Postal History of very early Airmail - Instone
I have mentioned in the past that I have control of a collection of stuff dating back to the early days of air mail, but I focussed on Instone Airlines memorabilia.
I now have the collection back from the auctioneer where it has been gathering dust these last seven years, and have been able to go through it.
It is, as it turns out, more a postal history of early airmail than an Instone memorabilia collection.
Sure enough, there is a uniform badge and button, and some route cards and maps, but it's mainly a collection of covers which have been transported by airmail, including one (or two, I forget) which was on the very first airmail flight in 1911; I find it amazing that there was airmail in 1911!
There are also quite a lot of cuttings from newspapers and The Aeroplane, and things like the deed of incorporation of Instone into Imperial Airways. I think that they are more for historic interest than having any value, but it does have a letter, for example, explaining that Instone was he first civilian operator to have uniforms, but complaining (a) that the doorman has more regalia than the pilots and (b) that the pilots and engineers badges don't have wings, as they should to carry on the RFC/RAF tradition.
There are also quite a few postcards, mostly of Instone aircraft. Some are unused, others have been posted.
Anyway, I am not hugely interested in this collection, I would like it to go to someone who is.
Any ideas?