Volume 34, Number 9 June, 1963

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FOUR CENTS PER WORD per insertion. Minimum charge one dollar. Remittance must accompany order and copy. The AIRPOST JOURNAL. 350 No. Deere Park Drive, Highland Park, Ill.

PUBLICATIONS

DID YOU GET your copies of new re­prints of volume 1 & II of Airmail Cata­logues? They are going fast ... Order yours from: George D. Kingdom, Box 37, Conneaut, Ohio. Price $6.25 each ($6.50 overseas). Volume UI still available at $6.25.

COLLECTORS NEWS: monthly publica­tion for Collectors! Advertising, Pictures, Features. China, clocks, cars, coins, docu­ments, dolls, guns, toys, radios, stamps, etc. Sample copy 35c, Yearly subscription $3.00. Box 566, Columbus, Nebraska. *402

FOR SAL.E

UNITED NATIONS: New Airmail Postal Stationery Issued 4/26/63 - 6c card & Sc envelope. Limited number of Brochures prepared - each contains First Day of 6c card & Sc envelope, $1.00. Order promptly from Secretary: Ruth T. Smith, 102 Arbor Road, Riverton, N. J.

WANTED and EXCHANGE

WANT LIST: NB-36H Nuclear reactor on B-36, X-3, X-5, XP-59A, P-SO R-ramjet test bed, X-2 Kinchloe, X-13 Vertijet, XF-S4-H Turboprop version of F-S4, U-2 flights, D-55S-1, MX-324 first rocket plane of US Army, Ercoupe Rocket plane of Gen Bouchey, XB-47D turboprop testbed of B-47. Edmond C. Browne, 120 Kenil­worth Place, Brooklyn 10, N. Y.

WANTED: Kingsford Smith covers from Pacific/ Atlantic flights. Offer New Zeal­and Air Mails in exchange. Douglas Walk­er, 21 Macmillan Ave., Cashmere Hills, Christchurch, New Zealand.

WILLING to exchange my Chilean proof souvenir sheets for Zeppelin, catapults or DOX flight covers. Alfredo Saavedra M. Gay No. 2145, Santiago, Chile *39S

EARLY N. Z. flights, AAMS 12 & 13. Will swap for pioneer FFs any country. J. S Langabeer, 20 William Denny Ave., Auck­land W. 2, New Zealand.

UNCATALOGUED varieties N. Z. Domin­ion Airlines label on flown covers. Swap for pioneer FFs any country. J. S. Langa­beer, 20 William Denny Ave., Auckland W. 2, New Zealand.

WANTED: scarce aerogrammes, cards, envelopes, job lots and collections. Cash or exchange. A. Lewandowski, Box 1, New York 40, N. Y. *39S

AAMS EXCHANGE DEPAR'fMEN'J' BUY SELL - WANT LISTS

URGENTLY NEEDED: Names of auction buyers who are interested in bidding on pioneer, better grade, and Zeppelin c?vers in our auctions. U.S.A. offered exclusively. Send names to Herman Herst, Jr., Shrub Oak, N.Y. *401

WANTED: Stamps and Collections, Odds and Ends etc. for Our Mail Sales, Please Write Sam S. Beck 4626 Mankato Royal Oak, Mich.

CAM's, FAM's, Airport Dedications, Gov­ernment Flights, other covers and plate blocks in our auctions. Write for lists. Also e x ch a n g e. George Austed, 220 Orizaba Ave., San Francisco, 27, Calif.

WANTED: Club members to use the Sales Department. How about you? I can use your duplicate covers. Write Herman Kleinert 213 Virginia. Fullerton, Penna.,

WILL EXCHANGE Air Letters For Same, Or Will Take Air Covers, Stamps Etc., Herman Kleinert, 213 Virginia Ave., Fullerton Penna.,

NEED MINT or used Philippines C 32 Newfoundland Cll New Guinea Cl3 Brazil Cl5 Colombia C25-32-33-46-53-54-67 Cash or Trade. A. R. Campbell 18640 Prairie, Detroit 21, Mich.

NEED MINT or used Ecuador CF-2 Hon­duras C62-63 IFNI C47 Mozambique Cl3-14 Russia 12A Venezu.,la C17S Cash or Trade A. R. Campbell, 18640 Prairie, Detroit 21, Mich.

WANTED: Swiss Aero Material. Semi­Officials. Pioneer Sbmps, Mint and on Cover, First F Ii g h t s, Balloon Covers 'Vayne Fitzgibbons 5700 N. Orange Ave. Chicago 31, Illinois.

FIRST FLIGHT covers (275) CAM and FAM. Sell as one lot. A Bargain at $37.50. A. G. S c h a e ff er, 302 So. 7Sth St. Milwaukee 14, Wisconsin.

SEND ME 200 common AIRS and I will return same amount and kind, used pre­ferred. John G. Kunz, 2331 N. W. 15 St., Miami 35, Fla.

WANTED: Set three U.S.A. Graf Zeppelin stamps. Offer unmounted collection New Zealand flights in exchange. Douglas Walker, 21 Macmillan Ave., Cashmere Hills, Christchurch, New Zealand.

WANTED: postcards, photos and 1st flight covers of flying boats of the world. Law­rence DeMars, 501 Tenth Ave., W. Spen­cer, Iowa.

WANTED: flown covers on any U-2 flight. 'Vil! swap flown jet covers or cash. Ed­mond C. Browne, 120 Kenilworth Place, Brooklyn 10, N. Y.

WANTED: 19th century Albany, N. Y. cov­ers. Wm. Seifert, Jr., 4 Russell Rd., West Albany 5, N. Y. *39S

The American Air Mail Society

A Non-Profit Corporation Incorporated 1944

Organized 1923 Under the Laws of Ohio

PRESIDEN'l' Dr. James J. Matejka, Jr.

LaSalle Hotel, Chicago, Illinois

SECRETARY Ruth T. Smith

102 Arbor Road Riverton, N. J. TREASURER

John J. Smith 102 Arbor Road Riverton, N. J.

VICE-PRESIDENTS Joseph L. Eisendrath

Samuel S. Goldsticker, Jr. Herman Kleinert

Lester S. Manning EDITORS - Other Publications

L. B. Gatchell Geo. D. Kingdom

ATTORNEY George D. Kingdom SALES MANAGER Herman Kleinert

215 Virginia Ave. Fullerton, Pa. DmEGTOR OF

FOREIGN RELATIONS Dr. Max Kronstein

AUCTION MANAGER Samuel S. Goldsticker, Jr.

ADVANCE BULLETIN SERVICE Paul Bugg

3724 Old York Rd. Baltimore 18, Md.

TRANSLATION SERVICE Roland Kohl

Augusta-Victoria Str. 4 Wiesbaden, West Germany

AUDITOR Stuart J. Malkin

DIRECTORS Alton J. Blank, Herbert Brand­ner, Paul Bugg, Robert E. Har­ing, Dr. Max Kronstein, George L. Lee, Narcisse Pelletier, Horace D. Westbrooks.

MEMBERSHIP DUES - $4.00 per year

Include subscription to The AIRPOST JOURNAL. Appli­cants must furnish two refer­ences, philatelic preferred. At least one must reside in Appli­cant's home town. Applicants under 21 years must be guar­teed by Parent or Guardian. Membership may be terminated by the Society in accordance with its By-Laws. Correspondence concerning sub­scriptions, back numbers and bound volumes, address changes and other matters and all re­mittances should be sent to the Treasurer. All general com­munications and advertising should be sent to the Editor.

Official Publication of the

AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY

Vol. 34, Number 9 Issue 397

Contents - - - - - - For June, 1963

Complete Plans for 40th Convention.. . . 226

Swiss Pro Aero 1963 Special Stamp 226

Foreign Pioneer Airpost Flight, 1909-1914 ··················· 229

Society's Annual Benefit Auction 238

Unlisted Postal Cachet of London Blitz ......... ................... ................. 243

Official Section 245

Airs of the Month . . . 246

Miniature Sheet~ Enjoyable Sideline .. 248

APJ Ads. inside front cover

EDITOR Joseph L. Eisendraih

350 No. Deere Park Drive, Highland Park, lli. ASSISTANT EDI'l'ORS

Robert W. Murch Ernest A. Kehr L. B. Gatchell

DEPARTMENT AND ASSOCIATl!I li~OB.S R. Lee Black, N. Pelletier, Florence L. Kleinert, Dr. Max Kronstein, Richard L. Singley, William R. Ware, James Wotherspoon, John Watson, William T. Wynn, Frank Blumenthal, Samuel S. Goldsticker, Jr., J. S. Langabeer. Published monthly at Albion, Erie Co., Pa., U.S.A. Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office

at Albion, Pa., February 10, 1932, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

The AIRPOST JOURNAL is not conducted for profit. The Editor and all others serve without compensation. Receipts from advertising, sub­scriptions and contributions are applied to the betterment of the magazine and the promotion of aero-philately. The Editor and Officers of The American Air Mail Society assume no responsibility for the accuracy of statements made by contributors. Every effort is made to insure correctness of

all articles. Subscription Rates: $4.00 per year, 330 per copy. Advertising Rate Card available from the Editor.

