Ghana: 1996 Provisional Aerogramme New Type Discovered

A few days ago, I have described a newly discovered provisional aerogramme from Ghana here .

The one below is a new type. 

Inland Mail letter sheet with a red boxed "CAPE COAST / ȼ 200 / GHANA POST" handstamp. Used from Swedru (24. 05. 1996).

Sweden: The First Aerogramme Form

From 9 October 1949 on, Sweden allowed the use of aerogramme forms. The rate to any country outside Scandinavia was 30 Öre, to Scandinavian countries it was 20 Öre.

The Swedish postal authorities announced this new mail item type with circular No. 47/1949 on 20 September 1949.

The aerogramme forms were sold through office supplies shops, not in post offices.  

Envelope for a packing unit of 20 aerogramme forms.

Southern Rhodesia: Background Information on Auxiliary Air Letters

I recently bought this air letter sent to Francis J. Field, the famous dealer specializing in aerophilately, on 7 March 1947, because the text (most of it unfortunately scribbled over) mentioned air letters.

Here is a reconstruction of the text as far as air letters are concerned:

Dear Sirs,

I apologize for the delay in
replying to your air letter of 16. 1. 47
- it arrived whilst I was absent on holiday.

I regret to inform you FIRST;
S(outh) R(hodesia) 6d air letter form - the "new printing"
which I reported (and on which my air letter
to you last sent was written) is no longer
available and the form now on sale is that
on which this air letter is written. I think
the new printing to which I refer was
from a local order placed with printers in
Bulawoyo owing to stocks in Salisbury P.O.
being exhausted. My surmise is that
with the post-war Imperial Air Scheme
opening up in Bulawoyo with heavy drafts of
RAF, there was an unusual run of members of
the Air Force on the 6d letter forms -
hence the shortage and inability of the
S(outh) R(hodesian) government Lithographic Press at
Salisbury being out of stock necessitying
local printing at Bulawoyo.

Second 3d imprinted type of
air letter for use of members of the Forces.
A fair stock of the above was
held by the Postmaster at Raylton Bulawoyo
even sometime after the end of hostilities
and the posting back to Great Britain of
the RAF stationed in Bulawoyo during the
war period. Therefore the P. M. at Raylton
in order to get rid of his stock attached
a 3d adhesive stamp and sold the forms
for civilian use at 6d per air letter.

The shortage of 6d air letter
forms (which happened whilst I was away on
holiday) enabled the P. M. Raylton to
get rid of his surplus stock of the 3d
air letter form for the Forces (with the addition of a 3d adhesive for civilian
use)

I really missed the 'bus
and deeply regret I am therefore unable to
comply with your request for supplies of
the forms mentioned.

...

Nauru: Official Aerogramme Form

Aerogramme form with the official handstamp "Administration of Nauru" in purple. The aerogramme form was used (11 NO 57) by the Postmaster Nauru to answer a question of a collector in the US.

Ghana: 1988 Provisional Aerogramme

1988 provisional aerogramme made of an aerogramme form for the 2nd Ghana Industry & Technology Fair and pre-paid by a 20.00 ȼ meter mark. 

NGK #12

Ghana: Newly Discovered Provisional Aerogramme

A newly discovered provisional aerogramme from Ghana (a country with lots of provisional aerogramme issues)

Ghana P&T "Inland Mail" lettersheet, handstamped "AIR MAIL" and meter marked 200 ȼ, which was the aerogramme rate at the time of posting (in 1996). Later that year, a regular aerogramme with this face value was issued.

Australia: Underpaid Aerogramme Form, Repaired by Postal Department

Australian privately manufactured aerogramme form, permit #58, small stamp box, “Affix / a / 10c / Postage / Stamp”. IMPERIAL AIR MAIL watermark, year code „C“ below „Air Mail“ for 1969. Printed letterhead of Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia on writing panel.

Sent from Melbourne (10 DEC 1974) to London, UK.

Franked at 15c, the aerogramme form was short paid by 5c. Double the deficiency was marked as the tax fraction’s numerator. The tax fraction’s denominator (15c) represents Australia’s international surface mail letter rate at that time.

Upon arrival in the UK the tax fraction was multiplied with Great Britain’s international surface mail rate (5½ p), resulting in 3⅔ p. This amount was rounded down to 3½ p postage due, documented with a green, boxed „3½ p tp pay“ handstamp and two postage due stamps.

The aerogramme form was damaged in transit while in Australia and repaired with adhesive tape „Repaired by / postal dept. / Vic.“

UK: No Air Letter Service to the US in May 1946

With the sole exception of the 1934 Iraq air letter issue, the United Kingdom was the first country to issue air letters for civilian use on June 18, 1943. Initially, the use of air letters was restricted to countries of the British Commonwealth.

