"WINGED HERMES" DIE PROOF (for 1901 Greece 5D.), the emblematic image for Dr. Seron's "From the Winged Heels of Mercury" and thus an ideal start for a collection of this genre or for an airmail thematic, creases and ageing, rare, fine appearing.
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1870-71 SIEGE OF PARIS BALLOON MAIL, "Lettre-Journal de Paris / Gazette des Absents" No. 2, to England, franked with 40c. Empire tied by star 28 October 1870 Rue d'Amsterdam c.d.s., flown on the "Colonel Charas" with final b.s. of Hastings on Nov. 3, cross-written letter on blank areas, fine and scarce (Lheritier £500)
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--- Letter addressed to St. Petersburg, Russia, carried by the ill-fated "General Chanzy" (captured by the Prussians upon landing in Bavaria), 80c. Empire tied by "etoile" with Paris Rue de Strasbourg c.d.s. below (18 Dec. 1870), not backstamped (mail was held and later returned), slight overall ageing and minor wear else fine (Lheritier £3600 to Russia without b.s.)
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-- "Correspondence Havas" news letter to Berlin franked by 10c. and 40c. Ceres tied by "etoile" with Paris (60) c.d.s. of 4 Janv. 1871, carried by the "Duquesne" and backstamped the 13th, age spots else fine and scarce (Lheritier £2000)
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-- Two large partial covers (some flaps missing) addressed to the "Koelnischen Zeitung" in Cologne, each with different type of postage due h.s. (boxed "Affranchisement Insuffisant," 2-line "Affr. Insuff. / ETR."), franked with 10c. + 20c. Empire (one with 20c. removed), ms. "1 1/2" crayon due marks, age spots else fine overall (Note: flown by the "Vaucanson" and the "Torricelli," latter with 28th Jan. Cologne b.s.)
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-- Balance of "Ballon Monte" covers, 6 items incl. one to Belgium carried by "Ville de Florence" with red boxed "Affranchisement Insuffisant" h.s., another to Algeria with b.s. by the "Archimede" (Lheritier £950), one to England by the "Franklin," and three others carried by the "Etats-Unis," the "Newton" or the "Duquesne." Normal slightly mixed condition, fine overall.
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-- BOULE DE MOULINS, folded letter with 80c. + 20c. Brdeaux franking and 30 Dec. 1870 Fresnes-Nor cds, inscribed "Paris / Par Moulins / Allier" but not backstamped, probably from the 1951 Bazoches-les-Bray discovery (date of despatch fits), cleaned and slightly restored, very fine appearing (Lheritier £2000 without b.s.)
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-- PIGEON POST, small (7mm x 10mm) piece of original "pelicule" carried by pigeon, mounted on glass microscope slide, rare and fine. (Note: nearly all "microfilms" offered from this service are the later souvenir films made by Steenackers and others well after the siege)
BUFFALO BALLOON, USA 1877 5c. semi-official prepared for Nashville to Gallatin (Tenn.) flights of the balloon "Buffalo," one of two known examples of the black proof (see APJ, Sept. 2008, pg. 390), slight unobtrusive faults else fresh and very fine (Scott CL1)
--- 5c. Buffalo Balloon, unused vertical tete-beche pair, the complete sheet as printed, large part o.g., slight staining and thin in margin only (from old partial adherence by part of margin), cert. P.F., fine, accompanied by piece of the newsprint paper streamer used for a dropped cover, cut from the one at the Gallatin Public Library, with holograph affidavit from Mr. Zatulove who was present at its "harvest".
NEW ZEALAND PIGEON POSTS, 1894 Wreck of the "Wairarapa," the event which led to the use of pigeon mail (from 1898). Two covers (franking floated away) with two-line "Saved from wreck..." h.s. in blue and in black, also 1882 normal cover from Victoria carried by the ship on an early crossing, fine and important for an exhibit of this subject.
