339 / März 2010

1954: 6 m. brown illustrated postal stationery cards with views in purple, the complete mint set of 25, fresh and very fine (Nile Post SPC43 = $ 500).

6 m. golden brown (second printing), illustrated postal stationery cards, the complete mint set of 25 cards with purple illustrations at left and complete original band. A rare and fine set (Nile Post SPC 43 = $ 500).

6 m. golden brown (second printing), illustrated postal stationery cards, the complete mint set of 25 cards with sepia illustrations at left and complete original band. A rare and fine set (Nile Post SPC 44 = $ 500).

6 m. golden brown (second printing), illustrated postal stationery cards, the complete mint set of 25 cards with blue illustrations at left and complete original band. A rare and fine set (Nile Post SPC 45 = $ 500).

6 m. golden brown (second printing), illustrated postal stationery cards, the complete mint set of 25 cards with green illustrations at left and complete original band. A rare and fine set (Nile Post SPC 46 = $ 500).

1902, First issue chestnut used on neat registered 1913 OHHS cover to Luxor from Cairo in combination with 1907 5 m. carmine rose tied by "Dawawin" cds. Registered label below and Luxor arrival cds (June 25) on reverse.

1907, 1pia. blue on cover from Zoological Gardens to St. Petersburg / Russia tied by neat "Gisa" cds (Dec 29). Blue Official cachet at lower left and Cairo transit and part St. Petersburg arrival cds on reverse. A rare usage.  

1914, 4 m. vermilion, a fine used pair with both stamps showing variety "Overprint Inverted". Fresh and fine, very scarce. Signed Hass (SG O86a; Mi. 400,-)

1922, 2 m. vermilion, mint example with OHEMS overprint inverted, slight gum creasing but otherwise fresh and very fine, large part original gum. Rare, with just 100 examples recorded. Certificate Hass (SG O112 var).

Officials. 1922: 4 m. green, mint example with OHEMS overprint inverted, fresh and very fine, large part original gum. Rare, with just 100 examples recorded. Certificate Hass (SG O114 var).

1884,  2 pia. red, wmk´d, a fresh mint vertical pair, Types II and IV. Good colour, slightest trace of tone spot on top stamp only, large part original gum (Mi.  720,-)

1886, 2 pia. red, no wmk., Type II, a fine example used on 1887 unpaid cover from Alexandria, tied by Cairo cds (May 12) in black. Reverse with superb strike of "Caire / Ghouria" star and crescent datestamp of the following day. An attractive cover.

1888: 5 pia. grey-blue, Type III, showing "Stop after Piastres", a good mint example, one minor short perforation at right. Fine, large part original gum. A scarce stamp (Mi. 450,-)

1889, 4 m. maroon, used on taxed postcard from Germany bearing postal stationery cut-out 5 pf. green from Gotha, addressee not found and card struck with "Return To Sender" cachet in orange; also a 1907 card from York franked by 1902 GB 1/2 d. bearing two examples of the 4 m. maroon with T.P.O. Port Taufiq-Cairo cds´s. An interesting pair.

1 pia. pale blue, an extraordinary used example showing what appears to be a double print (one impression reversed), cancelled by "Samanut" datestamp of November 1909. It is probable this variety may have been caused by the sheets sticking together in the Post Office leaving the impression from the top sheet on the lower stamp. A remarkable item nevertheless and first discovered by Jürgen Fricke.

2 pia. orange, two examples tied to unpaid 1907 cover from Paris (Feb 17)  to Alexandria; one cancelled on arrival at Alexandria and the other (after cover was forwarded) at Cairo (Feb 26). An extraordinary usage and a charming item.

1922, 2 m. scarlet Essay with overprint the right way up, toned gum (Nile Post E253 = $125), normal 2 m. in a block of for mint, 2 pia. orange with normal block of four, fresh mint block of four with overprint upright variety (Nile Post PD30b = $ 100) and a fine mint pair with the same variety also struck on the margin

"ARICHE 19.X.92" on postal stationery envelope 2 pia. to Bacos with transit marks of Alexandria and Ramle; some minor toning and ageing  but a very rare cover, illustrated in Steichele handbook on page 13

"ARISH 8-XI.10", 2 clear strikes on envelope 5 m. with additional franking 5 m. as registered cover with boxed handstamp "R/ARICHE", somewhat creased

