Postal History of the Palestine Mandate

Major rarity - 1 Piastre Jerusalem I setting I Ba #21a on mail: 9 Dec 1920 postmarked registered cover sent from JERUSALEM to BERLIN Germany, franked 2 Piastres per period postage rate (1pia overseas letter + 1 pia registry fee) using 2x 1pia stamps both in deep indigo violet color, of which one (at left) is setting I type 16 - 'shin' missing interior stroke, break in Arabic T, general vertical al...

MAJOR RARITY - 1 Piastre Jerusalem I SETTING I on mail: 20 Dec 1920 postmarked commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from JAFFO to MARSEILLE France, franked 1 Piaster per period base letter postage rate using extremely rare Ba #21a stamp in deep indigo violet, with type 20 setting I overprint (key characteristics being large letter 'Yud' & letter 'Alef' with shortened righ...

Jerusalem III / London I mixed franking + overprint & postmark discoveries: 30 Oct 1921 postmarked cover on imprinted personal postal stationary, sent from HAIFA to MARSEILLE France, franked 13 mils per period surface mail base letter postage rate using a combination of 1 Piastre Jerusalem III overprinted stamp (Ba #52) + 3 mils London I overprinted stamp (Ba #62), tied by 2x strikes of undocument...

Mandate mixed franking cover: 11 Aug 1927 postmarked commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from HAIFA to brewery in HANNOVER Germany, franked 13 mils per the period base postage rate for surface mail letter using 1m & 2m stamps of the London II overprint series + 3m pictorial, newly entered use on 1 June; one stamp is missing (eg. 7m of the London II series, only the 3m an...

Extremely Rare 2m vertical pair Pictorials on vertically ribbed thin semi-transparent paper in slightly darker gray-blue than the thin semi-transparent paper issue, perforated 13½:14½ (13.50 x 14.50) as per Bale for this type of paper; tied to 19 Dec 1935 postmarked German postal card used for domestic mail, from tiny locale Kibbutz KVUZAT SCHILLER (present day GAN SHLOMO) via REHOVOT to...

MAJOR COIL DISCOVERY: vertical strip of 3x 2 mils experimental coil stamps, in greenish-blue, printed on THICK vertically ribbed paper - perforated 13½:14½ (13.5 x 14.5) as recorded for vertically ribbed thin semi-transparent paper used for experimental coils, rather than 13¼ (13.25) horizontally, as recorded for this paper; tied to air mail cover postmarked 12 DEC 1936, from TEL AV...

Earliest known use of Mandate booklet stamps: 21 Feb 1930 postmarked registered surface mail cover sent from KARKUR to BERLIN, franked 26 mils for 13m base letter postage + 13m registry fee using 6x 3m & 5m booklet stamps (evidenced by the guillotine cropped horizontal edges) - extremely rare stamps belonging to the earliest known order for stamp booklets, #3377 of 29 Nov. 1929 (the next recorded ...

The rare thin semi-transparent vertically ribbed 3 mils Mandate pictorial in yellowish-green (Ba #91e) serving as overseas surface printed matter postage affixed to 13 MAR 1930 postmarked cover sent from JERUSALEM to LACROSSE USA & tied by machine cancel; backstamped 3 APR LACROSSE, WIS REC'D arrival; unsealed per printed matter regulations, horizontal fold.A rare paper-type stamp, generally consi...

DISCOVERY: 3 mils Mandate Pictorals stamp in apple green on undocumented vertically ribbed thick BROWN paper, as printed matter postage tied to 14 SEPT 1931 postmarked picture postcard (Old City Jerusalem - Eliahu Bros) sent from JERUSALEM to tiny locale CAMERLATA Italy; as bearing a message with 5 words or less, charged as surface mailed printed matter. The stamp is compound perforated horizontal...

The rare thin semi-transparent vertically ribbed 3 mils Mandate pictorial experimental coil stamp in pale-green (Ba #91e) serving as overseas surface printed matter postage affixed to 12 Sept 1932 postmarked cover on imprinted business stationary, sent from JERUSALEM to BROOKLYN & tied by machine cancel; backstamped 30 Sept SAINT JOHNS PLACE STATION arrival; unsealed per printed matter regulations...

GROUND-BREAKING anti-coil DISCOVERY: a 16 SEPT 1932 postmarked 3 mils Pictorial single stamp serving as printed matter surface mail postage tied to a cover from JERUSALEM to MINNEAPOLIS USA, in light olive-green on vertically ribbed thin semi-transparent paper, with compound horizontal perforations of 13½:14½ (13.5 x 14.5, top) and 13¼:14½ (13.25 x 14.5, bottom), where the 13.5...

