Burma: Inland Letter Used as an Aerogramme

In 1955 the Burmese postal authorities ran short of aerogrammes. To fill demand they added a handstamp changing the type designation of a 15 P inland letter to "AIR LETTER / AEROGRAMME" and added a 35 P additional franking.

Endorsed "BY AIR MAIL", the inland letter above is used as an aerogramme about two years later (sent from RANGOON 11 JA 57 to France) without showing the official type designation handstamp. At that time, regular 50 P aerogrammes were available.

Denmark: Advertising Slogan Cancel for Aerogrammes

This advertising slogan cancel "AEROGRAMMER / HURTIGT - BILLIGT" ("Aerogrammes / fast and cheap") was used in Copenhagen, Denmark, in June 1971.


Credits
Thanks to Werner Liechti for pointing me to this slogan cancel I had not been aware of.

Australia: No Airletter Service to the US in 1946

Airletter (Stein #A-2) uprated with a 1 d stamp and sent from MELBOURNE (17 JAN 1946) to Los Angeles, US.

Before the 1952 Brussels UPU congress decisions came into effect on July 1, 1953, airletter service between countries was subject to bilateral agreements. Airletter service from Australia to the US only started on February 10, 1947 (and from the US to Australia on April 29, 1947).

The 8 d postage paid for surface mail to the US and transfer by air within the US. Hence, the type designation "AIRLETTER" was crossed out with blue crayon and "WITHIN AMERICA" was endorsed below the "BY AIR MAIL" routing instruction.


References
Breckon, Pre-Decimal Postal Rates
Stein, The Aerogrammes of Australia and Its Dependencies, 1944-1980

Australia: Law Conference FDC

This aerogramme was issued for the Third Commonwealth and Empire Law Conference, which was held in Sydney from August 25 to September 1, 1965.

The aerogramme (Stein #A-23) was first sold at GPO sales points in each Australian state on August 18, 1965, and later at a temporary post office at the conference venue. In total, the aerogramme was available for about two weeks. This FDC was sent from Brisbane, Queensland, to Bethlehem, U.S.


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

Australia: Aerogramme Containing an Enclosure Atxed as a Short-Paid Air Mail Letter

Australian 25 c aerogramme (Stein #A-45) sent from Gladesville 6 OCT 1978 to Turku, Finland. Uprated with a 5 c stamp to meet the 30 c aerogramme rate in place since July 1, 1978.

The aerogramme contained an enclosure, as is indicated by the boxed purple “ENCLOSURE” instructional handstamp.
 
The aerogramme was treated as a short-paid air mail letter, as for a surface mail letter the applicable rate would also have been 30 c. The airmail letter rate to European destinations (zone 5) was 55 c up to 10 g.

Hence, the air mail letter was short paid 25 c. This calculation is visible to the left of the stamp. The 1976 Lausanne UPU congress has allowed member countries to introduce a service fee for underpaid mail items. This regulation took effect on January 1, 1978.
Initially, this service fee in Australia was 16 c, which gives the 41 c that were collected from the sender and are endorsed in the octagonal purple “UNDERPAID / POSTAGE … / COLLECTED FROM SENDER” handstamp.

By mistake, the Finnish postal authorities applied a taxation handstamp that was later voided by scribbles.


References
Stein, The Aerogrammes of Australia and Its Dependencies, 1944-1980
Salt, Underpaid Articles - Service Fee, BSAP Bulletin vol. 53 no. 6 December 19998, p. 116

Credits
Thank you, Allan, for pointing me to the Colin Salt's article.

Australia: Stampless Series Sold on Norfolk Island

This is an Australian aerogramme form intended for use in the Australian Dependencies (the so called "Stampless Series". To be precise, it is Stein #AS-1A, the variety "Acccent over 'A' of 'Mail' ", on buff paper. 

Derived from Australia definitive (Stein #A-2) by removing the head of King George VI and part of the dotted overlay area surrounding the indicium leaving a blank rectangle (22x25mm). The occurrence of the accent on A of MAIL flaw, only in the stampless species on both papers, and not on the corresponding Australian airletter definitives indicates that new plates were manufactured especially for the printing of this formular air letter.

Archival records indicate that four ‘Electros for air letter form (no denomination)’ were prepared October 1945. The utilization of four electros is consistent with the 1:4 proportion of these air letters exhibiting the accent on A variety.

This copy was sold at Norfolk Island. According to Stein, the use on Norfolk Island is verified for the period October 1947 to March 1949. In Australia, the 10d rate for aerogrammes was introduced August 1, 1952. Being pre-paid with a 10 d stamp, it seems that AS-1 was still on offer at the post office at that time.


Reference
Stein, The Aerogrammes of Australia and its Dependencies, 1944-1980
Kellow, G., Archival Records of Australian Aerogrammes, 1944-1965, Postal Stationary Collector, February 2003

Credits
Thank you, Allan, for providing the information from Kellow 2003.

Australia: Privately Manufactured Aerogramme Form, Permit #35, New Subtype

This is a privately manufactured Australian aerogramme form, permit #35 (permit holder: Addon Press, 240 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000). However it is not listed in Cornish's study, hence constituting a new subtype.

Watermarked IMPERIAL AIR MAIL "L", the aerogramme form is manufactured in or after 1958. It still has the admonition "If anything is enclosed, letter will be sent by ordinary mail" on the back panel, which was changed to a new one in April 1959. The aerogramme form was sent to France in June 1959.


Reference
Cornish, "The Private Issues". A Study into the Privately Issued Australian Airletters and Aerogramme Issues of 1946 to 1966, 2014

Australia: Odd Use of Official Aerogramme Form in Romania

This is Australia #Stein AS-5, an official aerogramme form intend for use in the Australian Territories and Dependencies. This copy was philatelically used in Romania with a franking that appears to be cutouts from postal stationeries.


Reference
Stein, The aerogrammes of Australia and its dependencies, 1944-1980