THE A OS JOU N Special Helicopter Stamp And Cover Issue VOLUME XXV ll - NO. 9 JUNE, 1956 Errors, Varieties, & Airmails For 30 years we have been specializing in all UNUSUAL Items, ERRORS, VARIETIES, e:tc., regardless if :they are or are not listed. Now we .have on hand a very large selection of Airmails, U. P. U., U. N .. F. D. R., Ro:tary, Inverted Centers, Sports, Topicals, Miniature f~1ee:ts, De Luxe Sheets, Proofs, etc., etc. We have oddities and un­ usual items from many different countries as •.• A!byi;sinia, A1bania, Belgium, Brazil, Canary Islands, Colombia, Con­ go, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Danzig, Ecuador, Epirus, Far East, France & Colonies, Greece, Georgia, Honduras. Iceland, Ifni, Iran, Italy & Colonies, Jugoslavia, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, N"icaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Romania Russia, ~aar, Salvador, Scadta, Spain & Colonies Tangier, Tanna Touva, Uruguay, Venezuela, etc., etc., etc. We will gladly make Special Selections for you on Approval and, of course, you have the right to return anything. Please check where you are especially interested. ( Central America ( Booklets ( South America ( Covers ( Asia. ( DeLuxe Sheets ( Africa ( ( Europe ( F. D.R. ( Belgium ( Inverted Centers ( France & Cols. ( Miniature Sheets ( Uberia ( Proofs ( Lithuania ( Rotary ( Poland ( Sport ( Russia ( Topicals ( Spain ( U. N. ( Airmails ( U. P. U. Americana Please t:heck if you are especially interested in: ) Items up to $5 ( ) Up to $15 ( ) Up to $25 ( ) Up to ?? Please check if value of our first selection should be: $50 00, $100.00, $200.00, $500.00, $1000. Additional Information References (if unknown to us) City (Postal No. please) Address Name S., Serebrakian 15 PARK ROW BA 7-3830 NEW YORK 38, N. Y. Special f-lelicopter Issue • JOH N J. SMITH EDITOR OF THE MONTH • Several Stamps Depict Famous Persons And Aircraft Associated With Hel icopters • In the past few years there has de­ veloped a great deal of interest in the collection of autogiro and helicopter flig~t covers. This is most likely due in part to the fact that the majority of these flights are of recent origin and have given the average collector an op­ portunity to specialize without the ex­ penditure of large sums. Since trans­ po1fation of mail by helicopter is largely ; in its infancy there is still a great op­ portunity for the newcomer to start nch a collection. Along the same lines is the opportun­ ity for the collector who is only inter­ ested in stamps for an enjoyable side line collection This is the collection of JOHN J. SMITH stamps showing rotary wing aircraft or p ersDns or things associated with them. The cover collector may also find this of Secretary - Treasurer Of interest as an addition to his collection. American Air Mail Society, Leonardo da Vinci has long been as­ sociated with the helicopter. The orig­ An Arden Helicopter Stamp And inal manuscript of his "Codex Atlanti­ cus", preserved in the Ambrosian Lib- Cover Collector - Served As tary in Milan, shows that as early as Special Editor For This Issue 1490 Da Vinci had made designs for a helicopter. Da Vinci is shown on the ( Continued on next pa ge) OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF Tm· THE AIRPOST JOURNAL AMERICAN AIR MAIL SOCIETY Entered as second-class matter. February 10, 1932, at the post office at Albion, Pa. under the act of March 3, 1879. P ublished monthly. JUNE, 1956 - VOL. XXVIII, NO. 9 - ISSUE NO. 314 - 25c PER COPY - 291- stamps of J.taly in 1938 and again in The next issue to appear was in Bel­ l!:lb~ on tne issue cornmemoratmg the gium where · a 7 Fr. - 3 Fr. Mail 5uuth Anmversary or ins mrth. Semi Postal stamp was issued on August 7, 1950. This stamp shows a helicopter In June oi 1905 ~pain issued a 2 Pe­ leaving the airport and the surtax was seta stamp to commemorate the inven­ for the National Aeronautical Commit­ tion or the autogiro by Juan de la Cier­ tee. va. ·1nis stamp shows an autogiro in In 1951 I.taly issued a 20 Lire stamp thght over ::>ev1J1e. Several pertoration during the 29th Milan Fair showing a varieties ot this stamp are known and in helicopter over the Leonardo da Vinci 1938 it appeared re-engraved. On sev­ Heliport. eral occasions this stamp was overprint­ On April 24, 1954, to publicize ex­ ed but these varieties are not all recog­ perimental transportation of mail by nized by Scott. helicopter from Milan to Turin, a 25 On March l, 1936 a set of 15 stamps Lire stamp was issued showing the spe­ commemorating .the 40th Anniversary of cial trophy. the National Press Association was issued Both of the above mentioned Italian by Spam. The 15c, 30c, 50c and 1 Pe­ stamps were overprinted AMC FTT for seta value of this set show an autogiro use in