DISCOVERY: 3 mils Mandate Pictorals stamp in yellow green on undocumented vertically ribbed thick dark BROWN paper, tied to 15 SEPT 1933 postmarked registered cover from JERUSALEM to business in ERFURT Germany, franked 28m per period rate for overseas surface mail (15m letter + 13m registration) & tied by 3x strikes of REGISTERED JERUSALEM oval postmark on front + 1x on back, backstamped 23 Sept a...

3 mils Pictorials booklet pane (5 of 6 stamps) as 15m postage affixed to 3 JUNE 1937 postmarked surface mailed cover, sent from TEL AVIV to tiny locale DALBY in Denmark & tied by 3x full strikes of rare double circle date cancel with 3-letter month in dateline (Groten #C12, rated E / Sach #B44; with index letter "C" - undocumented); rare franking as mostly complete booklet pane....

MAJOR DISCOVERY - the 3 mils EXPERIMENTAL COIL stamp on THICK vertically ribbed paper, in lime-green hue, with rounded/bumpy vertical perforation (at right) characteristic of coil stamps - but with perforation of 13½ : 14½ (13.5 x 14.5) as documented for vertically ribbed thin semi-transparent paper and not 13¼ (13.25) horizontally as documented for the thick paper as used here; tie...

Horizontally ribbed 3 mils pictorial stamp (Ba #91d) as printed matter postage on 14 Feb 1938 postmarked picture postcard (Mount Tavor) sent from JERUSALEM to OAKLAND USA, with 3 word message qualifying the postcard for the printed matter overseas rate rather than the standard 8m postcard rate. A rare stamp when used on mail, especially as a single franking....

BIG DISCOVERY - undocumented 3 mils COIL stamp on THICK vertically ribbed paper, in lime-green hue, with perforation of 13¼ : 14½ (13.25 x 14.5) as recorded for this type of paper, affixed as postage for overseas surface mailed printed matter cover, sent from JERUSALEM to GONZALES USA & tied by the rare double circled Sach #F4 18 AUG 1939 dated machine cancel (rarity rated F out of J), o...

GROUND BREAKING coil stamp DISCOVERY: vertical strip of 5x 3 mils pictorial stamps in yellow-green on thick vertically ribbed paper, as 15m airmail postage via Imperial Airlines, tied to 2 JULY 1936 air mail cover, from TEL AVIV to MUNICH & tied by 3x strikes of rare postmark with 3-letter month in date-stamp (Groten #C12, rated E / Sach #B44; without index letter - undocumented). Airmail to Europ...

Horizontally ribbed 5m Pictoral Ba #93 single stamp as postage for domestic letter, tied to a 24 NOV 1937 postmarked cover from TEL AVIV to JERUSALEM, backstamped same day arrival. Horizonally ribbed pictorals are scarce on mail. Opened roughly at top....

Horizontally ribbed 5m stamp (Ba #93) as inland mail postage tied to 30 SEPT 1938 postmarked commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from JERUSALEM to KIRYAT BIALIK & tied by machine machine; torn open at back (part of backflap missing)...

Late use of continuous roll coil stamp on Mandate mail: 7 JAN 1947 postmarked airmail cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from TEL AVIV to NEW YORK CITY, franked 125m per period postage rate using 1x 5m coil stamp (with 14 horizontal holes & cropped vertical edges) + 20m pair & 4pc stamp block & tied by 4x strikes of the head post office postmark; slit open at top. The coil stamp u...

Horizontally ribbed 5m & 6m pictorial stamps (Ba #93d/94d) as part of 15m franking on 15 AUG 1938(?) postmarked airmail cover, from TEL AVIV to HAMBURG & tied by 2x strikes of the single circle postmark of the sorting office (i.e. the cover was deposited into a pillar box uncancelled & processed later when the box was emptied); subsequently tied by the thick black "jusqu'a" cross used at BRINDISI ...

Horizontally ribbed 6m stamp as part of 25m postage affixed to 28 JULY 1939 postmarked airmail cover sent from TEL AVIV to CHICAGO via Imperial Airways as per the 15m 10g letter rate with 10m for additional 10g weight, tied by 3x strikes of the head post office postmark; routed via LONDON where the thick pink jusqu'a bars obliterated the air mail imprint indicating onward transmission by sea mail;...

Major Coil Discovery - 7 mils machine vended coil stamp: 13 Oct 1937 postmarked registered commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from JERUSALEM to TEL AVIV & franked 18 mils for the period postage rate (5m base letter + 13 registry fee), paid using 2x undocumented types of coils stamps - vertical pair of 2 mils on thick vertically ribbed paper (with single pulled tooth on ...

Thin semi-transparent vertically ribbed 8 mils Mandate pictorial stamp (Ba #106e) tied 13 April 1933 postmarked surface mailed picture postcard (Jerusalem - General View & Mount of Olives) sent from JERUSALEM to HANAU Germany & tied by single strike of the head post office postmark. Here the date of use predates Dorfman's date of July-August 1934 for this issue, which he associates with a certain ...