Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the south of Turkey. The island nation was formerly a British colony, and is currently divided by a United Nations buffer into Greek and Turkish Cypriot zones. Six different official seal designs have been recorded to date, the earliest known usage being at Larnaca in July, 1892.
Catalog: Nierinck #611221b
Date issued: 1951, EKU January 12, 1962
Printing: Black on brown 1" wide kraft tape
Perforation: Imperforate
Inscription: Bilingual English/French "E. (crown) R. / Found open or damaged / and officially secured."
Control Number: "P144B" at lower left & "51-2731" at lower right
Description: Repaired at Nicosia, Cyprus with British tape seals (Drummond Great Britain OS13tb), this 1961 cover from Windsor, Ontario was salvaged from the December 21st Comet IV-B jet crash near Ankara, Turkey. The flight originated in London and was ultimately bound for Tel Aviv after stops in Rome, Athens, Istanbul, Ankara, and Nicosia.
The envelope was struck in 4 places with a violet 2-line "SALVAGED MAIL / AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT" marking. Only a portion of the mail aboard was recovered.
Catalog: Drummond OS1A
Date issued: Unknown, EKU February 28, 1973
Printing: Black
Perforation: Die cut
Inscription: Bilingual Greek/French "(REPUBLIQUE DE CHYPRE) / (Arrivé ouvert avarié et / remis en état)
Control Number: None
Description: Stampless postage paid cover sent from Sofia, Bulgaria in 1973 to the Bulgarian embassy in Nicosia that was secured on reverse upon arrival with two Cypriot official seals.
Courtesy of Jim Drummond by permission.
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- Buying, Selling, & Trading Officially Sealed Mails of the World - |
by T. Hirn
E-mail:thirn@poseal.com
Updated May 18, 2010