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-- 1902 Registered cover to Henry Bolitho, stamp dealer and principal instigator of the stamps used by "The Original" pigeon mail service, franked by Niue 1/2d., 1d. and 2 1/2d. surcharges tied by magenta c.d.s., partial b.s., another key element showing part of the story of the N.Z. "Pigeons." (see Walker, pp. 37-38)
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-- 1898 First Issue, complete sheet of 18 (of 100 sheets printed), very fresh with original gum, few trivial age spots mostly in far margins else fine and important showpiece.
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-- First issue 1/- Blue tied by small cancel in black to complete flimsy (slightly "pecked" as normal), being a list of groceries needed by the next boat, stamp with scuff at left (probably caused by usage) else fine, cert. R.P.S.N.Z., one of four known First Issue flown flimsies, ex Koningham.
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-- 1899 Second Issue ("Special Post") sheet of 24 with selvage as usual on top and sides only, u.m. to part o.g. with few faint age spots mostly in margin, only 160 sheets issued, cert. B.P.A., fine showpiece.
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--- Second issue unused block of 12, u.m. to part o.g., showing distinct differencies in shade between rows, illustrated by Walker (p. 46) and ex Goodkind, fine.
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-- 1/- Second Issue tied to complete small flimsy (185 x 60 mm.) datelined "20/6/99" by large circular "Original" Service cancel (Walker type 3), cert. R.P.S.N.Z., ex Koningham, fine save for minor wrinkles and scarce.
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-- Third Issue ("Pigeongram" ovpt.) tied to large flimsy (215 x 260 mm.) by type 3 cancel and italic "Copyright" h.s., datelined Aug. 4 / 99 and having 2-line type 2 cancel as provisional letterhead. Very rare thus, with only two such flimsies recorded. Cert. B.P.A., fine and attractive despite slight age spots.
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-- Fourth Issue ("Pigeongram" imprint), medium sized flimsy (215 x 95 mm.) with stamp tied by both type 4 c.d.s. and italic "Copyright" h.s., together with original envelope of transmittal to recipient (small tears from opening), fine and attractive showpiece. (Note: message, regarding mining and sent to Inspector Ferguson, reads, "Found good payable stone. Crush tomorrow.")
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-- Fourth Issue tied to large printed flimsy form (Walker type 3) by 28. Aug. 1900 violet oval datestamp (Walker type 5), with long message in "Dalmatian," ex Koningham, cert. R.P.S.N.Z., fine showpiece.
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-- Fourth Issue 1/- tied by c.d.s. (Walker type 4) to flimsy accompanied by recipient's receipt form and by four other flimsies without franking (all with Walker type 3 cancels, one appears dated 1897, another 1904 from Port Fitzroy), also Mr. Howie's "First Prize" certificate for a poultry competition (see Walker, p. 27 for similar) and label for a basket of pigeons sent for training, mixed condition, the first with cert. R.P.S.N.Z. and ex Koningham. Useful exhibit potential.
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-- Marotiri Pigeongram overprint, unused (part o.g., ex Goodkind) and another with extremely scarce violet oval "Marotiri Copper Syndicate" d.s. (see Walker, p. 74), each with minor thins as usual, fine appearing.
-- 1899 Marotiri Island 1/- Red, pane of 6 with selvage except at foot, the stamps u.m., plus used marginal single with parts of large "CANCELLED" h.s., ex Goodkind, fine (save for erratic centring).
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-- Great Barrier "Agency" Issues, 1899 6d. Blue sheet of 20 (without margins, one stamp nibbled at corner), also imperforate triangular block of four, no gum, fine overall.
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-- 6d. Blue tied to large flimsy datelined "28 JUL 99" by boxed d.s., fresh and fine.
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-- 1/- Red tied to "Patriotic Fund" formular flimsy (Walker type 8) by Jan. 1900 boxed d.s., the message docketed "10.25 AM / S. S. Mararoa" and written on board on the Fund's excursion to the island, cert. B.P.A. mentions stamp is creased, else fresh and fine showpiece.
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-- 1/- Red with boxed "G. B. A. / N. Z." h.s. on special flimsy for Veterans' Home Funds (Walker type 9), reportedly only four flown flimsies known with this cancel, fine and important non-philatelic usage.
