Lot
269 
Airmail, 1930, 65¢ Graf Zeppelin, top margin plate no. "F20079" block of 6, o.g., never hinged, wide margins and choice overall centering, rich color, small natural paper inclusion in top right stamp not visible on front, Extremely Fine, a wonderful Zeppelin plate block. Scott No. C13 $2,200.
Realized: $1,300
Lot
270
Airmail, 1930, $1.30 Graf Zeppelin, block of 4, o.g., never hinged, beautiful allover centering and margins, rich color, trivial natural inclusion at bottom left, Extremely Fine and choice, an exceptional multiple; with 2009 P.S.E. certificate Graded (XF 90). Scott No. C14 $2,200.
Realized: $1,350
Lot
271
Airmail, 1930, $2.60 Graf Zeppelin, o.g., never hinged, exceptional centering with beautifully balanced margins, deep color, Extremely Fine to Superb; with 2011 P.S.E. certificate Graded (XF-Sup 95, SMQ $1,750). Scott No. C15 $850.
Realized: $1,050
Lot
272
Airmail, 1930, $2.60 Graf Zeppelin, top margin plate no. "20090" block of 6, o.g., never hinged, wonderful overall centering and strong intact perforations all around, rich deep color and exceptionally fresh, Extremely Fine and choice. Scott No. C15 $8,000.
AN EXCEPTIONAL NEVER HINGED PLATE BLOCK OF THE 1930 $2.60 GRAF ZEPPELIN ISSUE.
Realized: $5,250
Lot
273 
Anzac Clipper to Honolulu, Dec. 7, 1941 -- The Day of Infamy, red and blue "Via Airmail" cover with Foreign Missions Department corner card bearing 1¢ green (552), 17¢ Harding (623) 12¢ and 20¢ Presidentials (817, 825) paying the 50¢ per half ounce rate, tied by "Springfield Mo. Dec 2, 1941" duplex datestamps to Baguio, Philippine Islands, carried on the Anzac Clipper from San Francisco on December 6th to Honolulu arriving during the morning of the Pearl Harbor attacks, the flight was less than an hour away from Honolulu when word of the attacks was radioed and it was then diverted to Hilo, reverse with "RELEASED/BY I.C.B." (Information Control Branch) that has been cross out and "147" Hawaii censorship examiner backstamps struck across the sealing tape, aged as usual, Honolulu "Returned to Writer" hand handstamp struck on front and back; minor cover wrinkling, Very Fine. Estimate $4,000 - 6,000.
A HISTORIC FLIGHT COVER FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO HONOLULU ON THE ANZAC CLIPPER, ARRIVING IN HAWAII LATE ENOUGH ON DECEMBER 7, 1941 FOR DIVERSION TO HILO AS THE BOMBS FELL.
Ken Lawrence has written extensively on WWII postal history and the Pearl Harbor Day flight of the Anzac Clipper. In his Linn's article, "International airmail covers recall the 'Day of Infamy' ", he writes how the Pan American Airways FAM 14 Anzac Clipper, a Boeing B-314A flying boat, registration No. NC 18611 had taken took off from San Francisco late on the afternoon of December 5 but experienced mechanical trouble 400 miles out and had to return for repairs. "After being repaired, she had been rescheduled to leave at 2 p.m. California time on Dec. 6, but the veteran pilot, Capt. H. Lanier Turner, had been granted a brief postponement of the departure time, about half an hour, so he could attend his daughter's first piano recital at Oakland. At 8 a.m. the next morning, Anzac Clipper was less than an hour away from Honolulu when its radio officer received a coded flash warning that Pearl Harbor was under Japanese air attack. Turner's providentially late departure from San Francisco had delayed his approach just long enough to have kept his vulnerable aircraft out of harms way. Turner's "Plan A" secret instructions in the event of war rerouted Anzac Clipper to Hilo, 220 miles southwest of the combat zone. Gen. Walter C. Short, the military governor of Hawaii, had immediately declared martial law in the islands and had ordered the newly created Information Control Board, headquartered beside the Honolulu post office, to open and examine all transit and outbound civil mail."
The Anzac Clipper's mail was forwarded from Hilo to Honolulu for censorship, denoted by the handstamped RELEASED BY I.C.B. 147 marking in black ink over the cellophane tape seal on the cover offered here. Mail to destinations in Hawaii was delivered, while flights farther west ceased. Mail to Japanese-occupied places was of course returned to sender, as was the case with the cover offered here. Mail to other places was rerouted for transatlantic transport to the destinations.
Realized: $6,500
Lot
274
Special Delivery, 1894, 10¢ blue, unwatermarked, o.g., never hinged, well centered amid large margins, rich color and bright paper, Extremely Fine to Superb, very scarce in never hinged condition; with 2019 P.S.A.G. certificate Graded (85, SSV $3,250). Scott No. E4 $2,100.
Realized: $2,100
Lot
275
Registry, 1911, 10¢ ultramarine, o.g., never hinged, perfectly centered amid large well balanced margins, strong bright color on bright paper, Superb, one of eight examples to receive this grade with only two examples higher (both a 98J); with 2002 P.F. & 2019 certificates, the latter Graded (Superb 98, SMQ $850). Scott No. F1 $175.
Realized: $650
Lot
276 ()
Postage Due, 1879, 2¢ deep brown, special printing, without gum, attractively centered amid uncommonly wide margins, rich and distinctively deep color on bright paper, tiny natural paper inclusion of no consequence, Very Fine; with 2000 P.F. certificate. Scott No. J9 $6,000 for no gum.
A HANDSOME EXAMPLE OF THE VERY RARE 1879 2¢ POSTAGE DUE SPECIAL PRINTING ISSUE.
Realized: $4,250
Lot
277
Postage Due, 1895, 2¢ deep claret, bottom margin plate number single, o.g., never hinged, rich bright color, evenly balanced margins and exceptional centering, Superb, one of seven examples to receive this grade with only one graded higher (a 98J); with 2005 P.S.E. certificate Graded (Superb 98, SMQ $550). Scott No. J39 $40.
Realized: $300
Lot
278
Postage Due, 1914, 30¢ carmine lake, o.g., never hinged, choice centering and nicely balanced margins, deep rich color on white bright paper, Extremely Fine to Superb, one of two in this grade with only three graded higher; with 2009 P.S.E. certificate Graded (XF-Sup 95, SMQ $1,400). Scott No. J57 $525.
Realized: $725