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This is a 1943 First Flight cover from Oranjestad, Aruba to Miami ... and on to Falls Church, Virginia.

Stamp: Curacao [Curaçao]
Queen Wilhelmina / Airplane over the Atlantic Ocean
Luchtpost [Airmail]
Issued on October 20, 1942
35c, Dark Violent / Olive Green
NVPH LP35 / Sc. C23

Cancels:
Receiving Cancel: Double ring CDS with bar, black ink
+ ARUBA + / ORANJESTAO
[1?]6.8.43
I'm assuming there is a missing '1' in the data (there is a hint of ink) as the recorded date of this flight was August 16.

Arrival Cancel: Double ring, purple ink (on reverse)
FALLS CHURCH, VA / PARCEL POST
AUG / 23 / 1943

Auxiliary Markings:

Censor Mark: Curaçao
Hand-stamp, purple ink, 23mm
GEZIEN / CURACAO / CENSUUR [SEEN / CURACAO / CENSORSHIP]
Sealed with buff tape: EXAMINED BY 1889

KLM Cachet 1 - Printed on Cover, red and blue printing
KLM / Royal Dutch Airlines
Willemstad - Curaçao
New York, U.S.A
Lichtpost - Air Mail
Between the crossed US and Dutch Flags is a V and a dot-dot-dot-dash [Morse code for V = Victory]

First Flight Cachet 2 - On Reverse, hand-stamped, green ink.
Outer rim = EERSTE OFFICIEELE VLUCHT
Ribbon above route panel = FIRST OFFICIAL FLIGHT
Route panel CURAÇAO USA / WILLEMSTAD - ARUBA - HAITI / JAMAICA - CUBA / MIAMI FLORIDA
Centre image: Faint, but appears to be a plane over the Caribbean. I used an app called Image Sleuth to help bring out the faint elements of the cachet.

   
   
   

I love Roy's fifty-cent cover boxes at club meetings. This is a postcard from one of them. Hours of fun. 

   
   

The sender is Mrs. Peter Herniak of 84 Semley St. in Welland. The house is still there. 

   

There is a 8c definitive (UNITRADE 544) tied to a slogan cancel dated December 6th. The year is not visible. But since the stamp was issued on December 30, 1971, the earliest date it could be in 1972. The slogan PRE-STAMPED ENVELOPES / THIRTY . CONVENIENT [ENVELOPPES TIMBRÉES / ÉCONOMIQUES . PRACTIQUES] is in the Coutts database (P-620) with an EKU for the city of Welland of September 2, 1971. There is no definite LKU given but the last recorded date is 1974. Which suggests (but does not prove) that the card was mailed in 1972, 1973 or 1974. 

But ... 

The address of the recipient ... is Pin-Pal [Mrs. Herniak seems to have made a typo. She wrote Pen Pal] WGR TV, Box 5000, Niagara Square Station, Buffalo, NY. WGR TV. It became WGRZ in 1982 (which is well outside the range we've already established) so that doesn't help. They moved into new facilitieis in 1972. However, since the postcard went to a box number, that doesn't help either. What may help is the Pin-Pal program. 

The Buffalo version of the US nation-wide 'Bowling for Dollars' franchise (as in other cities) included a segment called 'Pin Pals' where each contestant, just before they approached the bowling lane, was asked to pick a postcard at random. This allowed home viewers to 'participate' in the game on TV. Whatever the contestant won, the name on the postcard won too.  I've found Pin Pal cards sent to Buffalo that have dates ranging from 1973 to 1979 (See below). 

[There was a nice study of Pin-Pal cards by Cameron Shelley. [See ... “Bowling for dollars!” Guelph in Postcards (blog), 9 June 2013; updated 13 July 2013.]

The card has a five digit US zip code. That doesn't help since they were introduced in 1963 and didn't move to longer codes until 1983. Well outside the range.

As for the postcard, it was produced by the Peterborough Post Card Company. The publisher (and photographer) was H.R. Oakman. He was a bush pilot turned aerial photographer and mass produced colour 'chrome' postcards [200 million cards!]. He used 3-digit numbers for his cards in the 1960's (Mostly aerial views of Ontario) and moved to 5 digit numbers by 1967. However, all that does is suggest that the date this photo was taken was in the early 60's. It doesn't narrow the range. As an aside though, this is card number 655. The 600 series were cards in the Niagara Falls area including this one - Old Fort Erie. I grew up about ten kilometers from the fort 

Anyway, putting this all together, a good guess is that the card was mailed (and, therefore, cancelled) on February 6th in 1973 or 1974.

Since the first Pin Pal cards appeared in 1973. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that, in my view, the most probable date was that it was sent when the program was still new [The program started in January 1973] ... so, February 6, 1973. [The Toronto Star ran a half-page promo on December 26, 1972 introducing Ed Kilgore as the host and telling viewers to 'send your postcards to Pin-Pal at WGR in Buffalo]

What do you think? And, perhaps more important ... do you remember this show from when you were young? (smile)

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I've had this CAPEX 87 souvenir card for some time. I never gave it all that much thought. Although, I noted with interest that it said Canada had considered issuing a 'Little Norway' stamp in 1942. It was never to be. Norway did issue a stamp using the original design after the war (Sc. 274).