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-- 1899 (Oct. 2) Letter plus its cover (2 1/2d. franking tied), each with Great Barrier Pigeongram Agency imprints, from Agency proprietor Walter Fricker to a dealer in Los Angeles promoting the issue and enclosing examples of both values, offering them in quantity at a 20% discount. Fine and important element for exhibit.
-- BALANCE of the New Zealand Pigeongram Issues, diverse and valuable lot including complete mint stamps of both the "Service" and the "Agency" (latter incl. multiples of both values) with duplication, variety of unused flimsy forms, a good showing of several diff. cancels incl. many on fragments, plus several identified forgeries. Also includes unfranked 1905 flown flimsy (ex Koningham) regarding the declining mining operations which, with the laying of telegraphic cable, led to the end of the pigeon mail services. Slightly mixed condition, a wonderful foundation lot, examine.
PIONEER AIRMAIL EVENTS, 1906 Arlon, Belgium, "Ballon Pendant" picture postcard signed by aeronaut Lt. Pierson with 15c. tied by 18 April 1906 c.d.s., plus 1910 Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg, aviation week picture p.c. (of early box-type biplane) with Luxembourg 5c. tied by ornate boxed Champ. d'Aviation d.s. for 5 June (Muller 2, 20'000 pts.). Latter is rare and possibly unique (see A.A.M.C., etc.)
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-- 1911 Allahabad, India First Aerial Post, reg'd cover (label on reverse) with 6a. KEVIII tied by superb strike of magenta pictorial cancel, 18 FE 11 Allahabad b.s., very fine.
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-- 1911 Allahabad, India cover with pair of 3pi. plus single 1/2a. all tied by two strikes of pictorial cancel, 18 FE 11 Allahabad and 20 FE 11 Jubbulpore cds, attractive and fine item from this event.
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-- 1911 Garden City, N.Y., USA pioneer airmail (A.A.M.C. 3a), aviation photo card with 1c. tied by superb Sept. 24 duplex with equally nice "AERIAL SPECIAL DESPATCH" cachet at left, sent to GERMANY (most unusual) with red "Hannover 1 / Porto" receiver and blue ms. "10" due, a true showpiece, very fine in all respects.
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-- 1918 USA F.F.C. and Interrupted Flight cover, all in one! May 15, 1918 "First Trip" c.d.s. used at Washington, D.C. ties 24c. "Jenny" to cover flown by Lt. Boyle on attempted leg of first official USA governmental flight to Philadelphia (using the aircraft pictured on the stamp). He crashed 25 miles from Washington, and the mail was forwarded the next day on Lt. Edgerton's plane (May 16 b.s.). Cert. E. Diena, stamp with straight edge at top, fine.
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COLOMBIA PIONEER ISSUES AND FLIGHTS, 1919 first experimental flight by Knox Martin, 2c, value with special overprint, the rare variety showing numerals "1" with serifs (only 20 printed), sound and perfectly centred used example, cert. A. Rendon, very fine (Sc. C1a, $3,250)
-- 1919 Overprinted 2c. value (pos. 7 of the setting of 10) tied to small-size June 18, 1919 flown cover from Barranquilla to Puerto Colombia, signed Sanabria, Bloch and Rendon with Friedl cert., light cover folds, stamp perfectly centred and very fine (Sc. C1)
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-- 1920 C.C.N.A. issues, the UNIQUE complete set of 20 Curtis labels of which nine were overprinted for airmail postage. Few collectors have even approached this number of different (e.g. D. Friedman had 19), one (full moon & plane) with corner fault else fresh and very fine (as Sc. C2-10, etc.)
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-- 10c. Clouds and small biplane tied by Feb. 23, 1920 c.d.s. of Barranquilla on arrival to cover flown from Cartagena (Muller 2; 25000 pts.), with 3c. ordinary postage tied by 22 Feb. c.d.s., usual cover folds, cert. E. Diena, fine showpiece (Sc. C3)
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