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 225

Complete Plans for 40th Convention •

P LANS rhave been completed for the 40th Anniversary Convention to be held

at the Sheraton-Plaza Hotel in Boston, Mass. on July 12-14. While all meetings and functions will be held at the hotel, the exhibition will

be held in the new Cardinal Spellman Philatelic Museum at Regis College in Weston, a suburb of Boston. It will be strictly non-competitive. There will be no judging and no awards, but each participant will receive a certificate of Appreciation and Participation.

The Post Office Department will establish a convention station in the lobby of the hotel, to be open for all three days. On Friday, July 12, the Post Office Department will issue the new 6c Air Mail stamp for use on post cards. The Society is offering special Artcraft cards which may be secured at the hotel or through Ruth T. Smith, Secretary, 102 Arbor Rd., Riverton, N. J. Collectors are reminded that if covers are sent for First Day of Issue cancellation, they must have 2c addi­tional postage or a total of 8c.

On Friday a First Day of Issue luncheon will be held at the Sheraton-Plaza. George D. Kingdom, Past President of the Society, will preside. High postal offi­cials from Washington and Boston will speak as well as representatives from the United Nations Postal Administration, the Museum, the National Air Transport Association and philatelic organizations in the Boston area. There will be a display of rare postage stamps and essays in the lobby of the hotel presented by the U. S. Post Office and the U. N. Tickets to the First Day luncheon are $5.00 each and may be secured as provided hereunder. Early reservation is requested. After the first day luncheon the Society will hold its Annual Business Meeting. Friday night there will be a Presidents' Reception, followed by an auction of desirable Airpost material.

On Saturday, the whole day will be devoted to a trip to the Museum. Char­tered buses will proceed by way of Lexington and Concord and other historical places with stops at all. Luncheon will be served at the Museum. Price for all day tour, including lunch, is $6.00 per person.

The Annual Banquet will be held on Saturday night at the Sheraton-Plaza. Ernest A. Kehr, distinguished author and lecturer, will be Master of Ceremonies. The principal speaker will be G. J. (Jerry) Godbout of the Air Transport Associa­tion of America, who will speak on the part air mail plays in the national air trans­port scene.

The program will also include presentation of honors and installation of the new officers. Tickets including all gratuities, $8.00 per person.

Sunday will conclude the Convention. If an additional business meeting is necessary it will be held. The Post Office will be open until 12 noon.

Those planning to exhibit should write George D. Kingdom, P.O. Box 37, Conneaut, Ohio giving a description of what they will show and the number of frames desired (not to exceed 5). Each frame 24 x 36" -$3.00 per frame.

Those desiring tickets to various events should contact L. B. Gatchell, 6 The Fairway, Upper Montclair, N. J.

Remember: luncheon on Friday is $5.00 (includes souvenir brochure), trip to Museum is $6.00 and banquet Saturday is $8.00.

Special rates at the Sheraton-Plaza are in effect for the Convention. Direct your inquiry to Richard C. Stevenson, Convention Manager, and tell him that you plan to attend the Convention.

Swiss Pro Aero 1963 _Special Stamp and Commemorative Postal Flights

The 'Swiss Pro Aero Foundation,' which was established in 1938 for the encouragement of civil aviation, is celebrating it s 25th anniversary .this year. To mark this occasion a special stamp will be brought out on 1st June. It will only be valid for franking letters and cards to be ·Conveyed on the commemorative flight Berne-Locarno, or the helicopter ·feeder flight Lang­enbruck-Berne. Both flights will take place on 13th July. 1963. 50 years to the day ,after the first ;flight over the Alps, from Berne to Milan, was under­taken by Oskar Bider. The net proceeds from rthe sale of the stamp will go to Pro Aero for the promotion of the aims of t he Foundation.

Validity The Pro Aero stamp will only be valid ·for franking mail to be carried

on the special postal flights of 13th July, 1963. Sale of si'amps and stationery, delivery

The Pro Aero stamp 2. fr. denomination, can be obtained, uncan·celled. at all Swiss post offices from 1st J'llne rto 8th July, 1963. It is also •obtainable, for collection purposes, from the Philatelic Agencies PTT Berne and Basel, as follows: ·

uncancelled: 1st June to 3lsrt July, 1963 -cancelled by means of either of .the two special postmarks (see

below ) 13th to 31st July, 1963. At the above Agencies the following stationery prepared ·for the Pro

Aero stamp will also be on sale: Price per item

without stamp with stamp fr. fr.

Collection sheet No. 209 ..................... .. ........................ . -.10 2.20 Folder No. 56 .. .............. -.50 Special envelope without stamp. .. _ -30

2.60 2.50

.. .. .. .. Written orders should be addressed to the Philatelic Agency PTT. Berne (postal cheque account No 1116456) exclusively.

Special posi•al flights, mail items admiiied for transport The following fli.ghts will ibe 'Undertaken on 13th July, 1963: (a) Commemorative flight Berne-Loca.rno ~b) Helicopter feeder f light Langenbruck-Berne Admitted for tran·sport are only unregistered letters up lo 20 grams

and postcards intended for Switzerland and Liechtenstein (no urgent or express letters will be accepted). On letters and cards the desired route is to be indicaied as follows:

Bern-Locarno or

Langenbruck-Berne-Locarno Mail items wi'tihout indication of route will be oflown from Berne to

Locar.no.

THE AIRPOST JO URN AL, JUNE, 1963 227

All il:ems to be transpor:ted on these flights must have a Pro Aero stamp affixed. Letters and cards will have tv be enclosed in a stamped envelope and must be in the hands of the Philatelic Agency PTT by 10th July, 1963. The transport of items received after that date cannot be guaranteed.

Special postmark, postmark applied on arrival

Letters and cards will be postmarked with the one or the other of the special postmarks reproduced above, according to the route chosen. On request, loose Pro Aero stamps or Pro Aero stamps stuck on sheets will also be cancelled wi,th these postmarks. They are to be sent to the Philatelic Agency PTT, Berne not later than 13th July; for the returrt a self-addressed envelope fr-anked at the letter rate should be enclosed.

On their arrival at the post office Locarno I the items conveyed on the special postal flights will receive a machine postmark impression and will then be forward to destination.

Who Collects Aerophilatelic Documents? Is There Any New About Astrophilately?

Is Astrophilately A New Domain of Collecting?

The last few years a new domain of collecting is being formed amongst aerophilatelists, general collectors and topical collectors, which seems to have developed to a considerable extent.

With the first space flights of Sput­niks and Mercury capsules, no doubt a new period has started. Although no mail has been transported by them so far, the numerous stamp issues and first­day covers bearing cachets that are sometimes of real interest, are souvenir documents which we possibly might re­gret in the near future ·that we did not collect from the beginning.

It is known, and should not be a cause for surprise, that the interests of several groups (such as Post Services, Philatelic Federations and professional philatelists) entirely or partly coincide, or that they overshoot the mark which might have been fixed as being of a special interest for the domain of col­lecting. In time, however, it is hoped that a more moderate policy with regard to issues will be achieved. through the often repeated petitions and protests

•

228 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE,

that are made by the societies.

In consequence of n u m e r o u s in­quiries we should state, we think, that FISA has no restricting 'rules, nor even a boycotting list (of exhibitions and such), and that it does not meddle with the personal opinions of the col­lectors, as is done elsewhere.

All ·the societies and federations af­filiated to FISA keep that rule and strive to unite the astrophilatelists, as well as to encourage them, having them­selves special sections and groups of action in that direction.

In case you are interested, please apply to the aerophilatelic societies of your country, or to the Secretary General of FISA, Kriekenboslaan 29, Heverlee­Leuven I, Belgium, who can inform you about the societies that may be ap­propriate for you.

.Editor's note. The A. A. M. S. is not connected with F. I. S. A. but is in accord with what FISA hope; to acc01n­plish. We are gUid to give it space in our columns.

1963

Forei~ Pioneer Airpost Flights 1909-1914 C. SPECIAL POSTAL CANCELLATIONS OF THE PIONEER P·ERIOD

IX. Airfield .cancellations on the occasion of Pioneer Air Events in Germany 1911-1913

By Dr. Max Krons:tein

• The airfields of the pioneer period were usually sport fields, race tracks, or

military training grounds, which were sih1ated outside of the city area itself and which had therefore no postal facilities .

Even such well known airfields as Berlin's J ohannisthal Flying Ground did not have any special postal cancellation until 1913.

Therefore such special airfield cancellations which are found refer to special temporary postal facilities which were established during certain national air events. As they existed on a very limited time basis, these cancellations are just as scarce today as the postal cancellations of such airpost events which have previously been discussed. It is the purpose of the present article to identify some of these special cancellations in respect to their historical meaning.