Zone A of Trieste. The 1952 Da over the Casa de Nazareth home for dis­ Vinci set was similarly overprinted for abled newspapermen use in Trieste. Monaco joined the parade in 1954 by Sanabria lists an overprint on one of issuing a 1 franc triangular postage due the local tax stamps ot narcelona. This stamp showing a U., S. Navy Sikorsky stamp was issued on April 14, 1936 and helicopter. ' shows an autogiro ovt1p1·,nted in blue Hurricane Hazel in its sweep across and with the additional overprint in Haiti caused considerable damage. Heli­ black commemoratmg the 5th Anniver­ copters were used extensively for rescue sary of the republic. operations. Later in 1955, ten postal tax stamps of two designs were issued with From 1939 to 1947 fifteen stamps of the proceeds to be used for reconstruc­ a similar design were issued showing an tion of damaged property. The first de­ autogiro and Juan de la Cierva. sign shows a helicopter 'inspecting the In 1942 Clll3 of the Cierva issue hurricane damage while the other shows was overprinted "Golfo de Guinea" in a helicopter in flights. red for use in Spanish Guinea. Listed below are the Catalogue num­ From 1939 to 1947 various of the Ci­ bers of the stamps mentioned in this ar­ erva stamps wert) overprinted for use in ticle. All are Scott's numbers except the Spanish territory of Ifni. However, those prefixed by an ( S ) which are not all of these overprints are listed by from the Sanabria Catalogue. Scott. Spain: C72A, C72B, C77, C80, C82, For use in the International City of C84, Cl00-16, 14L26, 1S158, Sl61, Sl88, T·angier, Spain C72A was issued in 1938 Sl89, Sl93, Sl94, S206. with the overprint "Correo Espanol Tan­ Spanish Guinea: C2. ger". In 1939 the reprinted stamp of this design was issued with the Tangier Ifni: Sl9-25, S26-32, C38-39, C41-46. overprint. As part of their observance of Tangier: Sl, S2. the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Lebanon: Cl48, Cl49, Cl49a. Postal Union, Lebanon issued two stamps on August 16, 1949 showing a Belgium: CB4. helicopter over the Cedars of Lebanon. Italy: 404, 572, 601, 620, 652. On December 18, 1950 a souvenir sheet was issued with the same two stamps as Monaco: J48. well as the other three stamps of the Trieste: ll3. 145, 164, 199. U. P. U. issue. Haiti: RA17-24, RACl-2. -292- ''Fl PEXu Crowning Achievement In World Of Philately • AEROPHILATELY SHARES THE SPOTLIGHT The philatelic press has for weeks • SIL VER MEDALS .•. been extolling the wonders of the Fifth Harry A. Holman, New York City International Philatelic Exhibition held (Austrian); Ernest Rosenfield, New York the forepart of May in the ideal locale City (Austrian); Jacob S. Glaser, Brook­ of the new New York Coliseum. As re­ lyn, N. Y. (Colombian); Dr. Andreas ported in the May issue of the Airpost Domingo, Havana, Cuba (Liberia, Mex­ Journal, aerophilately and the American ico); Sebastiao Amaral, Belo Horizonte, Air Mail Society assumed a prominent Brazil (Lybia); Jules L. Wacht, Scars­ role in the presentation of this finest of dale, N. Y. (Papua); Dr. R.H. R. Shra­ all exhibitions. Only a few of the high­ dy, Englewood, N. J. (Swiss); Harold lights will be reviewed at this time. A. Dermody, Cicero, Ill. (Pioneers); EXHIBITION ... John P. V. Heinmuller, New York City The Grand Trophy for best exhibit in (various covers); Alberto Bornschein, the show was awarded to Roberto Hoff­ Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil). man of Montevideo, Uruguay for his col­ BRONZE MEDALS . -·· lection of Umguay, 1856-64. The high­ Vincent Lopez, New -Y:ork City ( wor­ est major award to air mails was for the ld): William G. Ehrmann, Ridgefield General Air Mail Collection of Thomas Park, N. J. (world) ; Harry Abelson, A. Mathews, (AAMS No. 2431) of Short Hills, N. J. (world); Frank E. Springfield, Ohio under Classification C. Adams, Havertown, Pa. (Australian); General. Under Section 6 - Air Mails, Ralph S. von Kohnrn, White Plains, N. the Best in Section Award was won by Y. (Austria); Herbert A. Feist, Glenside, Sam Rodvien (AAMS No. 1605) of New Pa. (Brazil); Leon Montes, Port-au­ York City and a Gold Medal with Dia­ Prince, Haiti (Haiti); Capt. Robert W. mond Inset was awarded to Dmitri Tzir­ Sherer, Geneva, N. Y. (Iceland); P. J. acopculo of Cairo, Egypt. The other Drossos, Athens, Greece (Ionian Is­ awards were as follows: lands); Dr. John A. Bushness, Baltimore, GOLD MEDALS ... Md. (Lithuania); Victor Mawratil, Christiane de Dampierre, Paris, France Chene-Bourg, Switzerland (French); (world) Alan ]. Scott, Hale Barns, Eng­ Helen F. Novy, Ridgewood, N. J. (Siege land (Zeppelins and Balloons); Mrs. of Paris Balloons); Dr. Max Kronstein, Louise S. Hoffman, New York City New York City (Pioneers); Fred Bauer, (world) New York City (Trans-Pacific); G.