Postal History of very early Airmail - Instone

[Timothy]

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?

[renfrew]

Did you ever speak to BA museum and archives?

The covers and postcards would probably find a ready market on E-bay.

[Timothy]

I haven't spoken to the BA museum, but my concern is that they would say "yes please" and then the collection would disappear into a dusty drawer and forgotten about.

So far as eBay goes, it seems a pity to break up the collection. I suspect that I would be left with the bulk of it, with the choice pieces gone and a few pounds in my mother's pocket, and she spends much less than she earns anyway :O

There must be someone somewhere who is actually interested and cares.

[Timothy]

Incidentally, I have now found the archive of the last time we discussed it:

Instone Airlines [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums (http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-235422.html)

Since then, my father has died, hence the change of status from "it's complicated" to "available" :)

[A30yoyo]

A suggestion....give it to a worthy institution Croydon Airport Society, British Airways Heritage Collection, Brooklands, whoever but ONLY on the condition all the material is scanned and made available free online at the time of transfer?
And don't forget The British Postal Museum which already has an online presence
Flickr: British Postal Museum & Archive (http://www.flickr.com/people/postalheritage/)

[Timothy]

Good suggestion, thank you, but I am now in touch with an auctioneer who works with the British Airmail Society, who seems to be quite excited by some of the pieces (judging by the "is that the blue or the green? Oh Red, Really?" type comments :) )

So maybe my mother will extract some value after all.

[A30yoyo]

Ah well....at least a good auctioneer effectively publishes an index of whats in the collection