Rare Stamps & Postal History of the World including the Fred Blau Collection
March 3-4, 2020
We are pleased to announce our March 3-4, 2020 Auction, featuring the Fred Blau collection of Palestine Aerophilately and Military Mail, followed by United States and Possessions, with Dr.Ernesto Arosemena's Canal Zone, continuing with selections from Asia, Western European countries, South and Central America, Middle East, as well as extensive Great Britain and British Commonwealth, Poland with an exceptional collection of World War II Occupation proofs & essays, Russia, Vatican City, etc., and ending as usual with Large Lots and Collections. This is a live public auction taking place in our NYC Galleries as well as on CherrystoneLIVE.
| Images | Description | Current Bid |
 | Lot #6 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1916 (21 Feb) picture postcard addressed to Vienna, with perfectly struck "K.u.k. 15cm Haubitzbatterie No.36" cachet, "Zensuriert" alongside, with "W1" Vienna arrival, sent by an Austrian soldier from Constantinople, awaiting the long trip to Gaza, v.f.  | Unsold |
 | Lot #7 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1916 (11 July) picture postcard from Negev to Brozan, with Austro-Hungarian charity label, bilingual K.u.K. Ersatzabteiling (substitute division) military handstamp, censored, with "W1" Vienna arrival (for military and diplomatic mail from Turkey) | Unsold |
 | Lot #8 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1916 (7 Aug) picture postcard (Jerusalem) with "Feldpost Mil. Miss. 1.Expeditionskorps" pmk and violet "K.u.K.Gebirgsartillerieregiment No.6 Haubitzbatterie No.2" (Mountain Artillery Regiment No.6, Howitzer Battery No.2), "Uberpruft Wien 1" censored in Vienna, sent from Beersheba, via Vienna to Chlunetz, v.f., rare and very early Expeditionskorps cancel (The first units of the German Expeditionary Corps "Pascha 300" arrived in Beersheba in April, 2016. It consisted of two planes, 48 machine guns, antiaircraft units, trucks and hospital equipment. They were reinforced by the Austro-Hungarian Mountain Howitzer division under the command of Major Adolf Marno von Eichenhorst) | Unsold |
 | Lot #9 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1916 (5 Sep) cover with "Feldpost Mil. Miss. A.O.K.4" postmark sent from Jerusalem to Vienna, with straight-line "K.u.k.bakterliog. Feldlaboratorium Nr.39", mailed by the chief surgeon Dr. Schiller at the Ratisbone Monastery (which was leased to the Austro-Hungarian army for the use as their main hospital in the Middle East), carried by diplomatic mail from Jerusalem, with "Uberpruft Wien" censor label attached on back, also red "Zenzuriert" and "W" arrival markings | Unsold |
 | Lot #10 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1916 (21 Sep) registered cover from Bir es seba to Vienna, with "Feldpost/Mil.Miss/1.Expeditionskorps" pmk at top right, rare "Feldpost d.Militar-Mission 1 Expeditionskorps No.114" registry label, "Eingeschrieben Portofreie Dienstsache" straight-line handstamps, Aleppo and Constantinople transit backstamps, the return address is the Paymaster of the Austro-Hungarian Mountain Howitzer Division of von Marno, his circular cachet also seals the backflap (top portion of backflap excised), assessed 15 heller Postage Due on arrival (as this cover was addressed to a private printing company, it was not considered military mail), fine. The 1st Expedition Corps stayed only for two weeks at Bir es seba (today Beersheba), as part of the 4th Ottoman Army, extremely rare | Unsold |
 | Lot #11 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1916 (29 Sep) bilingual Feldpost card to Harnsdorf, with Constantinople railway cancel, handstamp of the Mountain Artillery detachment, "W1" Vienna transit, fine card from an Austrian soldier in Constantinople, later moved to the Palestine battlefront | Unsold |
 | Lot #12 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1916 (30 Sep) cover (with contents) canceled "Feldpost Mil. Miss. Aleppo", sent via Damascus to Vienna, by Lt. A. Rippel, Austrian instructor attached to the German army | Unsold |
 | Lot #13 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (22 Jan) picture postcard with "K.u.K.Kraftwagonkolonne Turkey" (Truck Convoy) handstamp, sent from Zahleh (Lebanon) to Vienna, sent by a truck driver travelling between Constantinople and Gaza, violet "Zensuriert", fine and unusual | Unsold |
