Cook Islands: Aerogramme Form Posted at Sea

Aerogramme form posted at sea (S. S. Monterey) and fed into the postal network ar RAROTONGA (17 AU 63)

Gilbert & Ellice Islands: Apsley Aerogramme Form

"Apsley" aerogramme form sent from TARAWA (5 AUG 78 - year slug error, should be 67) to Germany. 10 c aerogramme rate. Commercial use - rare.

Gilbert & Ellice Islands: "Postage Paid" Aerogramme Form

Croxley aerogramme form ("Approved for Posting in N.Z. / New Zealand Post Office Authority, No. 17", on reverse), sent from TARAWA (5 JAN 65) to Walgett, Australia (arrival cancel 8 JA 65, on reverse). Philatelic.

"PAID" handstamp, endorsed "1 /-".

Germany: "Substitute Aerogram"

On May 1, 1948 international air mail services from Germany were re-started. At that time only aerogramme forms were accepted , which have to be bought with, initially, two International Reply Coupons (IRC's) each. From September 1, 1948, on the price was 1 IRC plus 30 Pfg in cash, from October 18, 1948, on it was 60 Pfg.

On the first day of the international air mail service, philatelists were allowed to send letters up to 10 g of weight franked at the 1 Mark aerogramme rate. These letters were called "Ersatz-Aerogramme" ("substitute" aerogrammes).

Ceylon: Short-paid Aerogramme Diverted to Surface Mail

Ceylon air letter (Wiegand #9 - grey paper, no watermark, “Fold here …” on sealing flap is 63.0 mm wide - subtype not mentioned in Wiegand catalogue) sent from MOUNT LAVINIA (25 JU 56) to Newark, US

Two-line red instruction handstamp “ INSUFFICIENTLY PAID FOR / _____ AIR SERVICE”. The aerogramme was not taxed as short paid (the “T” handstamp was crossed out)

The aerogramme rate to the US was 50 ct, so less than half of the rate was prepaid. Hence, most likely, the aerogramme travelled by surface mail to the US.


Reference
Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000

Ceylon: Postage Due Aerogramme

Ceylon air letter (Wiegand #12a - white paper, no watermark, “Fold here …” on sealing flap is 58.0 mm wide) sent from JAFFNA (10 MY 55) to Tours, France.

Postage due calculation in the country of origin
The 20 ct aerogramme was taxed as short paid, because the aerogramme rate to France was 40 ct. So double the deficiency (40 ct) was postage due. The standard conversion rate should have been 20 UPU ctms = 35 ct (1 ct = 0.8 UPU ctms). Ceylon made use of the opt-out clause, which was agreed upon at the 1952 Brussels UPU congress, and calculated with, roughly, a 15% reduction in letter rates: 1 ct = 0.68 UPU ctms, so 20 UPU ctms ≈ 30 ct.

Postage due calculation in the country of destination
In France the standard conversion rate should have been 30 f = 20 UPU ctms 
(1 f = ⅔ UPU cmts). However, also the French postal authorities made use of the opt-out clause converting 27 UPU cmts into 31 f (1 f = 0.871 UPU ctms leading to 20 UPU ctms ≈ 23 f), equivalent to roughly a 20 % decrease in letter rate, Four postage due stamps with a total face value of 31 f document that the postage due has been paid.


Reference:
Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000

Tonga: 1945 Aerogramme Form

Tonga Air Mail Letter Card sent from NUKU'ALOFA (12 NO 45) to the UK, franked at 9 d rate.

Germany: "Dill Reports the News" Privately Manufactured Aerogramme Form

 

Joachim Dill from Bad Neustadt/Saale in Germany published a weekly information service for philatelists. Not much information can be found online on his "Dill Reports the News" information service, but at least now we know that he had also a personalized aerogramme form.

This one was used to document the inaugural Lufthansa flight from Sydney and Darwin to Frankfurt, Germany, in April 1965.