hrdoktorx
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Posts: 6,588
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on Apr 12, 2020 18:29:07 GMT
A really busy week with no time for stamping, but the following advertising mail arrived, from a dealer in Paris, but postmarked and stamped from Monaco, using part of the 1983 Europa souvenir sheet: By the way, this is the first scan with my new printer/scanner that arrived this week and I just installed.
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Post by ckildegaard on Apr 12, 2020 22:10:36 GMT
I'm noticing quite a few different covers with air mail labels. Is that still a thing in parts of the world?
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Beryllium Guy
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 12, 2020 22:33:21 GMT
Excellent point, Chris ( ckildegaard)! I had not noticed that there have indeed been several recent posts in this thread showing covers with AIR MAIL etiquettes on them. I would say that these labels are not so commonly used these days as they once were, except among stamp collectors! That may be the key point here. The examples of mail that you are seeing are going from a dealer to a collector or from collector to collector. I think that non-collectors rarely use these labels any more. Just my opinion....
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Post by ckildegaard on Apr 12, 2020 22:48:03 GMT
Beryllium Guy,
I figured they weren't too commonly used, but is there any purpose to them anymore? Meaning, are some countries actually still operating airmail services, or is it purely a decorative/philatelic item?
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Beryllium Guy
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Apr 13, 2020 8:02:37 GMT
Hi again, Chris ( ckildegaard): You are asking some good, straightforward questions that deserve answers in the same vein. I am not sure if I am the best person on the Forum to provide those answers, but I will offer my opinion and see if we can get help from others. My perspective on the question of whether or not AIR MAIL still exists as a special kind of postal service is based more on my life experience than on my philatelic experience. To my understanding, AIR MAIL no longer exists as particular class of postal service, contrasted with surface mail, as it once did. When I was growing up in the US, we still had AIR MAIL service then, paid with a higher rate and specially designated stamps. From a quick bit of research, it appears that domestic air mail service ended in the US back in 1977. International air mail still continued after that, however, as I know for sure that in the 1980s when I was travelling abroad, it was still possible to mail parcels by air or surface internationally, and the prices were different as were the transit times. I am not sure if any countries are still making that distinction nowadays. I am much more of a stamp collector than a postal historian, so perhaps other members who collect postal history and/or air mail etiquettes can offer better insights: Londonbus1, tomiseksj, smauggie, jamesw, hrdoktorx, vikingeck, stanley64, WERT, renden, JeffS, anglobob, Mick or others I hope this helps a little. Let's see if others will comment in answer to your questions!
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vikingeck
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What I collect: Samoa, Tobacco theme, Mail in Wartime, anything odd and unusual!
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Post by vikingeck on Apr 13, 2020 8:34:58 GMT
My local post office issues airmail etiquettes at the counter for all mail to foreign destinations. I always use them.
Probably most mail is air freighted anyway as 95% of UK Mail 1st class will arrive next day. I believe that many of the flights still operating from our local airport carry airmail.
UK still offers an economy parcel mail which must be surface mail which can take several weeks to overseas destinations.
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stanley64
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What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Apr 13, 2020 11:19:17 GMT
Good question Chris ckildegaard and thanks for the bump Beryllium Guy ; my understanding is that yes, airmail still exists and is offered as an option of service for both domestic and international mailings by some countries.
The sender of this cover has opted for the airmail or priority delivery option also know as "correios azul" through Portugal's CTT. The extra cost of €0,15 should have put this envelope at the front of the queue and in fact, it was received the following day,
The postal system of Portugal even encourages the pre-sorting of its mail with different coloured post boxes: bright red - ordinary mail (correio normal) and blue - airmail or priority mail (correio azul) Mail not franked for priority or airmail would likely go via a land route where appropriate.
Other countries though such as Nederland do not offer separate categories and all mailings and their postage is calculated based on the item's weight. In this case, the service appears to be based on a de-facto priority or airmail offering.
This last example is from an package with its "International Standard" mailing from the UK to Portugal as shared earlier in the thread that was not sent via air or priority - thestampforum.boards.net/post/93848 Although I see no 'Paquebot' cancel, the additional time spent in the respective countries postal systems would suggest that the package took some other route other than air > Sent 19/03/20 > Arrived 27/03/2020.
Even though only a couple of examples, yes airmail or priority post does still exist as a separate class of service and is labelled as such...
Happy collecting!
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Post by smauggie on Apr 13, 2020 12:37:21 GMT
Well, the US does not have an air mail service per se, so the etiquettes are not used in the US anymore. Many countries do still have air mail service and they still broadly use the air mail etiquettes.
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anglobob
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Posts: 2,425
What I collect: France and French Colonies,French cinderellas British Commonwealth QE2
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Post by anglobob on Apr 13, 2020 13:11:55 GMT
Most of the mail I receive from UK still has the airmail sticker attached and I remember that my local post office always gave me a sticker when I was sending mail overseas.Have no idea if they are in use in Ecuador as I rarely send letters nowadays. Have found a page of different airmail stickers...apologies if they have been posted previously.
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rex
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Post by rex on Apr 13, 2020 13:51:04 GMT
Received last week. Without stamping the stamps.
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brightonpete
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Post by brightonpete on Apr 13, 2020 15:16:41 GMT
When I receive an order from the APS Stamp Store I always get a chuckle as they rubber stamp it "AIRMAIL / PAR AVION!" It's just coming from Pennsylvania! On their registered packages, Canada Post ignores the usual signature requirement. It is handled like regular mail. The tracking info is useless as they never send me the tracking number.
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stanley64
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Posts: 1,818
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on May 6, 2020 11:52:36 GMT
Returning from this morning's walk, today's mail was a virtual bonanza of envelopes & postage,
Earliest postmark in the lot, 16 March 2020 (Birmingham, Alabama USA) and the latest 05 May 2020 (Lisboa, Portugal)
I am looking forward to going through these latest arrivals...
