Jusqu-a Airmail Markings- A Study Ian Mcqueen — Limited

Prior to McQueen’s work, references to Jusqu’à markings were scattered. Collectors relied on vague mentions in The French Airmail Catalogues of the 1960s. McQueen’s genius was to recognize that these markings were not errors or anomalies, but a worthy of systematic classification.

This book is often sought after by specialists who collect:

For decades, these markings were largely misunderstood or overlooked by general collectors. That changed with the publication of the seminal text, , first published in 1993. McQueen's pioneering work established an academic framework for interpreting these obscure postal handstamps. This article explores the mechanics of Jusqu’à markings, outlines the foundational impact of Ian McQueen’s philatelic research, and analyzes how his studies continue to guide modern postal historians. 1. What are Jusqu’à Airmail Markings? Jusqu-a Airmail Markings- A Study Ian McQueen

Ian McQueen’s "Jusqu'à Airmail Markings" remains a standard reference because it documents the mechanics of communication. It preserves the history of how the world first learned to send messages across oceans and continents through the air, marking exactly where the wings stopped and the rails or ships took over. For any serious student of postal history, it remains an indispensable guide to the "up to" points of airmail's journey.

Before Ian McQueen, "jusqu-a" covers were often overlooked or misunderstood, with collectors preferring pure airmail. McQueen recognized that these intermediate markings told a more complex and human story of postal development. Prior to McQueen’s work, references to Jusqu’à markings

They helped postal clerks determine the quickest and most efficient routing.

The work is typically found in two parts, reflecting the rapid growth of information following the initial release: This book is often sought after by specialists

For example, a 1935 Palestine airmail cover sold at auction in 2026 was described with the note: “McQueen records this particular jusqu'a marking being in use between 1935 and 1937”. Similarly, a Kuwait airmail cover was identified as bearing “a marking used in London from 1945‑47, in red” because “Ian McQueen's Jusqu'a Airmail Markings (1993) illustrates precisely this marking”. In the case of a cover from British Honduras that bore a boxed handstamp reading “Par voie aérienne jusqu’a” with a space for the destination, the specialist noted that “McQueen records it used 1934‑37”.

As the Israel Philatelist noted, “Airmail Directional Handstamps is a two‑volume study by Ian McQueen that supplemented his previous two volumes entitled Jusqu’a Airmail Markings published in 1993 and 1995”. In these later volumes, McQueen broadened his scope to cover all manner of handstamps that gave routing instructions to mail, not only those that specifically used the word “Jusqu’à”. The result is a comprehensive reference that remains the go‑to source for anyone researching how international mail was directed before the widespread adoption of all‑air services.

The usage of Jusqu'a markings spans a specific, clearly defined historical window. McQueen’s study heavily focuses on the period starting around —the immediate aftermath of World War I, when commercial aviation began taking off—up until the mid-1950s .

Jusqu-a Airmail Markings - A Study : An Overview of McQueen's Masterpiece