UK: Air Letter Posted from South Africa

UK 6d air letter posted in Cape Town, South Africa, in July 1950. South African circular “T 4d” tax handstamp. Not complying with UPU rules this air letter was (i) taxed (less than) single deficiency only (4d UPU letter rate) and (ii) the amount due was not endorsed in UPU centimes. It even did not match the required postage due.

The air letter was diverted to surface mail, as the “By Air Mail” routing instruction was voided with red pencil. The UPU letter rate in July 1950 was 4½d. Hence, two times this amount should have been marked postage due.

The correct amount in UPU centimes would have been 90 UPU centimes because 1d = 10 UPU centimes at the time of posting. However, in the US (which had 3 UPU ctms = 1 cent) a postage due of only 10 cent was charged to the addressee. 

Most likely, the UDS postal authorities did not recognize that the UK air letter was posted from South Africa and was marked postage due there. They mistook the taxation mark as a British one. The conversion rate between British currency and UPU centimes was 1d = 7 UPU centimes, yielding 4d = 28 UPU ctms, which was than converted into US cents at 3 UPU ctms = 1 cent (after rounding up).

Austria: Early Air Letter Form Franked at Full Air Mail Letter Rate

Air letter form (most likely of US origin) sent from Vienna (15. III. 48) to New York, US.
 
Franked at 2.20 S (air mail letter rate), which is 1 S UPU letter rate plus 1.20 S air mail surcharge (5 g of weight).
 
Foreign air letter forms used in Austria that early are quite uncommon.

Solomon Islands: Offical Use of Aerogramme Form

Aerogramme “Form approved by Postmaster General / Hong Kong No. 38” used as an official aerogramme form. Handstamped “Ministry of Agriculture and Lands” and postmarked  POSTAGE PAID (26 JA 77).
 
Sent to the US.

French Polynesia: Late Usage of 1991 Aerogramme

#9, issued in 1991, uprated with a 14F stamp to meet the 90F aerogramme rate at the time of posting (11. 3. 1997).

Australia: Registered Aerogramme

Aerogramme (Stein #A-7) sent registered to Italy in 1958. Total postage paid: 2s1d, which is 10d aerogramme rate plus 1s3d registration fee.

Keya, Uganda, Tanganyika: OHMS Aerogramme Form

OHMS aerogramm form with handstamp “On her Majesty’s service” sent from Nairobi (Official Paid 11 SP 58) to the UK.

Australia: 1981 33c Aerogramme - Missing Colors

 

Australia 33c aerogramme (#A55), issued 1981, with yellow and red color and helecon printing missing. Very rare.

 

Tanzania: New Discovery - Aerogramme #1 Uprated by Handstamp

Not listed in NGK: #1 with boxed handstamp “For Inland use only / Postage Paid 15 /-“

Israel: Aerogramme taxed as an short-paid air mail letter upon arrival in Hungary

Israeli aerogramme #1 sent from Binjamina (7. 1. 51) to Budapest, Hungary. 

Cancels of Budapest 72 (14. 1. 51 -8), Budapest 62 (14. 1. 51 -12), and Budapest 62 (14. 1. 51 -22) on the back. The Budapest 62 post office also applied the „T“ handstamp next to the indicium, attached the 40 and 60 Filler postage due stamps, and canceled them (14. 1. 51 -22). These postage due stamps were later voided with a boxed „ERVENYTELEN“ (void) handstamp because another post office was responsible for delivering the aerogramme and collecting the postage due. 

This post office was Budapest Keleti Posta, which attached two 50 Filler postage due stamps and cancelled them (17. 1. 51 -4). The post office also attached a „Kézbesitési elöjeyzés“ (Late Delivery) form with replicating the address but specifying the (postal) district VII and canceling the form (18. 1. 51 -11).

The aerogramme was treated as a short-paid air mail letter, most likely because it only shows the type designation „Air letter“ in Hebrew characters. 

As the air mail letter rate to Hungary was 40 Pr., double the deficiency was 30 Pr., which was also the UPU letter rate at that time. 100 filler was Hungary’s UPU letter rate at that time, i.e. the equivalent of the Israeli 30 Pr. postage due.

New Zealand: Aerogramme Form with Photo on Writing Panel

Like in Australia, private manufacturers of aerogramme forms have added photos on part of the writing panel to boost sales of these forms.

Aerogramme form “Approved for Posting in N. Z. / New Zealand Post Office Authority No. 17”. The photo is titled "Sunset on Ngauruhoe (7515 ft), from the Chateau".

Isle of Man: 1974 Commercially Used Aerogramme

Scarce commercial usage (informing addressee about new address) of the #2 aerogramme (6½ p + ½ p) from Port St Mary (19 JU 74) to the New Hebrides. Not collected and subsequently returned to the sender.