Air letter (UK #4) sent from Droxford Southampton (20 MY 46) to Rosedale, US.
Franked at the 1s 3d air mail letter rate up to ½ oz, as the air letter service to the US was not yet established in May 1946.

The Imperial and Foreign Air Mail Leaflet, May 1946 edition, Supplement No. 5, published in January 1947, states: „The sixpenny air letter service is now available to the United States of America“.

Southern Rhodesia: No Air Letter Service to Switzerland

Southern Rhodesia #1 sent to Switzerland by an Italian internee at Camp 3 (Gatooma internment camp) on 4 NOV 1946.

Air letter service to Switzerland was not yet established at that time. Air letters - Aerogrammes - became a regular service of the UPU on 1 July 1953. Before, the acceptance of air letters in outgoing international mail was subject to bilateral agreements. 

Hence, the air letter was uprated to meet the 1s 3d ordinary air mail letter rate. Nonetheless, the air letter received the "By Air to London only" instructional handstamp. This handstamp was in use at Bulawayo from 1945 to 1947 and "is most often seen on covers addressed to the U.S.A." (McQueen, 1995, p. 165).

At London, the "By Air Mail" admonition was cancelled with a red handstamp (two parallel bars) and the air letter was transported to its destination by surface mail.


References
McQueen, I. (1995). Jusqu'a Airmail Markings (A. Study). Supplement. W. A. Page, Dartford.

India: "Understamped" 8 Annas Aerogramme

8 AS aerogramme (Wiegand #10) sent from Dadar/Bombay (24. 10. 56) to Cuba. The aerogramme was backstamped with a large rectangular instructional cachet "Understamped  / Returned to the sender / for making up the /  deficiency ... and / Reposting / ... Bombay ...". The deficiency was endorsed "0.4.0" for 0 (Rupees), 4 (Annas), and 0 (Pies) missing postage.

The sender added two 2 Annas stamps for the correct 12 AS aerogramme rate to the Americas and the aerogramme was finally posted 29 X. 56.


Reference
Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000.

Fiji: 1956 3d QEII Aerogramme - Short Paid but not Diverted to Surface Mail

The aerogramme was sent from Nausori (12 SP 56) to Hungary. The aerogramme rate to Hungary was 7d. Hence, the aerogramme was short paid. The postal clerk crossed out the „By Air Mail“ routing instruction to indicate diversion to surface mail.

Two things are mysterious, though:

• The surface rate to Hungary in September 1956 was 5d. Even though the aerogramme was short paid as a surface mail letter, it was not taxed.
• The arrival cancel Nyiregyhaza (24. IX 56, on reverse) suggests transfer by air mail.

Earlier date of usage than the earliest one (20. 10. 56) given by Duberal (1998).

References

Duberal, R. (1998). The Postal Stationery of Fiji.The Pacific Islands Study Circle of Great Britain. London.

Promoting Aerogrammes: A New Study on Postal Promotion for Aerogrammes

 

A study on postal promotion of aerogrammes has recently been published. The study lists and describes in detail meter marks, slogan cancels and the odd ephemera postal authorities have used to promote aerogrammes.

The study is available as a pdf-download for free. Here is how to get it:

1. Become a member of stampboards.comwww.stampboards.com
   This is the world's greatest forum for philatelists and membership is for free.
   
2. Send a request for a download link
   Once you are a member go to the thread related to that publication
   http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=73411
   and add a post to the thread. The author will then contact you by email and send you the download link.

New Zealand: Privately Manufactured Aerogramme Form "Lake Alexandrina - Tekapo"

Privately manufactured aerogramme form "Approved by The New Zealand Post Office Authority No.101" showing a view of Lake Alexandrina - Tekapo on the front panel and three smaller pictures (Pohutukawa, N. Z. Kiwi and Purakaunui Falls - Southland) on the back panel.

Franked at 45 c and sent to the UK in 1984

Printed by DRG Stationery

UK: Wrapper for Aerogramme Bundle

UK Greiner/Greiner #41, the 9d 1968 Christmas aerogramme, with a wrapper for a bundle of 48 aerogrammes. Each single aerogramme was sold for 10d, a 1d premium on the 9d face value.

Australia: Aerogramme with Enclosure. Additional Postage Collected from Sender

„Enclosure“ handstamp on Australian aerogramme. Aerogramme treated as an underpaid air mail letter. Instructional handstamp „Underpaid Postage collected from sender“, endorsed „60 c“ to make up for the $1 rate for air mail letters to European destinations, which was in place from Sep 25, 1986 – the day the aerogramme was posted.