I. T·he first postal special airfield cancellation in Germany was a cancellation "CHEMNITZ FLUGPLATZ" in use during tlhe Sachsen Round-trip between May 20 and June 1, 1909. (as illustrated). A special postcard was isued in connection with the Saxonian circuit flights.

This event started with a Chemnitz Aviation Week held sinmltaneously with the first Air Competition Week at the Upper Rhine. The opening day was rainy, but nevertheless the competitions were held. The aviator Lindpaintner-in 1912 one of the pilots of the Munich airpost flights-won a special award for a 30 kilometer flight with passenger, as well as winning at the same time the high altitude prize. Rover on Grade monoplane and H. Grade, the constructor of the Bork-Bruck air­mail plane, were among other winners.

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 229

This local aviation week was followed by overland flights over the main cities of t!he Kingdom of Saxony, starting with an overland flight Chemnitz-Dresden, where on May 25 a local aviation day was held, and continued the next day to Leipzig -where again a local aviation day took place-and from there to Flauen. Here the competition was held up for two days because of very bad rain. On May 31 the cir­cuit was resumed with an overland flight to Zwickau and back to Chemnitz, where the events had started. On June 1 they ended with another final aviat.ion day at Chemnitz. That is why the CHEMNITZ FLUGPLATZ cancellation can be found with any of the dates between May 20 and June 1, 1911. The first winner of the whole circuit was Laitsch, the second Aviatik flyer Buchner and third came Lind­paintner, who also won a number of special awards. It is typical of the peroid, th.at these three flyers received a total of more than $15,000 prize money.

Without a special cancellation there was an air competition in Western Germany on Sept. 25/0ct 2, 1910 as a "Distance Flight Competition" (WETTFERNFLIE­GEN) Trier-Metz ( 65 miles) when special cards were used, as shown here. The winner, Jeannin, (Aviatik) made the flight in 1 hour 50 minutes. Other com­petitors such as Hess, Thelen and Captain Engelhardt terminated their flights near Luxemburg, at Thionville and at Nancy.

II. THE SECOND POSTAL SPECIAL AIRFIELD CANCELLATION was used at the Kiel airfield during an aviation week as a part of a great GERMAN CIRCUIT FLIGHT for the award established by the Berlin newspaper "Berliner Zeitung", that is for the "BZ Prize of the Air". Special cards were available show­ing pictures of airfield scenes with the photos of some competitors (in circular shape), There was also an "Offizielle Postkarte" with an imprinted emblem of a monoplane in front of the sun with the inscription "RUNDFLUG BZ PREIS DER LUFTE". Many German cities took part in this event but only the Kiel airfield established a special postal facility which used a special cancellation from June 17 to June 23. The cir­cuit had started on June 11 at Johannisthal near Berlin with 25 aviators off for magdeburg. Schwerin and Hamburg, reaching Kiel on June 17. Wincziers, Lind­paintner and Buchner were the first to arrive there. A whole week of aviation events was scheduled to be 'held at Kiel, where at that time a National Rifle Shooting Competition also took place ( Bundesschiessen"). That is why both events are

230 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963

mentioned in . the postal cancellation: KIEL-FLUGWOCHE-BUNDESSCHIESSEN­( date) (Time of day); also, two special vignettes were issued there, one referring to the shooting competition and showing a target in form of a balloon-like design,

the other referring especially to the aviation events and showing a monoplane over the city harbor with inscription "FLIGHTWEEK KIEL - 18-24. June 1911". In spite of very poor weather this aviation week was eventful, with H. Hirth on a Rumpler monoplane establishing a new German high altitude record ( 2200 meters) and with Reinhard on an Euler Biplane flying high over the German Fleet, anchored in the Kiel Harbour at that time. The next day (June 20) Hirth also flew over the harbor to win a special award. On June 23 the overland circuit was resumed, and the operation of the airfield postal facilities in Kiel ended.

At Hannover an aviation day was 'held on June 25. They continued-with special aviation days in larger cities__,Munster, Coln, Dorbnund, Kassel, Nordhausen, Halberstadt and back to Berlin, where they arrived on Junly 10. At the Nordhausen stage special flight events were held over the Harz Mountains with a card showing a large biplane (and smaller planes) over Nordhausen inscribed "German Circuit Flight 1911-With Aeroplanes over the Harz-Nordhausen Aviation Days 3-5 July 1911." as shown.

The first prize of $10,000 with a trophy went to Koenig, who had flown success­fully over a route of ll80 miles; second winner was Vollmoeller over nearly the same distance, followed by Buec1hner ( 850 miles) and by Lindpaintner ( 765 miles).

III. THE THIRD SUCH SPECIAL AIRFIELD CANCELLATION was used at Kiel in the following year. This year 1912 found the country much more air­post-conscious, since the great airpost-card-week at Darmstadt ("On Rhine and Main") had been a national airpost event. It might be mentioned that shortly before the 1912 Kiel events the Language Commission ( Sprac1h-commission) of the Garman "Luftfa.hrer Verbandes" went into a consideration of the meaning of the word

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 231

"Flug Post Karte" (Flight Post Card) and ruled that only airplanes can fly; balloons travel in the air. Therefore only airplanes could be referred to as to carry­ing flight post cards. Balloons and airships could carry "Luftfahr Karten" (Air Traveling Cards or Air Navigation cards) only. Quite a world-moving decision at that time.

232 THE AIRPOST ;TOURN AL, JUNE, 1963

Whatever the names might have been, the cards and covers with the Kiel special cancellation "KIEL-NORDMARKFLUG - date - time of day" were not carried by plane or airship. This cancellation refers to the post despatches not t'he special auxiliary postal station at the Flying or Sporting Grounds at Kiel. These are very scarce today, (One such item is pictured here). A special vignette was used for this occasion. This was perforated showed a blue frame witih the inscription "Nordmarkflug - 16 Juni - 8. Juli 1912". In the center a Taube monoplane was shown in flight, coming in from the sea over a flat countryside with a light house in the distance. The meaning of the word "Nordmarkflug" in the postal cancellation refers to the fact that the Kiel Aviation Days were actually the start of an Air Com­petition over the northern frontier area of Germany. The Kiel Days were scheduled for June 16 to 21. 1912, which limit the operation of the special postal facilities and of the special cancellation. Here too, the weather was so poor ·that on June 18 three aviators were forced to emergency landings. Nevertheless two German records were broken, when Casper on Rumpler monoplane reached an altitude of 3240 meters and Hir~h on Rumpler with one passenger reached an altitude of 2500 meters. The Great Prize of Kiel was won by Stoeffler on a plane of the Luftfahrzeug V. GeseTI­schaft, with Hirth on Rumpler monoplane as second.

There was a special competition for what was called the "Sea Post Prize" established by the local newspaper, Kieler Neueste Nachric'hten. Here it was neces­sary to fly, with a passenger to the Bulk Lightship (Bulker Feuerschiff), anchored 20 kilometers from the shore. There a mailbag was to be dropped. equipped to float on t'he water. One had to deliver this bag quickly and to drop it as close to the ship as possible. The winner, Baierlein on an Otto Biplane dropped the sea mail 2 yards from the ship. The two runners-up both dropped it 130 yards from the ship. Every contestant required ten minutes for the round trip. The contents of these bags has never been revealed.

On June 22 the aviators left Kiel for the Circuit, called the "Nordmarkflug" landing in Flensburg, continuing on June 24 to Husum and Heide and on June 26 to Itzehoe and Elmshorn and finally to Altona~Bahrenfeld. Here there was another post­al cancellation, which reads (according to the Sieger German Airpost Catalogue XI. Edition): "Altona-Bahrenfeld-1912-Nordmarkflug". This reviewer has never seen this cancellation, but the catalogue states that it was used between June 26 and July 1. On that day .there was a local aviation day at Segeberg. The vignette of the Nordmarkflug evists with an added white strip inscribed "Fliegert:ag Solbad Segeberg-1 Juli 1912". The winners of the Nordmarkflug were Hartman on Wright Biplane and Baierlein and Lt. Kruger.

Kiel had another special postal airfield cancellation one year later during the Kiel Aviation Week on July 10 to July 15, 1913 reading "KIEL-FLUGWOCHE 1913 - date and time of day". This was a local aviation event, Prince Henry of Prussia -the brother of the Emperor and sponsor of German aviation of that period-was present, and was a passenger for a one hour flight of Lt. Canter over the Kiel Har­bour. Attempts were made to replace the 1912 seapost drops by attempted hits on an old ship anchored in !Jhe Harbor. Engineer Schlegel on Aviatik Plane won the first prize, the results being in general quite unsatisfactory.

IV. THE FIRST POSTAL CANCELLATION of the Airfleld at Berlin­J ohannesVhal

From the start of aviation in Central Europe, Johannesthal Flying Ground was one of the busiest airfields. No special postal facilities or special cancellation had been awarded to this air center. On August 19, 1911 it was the take-off point for one of the earliest newspaper delivery flights, when Hoffman on a Harlan plane

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 233

with Lt. Steffen as passenger and a package of newspapers left at 4:25 p.m. for Frankfurt on .the Oder, arriving there at 5:55, delivering the papers there one hour faster than would have been p o s s i b 1 e by train. The postoffice did not partici­pate in this experiment.