For those who don't know, Little Norway was the name of a training established set up in Canada by the Norwegian Government-in-Exile to train pilots and mechanics during WW2.

   

Earlier this year, I acquired Karl Sanne's book on Norwegian Exile Mail and it had a chapter on Little Norway. I started looking for covers.

At a recent club meeting Mark had a big smile. He had found some.

The first, is a cover from Little Norway on October 11, 1941. The cancel is from the first training centre in Toronto at the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition (which had been closed and given to the military for the duration of the war). It's a single-ring circular steel cancel 24mm in diameter. It reads, TORONTO-LITTLE NORWAY / ONT. [Sanne, Type L1] The earliest known use was on October 11, 1941 - the date of the following cover.  This cancel was used until March 31, 1943 when the training was moved to a more rural facility in Muskoka, north of the city. The outgoing mail, which was processed by the Canadian mail system, was estimated at about 60-70 letters per day most of which was sent to the US. A large number of gift parcels came to the base from Norwegian Americans as did a large number of requests for cancellations for philatelic purposes (Sanne, p. 64)

Part of the reason for the move north was that there were several accidents over the city. On one occasion. a Northrop N-3PB collided with the ferry Sam McBride used to move people between the Toronto Islands and downtown Toronto. A local newspaper wrote, "It is only a matter of time before one of the Norwegian aircraft crashes into the city itself."

The cover has a return address of the Royal Norwegian Naval Air Force in Toronto and was sent to Mrs. Howard [Helen] McCart.

   

A second cover had the cancel used in Muskoka - another single-ring steel Cancel, this time 23mm, with LITTLE NORWAY / ONT. [Sanne, Type L3] This cancel was used from April 2, 1943 to April 2, 1945. The following cover, also sent to Mrs. McCart was dated on April 2, 1943.

   

So who was Mrs. [Helen] McCart?

Well, a collector. And, a member of Toronto's social elite - Dr. Howard William David McCart, her second husband was an academic surgeon at the University of Toronto -- an otolaryngologist [Ear and throat specialist]. He was active in the Canadian Medical Association and the founder of Canada's ENT society.

But, more to the point, she was also the person who, on December 18, 1941, wrote to Postmaster-General W.P. (Bill) Mulock "May I suggest a special stamp to honour the Norwegian airmen now training at 'Little Norway' in Toronto?" It started with her. Her suggestion was seriously considered and an essay was done (see the CAPEX 87 card) by the Canadian Bank Note Company. In the end, however, the War Effort Stamp Committee decided to focus only on Canadian subjects and the initiative was dropped.

Not to be forgotten though. When the war was over, Norway issued a Little Norway stamp based on the essay.

And, Helen's friends sent her FDCs of the stamp from Norway. Here are three that I was able to acquire.

   
   
   
   
   
   

Love this last note, "Well, Helen, here it is. Love" as if to say "finally, with thanks for all your efforts."

The same year the CAPEX souvenir was produced, the Toronto Star published an article about Little Norway and noting that the King of Norway, Olav V was visiting Toronto on November 19th to dedicate Little Norway park near the site of the original flying school. It was noted that 500 trainees returned to Canada after the war and 150 went to the US.

Cheers, Hugh

Many of us are familiar with the Second Sino-Japanese War, it largely unfolded as part of the Second World War. But, there was an earlier war, in 1894-5. 

Following Japanese advances on all fronts, the Treaty of Shinmonoseki brought hostilities to an end. China recognized the independence of Korea and ceded the Liaodong Peninsula, Taiwan and Penghu islands to Japan - along with 200 million taels of silver. Russia, Germany and France, however, intervened and brokered a new deal in which Japan gave up Liaodong for an additional 30 million taels of silver from the Qing government. Korea became a protectorate of Japan after the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) and the occupied Korea was annexed by Japan in 1910.

On August 1, 1895, Japan issued four stamps on the one year anniversary of the declaration of war featuring two top military leaders.

Stamps:
Japan - Series: Victory in Chinese-Japanese War
Issued: August 1, 1895

General Yoshihisa Kitashirakawa
2s Rose
Sc. 87
5s Deep ultramarine
Sc. 88

       

Field Marshall Akihito Arisugawa
2s Rose
Sc. 89
5s Deep ultramarine
Sc. 90

       

On, July 7, 1898 U.S. President William McKinley signed the Newlands Resolution, a joint resolution of Congress that annexed the Hawaiian Islands to the United States.

McKinley had already negotiated a treaty of annexation with the Republic of Hawai‘i in 1897, but it stalled in the Senate for want of a two-thirds majority required for treaties. When the Spanish–American War broke out in 1898, Hawai‘i’s value as a mid-Pacific coaling and naval base on the route to the Philippines became obvious and Congress took the joint-resolution route ... which required only a simple majority.

