Flown Naval Covers. Plans for a September

Mail Society, Chapter # 1, writes of her participation in the New England Post­age Stamp Show held in Horticultural Hall in Boston in April. Her Rocket Collection was on display at this stamp show, and made good publicity for the air mail hobby.

Hope the chapter secretaries will re­member to send news to me in the fall when stamp clubs are in full swing again.

• TRAFFIC UP

• Passenger and cargo traffic of United

Air Lines in April soared to an all-time high for the month, according to estim­at~s announced recently by Robert E. Johnson, vice president and assistant to the president. Expansion of both first­class and air coach schedules gave the company its greatest spring airlift in his­tory.

In April United flew 31.5,750,000 rev­enue passenger miles, a 36 per cent gain over 1954. Revenue airplane miles tot­aled 8,908,000, up 21 per cent; express, 979,000 ton miles, up 30 per cent; freight, 3,32.'5,000 ton miles, up 30 per cent, and mail ( including first class), 2,277,000 ton miles, up 2 per cent.

• CANADA AIR LETTERS -

(Continued from page 325)

• ors of this extremely interesting phase of aero-philately and as an invitation and challenge to other aero-philatelists to en­large their field to include air letter sheets.

A!l references to specific sheets are based upon examples in the author's col­lection.

APJ ADS RATES:

THRBFJ CENTS PER WORD per in­sertion Minimum chllree 50 cents. Re­mittance must accompany order and copy. The AIRPOST JOURNAL, AP.T Ads, Al­bion, Penn'a.

BREAKING UP FINEST LOT AIRPOST'S: Early Balloon Posters, balloon covers; Foreign, Domestic, Pioneers, early Zeppe­lins. Trans-Oceanics; Scadtas, German, Swiss, Canadian Semi-officials; large stock Rockets. Belham Exhange, Box 119, Ridgewood, N. Y. 29'f-6t*

WANTED TO BUY FOR CASH: FIRST Day covers Cl to C6; also Colombia multi­colored, French Guiana TAG and better grade airposts. Schoendorf, 7832 - 31st Street, Glendale 27, L. I., N. Y. 297-6t*

AAMS EXCHANGE ADS

WANTED: FOREIGN HELICOPTER, Fl, Austria and Swiss. Balloon Covers and Cards and Sp. Cancels in exchange for U. S. CAM-FAM and F. D. Covers. V. R. Wailly, Box 26A, Roxbury 19, Mass

Ex302-2t

HELICOPTER AND AUTOGIRO COVERS, Photos and Pilot Autographs wanted. Also books and magazines about Rotary-Wing aircraft. Fred Holladay, 3087 LeRoy Street, San Bernardino, California. Ex303-lt

EXCHANGE·DESIRED WANTED: ALL Air Letter Sheets and Aerogrammes mint and used of the world. Sol Whitman, 1462 Taylor Avenue, Bronx so; New York City, N. Y. · · ·Ex302-2t

'VILL EXCHANGE FIRST FLIGHTS -First Days - Maximum Cards or Mint Stamps for ·Precancels. Write first. Martin M. Held, 6151 Broadway, San Diego 14, Calif. Ex303-1 t

FOR YOUR COPY OF CHARLES DURANT Air Mail Society Auction List write G. W. Bookhop, 31 Worden Road, Schenectady 2, New York. · Ex303-4t

BALLOON AND HELICOPTER COVERS wanted. Exchange with helicopter covers of Italy and maximum cards of Italy. Giuseppe Schendne; viale Cassala 75, JVlil­ano ( 811), Italy. Ex303_1t

WANTED - PHILIPPINE. IST FLIGHTS, AAMS 67d-e, 9Sg-i, 116a-b-c, 120-a-c, 123a­b-c, 8b-d, llc-e, 20d_g-h-k, 20 hh-ii-jj, 36 la.-b, :flb-e-d-e_f-h-i-j, k, 50 a, b, c. H. Harrison Huster, 100 Hudson Street, New York City, New York. Ex303-lt

