OX11 Postal Seal on 1937 India Crash to the Culion Leper Colony

Described as: 1936 Philippine OX11 tied to New Delhi, India, Athena Airplane Crash Cover to Culion Leper Colony This has got to be one of the most unusual pieces of British, Indian and Philippine postal history that I have ever seen! This cover originated in the UK (London cancel, but I can’t make out the date), and was sent via airmail to Dr. H. W. Wade, editor in chief (1933-1963) of the International Journal of Leprosy, Manila, Philippine Islands. (Dr. Herbert Windsor Wade was an American who was hired by Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood, Governor-General of the Philippines, to be Pathologist in charge of Research at the Culion Leper Colony from 1922-1931, and was active in Culion in the 1930s and 1940s). However, on the way, it ran into some trouble! A “Bulletin of Verification” (mimeographed!) postal label on the back, “from Singapore to Manila dated October 3, 1936” (typed correction over “September –“) states that “The letters in this bundle of correspondence were salvaged from the Imperial Airways aeroplane “Athena” destroyed by fire at New Delhi on the 29th, September, 1936.” (Underneath of label is a round Manila Recd. 10/13/36 CDS, so it was apparently applied later than the 3rd.) However, once in Manila (postmarked on the front Oct 17, 1936), it was forwarded to Culion, Palawan, the site of the Culion Leper Colony; it arrived there (backstamped )10/23/36, where it was once more forwarded back to Manila. The Philippine OX11 was added somewhere (perhaps Manila the first time?), but it is tied by a magenta “RECEIVED IN BAD ORDER” s/l marking. The cover is intact, but does have scorch marks on the top left, right, bottom and left, and part of the left corners were charred away. The Culion postmark is quite rare, postal seals on cover are quite uncommon, and of course the tie to the history of leprosy is unusual, as is the crash cover! A tour de force in postal history! ebay $876.88

Shocked that this cover went very high as my last documented realized price for a Manila addressed cover also through eBay three years ago is US$ 217.55. Admittedly for the period the Culion, Palawan destination for inbound mail UNIQUE but personally I think and feel the $800 ++ bucks is too much for this cover. A Manila addressed cover at 250.00 Euro was in one of the boxes of dealer Christoph Gartner at the Washington World Stamp Exhibit.

 6.11.2007