There was a national aviation week preceding the flight to the Kiel Aviation Week of 1912, but again no postal cancellation was awarded to the field. The earliest cancellation is reported from August to October, 1913. It reads, "Johan­nisthal b. Berlin - Flugplatz - date and time of day". The same cancellation was later used again in 1921.

In August, 1913 the airfield was the center of national distance flights and the base of a French distance flight experiment. A few examples to show the progress in German aviation since 1909 follow. Lt. Joly (Rumpler monoplane) arrived on a non-stop flight from Cologne, and continued non-stop to Konigsberg, returning the same route. Reschelt, in a Harlan monoplane, arrived non-stop from Kiel and con­tinued non-stop to Posen, covering 560 kilometers in one day. He hoped to win a 3000 Mark annual pension, promised by the National Aviation Funds for the greatest overland distance flight within 24 hours covering at least 500 kilometers. But this prize was won by Schuler on an Ago plane for a flight from Berlin to Vienna. Another such flight that month was Helmuth Hirth's non-stop flight on an Alba­tros monoplane from Berlin to Mannheim in five hours.

The French pilot Letort came by air from Paris and attempted a return flight, with Miss Galanschikoff as passenger. He made Hanover on the first day, Cologne the second day• but 60 kilometers from Paris he was forced to an emergency landing.

In October, 1913 the airfield was the scene of the Fall Aviation Week and here evidently the special airfield cancellation was still in use. These items are difficult to find.

V. THE AIRFIELD CANCELLATION Dresden - Kaditz Dresden was not one of the most active aviation centers of the pioneer period,

although aviation days were held at several flying grounds. On Septe!Ilber 2/3, 1913 there were celebrations at Reichenberg - Boxdorf. There were no special cancella­tions, only special postcards, showing a biplane and a monoplane in flight over a 'hill with inscription "Dresdner Flugtage - Flugplatz Reichenberg - Boxdorf'. Ka­ditz airfield received shortly afterwards a special postal cancellation, beginning late in October 1913 during an especially active season. This cancellation reads "DRES­DEN - Neust. - date - FLUOPLATZ K.AiDITZ". It came in operation on October 26, 1913 when the Zeppelin airship "SACHSEN" arrived there on its 200th trip; it used Dresden as its base until December 7. During this time it left on November 5 for Liegnitz, where a special airstamp was used during its flights .there ( Airpost Journal, March 1961). On November 9 it flew from to Haida in Bohnen, where Austrian air stationery and cancellations were used. (Airpost Journal, October 1961). It returned the same day to Dresden for passenger flights between Novem­ber 12 to 29, after which it left for Hamburg on December 7, 1913.

On October 31, an aviation day was held there. The German, Bruno Koenig, participated, as did France's famous Loop the Loop aviator, Pegoud, whose appear­ance was always one of .the great sensations.

During the period from the arrival of the Zeppelin (Oct. 26) and the Aviation Day ( Oot. 31) the special airfield cancellation was used. It is not known to this reviewer if it was continued beyond that date up to the departure of the airship on December 7. The same cancellation was resumed after the first world war in 1919 and was oontinud up to 1921 as the cancellation of the airport postal facilities. The 1913 items are difficult to find today.

234 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE. 1963 235

236

The Philatelic History of Aerophilately ~eiie, feat ol/ t1k ~· U a~ 4et al 16 ~ ~ ~9 t1k ~~ oJ ;'/~.

-'- .. . ....

•

SPECIAL EILMIER Ro IL<O>~<Gr

THE AIRPOST .JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963

Spaces are provided for thirty-one history mak­

ing covers, beginning with the Paris "Par Balloon

Monte" Flights of 1870, continuing with the

first Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific flights,

the various historic Contract Airmail Routes,

first Helicopter flights, right up to the recent

Jet flights. These colorful sky-blue pages pro­

vide the perfect setting for your airmail covers.

The complete set of 16 pages, punched for

3-ring binders -

Package of 16 blank pages with the Aero­

philately design to match above album -

A complete collection of 31 covers, including an original Par BaUoon -

Monte cover, for the above album pages, a complete

exhibition showpiece for -

22 ~ORTHH 2~ID> S'lro~ HHARRHSimlUR<G, IP Ao

Life Member: AAMS

APS SPA

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 237

S 0 C I E T Y' S A N N U A L B E N E F I T A U C T I 0 N The next auction of the American Aimmil Society will be held on Friday

evening, June 12th at the Sheraton-Plaza Hotel, Boston. It will be a combined floor and mail sale; Therefore mail bids are encouraged from collectors unable to be pre­sent at the Convention. As bidding is not restricted to AAMS members all airmail collectors are encouraged to submit ·bids. As this is a donation and benefit auction - for the benefit of the AAAMS Publication Fund, you are urged to bid generously. All catalogue listings are from the American Airmail Catalogues and Scott's 1963 Postage Stamp Catalogues.

Unual auction rules prevail. The condition of all lots may be considered as collectable (except where noted) and lot improperly described may be returned within three days of receipt. No charge is made for executing mail bids, but a nominal fee to cover postage, insurance, and handling, will be charged each suc­cessful bidder. All lots must be paid for within one week of receipt. Bidders not known to the Society will receive an itemized list of their successful bids and are expected to remit for them before the lots can be mailed.

Use a postal card or sheet of paper for your bids and mail them to: SAMUEL S. GOLDSTICKER, JR.: 70-D FREMONT STREET BLOOM­

Fl<ELD NEW JERSEY: before Friday, July 5th. After that date, late bids should be mailed to him at; SHERATON-PLAZA HOTEL; BOSTON, MASS­ACHUSETTS (mark envelope - "Hold for arrival on July l Uh"),

LOT# CAT# AND DESCRIPTION: VALUE UNITED STATES AIRMAIL STAMPS

1 United States C35 and C58. Two plate Blocks-4. 15c Airmail. Plate #25941 LR and 26487 LL. ................................................................................................................................ 3.00

2 United States C40, C45, C47, C49. One plateblock-4 from each of these 6c Airmail Commemoratives. Plate #'S are 24088UL, 24156 LR, 24783 UR, and 25761 LL .................................................................................................................................................. 3.00

3 United States C48, C50, C51. 3 airmail plate blocks-4 25034 LL, 26053 UL, 26044 UR. .. ........................................................................................................................ :................... 1.25

FOREIGN AIRMAIL STAMPS 4 BRAZIL - C41 & C42. Mint Block-4 of each .................................................................... 8.00 5 BRAZIL - C47. Mint Block-4. Part of marginal inscription. .................................... 4.00 6 CZECHOSLOVAKIA - C29, C30, C31, C33, C34, C36, C37. 7 mint blocks-4

(one from each stamp) ..................................................................................................................... 11.00 7 ESTONIA - Cl & C3. Used Good copies of these triangles ............................ 4.00 8 FRANCE - C25 & C26 mint. Good singles ........................................................................ 8.50 9 FRANCE - C27 mint, single. . ................................................................................................... 16.50

10 FRANCE - C27 used, single ........................................................................................................ 2.75 11 GERMANY - C42. 4m value of Zeppelin North Pole issue with overprint.

UNUSED, small piece of paper attached to back, but in good condition. .. .. 80.00 12 ICELAND - COl UNSUED with overprint. One small thin spot on back ........ 5.00 13 ICELAND - C3 used ........................................................................................................................ 1.50 14 LATVIA - CBll. Unused. Crease near top. .................................................................... 2.25 15 LATVIA. - C3. Good mint copy. ........................................................................................ .75 16 LIBERIA - C37 through C44. Used ................................................................................ 1.50 17 LIBERIA - C71 through C76. Road Building issue. Good mint copies ............ 5.00 18 LIBERIA - 347 thru 349 & C88-C90. Mint copies of Sports and Tenth Anniver-

sary United Nations issues. ........................................................................................................ 2.50 19 NICARAGUA - COll & C012. Mint blocks-4 of each issue. ................................ 3.00 20 ROUMANIA - CBlO. Mint block-4 with marginal inscriptions. ................................ 1.50

UNITED STATES FIRST DAY COVERS 21 United States ClO. lOc Lindbergh. 6[18[27 St. Louis, Mo. Special cachet on

envelope. Very good. ........................................................................................................................ 2.50 22 United States #799-802. Territorial issue. Four uncacheted F. D. C. Hawaii

has block-6 and single, Alaska has pair, Puerto Rico and Virgin Is. have

238 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963

blocks-4. Very Nice. ........................................................................................................................ 3.00 23 United States National Parks issue (1934). Nice matching set of 10-FDC

(except 4c is not on cacheted envelope). ............................................................................ 5.00 24 United States #C51 (7c blue airmail). Philadelphia, Penna. July 31, 1958.