"POSTE EGIZIANE ASSOUAN" in blue on 1879, 1 pia. rose on cover to England with repeated strike alongside; transit and arrival marks, stamp and cover somewhat tatty

"CAIRO POST OFFICE SAVOY-HOTEL 26.II.09", 6 clear strikes on postal stationery envelope 5 m. with colourful franking as registered cover with register mark "R/CAIRO SAVOY HOTEL" to Germany with transit and arrival marks; a delightful cover

"POSTE VICE-REALI EGIZIANE / GEDDA 22..70" on 1867, 1 pia. red and 2 pia. blue on large piece of cover with additional strike alongside, rare

"POSTE EGIZIANE GHIRGEH", 2 strikes on postcard 5 pa. to London with Alexandria transit cds. on reverse, vertical crease

"HELIOPOLIS AERODROME 13.II.10", 2 strikes on postcard to London with perforated label "Grande Semaine D´Aviation D´Heliopolis"

"POSTE KHENE KARTUM 15 11 74", large part of bilingual double circle on 1872, 2 pia. yellow, very rare, only a few single stamps recorded with this cancellation; also 1879, 1 pia. with faint cancellation of Kartum and Kartum semi postal

"KASSALA", cds. of 7.10.1879 in black on 1879, 1 pia. rose on small piece, opinion Holcombe

"KASSALA", 2 clear strikes in black on 1 pia. rose on piece, fine, opinion Holcombe

"TOR 7 JU 90", good strike on 1884, 1  pia. blue on cover with additional strike alongside to Athens with transit and arrival marks  

"TOR 4 V 00", 3 strikes on 1884, 1 pia. blue on postal stationery letter-sheet 1 pia. grey as registered letter to Alexandria with transit and arrival mark, also 3 further items with faults with "TOR"-date stamps  

"CAMPEMENT TOR 6 1 12", clear strike on postal stationery card 4 m. to Brussels with transit marks of Port Taufiq and Port Said, rare and exceptional

"POSTE EGIZIANE UFFIZIO NATANTE COSP." resp. "ALES" in 2 different types on 4 copies 1872/75, 1 pia. red, small faults

"WADI-HALFA 31 JA 90" on 5 m. rose postal stationery card mailed to Hornhausen, Germany; written on board the "Semneh",  Alexandria transit at left. A scarce Sudanese usage.

1882, Arabi Rebellion: Cover to Lady Parker in Long Melford, Suffolk franked by Great Britain 2 1/2 d. blue pl. 22 tied by "British Army Post Office / Egypt" code A datestamp (Oct 4). Cover with some toning but scarce: this is believed to be the latest known usage of the code A datestamp. Reverse with Long Melford arrival cds (Oct 16). Also a further cover mailed by Lieutenant Parker on his way home with the same adhesive used from Malta. Scarce pair.

Dongola Expedition. 1896 (Nov 2): Stampless envelope endorsed at lower left "From Mr. A. B. Simms / Dongola" and, at upper right, "Field Service / No Stamps Available" and counter-signed, struck with fair "WADI HALFA CAMP" datestamp in black with reverse showing Cairo arrival cds (10/XI) in black. A scarce cover, for another item from this correspondence see Peter Smith page 602. 

Marc Pourpe Experimental Flight from Cairo to Khartoum. 1914: Cover addressed in Marc Pourpe´s handwriting to A. Bianchi, President of the "Ligne Nationale Aerienne" in Cairo, bearing 1914 1m., 2 m., 3 m., 4 m., 5 m. and 10 m. all cancelled by "Cataract Hotel-Assouan" datestamps in blue (Jan 25) and by circular "Poste Aerienne / Caire-Khartoum / L.N.A. / Marc Pourpe / 1913-14" cachet also in blue. Reverse with Cairo datestamp (27.1.14) in black. A couple of slight vertical creases, one affecting the 5 m. adhesive, but a tremendously colourful example of this rare Experimental Flight, carried on the Assouan-Luxor leg of the journey (see Gilbert´s article in L´ Orient Philatelique, Jan 1958). Only 29 letters bearing this cachet have been recorded by the Egypt Study Circle, three of these are addressed to Mr. Bianchi. An airmail rarity.

1932, "V17 / Alexandrie", pink label on value declared sealed envelope with adjacent boxed "Insured / Assuré" to Austria and value declared cover 1939 to Germany with pink label "V21 / Alexandrie" in different type