Auction No. 44

Lot 665

First flights & commercial flights

Opening $100
Sold for $210

Thailand 1928 (Oct. 2) Flight  cover to London  signed by the pilots John Lee and Stephen Smith.  scarce and good condition.
Thailand 1928 airmail cover from Bangkok to London England bearing 1928 King Prajadhipok stamps 10 satang & 25 satang (Scott 214 & 217 ; Michel No. 202 &  204 ;  SG  255, 257) tied by  a special cachet of two airplane silhouettes trailed by three wavy lines, in violet, which was used only in the autumn of 1928. The VIA AIRMAIL MARSEILLES-LONDON cachet in black was applied by the Bangkok G.P.O. Stephen Smith autograph on back along with his handwritten note : " only 35 covers carried on flight" Very scarce and good condition.C.J. Chan was a stamp dealer who prepared covers for many early Siam inland air mail flights.  On October 2, 1928, mail left Bangkok on the inauguration of Bangkok-Marseilles, France-London, England service.  The mail was flown over the Marseilles-London leg of the route.  Fawdry reports that there were only about 35 covers carried on this air mail first flight, the small number probably due to the fact that the public did not feel justified in paying additional postage for the savings of half a day of transit time.  The majority of these covers were prepared by Chan. 

Category
Air Mail & Aviation
Symbols
6M