Belgium 1936 - Gordon Bennett “Belgica” Balloon Mail...

Attractive souvenir printed on exceptionally thin paper, prepared for the 1936 Gordon Bennett balloon competition. This is a lightweight balloon mail “flimsy”, rather than a conventional thick postcard. The illustrated front features a diagonal band in the Belgian national colours, a winged “Belgica” emblem and the inscription “Coupe G. Bennett 1936”. The printed route specifies carriage by aircraft from Brussels to Warsaw, followed by onward transport aboard the balloon “Belgica”. Addressed to Captain Ernest Demuyter in Warsaw, the item bears a distinctive two-stamp Belgian franking: - 35 centimes green, heraldic lion design. - 1 franc on 1.50 francs surcharged airmail stamp, depicting an aircraft over St Hubert. Total franking: 1.35 francs, tied by Brussels cancellations dated 28 August 1936. A further circular cancellation in Cyrillic appears on the front. The principal highlight is the red cachet on the reverse. It records departure from Warsaw on 30 August 1936, landing in the Archangel region of the USSR, a distance stated as approximately 1,800 km and first place in the competition. The cachet also states that this item was saved during a turbulent landing and that part of the mail was lost—an especially interesting feature for collectors of balloon and recovered mail. The “Belgica” crew, Ernest Demuyter and Pierre Hoffmans, won the 1936 Gordon Bennett competition. This souvenir combines the winning flight, an attractive aviation franking and a recovery cachet on unusually delicate paper. I can’t combine the shippings - non combino le spedizioni IMPORTANT INFO: Following a recent change in international sector regulations, specifically Articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Postal Convention, starting from January 1, 2026, it will no longer be possible to send items (goods with or without commercial value) using International Registered and International Insured services, which will continue to be used exclusively for sending documents. It means that starting from January 1st, 2026, I will ship abroad only by "POSTE DELIVERY INTERNATIONAL

Estimate:$168.55

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