Baghdad Overland Mail

Discovery: undocumented rare 15m stamp in dark gray (Ba #108c) on vertically ribbed paper, serving as surface letter postage tied to Aug 1938 machine cancelled Baghdad overland type surface mail cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from JERUSALEM to TEHRAN; backstamped 17 Aug BAGHDAD transit & 21 Aug arrival; cut open at top, tear to backflap not affecting the postmarks.The 15m pict...

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 TEH RAN; 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 TEH RAN arrival + Persian manuscript notation on f...

EXTRAORDINARY WWII German postal link via PALESTINE: 12 JULY 1941 postmarked registered surface mail cover on imprinted bank postal stationary with teleprinted address, sent from BERLIN to TEHRAN Iran & franked 55pf; with manuscript routing "via Istanbul-Erzurum" + stamped with boxed customs-declaration cachet "foreign exchange bank, contents - no goods"; the cover was opened & sealed by t...

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 Nov 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 transit time...