2) Minhelet Haam-Interim period

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....

Early strike of HERZLIYA interim postmark on family correspondence postcard dated (Thursday) 29 APR 1948 & addressed to small locale KFAR HASSIDIM; franked 7m per period rate using Mandate pictorial single & tied by single strike of the postmark, probably on (Sunday) 2 May with the start of the Minhelet Haam postal service, making this a first day mail item of the interim postal administration. Sc...

Very early/"first day" interim registered cover: dateless local HAIFA registered cover from Tuberculosis League, franked 25m per postage period rate (10m letter + 15m registered fee) using interim Technion 5m & pair 10m (Ba13/14,with Haifa overprints) & tied by strike of interim postmark + 2x on back; tied by Haifa-12 (NAHLA Branch Office) registry-label 0019 - this very early use (0003-1672 were ...

NAHALAL interim cancel in violet on commercial cover to workshop in TEL AVIV, franked 10m per period letter rate using pair 5m Mandate pictorial stamps; return addressed to "kvutzat haSheni" at Nahalal post; opened gently at back. Docketed dispatch date of 4 MAY 1948 on front - sent on the 3rd day of operation of the Minhelet Ha'am postal service (in secondary towns and locales)....

TIBERIAS 1948 interim cancel in black on commercial cover from business to addressee in small locale of YAVNEEL, underfranked at 5m using Mandate pictorial single instead of 10m for the period letter rate, but not taxed; slit open at bottom, vertical fold....

1948 interim Israel 10m Diaspora II stamp of Synagogue in Rome tied to imprinted patriotic cover addressed to TEL AVIV lawyer in "Eretz Israel being Liberated" & cancelled by single strike of black interim postmark...

1948 interim Israel local TEL AVIV registered commercial cover on long business imprinted postal stationary, franked 30m (10m letter + 15m registry fee + 5m for additional weight, 1m underpaid) & tied by multiple strikes of the head post office postmark; scarce as a business imprinted cover in this period....

1948 interim Israel period lot of 3x unaddressed covers bearing interim stamps - 2x tied by the TEL AVIV interim postmark & 1x by the RAMAT GAN postmark; 2x are backstamped with different types of the Mandate era Allenby Road branch office postmark; mint....

Discovery - "Large" TEL AVIV interim cancel in black tying Mandate 10 mils pictorial single stamp as inland letter postage applied to local TEL AVIV cover; slit open at bottom. The remarkable aspect of this postmark is that it is consistently larger than other Tel Aviv postmarks of the interim period (21mm within the inner ring & 34-35mm within the outer ring versus 20mm/33mm on standard postmarks...

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...

1948 interim 2-period cover with frozen dated cancel: MAY 1948 undated registered commercial cover from loan society NATANYA to Anglo-Palestine Bank TEL AVIV, franked 25m per postage period rate using mixed interim & Mandate franks (4 mil Pipeline & 20 mil Pictorial) + registry-label 2309 (numbers 2183-2877 known used throughout interim period), tied by 2 strikes of interim postmark in violet on f...

Frozen dated Mandate cancel on interim mail: undated May 1948 period local TEL AVIV registered mail, franked 25m per period rate, using interim franks & tied by 2x strikes of the local interim postmark (none on the back - unusually, for registered mail); backstamped 5 MAY arrival using the double ring Mandate bar cancel - this being a "frozen dated" device (set to the last date of the Mandate post...

1948 interim Israel era dateless postal card with family correspondence sent locally in TEL AVIV & franked 10m with interim stamp for the period 7m inland postcard rate + tied by the local interim postmark; rare as a genuinely used interim period postcard...

Double-rate printed matter using Pictorals in the interim period: undated MAY 1948 period local TEL AVIV small greeting-card sized cover franked 6m for the period printed matter double rate (extra weight) using 2x 3m Mandate pictorals & tied by the local interim postmark in violet; unsealed per printed matter regulations. Scarce rate & scarce combination of all-Mandate franking with an interim can...

