366. Auktion März 2018

Metelin 1845: Entire folded letter with dateline "Metelino 24.1.1845", stamped & posted by forwarding agents "Couturier Salzani Fils", carried by "Paquebots de la Mediterranée" (sender's note). Two vertical disinfection slits, rare cover without any postal marking

Metelin 1852: Entire folded letter with dateline "Metelino li 26.Dicembre.1852", with the cursive "Mételin", sent via "SMYRNE 28.Dec.52" cds. Carried by the "Paquebots de la Mediterranée" (boxed, in orange). Manuscript to pay postage due "10" décimes. Extremely rare, a must for the Lesvos island Postal Historians

Metelin 1858: Cover of folded letter franked with 10c (3 margins) +40c (foxed), tied with PC "3771", with boxed "PP" and "METELIN 22.Mai.58" on the cover, carried by the "Paquebots de la Mediterranée" (boxed, in orange). Arrival cds in Marseilles, Rare, but poor strikes

Metelin 1859 (Ayvalik): Entire folded letter written in Greek, dateline "Kydoniae 5.Nov.1859", franked with 10c +40c (both with 3 margin), tied with very fine PC "3771", with boxed "PD" and "METELIN 19.Nov.59" on the cover, sent to "Syros 11.Nov.59" (old Style) arrival cds. Rare, but poor strike of the Metelin cds

Metelin 1869: Entire folded letter written in Greek, franked with 40c tied with fine GC "5084", with boxed "PD" and "METELIN 14.Juin.69" (all markings in blue) on the cover, sent to "Athens 8.Juin.69" (old Style) arrival cds. Some imperfections of the entire and vertical folding. The Gros Chiffre cancellation of Metelin is more rare than the PC, missing from many collections

Samos 1893/1900, Overprinted French Sage Type Issue, selection of mint & used including multiples and some covers. Mint singles include 10c black type I (x2), 2pi on 50c (x3), 4pi on 1fr (x4), one 8pi on 2fr and 20pi on 5fr (x3) among others. Mint pairs or blocks include blocks of four or larger of 5c green, and blocks of four (top pair hinged, bottom never hinged) of 15c to 2pi  and 20pi; and a mint never hinged pair of 8pi. Numerous used included, three philatelic registered covers of the two high values (one of 8pi, two of 20pi) and some used on fragments. Overall very fine.

Samos 1895/1912: 8 items franked with Vathy or Levant stamps, showing the usage of both cds of this Post Office, three registered cover included, fine -very fine

DODECANES: Rhodes 1855: Entire folded letter in Greek with dateline "Rhodes 10/22.June.1855", posted from "RHODES 24.Juin.55", sent to "Syros 19.June" (old style), via "Smyrne" cds, with red manuscript postage due "80" lepta. Usual wear and tear and toning

Rhodes 1897/23: 11 items franked with Levant or French (only a front) stamps, nice selection with a blue cds in 1897, a registered with 2pi/50c on 1901 etc

MACEDONIA: Cavalle (1872): 10c Ceres, canceled with genuine GC "5156" in blue, very rare

Cavalle 1894/1914: 5 items (one fragment), franked with various Cavalle values and one French postal card, tied with three different types "CAVALLE TURQUIE" & "CAVALLE" cds. Hard to collect and very fine condition

Salonica 1868/77: 7 entire folded letters or covers (one not prepaid) sent to France, Italy, Constantinople and Patras, showing postmarks PC "4012", GC "5095", SALONIQUE Turquie", "SALONIQUE Turquie d'Asie" and "ITALIE SALONIQUE", very interesting and hard to collect

Salonica 1880/1914: 18 items with various frankings and postmarks, some rare, i.e. a cover sent to Greece on the early days of the Liberation of Salonica, a postcard with "TURQUIE" removed from the cds, etc

THESSALY: Volo 1881: Large fragment franked with yellow 25c Sage, tied with faint oily blue "VOLO 31.Mars.81" cds and linear "Coi Postali Francesi", one of the famous markings used on covers used on mail from Volo

THRACE: Dedeagatch 1894/1915: 8 items with various frankings and postmarks, some rare, i.e. two covers with "TURQUIE" removed from the cds.

Port Lagos 1895: Envelope franked with overprinted 25c Sage, tied with "PORT-LAGOS 13.Janv.95" cds in violet, sent to Constantinople (arrival cds), Rare commercially used cover

AEGEAN ISLANDS: 1932, Garibaldi, Fifteen complete sets, one general issue and one for each of the islands including Castellorizo, all fresh and well centered for the issue, most likely canceled-to-order as usual. 

1934, Football Issue 20c, 25c (x2) and 50c with a 5c Second Pittorica on a cover from "COO 19.7.34" cds to Austria. Clean, very fine, highly desirable.

1912/29, Italian Offices, Group of over forty covers and fragments with a variety of different islands' cancels to numerous destinations in Italy, Germany, other Aegean Islands, Greece, etc. Noticed an interesting duo from Leros, most covers are from the smaller islands such as Casos, Simi, Stampalia, Lipso, Nisiros, Kalki, Patmos, Scarpanto and Calimno

1912/38, worthwhile group of mint and used that includes among the numerous stamps in glassines items such as 1912 Egeo set of two, various island overprinted sets, Ferrucci mint complete sets for 13 islands, complete used Augustus and Triennale, Castellorizo first & second overprint sets mint, 1923 Map set canceled, etc. Also, some interesting cancels such as "SALACO," "MUNICIPIO HALKIA," and much more. 

1936/44, Italian and WWII German Military Administration, Postal Stationery Issues, five pieces including one canceled-to-order with "LINDO (RODI EGEO)" cds and another with three airmail stamps affixed, also canceled-to-order; also, "CALINO" and "LERO" 31.3.47 - on 1.4.47 the islands came under Greek control. Another with Italian airmail stamp affixed, canceled-to-order with the difficult "SANTA MARINA" (Leros) cds.  