Cacheted envelope has two stamps and two postmarks: (1) American Air Mail Society Convention Sta. (2) Philadelphia Penna. First Day Of Issue. This post-mark was applied in RED instead of black, A rare F. D. C ................................... 3.5o+

25 United States 10c Aerogram (UC62). St. Louis, Mo. Sept. 12, 1958. Cacheted. This was the actual first one sold and was presented to Robert W. Murch (Pres. of the AAMS at that time) by the St. Louis Postmaster; endorsed ........ 1.00+ (See Authograph Section for an additional U. S. First Day Cover)

FOREIGN FIRST DAY COVERS 26 COSTA RICA #289. Mar. 7, 1960. (C289). Soccer issue. 2 col. Souvenir sheet

(with marginal inscriptions). On large-size (#10) envelope which had been folded. .. .................................................................................................................................................. 1.50+

27 COSTA RICA - Four different FDC from 1960 & 1961. Covers are C290&C291, C293, C314 & C315, and C316 to C319. ........................................................................................ 2.50

28 CUBA - Two diff. F.D.C. (1) Carlo de La Torre issue (607 & Cl84) and (2) Asta issue (Cl97). Good ................................................................................................................ 2.00

29 PERU - Sept. 15, 1937. FDC of Official Interamericana Aviation Technical Conference. On Official envelope. ........................................................................................ 1.75

30 U. S. S. R. (#2309). FI:;>C of issue showing rocket approaching far side of moon. Very Good. .............................................................................................................................................. 2.00

31 EAST GERMANY. Dec. 28, 1962. 8-stamp "Sheetlet" showing "Five Years Of Soviet Space Flights." Understood to be limited ............................................................... 5.0o+

FOREIGN FLIGHTS 32 COLUMBIA 2l9J30. 1st SCADTA flight, Quito to Latacunga ..................................... 10.00 33 GERMANY: June, 1934. Catapulted from SS Europa to New York City, then

flown to .Ecuador. . ................................................................................................................... est. 2.50 34 ECUADOR 9/24/58. 1st flight - Quito Rio de Janeiro via Amazon Valley.

Cacheted. Very attractive ..................................................................................................... est. 3.00 35 ECUADOR July 1932. 1st flight, Loja to Guayaquil and then to Quito. Cacheted

and backstamped. Very neat. .................................................................................................... 4.00 36 AUSTRALIA Jan., 1958. 1st Round-The-World Commercial flight of Qantas

Airlines. On special envelope. .................................................................................................... 2.50 37 FRANCE 10j6J57. 1st Lufthansa flight, Paris to Dusseldorf. Cacheted and

backstamped. ........................................................................................................................................ 2.50 38 HOLLAND and NEW ZEALAND Oct. 1953. set of two covers on Christchurch

Air-Race; Holland to New Zealand and New Zealand to Holland. On special KLM envelopes. .................................................................................................................................... 3.00

ZEPPELIN COVERS 39 USS MACON: 10 different covers commemorating this dirigible. Most of them

postmarked on various Naval Vessels on Feb. 12, 1935, the day the Macon crashed at sea. All cacheted. ........................................................................................................ 1.50

40 USS AKRON: 2 covers - Coast-to-Coast and Training flights. Both with official cachets and backstamps. Good ................................................................................ 1.50

AIRPORT DEDICATION COVERS 41 San Antonio, Texas. Sept. 26, 1963 (#1-78). No cachet ................................................ 2.00 42 Purchase, New York Feb. 13, 1945 (#R-3a) Only 35 known. .................................... 4.00 43 Gadsden, Alabama. June 1, 1947 (#T-116). Cacheted. ................................................ .75 44 Hutchinson, Kansas June 1, 1956 (#AC-30) P/rinted Cachet .................................... .25

UNITED STATES SOUVENIR HISTORICAL FLIGHTS 45 SH 656. Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 7, 1931. Record Transcontinental Flight of Major

Jimmy Doolittle. Cacheted ............................................................................................................. 25.00 46 SH 688 Oakland, Calif. Dec. 17, 1934. National Aviation Day. Flown by Roscoe

Turner and C. Pangborn. Cacheted ......................................................................................... 10.00 JET FLIGHTS

47 Ten different International Commercial First "Jet" Flights. All cacheted and backstamped. . ................................................................................................................................. est 2.50

48 J383, J383f, J383u. TSA Airlines first jet, New York to Buenos Aires. All cacheted and backstamped. . ....................................................................................................... 1.50"

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 49 20 & 20aa Jan. 28, 1928. U. S. Army Experimental Flight Manila to San Jose

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 239

and San Jose to Manila Cacheted. .................................................................................... 25.00 SPECIAL CATALOGUE

50 KESSLER AEROGRAM CATALOGUE (1962). Two complete loose-leaf volumes listing all known aerograms (Air Letter Sheets). Limited printing ..................... 15.00

FOREIGN ROCKET FLIGHTS 51 Belgium, May 9, 1935. Rocket "Zeemeeuw." Cacheted, backstamped, and four

private Rocket labels. .................................................................................................................... 5.00 52 Belgium, May 9, 1935. Rocket "Belgica." Cacheted, autographed, backstamped,

with four private Rocket labels. ................................................................................................ 5.00 53 Belgium Sept. 4 1935. Rocket "RV-3." Cacheted, autographed, backstamped,

with private labels. Rocket crashed upon landing. ........................................................ 5.00 54 Belgium, Sept. 4, 1935. Rocket "Jupiter P26. Cacheted autographed, and

private label. This Rocket also crashed ................................................................................. 10.00 55 Belgium June 4, 1936. (Albert Place). Two covers. Rockets "Albertine RVS"

and "Barbara P31." Both cacheted, autographed, and have labels. . ....................... 10.00 56 Belgium, June 4, 1936. Postcard with photo of Charles Robert. Flown in Rocket

''Barbara P31." cacheted. ............................................................................................................ 5.00 57 HOLLAND, JAN. 24, 1935. Rocket "Poolstar Pl2." Cacheted and private label. 5.00 58 Holland, March 6, 1935. Rocket "Zucker." Special rocket label cachet,

autograph, and backstamp. .................................................................................................... 10,00 59 Luxemburg, July 7, 1935. Rocket Flight. Two special labels, cacheted, and

autographed. 300 flown .................................................................................................................. 5.00

UNITED STATES CONTRACT AIRMAIL FLIGHTS "CAMS" 60 2S7fb 2/21/28. Chicago to St. Louis. Cachet & vackstp. Postmarked at Chicago

& AIR MAIL FIELD MOTOR TRUCK. This was the first known Highway Post Office in the U. S. A. Scarce ......................................................................................... 20.00

61 2S8 and 2S9 Combination 2/21/28. Two covers. Peoria to St. Louis and Spring-field to St. Louis (with bi-color cachet) ............................................................................ 3.00

62 3Ell 7 /4/28. First flight into Tulsa from Dallas. ............................................................ 5.00 63 3S7. 5112126. Fort Worth to Dallas. Cachet & backstamp ............................. Scarce 6.00 64 8S20, 8N20, and R8N21. 2/2/33. 3 covers. San Francisco to Los Angles, San

Francisco to Medford, and Oakland AMF to San Francisco, All with unofficial cial backstamps. . ................................................................................................................................. 15.00

65 9E42. 3j2j33. Milwaukee to Detroit. Unofficial cachet and Pilot autograph. ........ 6.00 66 lOSl thru 10N4. 411126. Jacksonville - Tampa - Fort Myers - Miami. 12 covers.

Complete point-to-point coverage ....................................................................... : ..................... 18.50 67 1083 4/1,/26 Fort Myers to Miami, cachet and backstamp ......................... Scarce 7.50 68 1088. 9j15j26. Tampa to Miami. Cachet & backstamp ......................................... Rare 15.00 69 1181 thru 11N4. 4121127. Cleveland - Youngstown - McKeesport - Pittsburgh.

