Baghdad Overland Mail

Westbound mail: 17 MAR 1925 cover from BAGHDAD to JERUSALEM franked 6 Anna (on back) per period rate (3A letter + 3A additional weight) using vertical pair 3 Anna franks & tied by local postmark; backstamped 21 MR 25 HAIFA transit & next day JERUSALEM arrival; slit open at left. Cover not marked "Baghdad overland" but was transported by its original route Baghdad - Ramadi - Ruthba - Damascus - Bei...

Westbound mail: 14 APR 1925 "Overland Mail" manuscript-marked cover from BUSRA (Basra) Iraq to addressee at Alliance Israelite School HAIFA, franked 6 Anna (on back) per period rate (3A letter + 3A additional weight) using 6 Anna single frank & tied by BUSRA SORTI postmark; backstamped 18 AP 25 HAIFA arrival; opened gently at back, possibly unsealed.Transported by original route Baghdad - Ramadi -...

Westbound mail: 28 APR 1925 "Overland Mail Haifa" cover from MOSUL to JERUSALEM addressed in Arabic, Hebrew & English, franked 6 Anna per period rate (3A letter + 3A additional weight) using vertical pair 3 A & tied by strike of local postmark; backstamped 2 MY 25 HAIFA transit & next day JERUSALEM arrival (Sach-F3 Krag machine cancel); cut open at left, bottom right corner missing. Transported by...

Outbound Palestine Baghdad-Overland mail: 31 JAN 1938 postmarked commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary of Bank of Rome, sent from JERUSALEM to bank in TEHRAN; franked 15m per period surface mail letter rate to non-UK destination & tied by single strike of the head post office postmark; backstamped 6 FEB BAGHDAD transit & 11 FEB TEHRAN arrival + Persian manuscript notation on fro...

WWII era eastbound mail: 8 NOV 1941 cover on Windsor Hotel stationary from HAIFA to "Nairn Transport Co. Ltd" (the operators of "Baghdad overland" service) DAMASCUS, franked 15m using single Ba108 per period "overland" service though cover not marked such (period non-UK surface rate was 20m) & tied by strike of local postmark; cover opened/resealed by a Haifa censor using white PC22 label; backsta...

Taxed eastbound mail: c. JULY 1945 commercial cover (from HAIFA?) to TEHRAN, sent via overland service via Baghdad but underfranked at 10m (15m was period rate), tied by machine cancel; backstamped 29 JLY 1945 BAGHDAD transit, where cover censored (front); probably at this stage of transmission, cover damaged: backstamped 15 IX 45 TEHERAN arrival (6 week transit), marked for tax on front (uncollec...

Late period westbound Baghdad overland mail from Iran: 9 XI 1946 registered airmail cover from Jewish Agency TEHRAN to the Jewish National Fund head office JERUSALEM, franked 26R on back & tied by 2 strikes of local postmark; backstamped 13 NOV 46 REG BAGHDAD transit postmark & 15 NOV 46 REG JERUSALEM arrival; opened roughly at top, complete. Rare origin & route: as per the week-long t...

Late period overland mail to Iraq: 10 July 1947 postmarked Registered Letter envelope, sent from Arabic sender in HAIFA to addressee in Iraq, franked 48 mils for the 15m registry fee (imprinted frank) plus double weight surface mail (20m base rate + 13m extra weight); tied by 2x strikes of REGISTERED HAIFA oval postmark on front + 1x on back; backstamped BAGHDAD arrival; slit open at right. A rare...