Calimnos 1912/42: Group of eleven properly franked and used covers, starting as early as October, 1912 with an Italian Aegean 25c, then on to registered and regular covers franked with Calimno overprint stamps and sent to various destinations primarily in Italy and Germany, a cover franked with an Italy pair tied by scarce "RR. POSTE ITALIANE KALYMNO (EGEO)" cds; three censored covers from 1941-42 to Sweden, Greece and Germany, franked with second Pittorica stamps and, on one cover with airmail stamps. Very nice

Cassos 1913/14: Two items, one stampless soldier's free frank cover to Italy with "CASO (Egeo)" cds and "PALERMO" arrival and one photo postcard sent to Egypt franked with two Italian 5c stamps tied by "POSTE ITALIANE - CASSOS (EGEO)" cds with "ALEXANDRIA," "CAIRO" and another transit and arrival cds. Proper usages, very fine.

Castellorizo 1922/32, Lot of three covers including a 1932 Garibaldi complete set on illustrated First Day Cover mailed to Rome, a properly used registered 1922 cover sent to Paris franked with Italian stamps, and an unaddressed cover franked with Aegean Islands Castelrosso Overprint Issue tied by special violet postmark. Clean, some normal wear, the FDC with some non-consequential folds. 

Castellorizo 1926/42: Group of four, starting with an imprint commercial registered cover to Italy franked with a Mi.83 and 226 tied by "POSTE ITALIANE CASTELROSSO - EGEO - 18.1.26" cds, "RODI" transit and arrival cds on bck, signed Sorrani; a three color first Pittorica issue cover to Athens, a very nice airmail cover to Perth, Australia via Beyrouth and Karachi, with Italian stamps tied by "POSTA AEREA - CASTELROSSO (EGEO); and a censored 1942 airmail cover to Switzerland (censor tape missing but part of censor marks on cover) franked with a second Pittorica 1.25L and a couple of 50c airmail stamps, tied by a different type "CASTELROSSO * EGEO * 8.3.42 XX" cds. Very nice group, usual wear

Cos 1913/42: Group of seven, six covers and a postcard, including three stampless military free franks with "KOS (EGEO)" cds, two with violet "SERVIZIO RADIO-TELEGRAFICO MILITARE" seal, the third with a violet "COMANDO DEL PRESIDIO DI KOS (EGEO)" instead and scarce oval postal mark (not a very clear strike), all three going to Italy with arrival cds on the back. Properly franked postcard to Greece and registered cover to Switzerland, both franked with first Pittorica values; an interesting imprint commercial cover with a sealing label on the back, to Istanbul franked with Italy Mi.224 with "RODI" transit and "STAMBOUL" arrival cds and a Banco di Sicilia notice with a 10c. tied with a straightline "COO li 6(?) NOV 42 XXI" cancel in black. Very interesting and fine group. 

Halki 1912/13: Group of two, one stampless military free frank with a blue "POSTE ITALIANE KARKI (EGEO)" cds to "BARI" Italy arrival on the back; one registered cover to Germany franked with an Italian Aegean Island Mi.9IV tied by similar "KARKI" cds in violet, "RODI" transit and two other illegible transit and arrival cds. Properly franked and used, very fine.

Leros 1913/39: Group of nineteen covers, postcards and fragment of which ten are from "PORTO LAGO," two from "SANTA MARINA" and the rest from "LEROS." A nice array of origin postmarks and destinations, mostly properly franked, included are a 1928 postcard with a seldom seen violet "BASE NAVALE DI PORTO LAGO DI LERO - R.R. POSTE" (signed Sorani) and a 1935 postcard to Brindisi that received a 25c Italian postage due. Interesting lot with very small post office cancels that are seldom seen. 

Nisiros 1912/21: Group of two covers, a cover front and a postcard, one with mainland Italy and the others with Nisiros overprint stamps, two to Italy, one commercial cover to France and the other to Rhodes. Two different Nisiros cancel types, clean, very fine.

Nisiros Palus 1914: Picture postcard franked with 2x5C "Nisiros", tied with "R.R. Poste Italiane PALUS (Niseros Egeo) 7.7.14" cds, sent to "Constantinopoli" cds. Beautiful and scarce

Patmos 1912/23: Group of four, two registered letters (one to Germany, the other to Italy), a regular cover to Egypt and a 1923 postcard to Rhodes; proper usages, usual wear and tear, overall very nice.

Piscopi 1937: Cover to New York City, USA, franked with an Italian Aegean Mi.111 tied by "POSTE ITALIANE - PISCOPI (EGEO) 1-7.37" cds and "RODI" transit cds. Part of the back-flap torn and missing, otherwise a genuine, proper franking and usage from a very difficult origin. 

Rhodes 1912/39: Group of 13 items (2 registered & 1 censored, 2 military), franked with various stamps, Italy mainland, Egeo or Rodi, tied with various datestamps

Rhodes Island 1912/43: Postmark Selection of eight covers, included are items with "CASTELLO," "LINDOS," "CAMPOCHIARRO", "JANNADI," and "RODI" postmarks

Rhodes island 1915/44: Group of 8 items all with various small villages postmarks. "ARCANGELOS", "PSITHOS", LINDOS", "CATTAVIA" (x2), "VILLANOVA" (x2), "MONOLITHO" (1944, type not reported in Tchilinghirian)

Rhodes island 1942: Large not prepaid official cover (fold) sent from "SALACO Rodi Egeo 19.12.42" sent to Rhodes, with pair of 10C postage due stamps & 5C Pittorica, tied with "Posta Aerea RODI Egeo 20.12.42". Rare use of postage dues