The Alfred F. Kugel Collection, Part Three
February 11-12, 2025
Welcome to the third sale dedicated to material meticulously assembled by Alfred "Al" F. Kugel over a multidecade effort to build an expansive collection of philatelic and postal history items focused on military conflicts of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Upon his passing in 2022, Al Kugel entrusted the American Philatelic Society (APS) with his entire philatelic estate, including 180 boxes of philatelic literature and military postal history material. Much of the material offered across the first three sales has not appeared on the market for decades, many of the items originally acquired through Cherrystone Auctions, where Al was a frequent and valued client. Now, this exceptional collection returns to the marketplace, offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire significant pieces enriched by Al's extensive scholarship and research.
Al's collection spans global conflicts and military mail from the late 19th century through modern times, with a focus on the break-up of Austrian, German, Ottoman Empire and Russian Empires, military campaigns in the Balkans, with Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Allied Interventions in China during the Boxer Rebellion and in Russia during the Civil War as well as the two World Wars and their aftermaths. An extraordinary array of regional Military and Naval mail from those violent actions form the core of Al's exhibits, China, Japan, and other nations.
This sale will take place via CherrystoneLIVE
Images | Description | Current Bid |
 | Lot #5078 ALBANIA Kosovo Region 1942-43 selection of 11 covers or cards on exhibit pages, with registered cover from "Istok" to Palermo, POW card from Gjakove, registered cover from "Gjilan" to another Prisoner of War inmate at Stalag VIIB/I, card from "Liplanji" to a Concentration Camp in Bergamo, POW lettersheet from "Orahovac" (both extremely rare), registered "Express" covers from "Peje" to Cetinje and Ustica-Palermo, card from Prizren to Milano, flown, censored cover from Prizren "Posta Arjore" to Geneva (Diena certificate), large part of "Prizren Mandat Poste" (previously unrecorded marking) money order used to send 300francs, registered cover from "Prishtine" to Istanbul, finally a POW lettersheet from "Suva Reka", fine and uncommon assembly showing postal history of Italian Occupation of Kosovo
| Price Realized $18,500.00
|
 | Lot #5079 ALBANIA Kosovo Region 1942 (14 Mar) registered, flown cover from "DECANE", franked with Italian Occupation stamps of Albania, tied by departure cds, with corresponding Registry label, addressed to a Prisoner of War held at Stalag XVII-B (located near Krems, Austria), opened by censor, various transit and Krems arrival pmks, fine and extremely rare usage from Decane (present day "Decan" in Kosovo)
| Price Realized $4,250.00
|
 | Lot #5080 ALBANIA Kosovo Region 1942-43 (22 Jan) picture postcard from Ferizovic to Montalcone (Trieste), single 5q green tied by departure cds, boxed "Verificato per Censura" and arrival pmks. Also 1943 (11 June) registered cover to Ustica-Palermo, franked with 2x15q carmine, tied by "Ferizaj" departure cds, showing return address of "Stimplje-Ferizaj, Kosovo Albania", fine (the Slavic name "Ferizovic" was changed to Albanian "Ferizaj" in 1942)
| Price Realized $2,800.00
|
 | Lot #5081 ALBANIA Kosovo Region 1943 selection of eight registered covers from Prizren and Peje to Palermo (care of "Internata Civile de Guerra"), one to Montenegro, different franking combination, censor handstamps and labels, mixed condition, scarce group of commercially used covers from Kosovo during Italian occupation
| Price Realized $4,250.00
|
Previous Country/Group Auction Index Next Country/Group