STAMP NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 222, 19 August 1937, Page 6

STAMP NOTES

On tlie the tenth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight from New York to Paris (May 20, 1927), France announced the issuance of a Lindbergh commemorative stamp, to add to the many stamps and covers commemorating Lindbergh flights since his memorable crossing. There are collectors who make a specialty of stamps and covers issued for Lindbergh flights or carried by Lindbergh on his many trips throughout North and Central America. On his return from Paris on the United States cruiser Memphis, he started a trimumphal tour of the United States by aeroplane and carried mail stamped with special postmarks and cachets. This is highly prized philatelic material, selling up to £2O a cover. Soon after his return to the United States that country honoured him with a 10-cent air mail stamp featuring his aeroplane, the Sprit of St. Louis, on a map of his route. When lie started late in 1927 on his tour of Central America and the West Indies every country issued special postmarks for their air mail and the letters he carried, while Cuba, Costa Rica and Panama issued overprints on their air mail stamps. Costa Rica’s stamp was especially interesting as it showed Columbus and his fleet, and was overprinted for the Lindbergh flight, marking two epic Atlantic crossings. Newfoundland in 1931 issued a map stamp showing liis flight, and Spain honoured him with a stamp in 1930. Lindbergh’s flight and the subsequent stamps- issued in bis honour gave an impetus to air mail philately'. While many countries bad issued air mail stamps prior to his flight and there was a growing army of air mail collectors, the avalanche of air mail stamps since that flight has been reflected in to-day’s large number of air mail collectors. Six first flight covers were issued for the inauguration of tlie EdmohtpnWhitehorse (Yukon) air mail service on July 5. Covers reached the district superintendent of postal services at Edmonton by July 2. The covers were marked for each section of the route: Edmonton-Fort Nelson; EdmontonWhitchorse ; Fort Nelson-Whitehorse ; Fort Nelson-Edmonton ; Whitehorse-Ed-monton; Whitehorse-Fort Nelson. Each cover carried appropriate air mail postage. 6 cents for the first ounce and five cents for each additional ounce for delivery in Canada. United Kingdom, Irish Free State, Newfoundland; 0

cents each ounce for delivery in Bermuda and United States. All covers were mailed inside an envelope to* the Edmonton postal superintendent. France isued a stamp for philosopher Descartes on the 300th anniversary of his. philosophical discovery on which is based modern philosophy, and used the famous Franz Hals painting of Descartes as the central part of the stamp. ... An error has been discovered in the recent IR, violet, stamp issued by r the Bijawar State in India. One stamp in'certain sheets has the value “IRS” instead of “1R”. . . . The Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man is reported to have petitioned the British Post Office for a set of special stamps displaying features of the Manx landscape. If the request is granted it will probably lead to similar demands from other semi-autonomous possessions, mainly the Channel Islands. . . . Tlie 10-cent green Spanish Morocco stamp has been over-printed “Tangier” vertically. . . •. The centenary of the Rumanian writer Creanga has been celebrated by that country by the issue of a set of four oblong stamps. . . . On August 1 King Farouk of Egypt attained his majority and a series of nine postal values bearing his portrait were released. The values consisted of 1,2, 3,4, 5, 10. 13, 15 and 20 mills. . . . Two sets, one for interior airmail and the other for exterior airmail, have been issued by Guatemala.