9) Besieged Jerusalem (20 April-20 June)

1948 interim Jerusalem rare combination: 3 mils Mandate stamp as printed matter postage affixed to locally addressed small greeting card sized envelope & tied by the local interim postmark in violet ink - as reported by Aloni this occurred on one day only (12 May) & only at the Mea Shearim branch office. The combination of Mandate stamps & interim postmarking in Jerusalem was only possible for 5 d...

Small cover, BIG DISCOVERY: the last known transport of Mandate mail OUT of besieged JERUSALEM - to besieged JAFFA: 24 April 1948 postmarked miniature business-card sized cover with enclosed message of condolences on business card, all in Arabic, from lawyer Johannes Merguerian in JERUSALEM to Magistrates Court judge Daoud Abu-Ghazaleh in JAFFO, franked 10 mils per domestic letter rate using Picto...

SHOWSTOPPER - Latest Known Mandate Mail FROM BESIEGED JERUSALEM: [Wednesday] 5 MAY 1948 office-dated Mandate Governmental mail on Palestine Posts, Telegraphs & Telephones PT.750 postal stationary cover, sent from the P&T Accounts Branch to a business in GOTHENBURG Sweden; franked 60m using a block of 4x 5m + a block of 4x 10m pictorial stamps - uncancelled & backstamped with undocument...

War of Independence era mail between 2 besieged locales: undated cover from sender at BE'EROT YITZHAK (per return address) in the besieged Negev to addressee in besieged JERUSALEM; as per the interim 10m frank (for the period letter rate) and the interim TEL AVIV cancel, we can infer that the cover was sent before the end of the interim period (15 May 1948), but it's unclear when at the earliest i...

Rare 1948 incoming mail to besieged Jerusalem: interim period undated commercial cover from law firm in TEL AVIV to Government department in JERUSALEM, franked 10m per period domestic letter rate using interim period stamp & tied by single strike of the local postmark. With an interim stamp and postmark the cover would date to the period of 3 - 14 MAY; the siege on Jerusalem is generally considere...

Extremely Rare REGISTERED TEL AVIV-JERUSALEM siege era convoy mail: undated May 1948 era postmarked registered commerical cover sent from lawyer in TEL AVIV to addressee in besieged JERUSALEM, franked 25m (10m letter + 15m registry fee) using interim stamps & tied by 2x strikes on front + 1x on back of the violet head post office interim postmark - as clear strikes, likely early interim period...

Besieged Jerusalem scarce interim mail combination: Mandate Pictorals 10m stamp tied to local commercial cover on business stationary & struck by interim canceller - a combination only possibly between 9-14 MAY (the interim period began only on the 9th in Jerusalem, but as early as the 2nd in the secondary towns and villages); moreover the Mandate era stamps were not sold over the counter and ...

1948 1st convoy mail from besieged JERUSALEM: scarce regular mail cover from JERUSALEM to TEL AVIV franked at the period letter rate 10m using 1st local issue Ba102 tied by local Minhelet Ha'am postmark and linear dater 9 MAY 1948 (unclear but corroborated by 1st issue's 1st date of issue as 9 May); transported by the 1st convoy which carried Jerusalem mail dated 9-12 May which accumulated in Rech...

Rare 1948 interim period NAMED mail addressed TO besieged JERUSALEM, sent from TEL AVIV likely at the head post office as per the violet interim postmarks tying 10 mils interim stamp as franking for domestic letter. Owing to the siege conditions on Jerusalem mail to the city was held up at Tel Aviv and transported with one of the two convoys that carried mail to Jerusalem on 18 and 21 June; opened...

1948 Jerusalem siege period couriered cover: inland letter franked 10 mils per domestic letter rate using Jerusalem locals II stamp apparently withheld from being deposited at the local post office, as unpostmarked and instead given to someone who took it with them to TEL AVIV, where entered into the mail stream on 18 June 1948 where it was refranked 10m using a Doar Ivri stamp at the TEL AVIV-3 p...

1948 siege period interim era local JERUSALEM registered cover, franked with full series of 2nd local issue stamps (Ba #104-106) for a total of 40m (10m base letter + 15m registry fee + 2x 6m additional weight, 3m left over) & tied by multiple strikes of the Machane Yehuda branch post office postmark (with characteristic nip distortion on outer ring); per the registry label number 3994 the cover w...

1948 besieged JERUSALEM interim mail: local triple weight registered commercial cover postmarked at Machane Yehuda Branch Office (JERUSALEM 6), franked 40m (15m registry fee + 10m letter + 2x 6m additonal weight) using mix of 25m 1st local issue (Ba103) on 2nd day of issue & 5m + 10m 2nd local issue (Ba104-105) on 1st day of issue, tied by 3 strikes of slightly deformed local interim postmark ...

