Himalaya Expedition Mail

Stamp Collecting
(a.k.a. Philately)

As many of our friends know, I am a stamp collector (philatelist). I have been collecting since my dad gave me my first album when I was just 8. Since then I have started and completed (or stopped) many topics to include; U.S., the US 1851 1 cent Franklin plating, France, Tibet, Nepal, Christmas seals and a few others.

Currently, I have whittled down my collections to; US 1st and 2nd issue revenues, US wine revenues (ahh, the sin taxes), Nepal, mountains and climbing on stamps (a topical collection) and mail from mountaineering expeditions.

In addition to my personal stamp collections, Sheena and I also ran a small stamp and collectibles business called "Alpine Stamps & Collectibles". We decided to sell the business in the mid 90's and never regretted the decision.

I encourage you to take up stamp collecting. It can be an amazing journey into history.

My Exhibit

Expedition Mail of the Himalaya - Mt. Everest

This exhibit tells the story of Himalayan mail from Mt. Everest expeditions starting with the second British expedition in 1922 through the first successful ascent by the 1953 British expedition. After receiving 3 gold medals (WESTPEX 2021, RMSS 2022, Minn Stamp Expo 2022) I have decided to no longer enter this exhibit and instead start a new exhibit.

Expedition Mail of the Himalaya,
A Philatelic Story of the 1921 - 1953 Mail

A Book?

As can be seen in the other pages of this web site, I have a passion for hiking, mountaineering and climbing. My philatelic specialization in mountaineering mail has come out of my desire to merge my passions with both the mountains and stamps. The movement of the mail out of the early mountaineering expeditions was out of a need to keep the media, sponsors and loved ones aware of how the expedition was progressing. In the early 20th century, teams could be weeks from the nearest post office. In addition, most of the Himalaya region was in countries who's postal system was not recognized by the international postal system. This added to the effort in getting the mail into the international postal system.

As far as I know, the story of how the mail was moved during these expeditions has never been told in a consolidated fashion. Bits and pieces can be found in a sentence here and there in the expedition books, but I hope to bring this story together in a book.

Will this book ever be written? I don't know. The more research I do, the more daunting the task seems. What I have started with and plan to present on my web site is my research that is contained in Appendix A, B, and C. As for the flight over Mt. Everest in 1933, this is a very large area of discussion and I will address it in a separate section. Since it was not a climbing expedition, I do not plan on going into great depth in the book, but will address it in short since the expedition markings have always been included as Mt. Everest expedition markings.

Appendix A - This appendix provides a list of the expedition markings used by expeditions to the 8,000 meter peaks in the Himalaya through 1970. This appendix includes an image of each marking and label as well as a short description of the use.

Appendix B - This appendix provides a detailed list of each cover that I have been able to document associated with each expedition listed in Appendix A. Each cover is assigned a unique number for long term tracking needs.

Appendix C - This appendix provides additional information of each cover. A description is provided similar to how an item is described for an auction. Any certificates will be listed along with major provenance and sales history. In this website, Appendix C information is accessed from the Appendix B item listing.

For a great list of expedition mail from "all" the Himalayan expeditions, I would encourage you to visit http://www.bergfieber.de/ This site has the most complete listing of the Himalayan expeditions by year that I have ever seen.

Cheers,
Eddie

Himalayan Expedition Markings and Labels of the 8000 Meter Peaks
(Through 1970)

A list of the expedition markings used by expeditions to the 8,000 meter peaks in the Himalaya through 1970. This appendix includes an image of each marking and label as well as a short description of the use.

A Detailed Listing of Covers from Expeditions to the 8,000 Meter Peaks
(1922 - 1970)

A detailed list of each documented cover (including post cards) with an small image and additional information about the use of the specific item.

Appendix C data is accessed from Appendix B by item number. Appendix C provides detailed information about each item including a larger resolution image, description and sales information.

The Mt. Everest Flights of
1932 & 1933