Japan 1919 Air Flight

The Japanese Post Office was state-of-the-art during World War I. 

The era of air mail also began at this time. Before a regular airmail service could be started, it had a little experimentation. 

Anyway, this first experimental flight from Tokyo to Osaka and back made a big fuss. It wasn't just postcards about this one memorable event that were printed and special cancellation issued, but the definitive stamps at 1½ sen (postage postcard domestic) and 3 sen (domestic letter) were specially made for the postal flight in a small edition (1½ sen: 50,000 pieces, 3 sen: 30,000 pieces)

issued with the silhouette of a biplane overprinted. The blue 1½ sen stamp was overprinted in red, the one on the red 3 sen stamp in indigo.

These overprint stamps went on sale on October 3rd and were exclusively for the franking of letters or cards of this mail flight; moreover, they lost their validity at the end of the month. 

Genuine, left showing special cancel below.

It should be noted that not all of these stamps had the special cancel. Some had regular PO cancels

Genuine Features

1. Deep Indent

2. Eyelet (not easy to see on blue stamp with red ovpt.)

3. Eyelet

4. Tail rudder made up of 5 distict sections

5. Wide pilot seat area with white dot sometimes visible

6. Eyelet

7. Rounded precise corners

8. Visible wing struts

Fakes

 4 section tail

No eyelets

Struts are dashes

No eyelets

Wing tip angles converge

Common fake invert pair

Plane and wigs are crude

It sold on eBay for large amount

Fakes with postal cancels