The centenary of the Ross & Keith Smith flight and the 50th anniversary of the moon landing
In the year in which we are celebrating the Centenary of the Ross & Keith Smith flight from London to Australia in 1919, as well as remembering the achievement of the first Moon Landing only 50 years later in 1969, we are delighted to be sending you our latest catalogue.
This sale is a real treasure trove, with many items drawn from the finest collections assembled in the last 50 years and now being offered to a new generation. More than 250 lots of pioneer aviation memorabilia, from the earliest items of correspondence carried by air in Australia (Lots 45 and 46) in 1914, to the remarkable offering of Ross & Keith Smith flight covers, documents and ephemera (Lots 14 – 20 and 62 – 75), the world’s first Trans-Pacific flight by Charles Kingsford Smith (Lots 127 – 129) in 1928 and the nostalgic last flight of the “Southern Cross” (Lot 173) in 1935.
Also on offer for collectors and students of aviation alike, are important flown covers or envelopes flown on the first QANTAS flights to carry airmails (Lots 98 and 99) in 1922, Sir Alan Cobham’s flight from England to Australia (Lots 110 to 115) in 1926, four of the six known covers carried by Captain Richard Williams on his Pacific flights (Lots 116 & 117 and 244 & 245) in 1926 as well as two rare examples carried by Bert Hinkler (Lots 124 & 125) on his flight from England.
Pioneer female aviators are well represented, with interesting pieces from Amy Johnson (Lots 28, 29, 146 and 233), Lores Bonney (Lots 178 – 181) and Jesse Miller (Lots 120, 121 & 122). The UNIQUE New Zealand Overprint Essay of 1934 used on a flown cover (Lot 167) should excite our friends from across the Tasman but undoubtedly the most unusual and remarkable item in this catalogue is the sample of lunar soil brought back to earth by the Soviet Russian Luna-16 mission (Lot 261) which we trust you will enjoy reading about and that you will come and see when it goes on display in Melbourne and Adelaide.
Aerophilately 045-190 Australian First & Special Flights 062-075 Featuring the Ross & Keith Smith flight 1919-20 191-228 Commercial airmails inwards to Australasia 229-260 Rest of the World – First & Special Flights
[AUSTRALIAN AIRLINES]
Fly ANA Then Drive Yourself From The Airport In A New Car From Avis
1957 colour and process lithograph,
100.5 x 63.7cm. Linen-backed.
1919-20 London to Adelaide framed Air Race Flag (300x235mm) in brown and gold on beige, fringed on three sides, illustrated with Vickers Vimy G-EAOU Biplane, signed by Ross Smith, Keith Smith, J.M.Bennett, & W.H.Shiers, together with a photo-postcard
1928 sheet music for a fox-trot titled "Hustling Hinkler" celebrating Bert Hinkler's 1928 flight from England to Australia, lyric by L.Wolfe Gilbert, music by Abel Baer, one internal page torn, some spotting & cover blemishes.
AMY JOHNSON'S FLIGHT FROM ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA
A Columbia 78rpm recording of Amy Johnson talking about her flight 'The Story of My Flight,' recorded in Sydney in 1930. and signed A. Johnson on the label; a press photo, with citation describing Johnson as first the woman to obtain the Air Ministy's ground engineer licence..(5 items).
16 July 1914 (AAMC.3) Melbourne - Sydney Maurice Guillaux Official Souvenir PPC flown on first Australian official airmail with 1d Roo tied by 'AUSTRALIAN/MELBOURNE/16-JUL-1914/VIC/AERIAL MAIL' d/s and 'SYDNEY/18JL14/64' arrival alongside. Cat $750.
Nov.1919 - Feb.1920 (AAMC.27a) Batavia - Sydney intermediate, flown cover carried by Ross & Keith Smith on their flight from England in the Vickers Vimy. The cover shows a fine example of the vignette accompanied by Netherlands Indies adhesives, all tied by multiple strong strikes of the oval "FIRST AERIAL MAIL" cachet.
THE FIRST AIRMAIL DELIVERY FLIGHTS BY QANTAS: 2 Nov.1922 (AAMC.65) Charleville - Cloncurry cover, flown by P.J. McGinness and Hudson Fysh on the first Qantas regular air mail service on this route.
June - August 1926 (AAMC.95) London - Melbourne cover, flown, signed and endorsed by Alan Cobham on the epic flight in his DH50 seaplane; postmarked in Darwin before onwards carriage to Melbourne. Accompanied by a signed note from Cobham, date-lined "New York, 3rd January 1927" explaining the small number of covers carried, etc.
25 Sept.1926 (AAMC.102) A cover flown and signed by Group Captain Richard Williams on his survey flight from Melbourne to various Pacific Islands in a DH50A seaplane.
14 Oct. 1927 (AAMC.111 & 113b) England - Australia, two intermediate covers carried by Capt WA Lancaster and Mrs Keith Miller in an Avro Avian, the former to Australia with India KGV 1a brown (2) tied 'PARK STREET/20DEC27/CALCUTTA' and special 'Map' airmail label signed by both pilots
7 Feb.1928 (AAMC.116) England - Australia cover front carried by Bert Hinkler on his record-breaking solo flight for delivery to EJ Hart, editor of the Australian 'Aircraft' journal
31 May 1928 (AAMC.122) USA - Australia cover flown by Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, James Warner & Harry Lyon in the Fokker FV11B-3M 'Southern Cross' on the first crossing of the Pacific by air franked with USA Washington 2c tied 'OAKLAND/MAY29/ CALIF/1928' duplex cancel and Australia KGV 1½d x2 tied 'SYDNEY-39/14JE28/NSW' arrival cds alongside
17 Feb.1934 (NZAMC.81c, AAMC.361a) New Zealand - Australia cover flown by Ulm in "Faith in Australia" with the unique franking of the issued 7d light blue Trans Tasman opt. in combination with the "TRANS - TASMAN FLIGHT / 'FAITH IN AUSTRALIA" overprint essay on the 7d brown-orange, (only 6 were printed)
THE LAST FLIGHT OF THE "SOUTHERN CROSS"
18 July 1935 (AAMC.515) cover #107 bearing the special vignette and signed by all seven personnel aboard this historic short flight from Mascot to Richmond
8 April 1937 (AAMC.714a) Brisbane - Capetown flight cover unofficially flown to Laboeanhadji (Lombok) where she made an emergency landing, franked with Queensland QV 1d & Australia KGV ½d orange pair tied by BRISBANE machine cancel plus Netherland Indies 10c & 5c tied by LABOEANHADJI arrival datestamp, signed by Mrs H.B. Bonney, Cat $400.