Complete set of 5 directional covers. .................................................................................... 4.00 70 13N3b. 9/4/26. Philadelphia to New York with cachet ................................................. 15.00 71 15N3. 10jlOl26. Norfolk to Washington. Cachet and backstamp. ............................ 3.25 72 9NW62, 9NW63, 9SE63, 9NE64. 9115135. Addition of Helena, Mont. (with in-

bounds). 4 covers. Unofficial cachet. .................................................................................... 8.00 73 77E61, 77E62, 77W62, 77W64. 10125159. 4 covers. All with official cachets and

backstamps ........ ,.............................................................................................................................. 6.60 74 9W36. 312133. Mandan to Billings. ,Backstamp. Unofficial cachet. On legal

size airmail envelope. ...................................................................................................................... 6.00

UNITED STATES FOREIGN ARMAIL FLIGHTS (FAMs) 75 FlS-16. 6l27j39. Southampton to New York ........................................................................ 1.00 76 FlB-33. 6jl7l46. Prague to New York. Registered. ........................................................ 1.50 77 FlB-73, FlB-74, F18-75a, F18-75b, Fl8-'15c, Fl8-75d. June, 1947. Eire-Calcutta,

Istanbul Calcutta, Calcutta - Istanbul, Calcutta - London, Calcutta - Eire, Cal-cutta - Gander. (six covers) .......................................................................................................... 10.25

78 FlS-105, Fl8-105f, FlB-107. November, 1948. 3 covers. New York and New York AMF to Barcelona; and Barcelona to New York ................................................. 5.25

79 FlS-245. 4j25l55. New York to Teheran. Official cachet. Backstamped. POST­MARKED AT UNITED NATIONS (with U.N. stamps). This was prior to offi-cial U.N. handling and dispatching of covers ............................................. Very rare 15.00 (Note: This cover is NOT listed in the American Airmail Catalogue. RESERVE BID .................................................................................................................................... 15.00

30 F27-35 and F27-37. Sept. 1, 1946. 2 covers. Washington - Tripoli and New

240 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963

./

~ -

81

82

83

84

85

86 87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

York - Tripoli. No cachet ............................................................................................. Scarce 12.50 W1-3 and W1-4. December, 1927. WIAE. Santo Domingo to San Juan, and Santo Domingo to Fjort-au-Prince. Cacheted. Autographed by B. L. Rowe. ........ 8.50

TRANS-OCEANIC FLIGHTS T0-1062. 10[1[27. ·Experimental Flight, Amsterdam (Holland) to Batavia, Dutch East Indies. Special cachet and backstamp. ........................................................................ 20.00 T0-1064. (variety). Experimental Air Service, Dutch East Indies to Holland. Postmarked Batavia 10[17[27 and backstamped at Gravenhague 10[28j27 ............. 20.00 1068b. 2j7[23. Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Chas. A. Lindbergh Caribbean Flight, in "Spirit of St. Louis". Has special Cuban cachet and backstamp in addition to regular Haiti cachet. Very good ................................................................................................. 17.00 1124b. 11[8[30. DO-X flight. Postmarked Amsterdam, Holland, Nov. 7th, with additional "On Board" Dornier postmark Nov. 8. Appears to have been flown to Canary Islands. Scarce. . ....................................................................................................... 25.oo+ 1124e. 8[4J31. DO-X flight, Brazil to New York. Cacheted ......................................... 25.00 1138. 4[21[31. Grafton, NSW (Australia). 1st Official Airmail Flight, Australia to England. Cacheted on back. Registered. Also has both mint and used pair of Australia C-2 (Cat. $2.00 per stamp). Very good ............................................. 30.00t 1153. 11[18[31. Camooweal, Queensland (Australia). Special Australia - Eng-land Christmas Mail Flight. Cacheted. ................................................................................ 2.50 1191a. 1[4J34. Special Christmas Flight. Netherlands East Indies to Holland in ''Postjager". . ......................................................................................................................................... 10.00 1210 (variety). 7[30j34. Trans-Tasman VH-UXX "Faith In Australia" flight, postmarked Cairns, Queensland. b/s at Sydney. Not listed in Catalogue ..... 15.0o+ 1217a. 10[20[34. MacRobertson Air Race, Netherlands to Australia. Flown by Parmentier and Moll in "Uiver". Cover has slight tear. Cacheted and back-stamped. . ............................................................................................................................................. 25.00 1220. 12[27[34. Inaugural Service, Holland to Curacao via "SNIP". Cacheted and backstamped. Cover has crease. . ................................................................................... 30.00 1221. 12j19j34. Netherlands - Batavia Christmas Flight via "Uiver". Plane struck by lightning and only small quantity of mail salvaged. All stamps soaked off cover. A nice crash item ......................................................................................... 15.00 1227. 2[16[35. Marseille, France. Codas - Rossi attempted flight, France to South America. On special commemorative card. Scarce ............................................. 50.00 1375a. 6[28[46. Air France Trans-Atlantic inaugural. New York to Paris. Ca-cheted and backstamped ............................................................. ;................................................ 2.00 8[30[54. 'Iberia Air Lines inaugural, New York to Madrid. Postmarked at United Nations (with U.N. stamps used for postage). Has cachet of NYC­AMF. This was before the United Nations officially dispatched first flights. (Not listed in the American Airmail Catalogue). RARE. RESERVE BID ........ 15.00 5[28[54. Swissair inaugural, Zurich to Rio de Janeiro, cacheted and backstamp-ed (at Sao P,aulo). ............................................................................................................................ 5.00 4[23[56. Paris, France. Lufthansa First Flight, Paris to New York. Cacheted and backstamped. ................................................................................................................................ 2.50 February, 1954. Japan Airlines Trans-Pacific Inaugural. 3 covers on specially printed envelopes. San Francisco to Tokyo; Honolulu to Tokyo; and Tokyo to San Francisco. .................................................................................................................................... 5.00

AUTOGRAPHED COVERS 100 JOHN H. GLENN, JR., on 1st Day covers of 4c. Project Mercury (block 4).

RESERVE BID .................................................................................................................................... 15.00 101 ORVILLE WRIGHT on cover commemorating 25th Anniversary of ·wright

Bros. first flight. RESERVE BID .............................................................................................. 15.00 102 BASIL L. ROWE on 1st Day Cover of Dominican Republic first airmail stamp.

(May 31, 1928) ..................................................... ; ............................................................................. . 103 WALTER HINTON (1st man to fly Atlantic - in NC-4) on special cover ........ .

MISCELLANEOUS COVERS 104 26 different National Airmail Week (May 15-21, 1938) covers from Massachu-

setts. . .................................................................................................................................................... . 105 35 different National Airmail Week covers (non-duplicating lot 104) ............ . 106 30 various airmail covers (Jets, CAMs, FAMs, commemorative covers, Air

Shows, etc.) .......................................................................................................................................... . 107 10 different Naval covers, including "Deep Freeze", "Nata", etc ............................ .

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 241

Earhart Stamp Design Released

In unveiling the Amelia Earhart com­memorative postage stamp, Postmaster General J. Edward Day gave an insight into the difficulties that beset the Post Office Department in selecting the ap­propriate city in which to first issue a stamp honoring tihe famous flier who had moved around so much in her lifetime.

Design of the 8-cent commemorative stamp was displayed during a reception April 25, at the National Aviation Club, in Washington, D. C., that was attended by 150 persons prominent in aviation and government. The stamp will first go on sale next July 24, in Atchison, Kansas, "here Miss Earhart was born 65 years ago.

Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Miami also were closely connected to Amelia Earhart's career, the Post­master General noted, and the first day ceremonies might well have been staged in any of these cities. Or in Los Angeles, where she learned to fly. Or in Toronto, where she was a nurse's aide during World W ar 1.

The ceremony was attended by Mrs. Albert Morrissey of West Medford, Massachusetts, Miss Earhart's sister.

In tihe reception line with her were Mr. and Mrs. Day; Senator Frank Carl­son of Kansas; Mrs. H erman H. Smith of Oklahoma City, President of the Ninety-Nines, the women fliers' organ­ization of which Miss Earhart was first President; Miss Margaret Davis, Presi­dent of the American Newspaper vVo­men's Club; Miss Eleanor Walker, re­presenting Z o n t a International, the professional women's organization with

\~ hioh Miss Earhart was actively identi­fied ; and Russell Johnson, Vice-President of the National Avi:tion Club. --------~

Airport Dedications By WILLIAM T. WYNN

13537 Rockdale, Detroit Z3, Mich.

The Pan. Am. Building heliport will be dedicated in the near future; send covers to Jew York Airways Helicopter Service, Att. Mr. Herb H o w e, La Guardia Airport, Queens, N. Y.

Jefferson, Iowa was to have dedicated. on May 19, covers by Chamber of Corn-merce.

Oelwein, Iowa will dedicate on June 2, with covers to Chamber of Commerce.

Bwwn Field near San Diego, Calif. held dedication in early F ebruary 1963; no covers are known.

Yuma, Ariz. was dedicated on Jan . 26, with 300 covers mailed. The second day 200 covers were mailed, all with a nice cachet to mark the event.

Port Orchard, Wash, covers on Mar. 24 are not dedication covers; sorry we messed this one up. (See below)

Sterling, Ill. held dedication Sept 30, 1962, but no covers are known.

Williston, N. D. also dedicated Sept, 15, 1962, but again no covers are known .

Uniontown, Ala. was to have dedicated on April 29.

Port Orchard, Wash. held dedication on March 24, with about 40 covers mailed without cachet.

Hillsdale, Mich. also was to have dedi­cated on May 19.

Send covers to T. A. Turner, Box 1832, Jackson Miss. for a dedication due this summer.

Albertsville, Ala. will dedicate .this summer with covers to Chamber of Commerce.

At last some of 1962 covers have come in after postponements, Falls of Rough, Ky. held dedication of State Park Air­port on April 20; a very nice cachet was applied by the postmaster. A lot of air­ports are due for dedication ·this spring and summer and the writer of this col­umn needs your help on advance news. Your help will surely be appreciated by all collectors.

