UK
Short Paid Aerogramme

Aerogramme (Greiner no. 89) sent from Manchester (slogan cancel 5 MCH 1981) to Karachi, Pakistan.

The aerogramme rate was 20 p since January 26, 1981. Hence, the aerogramme was taxed “6 /18” where 6 p is the short paid postage (single deficiency) and 18 p the first weight step surface letter rate to Pakistan. The aerogramme was sent by airmail (arrival cds KARACHI 9 MAR 1981 on back panel).

In Pakistan, the aerogramme was taxed 0.66 R which was endorsed under the postage due h/s left to the UK slogan cancel.

Collecting the postage due from the addressee must have failed for any reason because the postman transferred the aerogramme “To Karachi GPO” (endorsement in red under the indicium) on March 13.


References
Greiner stands for Greiner/Greiner, Aerogramme von Europa, 3e, 1993

India
Aerogramme in Ambulant Cover - Redirected

The address is missing on this aerogramme (Wiegand no. 24) sent from Dehra Dun (cds 1 5 64). The post office clerk at Dehra Dun endorsed “R.L.O. Lucknow” (Return Letter Office) and transferred the aerogramme there for a closer inspection.

At R.L.O. Lucknow (boxed handstamp 5 5 64 on back panel) the aerogramme was opened to investigate the addressee. The address found was used to prepare an ambulant cover for the aerogramme. The staff at R.L.O Lucknow did not recognize that the address the sender had specified was incorrect.

The ambulant cover went first to the U.S. (arrival cds of JAMAICA A.M.F. Kennedy, May 11 1964 on the back of the cover), where the mistake was corrected and the ambulant cover was redirected to the U.K.

References
Wiegand stands for Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000

Pakistan
Short Paid Aerogramme

Aerogramme (Wiegand no. 21) sent to Australia in June 1962.

The airletter rate to Australia was 60 Paisa. Hence the aerogramme was short paid 10 Paisa. Double the deficiency (20 paisa) was converted into 16 UPU gold centimes at a rate of 10 Paisa = 8 UPU gold centimes. The amount postage due was endorsed next to the “T” hand stamp.

The Australian postal authorities converted the amount postage due at a rate of 3 UPU gold centimes = 1 d into 6 d (after rounding up). A 6 d taxation stamp was applied, but crossed out. The reason may be that Australia did not consequently enforce the foreign postage due on incoming international mail from about 1951.


References
Wiegand stands for Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000.

Credits
Thank you, Allan, for helping with the conversion rate of UPU gold centimes into Australian currency

Burma
Privately Manufactured Aerogramme Form

This is a privatley manufactured aerogramme form. Its design is most near to that of the 1959 regular issue, which suggests that itwas manufactured at about the same time.

In Burma, privately manufacured aerogramme forms have to be approved by the postal authorities. The aerogramme form shows on its back panel the approval reference "Form Approved by the Director of Posts, Rangoon / vide their No. ST. 82/P. A. F." 

The aerogramme form was printed by The Royal Stationery Supply House, 408-410, Maha Bandoola Street, Rangoon. It was customized for Than Trading & Company, Rangoon.

Australia
"Return to Sender" from Switzerland

This aerogramme (Roggenkämper no. 56) was sent to Bern Switzerland in 1981. The postal authorities were not able to locate the addressee. They even ask the "Fremdenpolizei", an aliens' police department attached to the Immigration Bureau, for help. However, the Fremdenpolizei was not able to help.

Therefore, the aerogramme shows two "Unknown" handstamps. The left one ("UNBEKANNT / Fremdenpolizei der Stadt Bern") was applied by the aliens' police department, the right one  ("Unbekannt / Inconnu / Sconosciuto") was applied by the postal authorities.


References
Roggenkämper stands for Roggenkämper et al., Katalog der Aerogramme von Australien und Ozeanien", 2003

Pakistan
Short Paid Aerogramme

Air letter (Wiegand no. 1, mechanical overprint on India no. 1) sent from KARACHI (cds 31 OCT. 1948) to Amhurst, U.S.

In 1948, the air letter rate to the U.S. was 8 AS, so the aerogramme was short paid 2 AS.

The Pakistani currency was 1 R = 16 A = 64 pice = 192 pies and converted, like the Indian Rupee, into the UPU gold centimes at a rate of 3 A 6 pies = 3 1/2 A = 30 centimes.

Double the deficiency (4 AS) needs to be converted into UPU gold centimes: 4 AS ≈ 35 UPU gold centimes. For any reason this taxation was not endorsed by the Pakistani postal authorities next to the “T” handstamp.

Correctly calculating, the U.S. postal authorities should have converted this 35 UPU gold centimes into 12 cents at a rate of 1 cent = 3 UPU gold centimes (rounded to the next full cent), which was in place since July 1948.

The U.S. postal authorities, however, did not know the exact amount of postage due in UPU gold centimes, so the postage due in U.S. currency (10 cents), which was added to the “Postage Due ... Cents / Foreign Sect. G.P.O.N.Y.” handstamp might have been something like a “best guess”.


References
Wiegand stands for Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000

Burma
Registered Air Letter - Provisional Registration Label

6 AS air letter (Wiegand #3) sent from Rangoon (cds  23 DEC 52) to India, uprated with two 2 AS stamps.. The aerogramme rate was 8 AS, the registration fee 2 AS.

