Jusqu-a Airmail Markings- A Study Ian Mcqueen File

A typical example: A cover from Paris to Buenos Aires with a Jusqu’à marking reading “Jusqu’à Rio de Janeiro” would fly to Rio, then travel the rest of the way to Buenos Aires by steamer or rail.

Ian McQueen’s work is widely regarded as a foundational text for identifying and cataloging these markings. While early airmail catalogs often focused heavily on postage stamps and first flight covers, McQueen turned the spotlight onto the operational markings that facilitated the mail's movement.

The study typically covers:

In an age where email has killed the physical letter, the "Jusqu’a" marking stands as a monument to a time when sending a message across the world required a symphony of agreements. It represents the "partial payment" of hope—senders paying for just a few hundred miles of flight, trusting surface transport for the rest.

Ian McQueen, through his meticulous study, rescued these administrative scribbles from obscurity. He proved that the smallest marking on a cover is often the most historically significant. Jusqu’a Airmail Markings: A Study is not just a catalog; it is a detective’s manual.

For the collector holding a faded envelope from 1935 with a violet handstamp reading "Jusqu’a Karachi," McQueen’s text is the key that unlocks the flight, the fare, and the forgotten story of that letter’s journey. It remains, quite simply, the final word on the subject. Jusqu-a Airmail Markings- A Study Ian McQueen

If you own a copy of Ian McQueen’s study or possess a cover bearing a "Jusqu’a" marking, philatelic libraries encourage you to submit scans to the Aerophilately Research Group to help update and preserve this vital area of postal history.

In the world of aerophilately (the study of airmail), "Jusqu'à Airmail Markings"

refers to a specific type of instructional mark found on historical covers. The term "jusqu'à" is French for "as far as" or "until," and these markings were used to indicate that a piece of mail was only to be carried by air for a portion of its journey. The Purpose of Jusqu'à Markings

When a sender requested airmail service (often by using an "Air Mail" etiquette or stamp), the postal service might only be able to fulfill that request for part of the route due to limited flight paths or insufficient postage. The Marking

: Postal workers would apply a "Jusqu'à" handstamp or use parallel bars to "cancel" the airmail instruction for the remainder of the trip. The Translation : A mark might effectively say, "Airmail A typical example: A cover from Paris to

(up to) London," meaning from London onwards, the letter would travel by train or ship. Historical Significance

: These marks are rare and highly sought after by collectors because they tell a precise story of logistics, showing exactly where a letter transitioned from air to surface transport. Ian McQueen’s "A Study"

Ian McQueen is a renowned philatelic author who specialized in these often-overlooked auxiliary markings. His book, "Jusqu'à Airmail Markings: A Study,"

originally published in 1993, is considered the definitive ground-breaking research on the subject.

: It provides a comprehensive, illustrated listing of different Jusqu'à handstamps and related air-cancel marks from around the world. The Supplement If you own a copy of Ian McQueen’s

: In 1995, McQueen published a supplement that was actually longer than the original study (163 pages vs. 109 pages), reflecting a massive influx of new information from collectors who had discovered new markings after his first volume. Other Works : McQueen also wrote Airmail Directional Handstamps (A Study) , which covers wider "directional" markings.

These studies are essential for any postal historian trying to "deconstruct" a cover to understand why a letter took the path it did. You can find used copies of his works on specialty sites like Are you looking to identify a specific marking on a piece of mail you currently have?

Ian McQueen’s Jusqu'à Airmail Markings: A Study provides a foundational analysis of auxiliary postal markings used between 1919 and the 1950s to indicate where air transport concluded for a specific mail item. The work systematically catalogs these "as far as" handstamps, which were crucial for documenting the varied, non-standardized practices of early international airmail before universal air transit was adopted. For more information, visit Jusqua.org.

Ian McQueen's "Jusqu’à" Airmail Markings (A Study) is the definitive guide to the specialized postal markings indicating airmail service was only partially fulfilled. Published in 1993 with a 1995 supplement, the work provides an illustrated analysis of these "as far as" markings that signify a transition from air to surface transport. For more details on the original study, visit AbeBooks.