242 THE AIRPOST J OURNAL, JUNE, 1963

IS THIS A FLOWN CARD? - Philip L. Cobb sends us the post card illus­t rated here. Was there a flight in Wales at the time indicated? And if so, could there have been mail such as this aboard? Can anyone clarify the card's status?

AN UNLISTED POSTAL CACHET OF THE LONDON 1944 BLITZ

By Dr. Max Kronstein Section 16 of the American Air Mail

Catalogue 1950, as edited by P. H. Robbs, lists on page 937 six Aerial Pro­paganda Leaflets which were carried by the V-1 Weapon and which are described as being "of utmost rarity". One of them is iUustrated there and two others on page 942. These are inscribed "V 1 P. O.W. POST". Since they show facsimile letters of the -British Prisoners of vVar in German camps to their families in Eng­land, they represent some form of rock­et delivery of "mail" in high explosive bombs. They were "delivered" on Christmas eve 1944. Only a very few are still in exis.tence.

E ven still less known is the fact that

the British Post Office had at least planned to mark surface mail which was damaged or delayed by the destructive effects of the German V-1 Flying Born b on British cities. A special cachet had been provided, showing a rocket with "DELAYED BY - ENEMY ACTION".

W e are grateful to member Francis J. Field for a photo of this cachet which was prepared from a post office proof impression on a postal form. It was to have been used on mail in London and in the area of Kent, where the bombs had caused damage or had delayed the mail late in 1944. This proof impression is in red. Only about two covers have been recorded which bear a black im­pression of this cachet and none in red. It is surmised that the authorities stop­ped its use because the dispatch and ar­rival addresses of the marked mails would give a clue to the position of the fl ying bomb damage.

This rare cachet represents one of the very earliest postal references to any form of rocket in an official postal cachet. In its original size the length of the rocket is one inch and -the width of the rocket from the top to the bottom of the in­scription is 3/ 4 of an inch.

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 243

Gerald J. Godbout Principal Convention Speaker

Gerald J. Godbout, who will give the principal address at ·the Society's An­nual Banquet in Boston on July 13th, is well-known to aerophilatelists .

He joined the Air Transport Associa­tion as Director of Air Mail and Express in June, 1960. He was named Director of Cargo Services in January, 1962.

The Air Transport Association is a service organization representing most of the scheduled certificated airlines of the United States. It was organized in 1963 to serve the public and the govern­ment on behalf of its member airlines in a wide-range of activities, from the improvement of safety to planning for the airlines' role in national defense. Mr. Godbout is responsible for the Associa­tion's freight, mail and express services.

Before joining AT A Mr. Godbout was administrative assistant to the vice pres­ident and sales manager of Capital Air­lines . Prior to that, he was a supervisor for the Washington Terminal Company, and he was also served in the Navy during World War 11.

He is an accounting graduate of the

International Correspondence S c h o o 1, and attended American University. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland .

• SOCIETY OFFERS ARTCRAFT FIRST DAY CARDS, NOT COVERS.

In the article on page 202 of the May issue we noted incorrectly the Society would supply covers and cards for the new 6c air mail stamp. Only cards are offered. The Post Office Dep­artment has warned us that covers, souvenir programs, etc bearing only one 6c air stamp will not be postmarked on the first day. Two 6c stamps, or one 6c and an additional 2c postage will be needed for such material. Cards, of course, will need only the 6c stamp. See the Society ad on ·the back cover of this issue.

We plan to produce the cover for the July issue of the Airpost Journal in such a manner that convention-goers can have the first day cancellation ap­plied to it but remember. 2-6c stamps or one 6c and 2c more will be required.

A Recent Fortunate Purchase

of over 13,000

Contract Air Mail Covers THESE include the period between

1926 and 1950, with practically all the

rarities listed in the American Air

Catalogues. There is an abund ance of

rare Air Mail Field dispatches and

such items as R31El, R1BW24, 9W37,

9E37, and BN24, etc.

MOST covers have unusually good

stamps for franking. Your want list

is invited.

Entire lot can be purchased at a reasonable price.

Joseph L. Eisendrath 350 North Deere Park Drive

Highland Park, Illinois

244 THE AIRPOST .TOURNAL, JUNE, 1963

OFFICIAL SECTION AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY

MONTHLY REPORT From the Secretary Ruth T. Smith, 102 Arbor Road, Riverton, New Jersey

JUNE, 1963 NEW APPLICATIONS

Carruthers, John F., P 0 Box 5074, Austin 31, Tex., Age 42, Investments. AM By: R. T. Smith

Briscoe, Sidney G., Millbrook Rd., Middletown, Conn., Age 50, Sales Engineer. AM JF HF PC Z CF AlD By: R. T. Smith

Deliberato, Anthony, 12009 Parkhill Ave., Cleveland 20, Ohio, Age 35, Draftsman. AM PC FAM Z . By: R. T. Smith

Feuer, Henry S., P 0 Box 9415, No. Hollywood, Calif., Age 56, Financial Broker. AM AU SC X By: R. T. Smith

Farley, John B., 1160 Wheeling Rd., Mount ~ospect, Ill., Age 33, Insurance Examiner. AM AU SC JF HF PC HC FF GF CAM FAM OF Z CF AlD APS

By: H. D. Westbrooks Tell, Jay, 147 Ida Ave., Las Vegas, Nevada, Age 19, Dealer. Airmail Freaks

By: R. T. Smith Jacobson, Audley A., Box 205, Edwardsville, Ill., Age 52, Compositor. AM AU AS SC X

By: R. T. Smith RE-INSTATEMENTS

3591 Jansen, Arnold R., 222 E. High St., Pendleton, Indiana. DECEASED

4944 Malcolm, D. McK., Durban, South Africa. 4443 McVinnie, Thomas, Johnson City, N. Y.

CHARGE OF ADDRESS 4070 Claes, Piet, 65 Tolstraat, Antwerp, Belgium. 4840 Robbins, Marvin, 2811 Belgrave Rd., Cleveland 24, Ohio. LM81 Hard, A. M., 936 S. Albany St.. Los Angeles 15, Calif. 2010 Minkus, Jacques, 116 West 32nd St., New York 1, N. Y. J4685 Martin, Tom J., 9701 Perch Dr., St. Louis 36, Mo. 4847 Oshima, Bill Y., 142 1/2 E. Union Ave., Fullerton, Calif. 4678 Weiss, Lane E., (Capt.), USAF Hospital, APO 74, San Francisco, Calif.

Dea1th of Fred W. Kessler Fred W. Kessler, a dealer in air mail

stamps with offices in New York, died May 2 of a heart ailment .He was 59 years old. He was life member #-12 of the American Air Mail Society.

In 1936 Mr. Kessler set off the first United States rocket flight carrying mail. After an unsuccessful attempt on Feb. 9 of that year two of his rocket ships carried the mail from Greenwood Lake, N. Y., to Hewitt, N. J., just across the state line.

Mr. Kessler auctioned the famous and only known mint copy of the 25-centavos provisional "Black Honduras" airmail for $24,500 on Feb. 27, 1961. The Black Honduras" was sold for that price during the third auction of the collection of Thomas A. Matthews of Springfield, Ohio. It was the third auction at which Mr. Kessler had hand­led and sold the "Black Honduras."

He also handled many other large

collections including those of Dr. Philip G. Cole and Rafael Oriol.

He was the editor-in-chief of "The Kessler Catalogue of Aerograms" and the author of "The Air Posts of Colom­bia" and "The SCADT A Issues of Col~ ombia." He also wrote many articles for philatelic journals.

He was born in Germany attended the University of Bonn and came to the United States in 1920. He was a former pilot and began stamp collecting as a hobby.

Surviving are his widow, the forn1er Alicia Trujillo, and a son, Francisco,

THE AIRPOST JOURN.AL, JUNE, 1963 245

Airs of the Month Described and lllusiraied through courtesy of Nicolas Sanabria Co., Inc.

521 Fifth Avenue, New York 17, N. Y.

AFGHANISTAN:

Boy Scouts Girl Scouts Souvenir Sheet

ARGENTINE: 9th World Gliding Championship

CAMEROONS:

CANAL ZONE: Definitive to conform with new

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Tropical Games 1962 held in

Bangui CHAD:

Bird Definitive GUATEMALA:

Tel-Star Set portrays famous doctors of medi-

246 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963

cine ISRAEL:

New definitives MALI:

;i.qmlO l{O.Ill;JS;J.I {lllll!llV

PAKISTAN: Overprint marks first jet flight Kara­

chil-Dacca PARAGUAY:

Europa 1961 perforate and imper­forate

Europa 1961 perforate and imper­forate, changed colors

Souvenir sheets, perforate and imper­forate

Europa 1962, stamp and sheet PERU:

Additional values complete the new definitive set

UPPER VOL TA: New post office building in Ouaga­

dougou opened URUGUAY

Colorful bird set

• BOSTON PHILATELIC SOCIETY TO SUPPLY .PICTURE CARDS

FOR 6 CENT AIR ST AMP

The Boston Philatelic Society, Inc. is issuing a set of three postcards for the first day os ·issue of the 6c Air Mail Stamp on July 12, 1963.

