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Auction: 23013 - Stamps and Covers of the World: Featuring Superb Mauritius, the "Claremont" Collection of South West Africa and the Charles Freeland Collection of Virgin Islands
Lot: 1287

(x) India
Airmails
1931 Imperial Airways London to Mwanza Flight
1931 (7 Mar.) "imperial airways/first air mail/england-africa" printed envelope registered from Calcutta to Mwanza, marked "India - Mwanza" in red ink, franked at 13a. with arrival datestamp (23.3) on reverse, showing framed "non reclaime/not claimed" and "undelivered for reasons stated/return to sender" handstamps in violet and Bombay c.d.s. (11.4) with, on reverse, Bombay (11.4 and 13.4) and Calcutta (16.4 and 17.4) D.L.O. datestamps and signed by Stephen Smith. Rare, very few recorded. Photo

Note: This was the first despatch of mails from India to East Africa entirely by air. The mails were carried by the Indian State Air Service to Karachi, thence by Imperial Airways to Cairo. There it connected with the London to Africa service.

Subject to 5% tax on Hammer Price in addition to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium.

Sold for
£1,300

Starting price
£650