 | Lot #14 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (6 Apr) registered cover from Jerusalem to Vienna, with "Feldpost/Mil.Miss/A.O.K.4" pmk at top right, rare "Militar-Mission Feldpost 4. Armee No.563" registry label, "Eingeschrieben Portofreie Dienstsache" (postage free official mail) straight-line handstamps, Constantinople transit backstamps, the return address is the Paymaster of the Austro-Hungarian Mountain Howitzer Division of von Marno, his circular cachet also seals the backflap, charged 15 Heller Postage due on arrival, erroneously assumed to be civilian mail, since this cover was addressed to a private printing firm, the "Bestellung" (order) at top obviously overlooked. A rarity | Unsold |
 | Lot #15 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (15 Mar) picture postcard with Ottoman franking, tied by A.O.K.4 Fieldpost Mil. Miss. cds, sent via the Germany military post office in Jerusalem to Vienna, v.f. and colorful card | Unsold |
 | Lot #16 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (15 June) registered cover from Jerusalem to Vienna, with "Feldpost/Mil.Miss/A.O.K.4" pmk at top right, rare "Militar-Mission Feldpost 4. Armee No.961" registry label, "Eingeschrieben Portofreie Dienstsache" straight-line handstamps, Constantinople transit backstamps, the return address is the Paymaster of the Austro-Hungarian Mountain Howitzer Division of von Marno, his circular cachet also seals the backflap, fine and very rare registered usage (a similar cover realized $1,700 in 2002 Dr.Jerome Byers sale) | Unsold |
 | Lot #17 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (19 July) picture postcard with "Feldpost Mil. Miss. Damascus" postmark, further endorsed "Feldpost" and sent by artillery officer via the German military postal system to Constantinople and Vienna, v.f. | Unsold |
 | Lot #18 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (26 June) cover (with letter of contents included), bilingual (German and Turkish) cachet "K.u.K. Kdo d. Ers. Abt. F.d.ost.ung. Haubitzbatterie No.36" handstamp, addressed to Vienna. This unit was located in the Austrian Headquarters in Jerusalem. This covered was carried by hand to Vienna where a 15 Heller adhesive was added (16 July) for further transmission to its destination. The content of the letter is of great interest as it discusses the location of the Ottoman Headquarters in Jerusalem and reports that eight British airplanes bombarded Jerusalem (!) A rarity, one of only two recorded examples of courier mail from Jerusalem; one of the highlights of Fred Blau's collection | Price Realized $750.00 |
 | Lot #19 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (25 July) picture postcard (Damascus gate) franked with Ottoman 10pa green, tied by two different departure postmarks including octagonal "K.u.K. Feldpost Mil.Miss. Jerusalem 2" postmark, sent via German military postal service to Vienna (Jerusalem 2 octagonal postmarks are rare) | Unsold |
 | Lot #20 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (9 Sep) postal card from Budapest, with Hungarian franking, addressed to "Feldpost No.452" to a soldier or an officer in the transportation unit ("transport Jerusalem") used for supplying the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman troops, some toning, apparently the only known card addressed to the battlefield | Price Realized $375.00 |
 | Lot #21 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (18 Sep) registered cover addressed to Vienna, with 18.9.1917 Feldpost Mil.Miss.Jerusalem postmark, with corresponding "Feldpost Militar-Mission Jerusalem 518" Registry label, violet "Portofreie Dienstsache Eingeschrieben" and K.u.K. Mountain Howitzer Division (Paymaster) cachets, also a violet seal and Constantinople military transit markings on back, some filing folds, rare cover, signed Georg Muentz, with his 1987 certificate. Stated to be one of only two known with Jerusalem Registry labels (the other, quite defective, ex-Dr.Jerome Byers was sold in 2002 for $950) | Price Realized $1,400.00 |
