Spain: Double Print of Overlay

This is an early Spain Aerogramme (Greiner #5c) with the following characteristics:

• Air Mail routing instruction includes admonition (type II)
• 1.30 Ptas indicium, type I  (with "Venta De Sellos")
• light grey overlay
• narrow angle of areas omitted from overlay to fix sealing flaps to
• utility model # 12.293 (on reverse)

What is special here is that it is a double print of the overlay which appears dark grey instead. This can easily be seen in the close-up below.

Reference:
Greiner/Greiner, Aerogramme von Europa, 3e, 1993

Germany: Indication of Value Adjusted in Writing

 

This is Greiner #1a (first line of admonition on back panel is 78 mm wide / orange-red indicium) issued May 1, 1948. 

The airletter was sent from DUISBURG-RUHRORT (cds 25.11.48) to Philadelphia, US via FRANKFURT (transit cds 16. 11. 48, on reverse).

On September 1, 1948 the postage rate for airletters was reduced to 60 Pfg. Post office stock of the 100 Pfg airletters was adjusted to the new postage rate in writing, as can be seen in the close-up below.

The message on the writing panel contains some interesting postal history information:

" [...] From now on we can send air mail letters and the first I send to the US is going to you. Again and again I have asked at the post office, if it still not possible to send air mail letters and they always told me, that this has not yet been allowed. Finally, it was allowed, but the postage could only be paid with International Reply Coupons, which the addressee in the US had to provide to the sender first. However, from now on we can buy these light airletters and can pay with German Marks [...]"

Kenya, Uganda & Tanganyika: No Air Letter Service to the US

British Forces air letter form (Adby F9A-1o). Sent from Nairobi (machine cancel 16 SEP 1946) to Bloomfield, US. Private, commercial use.

The 25 c franking was for air letter service to London only. Hence, the “By Air Mail” routing instruction was obliterated with a red handstamp (2 thick bars) at London and the air letter was diverted to surface mail to the US.


Reference
Adby, Aerogrammes, Air Mail Letter Cards, Air Letters, 1991

Australia: Privately Manufactured Air Letter Card Form

This privately manufactured air letter card from was sent from SYDNEY (cds G.P.O. Sydney Air 4 SE 50) to Bloomingdale, US.

Australia only allowed privately manufactured airletter forms to be used that have a license (permit number) of the Postmaster-General. The licensed privately manufactured airletter forms could be used from July 17, 1950 on. Consequently, this air letter form should have been taxed as a short paid ordinary air mail letter.

The airletter is commercially used. The franking, though, is clearly philatelically inspired. The Kangaroo and KGVI definitives used were issued many years before the time of posting.

Cameroon Aerogramme with Enclosure, Taxed as Air Mail Letter

This aerogramme (NGK Cameroon #15) was sent from BOT MAKAY (cds 29 - 10 1991) to Turku, Finland.

The aerogramme most likely contained an enclosure, as there is no message inside and it is not philatelic because of the addressee.

The aerogramme was not diverted to surface mail but taxed as an air mail letter instead.
The tax fraction “550 /450” next to the “T” handstamp points to 550 F deficient postage and 450 F first weight step international surface mail letter rate. “F XAF” indicates the currency (“XAF” is the ISO currency code of the Central African CFA franc), though this would not have been necessary.


Reference:
NGK, Aerogramme Afrika 2012

Malaya: Short Paid Aerogramme Form

Malaysia aerogramme form in unusual quadratic shape sent from KUALA LUMPUR (cds 12 DEC 49) to New York, US.

The air letter form was franked with a 25 c stamp, which was 10 c short paid as the air letter rate to the US was 35 c in Dec 1949. Accordingly, the air letter was taxed as short paid (“T in triangle” handstamp).

According to the UPU regulations, double the deficiency (20 c) had to be converted into UPU gold centimes. The exchange rate was 15 c = 25 ctms. The postage due, hence, was 33 ctms. For any reason, the postal clerk came to a different result and endorsed “27” next to the “T” handstamp.

