Collecting · Type and theme
Airmail Stamps: A Collector's Guide
Airmail stamps are stamps issued specially for mail carried by air, often marked "Air Mail" or "Par Avion" and frequently showing aircraft or flight themes. They date from the early decades of flight, when carrying letters by air was new and costly, and they carry much of that romance. Airmail is collected both as a stamp type and through airmail covers, the flown letters themselves, which are a rich area of postal history.
At a glance
What airmail stamps are
When letters first began to travel by air, a new and faster service that cost more than ordinary post, special stamps were issued to pay the airmail rate. Marked for air mail and often picturing the aircraft of the day, they capture a moment when flight itself was a marvel.
Many countries issued them, and the designs, showing biplanes, flying boats, airships and early airliners, are among the most evocative in philately. They are collected as a distinct type, and as a theme, as our thematic collecting guide explains.
Airmail covers and flight covers
- Airmail covers. Letters actually carried by air, bearing airmail stamps and the markings of their journey, are collected as postal history, as our postal history and covers guide explains.
- First flight covers. Letters carried on the inaugural flight of a new route, marked accordingly, recording the opening of air routes around the world.
- Special markings. Airmail etiquette labels, cachets and handstamps add interest and tell the story of how a letter flew.
- Keep covers whole. As always in postal history, a flown cover is the collectable, so it should never be broken up for the stamp.
Par Avion
The romance of early flight
From biplanes to flying boats, airmail stamps and the letters they flew capture an age when carrying mail by air was new and remarkable. Collect by country, by the theme of flight, or through airmail and first flight covers.
How airmail is collected
Airmail offers several rewarding directions. Some collect airmail stamps by country, building a record of a nation's air services; others collect the theme of flight across the whole world, gathering aircraft and aviation designs wherever they appear; and many pursue airmail covers and first flight covers, the postal history of early aviation. It blends the appeal of stamps, themes and history in one field. Our Commonwealth stamps and world stamps hubs are rich sources of airmail material.
What airmail stamps are worth
The cover can outweigh the stamps
Most airmail stamps and modern airmail covers are common and affordable, while value comes from early issues, scarce flights, notable first flight covers, and fine condition. As with all postal history, an interesting flown cover can be worth far more than its stamps alone, while a common airmail stamp is worth little. Our guides to what affects a stamp's value and how to get a valuation explain the principles, with condition and demand deciding the figure. Values are a guide only and depend on the individual item.
Frequently asked questions
Stamps issued specially for mail carried by air, often marked "Air Mail" or "Par Avion" and frequently showing aircraft, dating from the early decades of flight when airmail was new and costly.
A letter actually carried by air, bearing airmail stamps and the markings of its journey. Airmail covers, and first flight covers from inaugural routes, are collected as postal history.
Most are common and affordable, while early issues, scarce flights and notable first flight covers can be valuable. As with all postal history, an interesting flown cover can be worth far more than its stamps.
By country, as a stamp type; as the theme of flight across the world; or through airmail and first flight covers, the postal history of early aviation. It blends stamps, themes and history.
Founder and stamp dealerLast updated June 2026