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 #5053 United States Postal Agency in Siberia Naval and Maritime Mail 1918 (7 Sep) cover to Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, franked with Russian adhesives paying 30k, tied by oval "Vladivostok-Tsuruga Parakh." datestamps, endorsed "Soldiers Mail", with additional penciled message continuing on reverse, little toning, otherwise fine (during the forerunner period, the arrival of supply ships was uncertain, but regular mail service between Vladivostok and Japan and from there to the rest of the world was available to those willing to pay for it. The Vladivostok-Tsuruga Steamship pmk was used by ships of the Russian Volunteer Fleet and the Chinese Eastern Railway Maritime Company. It is one of the scarcest postmarks on AEF Siberia mail, with only a few examples recorded)  | Price Realized $2,000.00 |
 | Lot #5054 United States Postal Agency in Siberia Naval and Maritime Mail 1919 (5 Mar) picture postcard to San Francisco, endorsed "Sailor's Mail" and "U.S.N. Radio Stn Russian Island c/o American Consul Vladivostok, Siberia", "U.S. Navy" departure pmk, card processed by "USS Brooklyn" which was at Vladivostok at that date, fine and rare usage from a U.S. Navy radio station which operated on Russian Island (10 miles southeast of Vladivostok in Peter the Great Bay) | Price Realized $900.00 |
 | Lot #5055 United States Postal Agency in Siberia Naval and Maritime Mail 1919 (30 May) YMCA corner card cover to San Diego, showing "U.S.N.Radio Sta. Vladivostok, Siberia, c/o Amer.Consul" return address, franked with 3c violet and 7c black (the original stamp had fallen off and was replaced by a hinged-on copy to restore a similar appearance), "Registered Return Receipt Requested" handstamp at bottom, two strikes of "U.S.Navy Registered" datestamps on back, with June 23 arrival pmks alongside. A rare cover, postmarked on either "USS Brooklyn" or "USS New Orleans", the only two U.S. warships at Vladivostok on that date | Price Realized $1,000.00 |
 | Lot #5056 United States Postal Agency in Siberia Naval and Maritime Mail 1919-20 Marine Corps Mail from AEF Siberia, two covers and postcard displayed on exhibit page, with "U.S.S. Albany Vladivostok Siberia" (1 March 1920) cover endorsed "Marine Mail", a YMCA envelope to Utica, NY, with "U.S.S. New Orleans Vladivostok Siberia" (4 July, 1920), card to Honolulu, endorsed "A.E.F" (Apr 15, 1919) censored and charged "Postage Due 2 Cents" on arrival, mixed condition, extremely rare group, only four examples of Marine Corps mail are recorded from Siberia | Price Realized $3,750.00 |
 | Lot #5057 United States Postal Agency in Siberia Naval and Maritime Mail 1920 (3 May) cover with letter (dated 20 Apr) to Chicago, endorsed "Officers' Mail" and "USS So.Dakota Vlad.Siberia", corresponding "U.S.S.South Dakota" May 3 1920 departure pmk alongside. The stationery lettersheet was originally headed "HQ American Expeditionary Forces Siberia", amended to read "Navy Department, American Naval Intelligence Officer Vladivostok" (The U.S.S. South Dakota, was an armored cruiser commissioned in 1908. It played a pivotal role in this nearly forgotten piece of American history, an armed conflict with Russian Bolsheviks in Siberia. By 1st April, 1920, the entire AEF was evacuated from Siberia) | Price Realized $2,100.00 |
 | Lot #5058 United States Postal Agency in Siberia Naval and Maritime Mail 1920 (23 Mar) cover (slightly reduced at right) to West Chester, Pa, franked with 2c carmine, tied by U.S. Postal Agency Siberia departure cds, showing the return address of "U.S.A.T. So.Bend Vladivostok, Siberia", framed "A.E.F. Censored" cachet, fine. This cover is the only recorded use from the AEF Troopship from Siberia and the second latest date for mail from USAP Siberia (The United States Army Troop Ship "South Bend" made only a single trip to Siberia in order to evacuate the 31st Infantry. She arrived in Vladivostok on 20th March and departed on 31st March, 1920) | Price Realized $1,800.00 |