The post office at Rangoon did not seem to have a registration label available, but used a value payable post (VP) label (endorsed "R" for "Registration") instead.


References
Wiegand stands for Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000

Sweden
Aerogramme with Enclosure

This aerogramme form was sent from BROMMA (cds 4.3.67) to Charlotte, U.S. at the regular 0.70 Kronor aerogramme rate.

The sender states in the message “Enclosed is the picture taken when ...”. 

Enclosures are not allowed in aerogrammes. The postal authorities detected the enclosure by weighing and endorsed the weight “5 gr”. The routing instruction “Aerogram / Flygpost / Par Avion” was crossed out and the letter was diverted to surface mail.

Gold Coast
Short Paid Air Letter

Airletter sent from KUMASE (cds 18 JUL 46) to Chicago, U.S.

The airletter rate to non-UK destinations was 1 s. Hence the aerogramme was short paid 6 d and double the deficiency 
(1 s) was endorsed left to the “T” postmark. Based on a conversion rate of 4 d = 30 UPU gold centimes, which was in place since July 1946, the amount postage due was 90 UPU gold centimes.

The U.S. postal authorities converted 90 UPU gold centimes into 16 cent at a rate of 5 UPU gold centimes = 1 cent, which was valid until end of June 1948. A handstamp “Postage due ... Cents / Foreign Sect. G.P.O.N.Y.” was applied upon arrival, endorsed “16” and two 5 c and two 3 c postage due stamps were affixed.

Nepal
Registered Aerogramme - Philatelic or did it Contain an Enclosure?

This aerogramme (Wiegand no. 2/I) was sent registered from Kathmandu to New York, U.S. (arrival cds SEP 4, 1959).

The aerogramme rate to the U.S. was 1.40 R, the registration fee 0.40 R for a total postage of 1.80 R, which was paid by the pre-paid 8 paisa (= 0.08 R) aerogramme plus a 1 R and a 50 paisa (= 0.50 R) stamp on the front panel as well as a 2 paisa (= 0.02 R) and a 20 paisa (= 0.20 R) stamp on the back panel.

The aerogramme contains no message. So, at first glance it looks philatelic. A point against is the endorsement under the aerogrammes indicium. It reads "R 23 / 30 g" and seems to be an indication of weight. The weight of the aerogramme itself is only 2 g. 

Maybe, the aerogramme contained an enclosure, which would have been against the UPU rules for aerogrammes. Interestingly. there is no admonition pertaining to enclosures on the early aerogrammes of Nepal.

If the item would have been sent as an air mail letter, the correct postage would have been more than 2.78 R, which was the airmail rate to the U.S. for the first weight step (up to 1/2 oz).

What do you think - philatelic or sent with enclosure to save postage?


References
Wiegand stands for Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000

Rhodesia
"Illegal stamps"

As a reaction to the unilateral declaration of independence of Rhodesia on November 11, 1965 British postal authorities regarded Rhodesian stamps issued later as "invalid" although this was not justified by UPU rules.

Formular aerogramme sent from SALISBURY (24 JAN 1966) to London, UK for philatelic purposes. The postage paid was 
6 d.
 
The calculation of postage due in the “Rhodesia case” did not follow uniform rules. According to information compiled on stampboards.com the rules were:

• 8 Dec 1965 - Apr 1966 : Double deficiency surcharges based on correct postage required less the value of any legal stamps present
•  
• 17 Feb - 8 Oct 1970 : Calculate the correct postage less the value of any legal stamps used; double this value; convert the result to sterling at 1c = 1.4 d

The stamp on this airletter was regarded invalid and the aerogramme was taxed with double the deficiency (12 d = 1 s). A boxed green handstamp was applied: “INVALID STAMPS / USED / POSTAGE DUE ...”, “1 s” endorsed and a 1 s UK postage due stamp affixed.

Another aerogramme from Rhodesia from a later period and some background of the "illegal" stamps can be found here.

Netherlands New Guinea
Short Paid Aerogramme / First Flight Biak-Amsterdam via the Pole

Philatelic usage (Roggenkämper no. 1), addressed to the sender himself, poste restante Amsterdam airport. The sender intended to send the aerogramme with the first KLM flight Biak - Amsterdam via the pole on November 1, 1958 (endorsement on top).

Letters showing the official first flight cachet were cancelled November 8, 1958. Five days earlier, the first flight from Amsterdam to Biak had arrived. The aerogramme was late for the flight. It was cancelled about three weeks later at Biak (cds 25.11.58).

The aerogramme rate to European destinations was 35 c. The aerogramme was short paid 20 c and double the deficiency (40 c) was endorsed on the left hand side of the indicium. The postage due was converted into 27 UPU gold centimes, which was endorsed on the right hand side of the “T” stamp.

A separate currency, the Netherlands New Guinean gulden, came into being when West New Guinea became the only part of the Netherlands Indies to remain in Dutch control after Indonesia’s independence in 1949. It was fixed at parity with the Dutch gulden and circulated until Netherlands New Guinea became part of Indonesia as West Irian in 1963.

The taxation in UPU gold centimes was obliterated - most likely because the Netherlands New Guinea Gulden and the Gulden of the mother land were at par.

There are no signs that the aerogramme was returned to the sender. As it is philatelic mail made by a collector of first flight covers, it is quite unlikely that the aerogramme was collected at Amsterdam airport. 


References
Roggenkämper stands for Roggenkämper, Russ and Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Australien und Ozeanien, 2003