JS(CC)59 FDC RAF cover commemorating British Achievements in Speed. The cover artwork by Tony Theobald shows Neville Duke's Red Hawker Hunter which broke the World Air Speed Record in 1953, Peter Twiss in the Fairey Delta 2 which shattered the World Air Speed Record in 1956 with a blistering 1,100mph+, Sir Henry Segrave's Golden Arrow is shown a lovely car which set the Land Speed record at 231.44mph in 1929. No cover would be complete without commemorating the famous Bluebirds and Sir Malcom Campbell is shown in his Bluebird car which in 1935 set the World Land Speed Record at 301.13mph finally Donald Campbell is shown in his Bluebird K7 boat which set the World Speed Record on Water at 276.33mph in 1964.

 The cover bears the full set of five Royal Mail Speed stamps issued in September 1998 cancelled on the first day of issue with Carmarthen Sir Malcolm Campbell Speed postmark 29.09.98.

The stamps depict:
20p Sir Malcom Campbell 1925  - 151 mph Sunbeam Bluebird
26p Sir Henry Seagrave 1926  - 157 mph Sunbeam Slug
30p John Parry Thomas 1926  - 171 mph ‘Babs’
43p John Cobb 1947   - 394 mph Railton Special
63p Donald Campbell 1964  - 403 mph Bluebird CN7

Cover has been signed by Owen Wyn Owen

His most famous restoration project, which received worldwide attention, was to excavate and restore Babs, after 40 years buried on a tidal beach. "Babs" was the car that in 1927, driven by J. G. Parry-Thomas, whilst attempting the land speed record at the time (180 mph or 290 km/h), crashed and killed the driver. The car was buried where the accident occurred on Pendine Sands.
In 1967 Wyn Owen decided to excavate and restore Babs. The site of the burial was identified from old photographs, but it was found to be within the perimeter of the present-day rocket establishment. The military authorities granted permission for the excavation on condition that Parry-Thomas's next of kin did not object. It took Wyn Owen two years to locate a living relative, a nephew living in Walsall, and finally the wreck was recovered. This recovery was controversial at the time, less so after the successful restoration. The prevailing opinion was that the wreck would be unsalveagable for anything more than a pitiful museum display. Few expected that the wreck would ever resemble a car again, let alone be restored to running order.
The car was indeed in appalling condition. Much of the bodywork had corroded, so a new body had to be constructed, melding in where possible any existing original material. The mechanical running gear though was in good condition. Even where components could not be used, they were sufficiently preserved to act as a pattern. The engine was salvageable, but many new replacement parts had to be made from original designs.
The car was first successfully tested on The Helyg straight in the early 1970s. The test consisted of being towed by the local garage owner's Land Rover (Dafydd Hughes and his mechanic Allan Hughes), to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and then "Babs" was bump started. The gearing was so high that being towed was the only way to get "Babs" moving under her own power. The car was later successfully demonstrated in front of the world press and television on an air field near RAF Valley, Anglesey.
The restoration work took place in Owen's garage in Capel Curig, and "Babs" is now displayed in the Pendine Museum of Speed during the summer months. The car was run at the Brooklands Centenary in 2007.

We usually have lots of other items up for sale so why not have a look