Happy collecting!
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stainlessb
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qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,639
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on May 6, 2020 15:09:01 GMT
special delivery?!
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brightonpete
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Post by brightonpete on May 7, 2020 0:05:12 GMT
This arrived in the mail today...
Somebody have a time machine?
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hrdoktorx
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Posts: 6,588
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on May 15, 2020 13:32:12 GMT
The nice envelope in which feebletodix sent me the Ethiopian stamps is worthy of its own post:
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FDI
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Member of RPSC & BNAPS
Posts: 343
What I collect: Modern Canada (misperf, varieties, tagging errors), Canadian Cinderellas, EXUP & CAPEX & Dead Countries
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Post by FDI on May 16, 2020 1:19:02 GMT
What is happening with Canada Post? I've been receiving in the last few weeks, envelops whith Pen, Grease pencil, Felt markers cancellations. Most of them from the Toronto region. What is going on? FDI
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brightonpete
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On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
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Post by brightonpete on May 16, 2020 1:28:45 GMT
Apparently, they are short-staffed in Toronto. I'm waiting for a small package to arrive, so far... two weeks & nothing to show. I'm only 150 k's east!
Perhaps, it is quicker to just make a mess of them instead of stamping them. Swipe swipe swipe, easier than stamping them!
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FDI
Member
Member of RPSC & BNAPS
Posts: 343
What I collect: Modern Canada (misperf, varieties, tagging errors), Canadian Cinderellas, EXUP & CAPEX & Dead Countries
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Post by FDI on May 16, 2020 2:17:21 GMT
What to do with them?
FDI
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
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What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on May 19, 2020 0:34:07 GMT
received from Lithuania today, containing a nice selection of early Austria (yes, more early Austria... and even more is coming) I was stimulated by stimulus money.... what can I say....)
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stanley64
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Posts: 1,818
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on May 20, 2020 7:40:02 GMT
This arrived in yesterday's post and speaks to the patience needed for receiving post outside of one's region,
Although difficult to read, the enclosed invoice would suggest the envelope was sent 05 March, 2020 only to be received here in Portugal on 19 May, 2020; a total of 75 days.
All that is missing a 'paquebot' cancel...
Happy collecting!
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anglobob
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Posts: 2,425
What I collect: France and French Colonies,French cinderellas British Commonwealth QE2
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Post by anglobob on May 20, 2020 17:58:31 GMT
Today I received 5 letters from England which were mailed last year and I had given up on ever receiving .This was the only one with a stamp,all the others had those horrible labels. Yesterday,the government announced that several public institutions,including the postal service,would be eliminated .During the next three months,they will try to find a buyer from the private sector.Quite a coincidence that the next day I would receive a lot of missing mail.??
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JeffS
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Posts: 2,598
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on May 21, 2020 22:51:19 GMT
Received today, first international mail in 3 weeks (not counting UK)
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,598
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on May 22, 2020 1:31:47 GMT
Find a big enough trash can.
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,598
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on May 22, 2020 1:34:34 GMT
Well, the US does not have an air mail service per se, so the etiquettes are not used in the US anymore. Many countries do still have air mail service and they still broadly use the air mail etiquettes. I would speculate their use is to indicate to the receiving country that it is a first class letter and not something lesser. Or, old habits die hard.
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angore
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What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on May 22, 2020 10:22:56 GMT
Here is a recent APS Stamp Chat video on collecting modern commercial covers.
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tomiseksj
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Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,263
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on May 22, 2020 13:50:21 GMT
..I would speculate their use is to indicate to the receiving country that it is a first class letter and not something lesser... Jeff is correct. Although the U.S. no longer has airmail service, the most recent International Mail Manual (April 6, 2020) includes the following marking requirement for First Class International mail:
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salentin
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collecting Germany,where I live and about 20 more countries,half of them in Asia east of the Indus
Posts: 5,615
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Post by salentin on May 22, 2020 16:02:37 GMT
I figured they weren't too commonly used, but is there any purpose to them anymore? Meaning, are some countries actually still operating airmail services, or is it purely a decorative/philatelic item?
Footnote in the latest Price and Service booklet of the Deutsche Post.
The part in question reads:
"...in order of a faster international transport,please always add the note PRIORYTY/Prioritaire/Luftpost or mark (the envelope) with the appropriate sticker."
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tomiseksj
Moderator
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,263
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on May 22, 2020 16:32:03 GMT
The only thing about this cover that I'll save is the image -- it carried my mail-in ballot for Virginia's upcoming primary election. The postage was paid with a Pitney Bowes meter (QB1.4).
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anglobob
Member
Posts: 2,425
What I collect: France and French Colonies,French cinderellas British Commonwealth QE2
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Post by anglobob on May 24, 2020 12:51:45 GMT
Two letters I received from UK.The first one has stamps,all carefully attached and cancelled.Someone took great care with this letter. The second has stamps carefully destroyed and someone took great care to do so.It would have been easier and quicker to apply a hand cancel. I believe this was done by some individual at Royal Mail,rather than someone here in Ecuador as usually mail from UK does not have any cancellations.The one consolation is I finally received the letters!!!
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cursus
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Posts: 1,764
What I collect: Catalan Cinderellas. Used Switzerland, UK, Scandinavia, Germany & Austria. Postal History of Barcelona & Estonia. Catalonia pictorial postmarks.
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Post by cursus on Jun 5, 2020 10:39:44 GMT
I've got the first "normal letter" (not counting bills) since early March. It has taken 2 months from Canada to Catalonia (Europe)! But, a nice letter, anyway.
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