GPS June 2020

of “delayed mailing” of philatelic items was allowed in Germany at that
time. This is stamp-dealer-to-stamp-dealer mail so perhaps the Rohrpost
cancel was requested to make the cover a more interesting item.
Since there was no postal service between Egypt and Israel, the
cover was returned to Germany and then resent to Haifa, arriving there
on October 22, 1948 per the cancel on the back. It is interesting to note
that the German postal service did not backstamp the registered cover
on arrival in Germany.
Image 2, front and back
Image 2 shows a registered airmail cover, dated November 2, 1948,
which was attempted to be sent from Hamburg to Haifa, Palestine, via
Great Britain. At that time there was no registered mail service to Israel
from Great Britain, so the cover received two faint boxed violet handstamps
on the front, stating “NO REGISTERED SERVICE” and
“UNDELIVERED FOR THE REASON STATED/ RETURN TO
SENDER.” There is also a boxed violet “RETOUR” handstamp as well
as an instructional handwritten ”BRITISH ZONE/ GERMANY” on
the front. The back has a “REGISTERED/1/9NOV48/RETURNED
REGISTER SECTION” oval handstamp.
Like Image 1, there is no cancel on the back indicating when
the registered cover was returned to Hamburg. Also, there are no
markings to show that it was ever received in Haifa. Can any of our
readers explain the 336pf postage?
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