From September 3rd to 13th, 1910, when aviation was in its infancy, an Air Meet was held at Squantum, a suburb of Boston. One of the contests was to see who could fly to Harvard Stadium and around Boston Light and return, a distance of 33 miles. No mail was flown but cards were available picturing the fliers and their planes.

The Boston Philatelic Society has re­produced and will service these cards with first day cancellations of the 6c stamp. They will be sold in sets of three different cards at 50c. The proceeds of this project will go to the Boston University Philatelic Library.

Return address labels should be sent with orders, Orders should be sent to Ruth N. Carter, Secretary, 79 Milk St .. Room 606, Boston 9, Mass.

These cards should not to be con­fused with the offical cards put out by the American Air Mail Society on the same date.

IN A JULY AUCTION •••

will be included a

Collection of Air Stamps

pertaining to or carried on

dirigibles

* * * If you do not receive H. R. Harmer

catalogues, write for an application b'lamk and the leaflet . . .

"HOW TO BUY AT AUCTION"

* * *

H. R. HARMER, INC The "Caspary" Auctioneers

6 West 48th St., New York 36, N.Y.

AIR POST NEW ISSUES

OF THE ENTIRE

WORLD

PAMPHLET UPON REQUEST

Nicolas Sanabria Co. Inc. A. MEDAWAR. PRESIDENT

521 Fifth Ave., New York 17, N. Y.

THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963 247

Miniature Sheets Enjoyable Airmail Sideline By R. N. "Bob" Pritchard

• Airmail stamps make one of the most

glamorous, excitingly entrancing fields of philately. Being so colorful, interesting and desired by all collectors, they should be more accented and "highlighted" in all beginning and specialized airmail collections of any type, United States or foreign.

Adequaitely featuring any one or more airmail stamps in a collection can be done by a variety of methods, such as making the addition of specific U. S. printed stamp posters of the stamps; col­lecting matched sets or either or both the minrt and used Plate Blocks and Plate Singles of selected or all airmail stamps; obtaining the varieties as the Booklet Pane, Coil and Postal Stationery issues as well as the first day covers and other, differenrt methods; but the most enjoyable featuring sideline, we feel, is the addition of airmail "Miniature Sheets" to any airmail collection.

Colorfully attractive airmail "Miniature Sheets" are easily formed by eight used stamps with rthe straight or selvage, mar­gin-edge including the four corners and the other plain margin edges, used to reconstruct a resemblance, in miniature, of an originally issued sheet of stamps.

In forming the eight-stamp "Miniature Sheet", which allows a much greater stamp representation in a collection, one would have the four used corners; Up­per Left, Right and Lower Left and Right and would add the Top and Bot­tom middle edges as well as the Left and Right middle edges to form a small, attractive sheet. One can then place a mint or specially cancelled stamp ( On the Nose, Color, etc.) in the center of the sheet to tie it together neatly. It is a challenge to select and obtain com­pletely matching edges to form a neat, conforming sheet.

While Miniature Sheets are a new philatelic field, that this writer is inno­vating, there are accessible the different corners and edges to complete the air­mail miniature sheets. A beginner or specialist can undertake this relaxing sideline, as the variety of types of air-

mail, printing varieties can offer sim­plicity as well as detailed specialty. Ei­ther will offer philatelic entrancement!

The airmail miniature sheets can be formed of mint or used stamps, straight or margin-edged stamps. Used stamps are popular with most as the creation of a miniature sheet with these is a phila­telic challenge. The Guide-Line Society, whose secretary is John Steele, Wynna­wood Park Apartments, 220-B, Wynna­wood, Pa., has for years made popular the eight stamp "sheet" with the older, straight-edged, guide line stamps. A well-known Illinois collector, Orville Mohr, secretary of the Illinois Federation of Stamp Clubs, at 1002 West Front Street in Bloomington, Ill., creates minia­ture sheets of many airmail and selected issues in his collections. Attorney Arlo Palmer, 111 lh High Street East, Oska­loosa, Iowa, and Commissioner Henry Ragot, of Easton, Pa., create miniature sheets in a larger and more specialized 4-pane method and the "Cross" method. Newcomers include R. I. Murray, Clin­ton, Ill., and Bill Justice, Riverside, Cali­fornia, who feature airmitil "Miniature Sheets" in their presentations.

Mounting airmail and other miniature sheets offers no problem if a collector does not want to design his own pages. Specially designed pages offered by Peer­less Album Company, P.O. Box 841, Au­rora, Illinois, have been created for this purpose and a circular showing these types of pages will be sent to anyone enclosing a self-addressed, return envel­ope. One can make up his own pacres with this company's blank All-Purp~se page or another blank page by mounting the autographs of .the designers and en­gravers, at the top of the page and then centering attractively a "Miniature Sheet" of the stamps below this. A cover plate block, can be placed at the top of the page and a miniature sheet below.

The author's representative miniature sheet exhibit, which received an award at last year's 1962 international show at Argentina and which is now at the world show at Luxemburg, contains sev-

248 THE AIRPOST JOURNAL, JUNE, 1963

eral colorful pages of the airmail minia­ture sheets . His "Baseball on Stamps" exhibit includes a number of world air­mail stamps that honor baseball. These are: Costa Rica C311 and C314-C315; Cuba Cl58; Liberia C88; Nicaragua C303 and C308; Panama C44 and C225 and the large set Venezuela Cl89 to Cl97. These pages include a mint and used single, mint block of four, plate block and 1st day cover and other vari­eties as souvenir sheets and error , are added where they exist. There is a number of the varieties still needed for completion of this collection.

Peerless Philatelic Co. , mentioned above, has a large stock of all types of miniature sheets including a number of U. S. airmail positions but larger on U. S. C25, C32, C39, C51, C61. They have for sale completed miniature sheets of the baseball airmail stamps. Ask for a copy of the "Margin Edge" paper, ex­plaining miniature sheet collecting and sample page.

As we have said, miniature sheet col­lecting is enjoyably different, strikingly new, pleasantly relaxing, as well as eco­nomical. Abundantly ~ccessible material but yet exacting, matching sheet perfec­tion, provide a philatelic challenge to the beginner and specialist alike. You will enjoy creating miniature sheets .

Informed Collectors Read The Airmail Entire Truth

The only existing newsletter pertaining to aerograms, airmail envelopes & airmail postal cards.

EXCLUSIVE INFORMATIVE

INDISPENSABLE

I.t appears 3 times per year and is sent against a supply of 8 cent stamped and addressed legal size envelopes.

Price List 50 cents, deductible.

LAVA The Distributor of the Barbados Error

Box 1. Fort George Station New York 40, N. Y.

We are philatelic auctioneers

and specialize

in providing

a competitive market

for stamp collections

and other philatelic properties

Qver 35 years' experience

assures the maximum

in results

Your inquiry is welcomed

IRWIN HEIMAN, Inc.

2 West 46th Street New York, N.Y. Telephone: JUdson 2-2393 Suite 708

Serving American Philately Since 1926

llfflflAL &.\RD

First Time Offered! Artcraft Cachets in

C-0-L-O-R &.'fl:~U.\ ,\JI-! ~~ SOCiE:'i'(fN,'L'\"Jt\>•

JJ,..iU'l'NlH·'~il

For the New 6c Air Mail Stamp 50)1'.}tt, *}>~'JP:'Sf:m

Stamp is to be Issued July 12 for use on Air Mail Post Cards The reproducted design will be available in Black where­

ever Artcraft cach ets are sold. However, the same design in Red, Blue and Green has been processed exclusively to the order of THE AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY and can be secured ONLY from the Society. Limited Quantity; do not delay - place your order now . . .

For Those Who Service Their Own -

10 Cards-RED only with First Day of Issue legend .... .......... ..... $1.00

7 Cards-3 RED with First Day of Issue legend, 2 BLUE and 2 GREEN, legend removed but also suitable for First Day Use . $1.00

Serviced Cards -

4 Cards-1 RED with First Day Cancel, 1 each RED, BLUE and GREEN with AAMS Convention Station cancel, 7 / 12/ 13/ 14 . $1.00

2 Card - RED only, 1 each with block of four Cancelled First Day ............. .... ...... ........ ....... . ...... ............. ................................ $1.00

1 Card-your choice of color (specify) with plate block of four Cancelled First Day ............... ... .... .. ..... .. ... ... ... ........ ......... .... ... $1.00

Souvenir Brochure and Program for FIRST DAY OF ISSUE Luncheon-I Cancelled Card included ............. $1.00

Orders for Blank Cards must be received by July I. All Serviced Cards will be sent out under cover after July 14.

Address:

RUTH T. SMITH, Secretary 102 Arbor Road Riverton, New Jersey