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. |