Malaya: No Air Letter Service to The Netherlands

Before the 1952 UPU Brussels congress (regulations in effect from July 1, 1953) airletter service was no regular service between UPU member countries but subject to bilateral agreements.

If no such bilateral agreement was in place between the country of orgin and the country of destination the airletter has to be treated as an ordinary air mail letter.

Malaya air letter form with 25 c franking sent from KUALA LUMPUR (cds 18 FE 1947) to Maastricht, The Netherlands.

At the time of posting, air letter service between Malaya and The Netherlands has not yet been started. The 25 c air letter rate was valid to countries of the British Empire only. Consequently, the air letter was treated as an ordinary air mail letter.

The air mail letter surcharge to The Netherlands was 60 c per ½ oz, the first weight step international letter rate was 15 c. So the air mail letter was short paid 50 c. According to the UPU rules for postage due calculations, double the deficiency (100 c) has to be converted into UPU gold centimes.
The exchange rate at the time of posting was 15 c = 25 ctms, so 100 c = 167 ctms.

The letter was endorsed “To London / only” indicating that the 25 c airletter rate was valid only to countries of the British Empire and handstamped “T in triangle”. The postage due endorsed was 67 UPU gold centimes (instead of the 167 ctms that would have been correct).

No apparent signs of a postage due handling in The Netherlands.

Bogus Handstamp on Malaya Air Letter Form

This instructional handstamp caught my eye. It is on a Malaya air letter form sent from IPOH (cds 15 AUG 52) to Karaikudi, India (arrival cds 18 AUG 52, on reverse).

A discussion on Stampboards revealed that this instructional marking is bogus.

A similar type was reported by J. S. Cheah in  The Malayan Philatelist vol. 25 no. 4 (1984, p. 45-47): Bogus Handstamps and the Faked Use of Postage Due Stamps.

He showed a handstamp "Mail Forward Through / Shipping Lines" on a 1929 registered cover. Identical to my example is the very fresh, well-inked appearance of the handstamp. And in both cases it does not make sense.

So, this one is bogus and a try to "pimp up" a standard air letter form used to India.


Acknowledgements
Thank you, Stampboards member hatter for your help.

GDR Aerogramme - Private Postal Stationery

In the German Democratic Republic (GDR) aerogrammes were only issued as privat postal stationeries.

The one above was prepared for the inaugural flights of the East German Lufthansa. It is Greiner #7 issued in 1958 with the indicium printed in brownish-red and additional imprints in purple violet on thick white paper with a grey overlay.


Reference:
Greiner/Greiner, Aerogramme von Europa, 3e, 1993

Italy Short Paid Aerogramme

Aerogramme from Italy (Greiner #11) sent to Denmark on August 2, 1983.

At that time the aerogramme rate was 500 LIT. Consequently, the aerogramme was taxed as short paid. The endorsement next to the “T” taxation handstamp reads “280 / 500” where the numerator stands for the single deficiency and the denominator should indicate the first weight step international surface mail letter rate. However, the postal clerk made an error here, because the first weight step letter rate was only 400 LIT.

In Denmark, the postal authorities relied on the endorsement and calculated the postage due as follows:

• With a first weight step international surface mail letter rate of 4.00 Kr in Denmark the deficient postage was charged at 280 / 500 x 400 = 2.24 Kr. 
• The handling charge was a fixed 1.00 Kr. Adding and rounding up led to a postage due of 3.30 Kr.

This amount was endorsed in blue next to the "Porto / At Betale" ("Postage to pay") handstamp.


Reference:
Greiner/Greiner, Aerogramme von Europa, 3e, 1993

Retouched Indicium in Australia 1965 Christmas Aerogramme

 

This is Australia's 1965 Christmas commemorative aerogramme. "19" of "1965" in the indicium was retouched as can clearly be seen in a detail scan. 

This is Stein A-24C.

For the purpose of comparison a normal version is in the upper part of the image below, the reouched version in the lower part.

Reference:
Stein, The Aerogrammes of Australia and Its Dependencies 1944 to 1980