FE18ca-4G GREAT BRITAIN private booklet GREEN 4d - 1. MACH 2 CONCORDE BA002 1970

the British private stamp booklets of the first flight of Concorde 002 1969/70

On March 2, 1969, the French prototype Concorde 001 F-WTSS (for Transport SuperSonique) took off from Toulouse-Blagnac for the first flight in the history of supersonic commercial aviation. At the controls André Turcat, Jacques Guignars, Michel Rétif and Henri Perrier for a 42-minute flight. On April 9, 1969, it was the turn of the British prototype Concorde 002 G-BSST (for SuperSonic transport) to take off from Filton for its first flight. At the controls Brian Trubshaw and John Cochrane, assisted by flight engineers Brian and Watts.

On this occasion, the British Posts issued a series of three postage stamps “First flight of the Franco-British supersonic Concorde (1969)“. It should be noted that the 9d stamp of this series included an inversion of the colors of the French flag, which earned it a mention in the “Guide mondial des timbres accurés / Errors on stamps“ by Jean-Pierre Mangin, published by Yvert et Tellier .

These three stamps are widely known, but they also existed in the more original form of the private “Concorde 002” booklets with sewn covers, each containing six stamps. We have found in the archives of Mr. Paul Staedel, which have remained partly untouched since his death, a small stock of these forgotten notebooks, offered at the time among his European philatelic novelties.

We offer here the last copies available again for sale.