FOR 5 HELICOPTER COVERS OF USA, I offer a copy of interesting book· ·"Air Mail by Helicopter in Italy", luxus edition. Schenone, Cassala 75, Milano (Italia). lt

I HAVE BRITISH COLONIAL STAMPS ~ 1st flights of the world. I need Rocket Posts, British European Airways mint, used and covers. D. Harringman, 12 Cedra Court, Cazenove Rd., London N. 16, Eng­land. Ex303-lt

AAMS EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT BUY SELL WANT LISTS

DOES ANYONE WANT TO EXCHANGE Airs, mint or used? Basis Scott '55. Noth­ing rare . .Tames Gavin, Box 283, Harrison, New York. Ex303-1t

WANTED- PRICE LISTS OF U.S. FIRST Day Covers . .Tack Shaber, 269 East 86 St., Brooklyn 36, N. Y.

COLOMBIA - EXCHANGE POSTAGE, airmail stamps, mint, for Zeppelins (San. 11-13) and other USA stamps, Sanabria, Scott, catalogues. R. de J.Acosta, Apartado 2034, Bogota-Colombia, S. A. Ex-lt

BALLOON CARD OF ITALY, SALUZZO ]953 (very scarce), I offer for a card of balloon mail in USA. Giuseppe Schenone, viale Cassala 75, Milano, Italy. Ex303-lt

TOPICAL COLLECTORS JOIN AMERI­CAN Topical Association, international topical stamp society, informative maga_ zine, check-lists, benefits. $2 yearly. ATA, 3306 N. 50th St., Milwaukee 16, Wis.

Ex303-2t

TRADE MY PRE-WAR NAVAL COVER". some cacheted, tor mint UN, US, or First Flights. Will exchange for your wants. T. C. Edwards, .Jr., Owatonna, Minn. Ex-lt

WANTED - PIONEER FLIGHT COVERS. Aeroplane photocards, pilot pictures and autographs, 1900-1920. Also want Balloonc post, Pigeonpost, Rocketpost and U. S. Nayy nown covers, ship and maritime covers. Have· all types of interesting air­mail and ship ·covers ·to exchange. Robert Murch, 418 E. Argonne Drive, St. Louis 22, Missouri. Ex 299-2t

EXCHANGE MISSIONS MIXTURES, IN­'~LUDING both· foreign and U. S., for 4 (four) U. S. mint comm. plate blocks_ Postpaid. C. M. Bragg, Box 416, Newport News, Va. Ex-302-2t

WANTED - ALL TYPE FLIGHT COV­ers, Picture Postcards, Coins, Currency, Old U. S. Covers. Will exchange for your wants. .John Yannunzio, 534 Morris Ave., Summit, N . .T. Ex 1t

EXCHANGE RARE SERIES AIRMAILS Mint for rare series Airmails Europe, Spain and Colonies. Please write Con­rado Catala, Bolonia 27, enlo, lzd., Zara­goza (Spain). Ex 1t

WANTED- BALBO FLIGHT 1933 ITALY to Chicago and return Flight USA to It­aly, detailed offers Mario Onofri Viale Montenera 78, Milan (714) Italy. Ex-lt

WANTED - WAUSAU, WIS. AM86 FEB. 25, 1948 Red Cachet error. Backstamped Duluth, Minn. Will buy or exchange. H. F. Brandner, 4038 Forest Ave., Brookfield, Ill. Ex 300-2t

WANTED- ZEPPELIN COVERS OF IT­aly, S. Marino, Vatican, Italian Colonies, etc., detailed offers. Mario Onofri, Viale Montenero 78, Milan (714), Italy. Ex 1t

WANTED - ROCKET COVERS, STAMPS and LitF>rature. Send or write me. Sam S. Beck, 3300 Horton, Ferndale 20, Mich.

Ex 300-2t

New Issues· Of

Mint Airmail

Stamps THE MOST ECONOMICAL METHOD OF

COLLECTING NEW ISSUES, INCLUDING

RARE AND UNUSUAL ITEMS AT NEW

ISSUE PRICES.

F. W. KESSLER 500 Fifth Avenue New York 36, N. Y.