COLIN COHEN


ARTICLE NO. 37

Many collectors seem to disregard larger size postcards even though there are quite a few produced by airlines as promotional material. Perhaps it is because they will not conveniently fit into albums and are difficult to display. However sometimes these are the only official airline issues and are very attractive. Some cards that spring to mind include the BAC-111 cards from Bahamas AW, Air Malawi and Philippine Airlines. These would be even better if reduced but still super cards to have in your collection and many such were featured in the BAC-111 catalogue.  Other older cards include the DC-8 from Air Congo, the DC-10 from successor Air Zaire and one of the first Airbus cards from Transavia Holland.

I recall the first ever postcard in my collection was actually an Air France Caravelle on the apron at Nice airport that my father bought for me when I was a child and visited the airport one year when on holiday. Because it was oversized I could not put it in my pocket easily. At home, I put it up on the wall where I could keep looking at it and my hobby started from then .

There are  cards even larger,  including full A4 size, which I presume would be difficult to actually send through the mail and are even difficult to keep safely – these include Sterling (Denmark) 757,

American Trans Air 727 and 757 and Canadian DC-10. The ATA 757 and Canadian, at least, also appear in  normal size. Recent oversize issues include United Parcel 747 over Sydney in Olympic colours, a cut-out  747 card from South African Airways and a Royal Brunei 757. Another cut-out was from ALIA (Jordan) of a 747 on take off  in the old colours. Garuda have issued many larger cards including one of a 747 in the old red colours where the 747 was a peel off sticker, which is a special favourite of mine.  Finally can anyone suggest how to display this unusual shaped card of Heathrow,  by FISA in the 1970s, without it moving about in its pocket ?(micro pieces of Blu-Tak ??? DWB).

….Happy Collecting COLIN COHEN


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