Postal History of Israel from 1948 Mandate Termination-Interim Period to War of Independence era

Mixed Mandate & Interim franking with latest known used coil stamp: 12 MAY 1948 postmarked local HAIFA express cover sent to northern district engineer, franked 50m at the period postage rate for 10m letter + 40m express fee, using block of 4x10m Ramat Gan interim stamps (Ba #26) + 1x 10m Mandate pictorial vending machine 'regular' coil stamp with 14 horizontal perforation holes (Ba #97) & tied by...

1948 Interim/Minhelet Haam error franking on mail: interim 3m Tirat Zvi stamp with double vertical perforations (Ba #1a) & double overprint (both unlisted in Bale) + cropped lower-right edge, tied to undated local TEL AVIV printed matter cover on pre-printed return-addressed stationary; unsealed but partially closed due to gum adhesion....

Rare & discovery Herzl interim franks on cover: undated registered cover from HERZLIYA to TEL AVIV, franked 26m (10m base letter rate + 15m registry fee,1m overpaid) using 10m blue with 1946 Jewish State overprint (Ba #8) + 10m violet with red DOAR overprint (Ba #7c) + tete-beche pair of 5m green (Ba #5) + Ba #5 single - where Ba #8 and #7c are overprinted in blue - this undocumented; tied by mult...

Interim/Minhelet Haam 10m Weizmann stamp with faint red overprint (Ba #12a) tied to 25m interim-stamp franked registered cover from TEL AVIV to HAIFA, per period rate, tied by local interim postmarks on front & back + 13 MAI 1948 French-language dater on back serving as an arrival marking (Tel Aviv used the mandate cancellation devices for dating registered letters); rare Weizmann stamp, documente...

Scarce interim frankings on late interim period registered cover (3141 of 3202): uncatalogued red overprinted Warsaw Ghetto 10m stamp (Ba #22b) + marginal gutter Jewish Brigade 10m (Ba #16) + Ben Yehuda 5m (Ba #10) tied to local TEL AVIV cover mail from TEL AVIV-1 (Allenby Road), tied by 3x strikes of local postmark on front + 2x on back & French language 14 MAI 1948 arrival dater tied to back (la...

1st day Israel rarity: HAIFA overprinted interim 10 mils Warsaw Ghetto stamp on cream paper (Ba #22f) as domestic letter postage tied to imprinted HAIFA business postal stationary cover addressed to TEL AVIV & cancelled by Israeli trilingual postmark on 1st day of the Israeli postal administration, 16 May 1948; locally rerouted to a post office box; vertically folded, slit open at top. Interim fra...

1948 JERUSALEM interim mail: local commercial printed-matter cover franked 5m using rare 3rd local issue (Ba #107; 2m convenience overfrank as city limited to local issue denominations) tied by interim postmark and 23 JUN 1948 dater (3 days after start of use of Doar Ivri franks in city); returned as addressee left (manuscript on back); unsealed per printed-matter regulations. Rare commercial use ...

Doar Ivri 10x11 perforated tabbed 20m stamp on late fee paid KLM 1st day airmail: Monday 14 June 1948 postmarked air mail cover sent from TEL AVIV to company in AMSTERDAM, initially franked 28 mils - likely an erronious calculation by the sender of 25m for the 35m base letter rate to the Netherlands (in this period the postage rate to some European countries like Italy and Britain was 25m) + 3m fo...

1st Day of War of Independence taxi mail: cover addressed to Habima actor Yehuda Rubinstein at 30 Dov Hoz street in TEL AVIV & return addressed to JERUSALEM, sent via Aleh Taxi service whose service label (serial #267910) is affixed to the back, on 29 Nov (1947) - considered the 1st day of the Israeli War of Independence, following the United Nations vote on the partition of Palestine held that da...

1948 War of Independence interrupted mail - earliest known: 5 Dec 1947 postmarked local TEL AVIV registered cover, sent from lawyer's office to addressee at Migdal Street in the city; franked 25 mils per the period postage rate (10m letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 1x strike of the oval registry division postmark on front + 2x on back. The street is located in the Neve Zedek neighborhood of th...

Early War of Independence era registered mail: 7 Jan 1948 postmarked registered cover sent from PETACH TIKVA to company in HAIFA, franked 25 mils per period postage rate (10m base letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 2x strikes on front 2x on back by registry division postmark; backstamped same day REGISTERED TEL AVIV transit & next day REGISTERED HAIFA transit arrival; opened at back. In this per...

1948 War of Independence interrupted mail: 16 Jan 1948 postmarked local TEL AVIV registered cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from investment business to addressee at Daniel Street in the city; franked 25 mils per the period postage rate (10m letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 2x strikes of the oval registry division postmark on front + 2x on back. The street is located in what...