1948 outbound JERUSALEM siege mail: commercial cover to HAIFA franked 10m per letter rate using 1st Jerusalem locals (Ba102) on 2nd day of issue, tied by local interim postmark & 10 MAY 1948 dater. Transported on the 1st convoy of 18 June (lacks backstamp as not registered letter - this rare on convoy mail); opened roughly at back but complete. Estimated value $175+...

1948 JERUSALEM 1st convoy mail: triple weight express cover to HAIFA, franked 65m (40m express fee + 10m for initial 30g letter + 2x 6m additional 30g weight; 3m overpaid) using mix 1st locals 25m (Ba #103) & complete set 2nd locals (Ba #104-6) tied by 2 strikes of black interim postmark of the MACHANE YEHUDA branch office as evidenced by the nip protrusion of the outer rubber ring of the post...

HAIFA arrival backstamp on 1st convoy mail from besieged JERUSALEM: 11 May 1948 postmarked registered cover sent from JERUSALEM-6 post office (Machane Yehuda) to HAIFA & franked 25m using 1st local issue stamp, tied by single strike of the interim postmark + 2x on back (with characteristic edge nip deformity). This cover could not be dispatched at the time due to the siege on Jerusalem & was trans...

1st convoy mail cover from JERUSALEM (return addressed to the famous bauhaus Binyan Maalot building) to TEL AVIV, postmarked 12 MAY 1948 using local interim canceller tied to 10m locals I stamp; opened gently at back, light tears to flap edge. Scarce as not registered mail, like much of the convoy mail; here carried on the 1st convoy of 18 June which carried accumulated mail in besieged Jerusalem ...

Israel independence day 14 May 1948 interim besieged Jerusalem letter box mail: local JERUSALEM addressed double weight letter, franked 15 mils (10m base letter + 5m for 6m additional weight) using 5m & 10m stamps of the 2nd local series (Ba #104/105); prepaid and entered uncancelled into a letter box - subsequently processed by the sorting office which cancelled the franks with its unique loc...

1948 Besieged Jerusalem incoming convoy mail from outside Tel Aviv, with Doar Ivri franking: 16 MAY 1948 (official 1st day of the Israel postal service) commercial cover on local branch Anglo-Palestine bank stationary from RISHON LE ZION to the bank's branch in JERUSALEM, franked 10m using perforated Doar Ivri single tied by reintroduced Mandate double ring cancel: at this time no mail could reach...

Besieged Jerusalem 16 May 1948 dated commemorative 'Independence' postmark tied 1x on front + 1x back to local registered cover franked 25m (for 10m domestic letter + 15m registry fee) using 2nd local issue single stamp; postmarked at JERUSALEM-1 (Mea Shearim branch post office); opened gently at back....

Besieged Jerusalem 16 May 1948 dated commemorative 'Independence' postmark tied to 10m 1st local issue stamp on cover addressed to Secretariat of tiny locale KIBBUTZ SARID via Haifa post office; opened gently at back. This cover could not be dispatched at the time due to the siege on Jerusalem & was transported on the 2nd convoy of 21 June, which carried mail accumulated between 13 May and 21 June...

Besieged Jerusalem Israel era mail: 17 May 1948 postmarked cover sent to tiny locale KIBBUTZ SARID via Haifa post office, franked 10m per inland letter rate using 1st local issue stamp & tied by interim period postmark + violet English dater. This cover could not be dispatched at the time due to the siege on Jerusalem & was transported on the 2nd convoy of 21 June, which carried mail accumulated b...

Besieged Jerusalem Israel era printed matter mail: 28 May 1948 postmarked cover sent from local law firm to HAIFA, franked 5m per inland printed matter rate of 3m (such a denomination was not possible in this period of Jerusalem) using 2nd local issue stamp & tied by interim period postmark + black English dater. This cover could not be dispatched at the time due to the siege on Jerusalem & was tr...

1948 Jerusalem Army processed civilian mail DOUBLE proving cover: 11 June 1948 postmarked cover sent from a civilian in TEL AVIV to soldier Avraham Ziskind of the "Kvutzat Portzim" unit at KIRYAT ANAVIM "near Jerusalem", franked 10 mils per domestic letter postage rate using a tabbed rouletted right marginal single stamp (Ba #3c) & tied by full strike of TEL AVIV head post office cancellation ...

1948 JERUSALEM siege period couriered (flown?) mail: cover from female in JERUSALEM to female in TEL AVIV franked 10m at period letter rate using Jerusalem 2nd locals Ba105; couriered to TEL AVIV and posted locally in June 1948, tied by 23-6-1948 TEL AVIV trilingual postmark (per elements of faint Hebrew date) - interim franking was invalid outside Jerusalem after 22 May and accepted inconsistentl...