2017-04-15 Sat

From 28th February to 1st March, world stamps and covers especially Russian material was offered by Cherrystone Auctions.

The Soviet Union has set many records in the field of aviation, mostly related to distance and endurance. From 18th to 20th June 1937, the first transpolar flight from Moscow to Vancouver took place. The second one took place from Moscow to San Jacinto, Calif. from 12th to 14th July, covering a distance of 7,100 miles. These two non-stop flights made Russian pilots famous.

A set of four stamps celebrating the first flight was released on 10th April 1938. The second flight was celebrated three days later with three new stamps. These early Soviet commemoratives are mostly imperforate, many of which are very rare. The 10- and 20-kopeck stamps were sold together for $920. The imperforate, rarer never-hinged 50k stamp was sold for $23,000. A printed menu from a dinner dated 30th June 1937, at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York, celebrating the first crew of Soviet transpolar fliers, sold for $322.