Formal transfer of sovereignty followed on August 12, 1898, with a flag-raising ceremony on the steps of the Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

For information on the Newlands Resolution see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newlands_Resolution

Cut Square
Republic of Hawaii: Provisional Issue
Honolulu Harbour and Diamond Head
Issued on August 15, 1893 ... on April 8, 1884 envelopes still on hand after Queen Lili'uokalani was desposed
5c, Deep-blue Indicia, Overprinted in red, PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT: / 1893
cut from Sc. U12

   

At the Versailles Peace Conference following WW1, it was agreed to transfer a portion of Western Hungary to Austria in August 1921. To prevent the transfer, and with the knowledge and tacit support of the Hungarian government, a 'Free Corps' occupied the Hungarian territory intended for Austria and prevented the Austrian Army from entering the area.

For three months, they exercised military and civil power over the area and proclaimed the independent state of Laitabánság. In the end, Austria and Hungary negotiated a more peaceful resolution.

But, during the almost three months of the occupation, the insurgents issued nine series of stamps -- seven of which were put into circulation (to some extent). Most were produced for speculative purposes but some were used as postage. As the Hungarian MPIK catalogue puts it, "Everyday items are rare, philatelic items are more common."

Here is the third series, issued on October 10, 1921.They're all on piece to preserve what is very likely just a courtesy cancel. What makes this particular issue of interest to me, however,  is that the insurgents printed a surcharge on the backs of the stamps. Fifty percent of the face value of each stamp went to the military HQ of the insurgents. I've added a couple of examples from my collection, not on paper, where the black overprint is easier to see. 

Stamp:
Western Hungary / Insurgency [Banate of Leitha = Lajtabánság]
October 5, 1921 / Series: Overprinted on Hugarian Harvesters definitives
Front Overprint, in black: Lajtabánság-posta [Lajtabánság Post]

Two singles showing ...
Back Overprint, in black: 50% felár. / Fövezérség [50% surcharge / Commander-in-cheif's staff, i.e. High Command]
20f, Brown and Green
MPIK 22 and 24

   
   
   
   
   

I am a transplanted Torontonian who enjoys looking at a Kingston I never knew. I came across this postcard showcasing the buffet at the LaSalle Hotel in 1959. It looked very much like the cards I saw as a child in Toronto advertising a “famous” buffet there. 

I sought out a card with a picture of the hotel. It’s from 1938. It has a lovely slogan cancel celebrating the Old Home Week held to celebrate Kingston’s centennial. When I bought this card I was not a slogan collector. Now I have to look at all the cards I bought before 2024 to see what other slogans have gone unappreciated!

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This is a thread for posting FFC ... here is one to start us off:

A first flight cover between Embarras Portage and Fort Chipewyan.

   

Despite the temptation to ask why a portage was so embarrassing, the name actually comes from the Embarras River -- which, in turn, comes from a French word for 'barrier'. 

The town of Embarras Alberta was founded in 1913 by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. It was a siding on the Coal Branch Line. It and other similar sidings have been Ghost Towns since the decline of coal mining in the 1960s. Nothing much remains today except this cancel. 

On December 17, 1931 a post office was opened at Embarras Portage between Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan as a stop along the existing air service between Fort McMurray Alberta and Aklavik, NWT. The government contractor was Canadian Airways, Ltd. 

Pilot A. M. McCullen made the first trip and FFCs were created by adding an 'Inaugural Flight' cachet, in black, to covers pre-paid at the then current airmail rate of 6c per ounce.

Source: American Airmail Catalogue, Vol 2., Section 17 - Canada Specialized (1940)

Stamps: Canada
King George V, Arch / Leaf Series
Die I, Issued on December 6, 1930
1c, Deep green
UNITRADE 163b

Airmail - Two winged figures and globe
Issued on September 21, 1928
5c, Brown Olive
UNITRADE C1

Cancel:
Receiving: Single ring CDS
Outer EMBARRAS PORTAGE / ALBERTA
Centre 10 / DE 17 / 31

Backstamp:
Arrival: Single ring CDS
Outer FORT CHIPEWYAN / ALBERTA
Centre 11 / DEC 17 / 31

Hugh here ... glad to join the KSC forum. 

I''m a big believer in online discussion boards. I've been active on another one and I can honestly say that as a result of my participation on that board I've learned more in the last couple of years than in all my other years of collecting. I hope that this space will provides all of us with the same opportunity to share our collections, get and give feedback and, especially, have fun as we all learn more about our favourite areas of collecting.

In my case that's a moving target. I tend to bounce around a bit as I explore things that look interesting. Mostly, however, I'm interested in Postal History - especially the 19th century; WW1 - especially soldiers' letters and field posts; and, worldwide stamps and covers relating to occupations, civil wars and insurrections including (and especially) provisional and local issues. I'm also rather fascinated by cross-writing on old letters and postcards and by cancellations and instructional markings. As I said, I bounce around. 

I'll be posting about some of those areas and I welcome comments (or corrections - that's how you learn). I look forward to seeing your stuff. 

Cheers, Hugh

I bought a batch of letters a young RAF serviceman sent home to his parents during WW2. He was based in India. The stories he shares with his parents as he - a young fellow who before the war only knew his corner of England - explores the food and culture of India are charming and funny. You can’t read some letters without seeing a movie in your head!

I would like to know more about his unit and his record. Is any of this information publicly available?