UK Advertising Poster for Aerogramme

A post office poster (original size about 22 cm wide x 28 cm high) promoting the new large format 6 ½ p UK aerogramme issued April 26, 1972.

UK Paquebot mail "Not in Air Mail"

 

UK Greiner/Greiner #12i with printed letterhead of Cunard Line, R.M.S. Caronia
 

• „Air Letter“ is 23 mm wide, 
• top  edge of right sealing flap is straight, 
• top dotted frame line on front panel not broken,
•  oval in indicium not broken and
• last address line is 55 mm wide.

Posted on board R.M.S. Caronia, and fed into the postal network at Callo, Peru, (transit cancel on reverse), the air letter was not carried by air to its destination, the US. It was received in New York by steamer, as is documented by the four-line handstamp „Not in Air  Mail / Received via Steamer / G.P.O. (Foreign Sec.) / New York 1, N. Y.“.
 

Unusual Paquebot Mail.

Australia 1965 Christmas Aerogramme Dot Over "M" Variety

This is A-24B, the Dot over "M" in "CHRISTMAS" variety.


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

Belarus: 2003 Aerogramme

The 2003 aerogramme is still available at the post offices, it seems.

Germany: 60 Pf Rate Endorsed Manually

This is Germany #1 (with a dot after the "PF" in the indicium, and the first line of the admonition on the back panel is 78 mm wide). 

The aerogramme ("Luftpostleichtbrief") was sent from NÜRNBERG (25. 10. 48) via  FRANKFURT (26. 10. 48, on reverse) to APARHANT (48 XI 4) in Hungary.

On September 1, 1948, the aerogramme rate was reduced to 60 Pf. Existing stock of the 100 PF aerogrammes was used up but amended to the new 60 pf rate manually.

Australia: 10c Aerogramme with Large "c" Variety

This is Australia #A-35C, the large "c" in "10c" variety with "country of Destination" 2 ½ mm below the lowest address line.

Below is a close-up, with a normal height "c" on the right for comparison.

New Zealand: Pictorial Publications Privately Manufactured Aerogramme Form

Privately manufactured aerogramme form "Approved by the New Zealand Post. Authority No. 1005" showing Birds and Flowers of New Zealand (Kiwi, Kowhai).

Designed and produced by Pictorial Publications Ltd.

New Zealand: Katy Buck Privately Manufactured Aerogramme Forms

Privately manufactured New Zealand aerogramme forms "Approved by New Zealand Post Limited. Authority No. 1012 (top: New Zealand Morepork and native Hibiscus, bottom: Kiwis and Ferns).

Designed and produced by Katy Buck International Ltd.

Palestine: Registration for Air Letter Rejected

Air Letter (Wiegand #2) sent from HAIFA (23 JY 47) to Baltimore US. Uprated with a 10 Mills stamp to pay for registration fee. Registration, however, was not offered for air letters at that time, so the postal clerk voided the "Registered / Recommande" instruction and endorsed "No registered air letter".


Reference
Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000.

Burma: Provisional Aerogramme

Burma inland letter card with two-line handstamp "AIR LETTER / AEROGRAMME", a provisional aerogramme issued in 1955. 

A 35 P additional franking was necessary for posting as an aerogramme.

"AIR LETTER" ist 38 mm wide, so this is Wiegand #4b.


Reference
Wiegand, Katalog der Aerogramme von Asien, 2000.

Tuvalu: Australian Privately Manufactured Aerogramme Form

Privatley manufactured Australian aerogramme form, „Approved by Australia Post No. 2“.
Sent from Funafuti (19 MY 80) to Chicago, US. Franked at 20 c rate.

Fiji: 1944 Fiji Air Mail Letter Card

Overlay of a 30 % diagonal line screen and inscriptions in blue on white paper. Right folding flap is 65 mm, left folding flap is 6.15 mm wide.

Note at the bottom of the front panel reads „When folded .. with the blue border within …“
First day cover sent to Australia from Vatukoula (16 NO 44). In November 1944 the British Empire Airmail Scheme introduced the air letter service to be available for participating countries. The 7 d rate for air letters was introduced on November 16.
 
Very rare.

Folding flaps on both left and right side are 64 mm wide.
 
Sent from Suva (19 OCT 45) to Sunninghill, UK, 7 d rate.

Australia: Aerogramme Uprated because of Enclosure

This is Australia #A-6, sent from Claremont (5 FE 54) to Baltimore, US. Correctly uprated to the 2 s air mail letter rate to the US, because the aerogramme contained an enclosure.

The sender even endorsed this on the sealing flap: "(Extra postage added)".

The aerogramme shows a 5 mm pip at the bottom of the writing panel, 45 mm to the left of the overlay.