Lot 121 International First Class Foreign Surface Rate: 1954 envelope bearing 1938, 8c Van Buren olive green
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Lot 121 International First Class Foreign Surface Rate: 1954 envelope bearing 1938, 8c Van Buren olive green
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Item condition: Used
Auction Expired because there were no bids
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Description
International First Class Foreign Surface Rate: 1954 envelope bearing 1938, 8c Van Buren olive green ,tied by ELIZABETH CITY JAN 26, 1954 duplex slogan cancel on envelope with a receiving magenta RECEIVED JAN 16 1954 SWAN ISLAND handstamp in the lower right corner, on reverse is a magenta two line ?Swan Island, West Indies 17 degrees, 24 minutes N 83 degrees 56 minutes W? and the typewritten address ?John W. Collie, Swan Island, W.I. via Tampa, Florida.? Also with this lot is the two-page typewritten enclosure responding to a letter dated December 22, 1953 from a gentleman in England to the Postmaster, Swan Island inquiring about the postal history services related to Swan Island. John Collie, one of the radio and weather bureau personnel stationed on the island, responds to the letter request by identifying himself as the Chief Overseas Foreign Airway Communications Operations Specialist at Swan Island, and goes on to describe the history of the island (as best he knew it), the manner in which mail is handled and a description of the island residents and life on the island. (Scott 813 ) Est. Cash Val. $600 – 800
Swan Island was a government-staffed radio and weather station with no post office on a small island off the coast of Honduras in the Gulf of Mexico. There were no docking facilities; station personnel carried out and received mail similar to the more well-known Tin Can Island in the Pacific. Mail was usually routed through Tampa, Florida but this letter was routed through Elizabeth City, N.J. where the sender John Collie lived when not stationed on Swan Island. The Collie letter accompanying this lot is fascinating and historically important.
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Auction Expired because there were no bids| Auction started | September 4, 2023 11:00 am | ||