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Sierra Leone International Reply Coupons

Keith Hanman

I bought recently at a German auction a very attractive block of four Sierra Leone International Reply
Coupons (Illustrated on the front cover, at 80%). Also in the auction were a similar block for Angola
(unsold) and both the 1925 and 1930 designs for Gold Coast (which did sell). There were others from many
different countries.

The auction house indicated that these were once the property of the former King Fuad of Egypt and had
been in private hands up till now.

For a full descriptions of these Coupons, which in spite of the vendor saying that they were Postal
Stationery items - under FIP rules they are not - can I refer WASC members to Philip Beale's book The
Postal Service of Sierra Leone, pages 229 and 230. Here you will find a complete description of these
attractive items from 1909 to 1961.

They make a very interesting adjunct to a display but regretfully cannot be shown competitively. It may be
the first time that this block has been seen recently. The vendor describes the items, including the Gold
Coast and others, as unique. I am very wary of using that term in a philatelic context but in this instance he
may be correct.

WWII airmails from French Equatorial Africa

Barbara Priddy

Ed—this article is a revised version of one that appeared first in the Journal of the France & Colonies PS
of June 2010 as a response to a query raised in March 2009 which Bob Picirilli and myself, Rob May had
partially answered in the meantime. It is all conflated here.

Michael Barden, an Australian member of the Belgian Study Circle, sent scans of a 1942 airmail cover
shown here as figure 1, from Port-Gentil in AEF to Perpignan in Vichy France, franked with stamps to the
value of 13Fr and asked whether anyone could confirm that this was a valid wartime rate or could point him
in the direction of relevant information. (Ref 1)

Bob Picirilli responded first (Ref 2). His research for his book (for a review see page 71 of this issue)
included collation of many scans of similar covers.
"In August 1942, when the letter was sent, the domestic basis (or surface) rate was 1Fr (to 20g). But we do
not know what the airmail surtax to France was at the time—simply because there was no direct airmail
service between Free France AEF and Vichy France, and so no surtaxes to France were published.
Consequently, understanding the 12Fr paid for airmail depends on what "leg" of the total flight the sender
was paying for—and there are no markings to indicate what the sender expected in this regard"
"The 12Fr surtax does 'fit" with the evidence of several other covers that there was a 6Fr/5g surtax at the
time to the UK (or perhaps to any stop along the BOAC route from West Africa). In that case, the 12Fr
represents double this 6Fr/5g surtax (letter of 5-10 grams). I am fairly confident that this is the basis for the
13Fr paid. I hasten to add that this 6Fr surtax is based on strong cover evidence rather than on published
sources ...."