Interim/Minhelet Haam printed matter wrapper franked 3m per period rate, sent from TEL AVIV to small locale of KFAR ONO ("via Tel Aviv post office") & sealed by period-style mimeographed address label...

1948 interim / small locales in battle: undated German-language family correspondence cover from ROSH PINA (return addressed [Kibbutz] AMIAD - probably couriered) to Shikun Sablawi TEL AVIV ("Tell a viv") franked 10m per period letter rate using 4m & 6m Mandate pictorals (this rare: not sold over the counter in interim period but perhaps in possession of sender in Amiad) & tied by full strike of s...

1948 interim Israel heavy weight cover: undated interim era large sized registered cover, sent locally within TEL AVIV (return address is that of the Nordau Hotel), franked 68m per period rate (15m registration fee + 10m initial 30g letter fee + 42m for 7x 30g additional weight, with 1m overpaid) using 3x stamp blocks (Ba #9/11-12) & tied by 3x strikes on front + 2x on back of the local interi...

Interim mail short paid & not taxed: undated cover sent from KIRYAT AMAL to HAIFA, franked only 6 mils rather than 10m for inland letter postage & tied by 2x strikes of the local special postmark; not taxed for twice the deficient postage (8m) but likely sent through the mails as slit open at bottom and slightly creased as if from postal handling & not made up to look like a deliberately taxed cov...

Arrival stamped interim mail + error stamp: undated 1948 interim registered cover on imprinted business postal stationary, sent from the TEL AVIV head post office and addressed to the Kiryat Shmuel neighborhood of TIBERIAS; franked 25 mils per the period postage rate (10m letter + 15 mils registry fee - one stamp is missing) using a rare undenominated (5m) Negev Pipeline stamp (Ba #32c) with Tel A...

POSTAL HISTORY GOLD - Groundbreaking interim TAXI MAIL & Haifa HPO Discoveries: 6 May 1948 postmarked commercial cover sent from HAIFA to TEL AVIV, franked 10 mils for the domestic base letter postage rate using an interim Hebrew Technion stamp with the black Haifa DOAR overprint (Ba #14c) & tied by Mandate-era machine cancel of the Haifa head post office - here an initial proving cover that contr...

TAXI/AIR MAIL groundbreaker: May 1948 era undated mid-late interim period commercial cover on imprinted postal stationary, return addressed to P.O.Box 685 in HAIFA (confirmed as the address of Ata Textiles) & addressed to Express Service Transport in TEL AVIV - franked 10m per period domestic letter postage rate & postmarked in TEL AVIV, with return address subsequently amended in pencil m...

TAXI/AIR MAIL groundbreaker: undated 10-14 May period 1948 interim commercial cover on Haaretz newspaper imprinted postal stationary, return addressed to Haaretz in TEL AVIV & sent to the newspaper's post office box address in HAIFA - franked 30m using 3x 10m interim stamps (likely for 10m base letter rate + 3x 6m additional weight, with 2m overpaid) and postmarked in HAIFA, tied by 2x strikes...

UNIQUE small locale mail: undated 1948 interim Israel era commercial cover to lawyer in TEL AVIV from Yaakov Musli in HAIFA, return addressed "Musli Neighborhood" (Shechunat Musli); franked 20m for letter rate + additional weight (10m + 6m, 4m overpaid) using 2x Ramat Gan 25th anniversary stamps (Ba #26) tied by single strike of deformed interim cancel, possibly Hadar HaCarmel (based on the style ...

Interim period Haifa Head Post Office postmark: local HAIFA registered cover from Consolidated Refineries Ltd. to Execution Officer, franked 26m per period registered letter rate (25m with 1m convenience overcharge) - fully pre-paid as mail to Government departments was not free of postage (except to the Income Tax office) - using only Mandate pictorals, vertical pair 3m + 20m (Ba 91/99) & tied by...