The Philatelic Database – Archive of Stamp Collecting Articles

Published by kind permission of the author.

Before telling the story behind the fascinating cover illustrated, a description is necessary…

This article is probably one of the first airmail articles, certainly of any length, to be published in a philatelic journal. It was first published in Stamp Collectors’ Fortnightly (January, 1921) from a paper read by Major RS Archer, MC, as his Presidential Address before the Liverpool Junior Philatelic Society, October 11th, 1920.

I rather like Air Mail stamps of the world, used on airmail covers (of course), which logically is why they were issued. The sight of the familiar blue and red bordered airmail envelope emits a subliminal message, evoking images of distant, beckoning, exotic places. For me, at least.

This image is the first photograph in a series showing worldwide aircraft.

J.E. Whitbeck was a worried man. He felt his job was on the line before he had a chance to prove himself. Here it was October 19 1927 and disaster was about to strike.

Overprint on the 1921-8 series of stamps issued by SCADTA, the Colombian airmail company. The overprint signified Hollandia, the Spanish name for the Netherlands. Stamps with the overprint were sold at the airline offices and the Columbian Consulates in the Netherlands and the Dutch West Indies.