This cover doesn't quite fit my scanner, so the edges look cut off, but they really aren't. It's one of my favourite covers though. I know you probably see that the cover has Canadian cancels on it. I haven't the faintest idea why that is, unless it didn't get cancelled, and someone wanted the stamps cancelled. Anyhow, I didn't have it done, and I still like the look of it. I don't want the Australian stamps in my collection with Canadian cancels, so I'm just keeping it as it is. Weird or not. There are also three more stamps on the back.
  2 Members like this post. Login to Like.
"Stamp collectors don't go crazy, they just become unhinged."
Here are two of the "busy" covers in my accumulation. Both are addressed to the same US soldier in Europe during WWI. Both letters were sent by a Florence Sherwood of Shabonna, IL. My deciphering of the notations indicate that the soldier was transferred from the
AEF (Allied Expeditionary Forces) to Camp Grant, IL. At that point the letter was marked as "Unclaimed" and returned to sender. There is a notation on the back of the top letter that Orville Glenn Fry was returned to the States.
IMHO he was right. That is a great cover! If you don't want to keep it, put it in the auction and see if someone else would like to acquire it. hint, hint!!!
Mike
  1 Member likes this post. Login to Like.
"It's been three years now, since I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet..."
A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent). 06 Feb 2014 05:11:36pm
re: Show your "busy" cover !
It would drive me insane having an unopened cover. I'd be desperate to find out what the letter says.
  1 Member likes this post. Login to Like.
"Let's find a cure for Still's Disease, Breast Cancer and Canine Addison's Disease. We CAN find a cure and save lives!!"
Phil, here is a "busy" cover I found at the local flea market. Anybody know anything about the Iceland C Force marking? Was this British or American? Anybody know where FPO 304 was located? The stamp fell off somewhere in this cover's journey.
I believe I've shared this one on this board before. These "Round The Clock" covers were popular in the early 20th Century. It went through the mails 4 times.
Iceland ( along with the Faeroe Islands) was first occupied by British Forces after Scandinavia was invaded by Germany in order to deny it's use for attacks on transatlantic convoys.
This occupation was unpopular with the locals so when the USA entered the war it was deemed to be politically more acceptable to hand the occupation over to the USA - and besides which the troops would have been more useful elsewhere ( like North Africa ). I am not sure that the same troops went to North Africa, but they would have been able to increase the troops available for rotation.
My late Father-in-Law was stationed in the Faeroe Islands prior to the invasion of Normandy. British forces history seldom mentions this aspect of the war - similarly RAF fighter aircraft based in Northern Russia to protect the Arctic convoys.
The FPO is a British postmark. Its possible that there was confusion during the changeover ( Two bureaucracies in close proximity is always confusion !). In any case there remained an RAF presence in Iceland in connection with ferrying large aircraft North America-Newfoundland-Iceland-UK.
Thanks for the additional info, Malcolm, regarding my FPO 304 cover above.
Scanned below is another busy cover from my collection that was mailed with only three halfpence postage applied when posted in Great Britain. I like how Switzerland piled the postage up chasing after the addressee, before forwarding the letter to Amsterdam.
C.G. Vokes Ltd. was a motor car parts maker of air cleaners and windscreen cleaners. (a.k.a. windshield wipers in the U.S.)
Thanks for bumping this thread, Linus!
VERY interesting material!
I'm tempted to add yet another collecting area to my quests.
Thing is, I get focused on a particular, narrow area, and not long after that happens, I've soaked up all the immediately available material...
You are welcome, Pigdoc, so much to collect, so little time. I like bumping old threads, hoping others will add something also. Here is an interesting postal card from Japan showing their method of forwarding mail. They apply a thin paper tape over the original address with the new address and a cancellation. What makes this item "busy" is that they put three layers of tape over the address trying to track down the recipient. This might qualify for "oddball."