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                                     RARE PAIR CORONATION DAY FLIGHT AIRLETTERS

                         • • LONDON - NORFOLK ISLAND - LONDON per QANTAS AIRLINES    • • 

                  Superb & Fresh AIRLETTERS flown on CORONATION DAY FLIGHTS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS

                                                                  UNIQUE & ORIGINAL EBAY OFFER

        SPECIAL CACHETS ON "CORONATION DAY" AIRLETTERS - A RARE MATCHED PAIR 

ON OFFER: (a) NORFOLK ISLAND to LONDON specially-printed CORONATION DAY AIRLETTER (10d rate) postmarked 2 June 1953, with E II R CORONATION DAY special postmark, franked with Norfolk Island 1d and 9d "Ball Bay" stamps, backstamped "[CROWN] LONG LIVE THE QUEEN" London F.S. machine slogan postmark of 8 June 1953, and "F.S." (Foreign Section) triangle, and

(b) specially-printed CORONATION DAY AIRLETTER rated 6½d, franked with GB 2½d and 4d Coronation commemorative stamps, the London F.S. machine slogan postmark of 2 June 1953 "[CROWN] LONG LIVE THE QUEEN", and backstamped on arrival (via Sydney) with single circle Norfolk Island - Aust. regular postmark on 10 June 1953.

BACKGROUND: It is quite well known to British Commonwealth stamp collectors that QANTAS, the Australian Airline, prepared, stamped, and flew, special envelopes on special flights on "Coronation Day" 1953, to and from London to every territory of the British Empire, with a special rectangular cachet in purple ink applied to every flight cover. Territories excluded from this event were any which did not have an airfield, such as Pitcairn Island or Tristan da Cunha.

WHAT IS LESS WELL KNOWN is that, in addition to the gold and royal blue cachets of the printed Qantas Airlines covers, three or four different AIR LETTERS and AEROGRAMMES were also printed by Qantas, and were carried on these flights. Postal rates for the QANTAS covers were 2/- from Norfolk Island, and 1s6d from London to Norfolk.

THE PURPLE INK CACHETS: Most covers (and airletters) received the 55mm x 37mm thin rectangular cachets, dated 2 June 1953, with 90-degree corners. These are the most common cachets on Flight Covers from Norfolk Island to London. The cachets differed only in the name of the territory, e.g. GREAT BRITAIN / CROWN / NORFOLK ISLAND, or COLOMBO / CROWN / GREAT BRITAIN, etc. Some cachets had tiny squares in each corner. 

IN ADDITION, a RARE NORFOLK ISLAND purple ink cachet (offered here) was produced with a 4mm wide patterned border (see final image). This patterned wide border cachet is only known on some Flight Covers from Norfolk and Papua-New Guinea to London. It is possible that these cachets were made because of wear and tear on the original, thin-line cachets.

CONDITION: BOTH Airletters are in superb and excellent condition, unlike the majority of "Coronation Day" Flight Covers and Airletters currently offered on eBay, and on the international market.

NO RUST, NO OXIDATION, NO RIPS, NO WRINKLES, NO TEARS, NO BLEMISHES !! SUPERB !! 70 YEARS OLD !!

      Our eBay Store offers many beautiful Norfolk Island, Pitcairn Islands, and Topical theme stamps.                                                                            

                                                    Excellent condition !!

                      Please also view other Worldwide Topical and Thematic items we offer in our eBay Store.

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WE SELL SHIP POSTCARDS, COVERS AND STAMPS of the BRITISH COMMONWEALTH and SELECT WORLDWIDE TOPICAL & THEMATIC ISSUES.

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WE OFFER PITCAIRN'S POSTAL, PHILATELIC, AND SOCIAL HISTORY, INCLUDING WORLDWIDE PITCAIRN-RELATED ISSUES, INCLUDING THOSE OF NORFOLK ISLAND.

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 Items are always well packaged, to prevent any damage in the mail

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