b'1445Australian First & Special Flights45PC THE FIRST AIRMAIL IN AUSTRALIA - June 191416 June 1914 (AAMC.1) Melbourne - Bendigo - Ballarat, real photo postcard flown by French aviator, Maurice Guillaux, signed and endorsed by him (in French) with a greeting to the mayor of Ballarat. Superb condition.Provenance: Nelson Eustis Gold Medal Collection, Leski Auction, March 2008, Lot 1.The card is accompanied by a letter to Nelson Eustis from the Ex-Mayor of Ballarat, dated September 1936. It is clear from that correspondence that Eustis already owned the signed card at that time. He had sold it to a dealer in London in 1946, together with the rest of his Australian Air Mail collection and it was sold shortly afterwards. The buyer was an American soldier who took it home and put it in his safe where it was forgotten until early 1992. Much to my surprise, the American ex-soldier, by then a retired Professor of Tropical Medicine and a great friend and client, showed me the little collection of Aussie flight covers he had bought in London in 1946. We were sharing a fine bottle of California red wine when he brought out the two volumes he had purchased all those years ago. I only needed to see the first page (where this card was displayed) to realize I had rediscovered Nelsons pre-War collection. Intact! I was able to bring the collection back to Melbourne for auction, which took place in December 1992. Nelson attended the auction in person and was delighted to be able to re-purchase his long lost and much beloved Number 1 as well as a number of the other pieces.After Nelson passed away, his daughter consigned his Gold Medal collection for auction with us and that sale took place in March 2008. On that occasion, this fabulous card was heavily contested, finally being knocked down to the present vendor for $30,000 + commission. It was been proudly owned (but not exhibited) for the next eleven years and we are delighted to be offering a new generation of collectors the opportunity to own this wonderful piece of Australian aviation history. CL. (2 items) . $25,00030,000'