Airmail and First Flight Covers

First flights were a big thing. They must have wanted a souvenir of the event. This is a cheap way to get something like that.

Here are a couple of others I have. I don't tend to collect a lot of these because they are more 'philatelic' than I like. But they do fall my way occasionally.



These next ones I've shown before, were a gift from our late great friend ILS





and I know these are Irish, but Jeff sent the along too, so...

Hope this works, my second posting to the Forum, Casso

 First Flight, Chicago to Zurich, 1949. I've been keeping an eye out for appealing covers dated April 1st. This cover missed by a day, but I liked it enough to add it to the Chicago collection. 
 
 

Back in October, 1939, the U.S.Post Office Department inaugurated a new special use envelope specifically for special delivery.  It was to be distinctive in that its border would consist of alternating green and yellow half circles.  A copy of The Postal Bulletin authorizing and describing this new envelope is posted below.  The premise behind this envelope was to make a special delivery letter immediately identifiable without reference to the amount of postage on an envelope and thus expedite handling.  To this end the special border was also continued on the reverse. It was a good idea, but the public did not embrace this special envelope the way it did airmail envelopes.  While not rare, these special delivery covers are not seen frequently. When I see a non-philatelic use of one I try to buy it if not too pricey.  I only have three of these envelopes, one philatelic usage and two commercial, one of which is an airmail special delivery usage posted below.  It carries twenty-one cents of metered postage, which I believe was the correct rate for domestic airmail special delivery in October 1945, i.e. eight cents postage and thirteen cents special delivery fee.  Posted Oct 22nd, there is a backstamp showing receipt in the San Jose, CA., post office on October 24th.  I like the handstamp in the upper left corner asking recipients to salvage the envelope for the war effort.  Someone went a step farther and saved it for us collectors. 

Don StampHinger 



A copy of The Postal Bulletin authorizing the special envelope

Imperial Airways First Regular Service Between Great Britain, Eire, Newfoundland, Canada and USA. This is an attractive page, nice calligraphy and a painted picture of the Short S-30 'C' Class Flying Boat at the bottom of the page.


Scan_20200705 by Daniel, on Flickr

daniel - ahh, the grand bygone days of hand lettered pages. Nice!

First TWA Polar Flight Cover, 2 Oct 1957, with Constellation cachet


and this insert inside