War of Independence affected mail - closure of Jerusalem General Post Office: [Friday] 16 JAN 1948 postmarked airmail cover addressed to family member Rafael Erlanger in LUZERN Switzerland from sender Joseph Erlanger in JERUSALEM - but postmarked & dispatched in TEL AVIV by a courier, as the Jerusalem GPO had closed between 1-4 and 5-11 January for security reasons affecting the Jewish and Arab em...

War of Independence delayed mail: 21 Jan 1948 postmarked registered commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary of the Palestine Fruit Corporation (return addressed TEL AVIV), couriered and sent from PETACH TIKVA to Steel Brothers shipping company in HAIFA, franked 25 mils per period postage rate (10m base domestic letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 1x strike on front + 2x on back o...

War of Independence affected couriered JERUSALEM mail + special postage rate: 20 Jan 1948 dated stenciled message in English and Hebrew on Teva Pharmaceuticals imprinted postal stationary postal card, written in & return-addressed to JERUSALEM and addressed to HAIFA - but posted in HAIFA on 3 Feb 1948, stampless & tied by 3 mils POSTAGE PAID red postmark.Significant postal history on two counts: 1...

1948 Old City Jerusalem - rare mail link: 12 Feb 1948 postmarked registered commercial cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from company in HAIFA to business proprietor in Christian Quarter of Old City JERUSALEM, franked 25 mils per period postage rate (10m inland letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 3x strikes of the REGISTERED HAIFA oval postal; backstamped 14 Feb transit-arrival ...

War of Independence era mail to EIN HAROD: 12 Feb 1948 postmarked "commercial papers" endorsed printed matter cover sent Bank HaPoalim in TEL AVIV to addressee at EIN HAROD, meter franked 3 mils per the period postage rate - 4 month's after Sacher's latest known date of use for meter #G22; unsealed per printed matter regulations. Mail to the small peripheral settlements is rare in this period of t...

1948 War of Independence interrupted mail: 15 Feb 1948 postmarked local TEL AVIV registered cover, sent from business ("Ichsun Ltd") to addressee at Kalisher Street in the city; franked 25 mils per the postage rate (10m letter + 15m registry fee) & tied by 2x strikes of the oval registry division postmark on front + 2x on back. The street is located near the border of [Arab] JAFFO, the Manshiya ne...

1948 War of Independence era couriered Consulate mail: cover on imprinted postal stationary of the Consulate of Switzerland in JERUSALEM, addressed to TEL AVIV - couriered to Tel Aviv and posted there on 18 Feb 1948; franked 10 mils for the domestic letter postage rate and entered into a letter box, whereupon tied by the single circle postmark of the sorting office once the box was cleared. In thi...

Late Mandate era mail to Lydda airport hotel: 23 Feb 1948 postmarked printed matter cover sent from JERUSALEM to addressee at the Terminal Hotel at Lydda Airport, meter franked 5 mils for the 3m period postage rate; unsealed per printed matter regulations. The meter is index coded A5 - it belonged to the British Institute of Engineering, here on its last documented date of use (Sach #G6); the over...

1948 Jerusalem siege era taxi mail: cover addressed to Habima actor Yehuda Rubinstein at 30 Dov Hoz street in TEL AVIV & return addressed to JERUSALEM, sent via Aleh Taxi service whose service label (serial #270583) is affixed to the back, on 22 March (1948) & charged 100 mils for the service (eg. 2.5x the 40 mils express mail service offered by the Mandate/Israel postal service); torn open at lef...

1948 War of Independence taxi mail: March 22 1948 cover addressed to the family of Habima actor Yehuda Rubinstein at 30 Dov Hoz in TEL AVIV by sender "Aviva" with no return address written but likely JERUSALEM as per the type of label used, sent by Yael Taxi service whose pink label is affixed to the back & charged 100 mils for the delivery service (eg. 2.5x the 40 mils express mail service offere...

War of Independence affected mail from JERUSALEM - 23 MAR 1948 postmarked cover sent from TEL AVIV to NETANYA, with return address in JERUSALEM handstamped on the front; franked 10m per period postage rate & tied by single strike of the head post office canceller: evidently the cover was couriered from Jerusalem and posted in Tel Aviv, a likely necessity owing to limited mail service at Jerusalem ...

War of Independence era late period Arabian mail: 24 March 1948 postmarked cover on imprinted business postal stationry (Catholic Orphanage) sent from BETHLEHEM to HAIFA, franked 10 mils per domestic letter postage rate & tied by single strike of the local postmark. The letter was returned on account of the addressee having left - pencil manuscript notation on back + instructional form marking. In...