 | Lot #22 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (25 Oct) cover addressed to Vienna, with return address handstamp of "Kommando der k.u.k. Autoformationen in der Turkei", Feldpost departure cds, charged 15kr Postage Due, obviously in error, as this was military mail, addressed to a printer, probably a printing order for this military unit | Unsold |
 | Lot #23 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 picture postcard showing "Aust.Ung. Schwere Kanonen Batterie 20 Gaza 1917", with pencil message on back "a souvenir from the war time in Palestine." Shortly after issue, similar cards were confiscated by censors and destroyed. Only a few are stated to have survived | Unsold |
 | Lot #24 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 picture postcard (Belgrade) with boxed "Von der Armee im Felde" (from the army on the battlefront), violet "K.u.K. Militarbevollmachtiger in Konstantinopel" (Military Plenipotentiary in Constantinople), mailed from one of the battlefields in Palestine, addressed to a military hospital in Poland | Unsold |
 | Lot #25 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (6 Oct) picture postcard with "K.u.K.Feldpostampt 451" and "Oster.-Ung.Nationalspital in Konstantinopel" handstamps, franked with Turkish adhesives (one being a fiscal used as postage), sent from a member of Austro-Hungarian medical staff to Znaim | Unsold |
 | Lot #26 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1917 (14 Oct) censored Ottoman stationery card franked with three additional adhesives, with "Sahra Postasi 71" (Gaza) and "Feldpost Mil.Miss. Jerusalem" postmarks, with "K.u.k. Kanonenbatterie No.20" cachet, addressed to Vienna, v.f. This Turkish field post office was in Gaza and belonged to the Seventh Division of the Ottoman army, part of the "Jilderim" army group of the Central Powers (Germany, Austro-Hungary and Ottoman Turkey) | Price Realized $500.00 |
 | Lot #27 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1918 (3 June) registered cover from Nazareth to Vienna, with "Deutsche Feldpost 663" cds at top right, on back is the cachet "Liquidierender Rechngst der k.u.k. Feldhaubitzabteilung i.u. Turkei" (Paymaster of the Field Howitzer Division), corresponding "Deutsche Feldpost 663 No.2" Registry label, filing fold away from the markings, fine and very rare registered cover, used by the Paymaster to mail payroll sheets, using the German Field Post Military services. One of only a few registered covers recorded | Unsold |
 | Lot #28 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1918 (28 Aug) card to Sarajevo, canceled "K.u.K. Feldpostampt 451", with "K.u.K. Instruktions-Detachement Hptm.v. Hubka" bilingual cachet alongside, posted by the commanding officer of the regiment previously stationed in Palestine, now in Turkey, franked with a red due label, forwarded by diplomatic mail to Zagreb and Sarajevo | Unsold |
 | Lot #29 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1918 (15 April) registered cover from Nazareth to Vienna, with "Deutsche Feldpost 663" cds at top right, on back is the cachet "Liquid. Rechngst der k.u.k. Feldhaubitzabteilung i.u. Turkei" (Paymaster of the Field Howitzer Division), corresponding "Deutsche Feldpost 663 No.842" Registry label, also violet "Eingeschrieben Portofreie Dienstsache" (Official Mail Postage Free), sent via the German military postal service in Constantinople and one of only a few registered covers recorded | Unsold |
 | Lot #30 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1918 (6 July) registered cover to Vienna, with "K.u.K.Feldpostampt 451" pmks and violet "Intendanz des K.u.k.Artilleriekommandos i.d. Turkey als Truppenkommando", also "Dienstsache" and endorsed "Rekmdrt". The sender must have known that there was no registration service for Austro-Hungarian mail, but still endorsed as official registered letter, bringing a charge of 15 heller penalty assessed on arrival in Vienna. Stated to be the only known Austro-Hungarian registered military mail cover from the Middle East, incorrectly charged postage due | Unsold |
 | Lot #31 AUSTRIA Austrian Military Forces in Palestine - WWI 1918 (15 Aug) picture postcard (British POWs in Gaza) to Vienna, with K.u.K.Feldpostampt 452b (Aleppo) and Salt 7.7.28 pmks, violet "Batterie 2 der k.u.k.Feldhaubitzabteilung in der Turkey" (Field howitzer division in Turkey) cachet, fine usage via Es Salt (situated between Jerusalem and Amman) | Price Realized $240.00 |
