World Letter Day 2024: A spotlight on covers from around the world

An usual postal endorsement from Lord Howe Island

In the 1930s, mail delivery relied on a combination of transportation methods, including trains, ships, and increasingly, airplanes, as airmail became more common.

This unusual cover was addressed to Lord Howe Island in August 1930. With the introduction, at short notice of 2d postage, Lord Howe Island (a dependency of New South Wales which lies about 500 miles from Sydney, and served by a three-week steamer service)had just received its mail from Sydney, and was about to despatch mail to the mainland within a day or two of the increase. Having no 2d stamps in stock and no opportunity to requisition a supply from Sydney, The local postmaster (S Fenton) wirelessed to the Sydney G.P.O for instructions and received the following reply – “Use three halfpenny stamps with endorsement 2d. paid p.m (Postmaster), LHF”. This was intended to mean that the postmaster should endorse the envelope to show that postage had been prepaid, but it was misunderstood and a supply of the current 1 ½ d stamps were endorsed and placed on sale in the usual way. About 260 stamps were overprinted.

Pictured: AUSTRALIA 1930 SG117 var Cover with Lord Howe Island 2d postmaster provisional

Stock Code: P245000300

Price: £950.00

How many stamps can you fit on cover?

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Collectors often prefer covers with multiple stamps, especially if the stamps are commemorative or from a special series. A sender might intentionally use various stamps to create a more interesting or valuable cover for collectors. A single cover could have multiple stamps due to a combination of factors, like meeting a specific rate and using commemorative stamps issued at the time.

Addressed to a J.F. Droucette Dias of the Bombay Philatelic co. This SOUTHERN RHODESIA 1953 SG78/91 Cover makes a clean and attractive example. The cover is registered from Salisbury to New York with QEII set of 14 to £1.

Stock Code: P234007427

Price: £140.00

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The 1935 Silver Jubilee marked the 25th anniversary of King George V's accession to the British throne, celebrated throughout the British Empire in 1935. To commemorate this significant milestone, a special series of postage stamps was issued across various British colonies, dominions, and territories, making it a major event for philatelists and collectors of postal history.

This 1935 first day cover from Bathurst, to New Jersey, USA is franked by 1935 Silver Jubilee 3d brown and deep blue. The total printing of the issue was made up of only 976 sheets from four vignette plates.

Stock Code: P234004317

Price: £350.00

Great Britain Selects:

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This exhibition quality cover features a 1911 ½d Pale green & 1d Carmine-red. The 1911 ½d Pale Green and 1d Carmine-red are notable British postage stamps issued during the reign of King George V. They are part of the "Downey Head" series, named after the image of King George V featured on the stamp, which was based on a photograph by W. & D. Downey, the official royal photographers.

This superb used pair of bottom marginal example beautifully tied to a clean unfolded cover by Windsor cds's for the first day of issue JU.22.1911.

Stock Code: P189002105

Price: £2,000.00

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1871 British Post Offices abroad. A superb three colour franking from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Barcelona via the British packet agency. The 2s5d rate prepaid with a 1d Rose red Pl.136, 4d Vermilion Pl.12 and a 2s Dull blue Pl.1, all neatly cancelled by crisp Guayaquil 'C41' numerals. Routed via Panama and London. An extremely beautiful and rare franking from the Puig correspondence.

Stock Code: P223001573

Price: £3,250.00

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This example showcases the elaborate journey overseas mail in the 1850’s would have gone through. Dated back to 1857-58 this very fine matched pair of envelopes are from the same correspondence and were sent from Birkenhead to Shanghai, China.

The earlier routed 'via Southampton' prepaid at the 6d per ½oz rate by a 6d lilac (SG68) tied by a Birkenhead '74' sideways duplex for OC.31.1857. The later cover routed 'Via Marseilles' prepaid at the more expensive but faster 9d per ½oz rate by a 1d rose-red (SG40), 2d blue (SG34) and 6d lilac (SG68)

The earlier cover was carried by P&O steamers 'Ripon', 'Bentinck', 'Aden' and 'Lady Mary Wood', and the later cover by P&O steamers 'Vectis', 'Candia', 'Norna' and 'Lady Mary Wood'. A beautiful and scarce matched pair of covers to the far east.

Stock Code: P223012045

Price: £1,200.00