The following selection of covers concentrates on recent ship visits and special flight items, most of which are not available from other sources. There are some real gems in this listing which we commend to all to carefully peruse. Most of these items are available only in small quantities so early ordering is advised.

Note: The "Somerset" is a type 23 or "Norfolk" Class frigate. This class was built from 1990 onwards incorporating lessons learnt from the Falklands War in 1981-82. The Somerset was acting as "South Atlantic Guard Ship" when this cover was posted.

Note: This cover and the Polarogramme below were parachuted out of a RAF aircraft which flew from the Falklands to South Georgia on the 5th December. They are postmarked with the King Edward Point datestamp of South Georgia. The items are backstamped on arrival in Christchurch 31 December 1999.

Note: It is the cover at right which we offer for sale. The photo at left is is from an unused picture postcard showing the vessel. "Clipper Adventurer" called into Stanley on the 20th of December 1999 in the course of a South Atlantic and Antarctic Peninsula cruise. The cover has the usual Stanley machine cancellation.

Note: The above cover is from the   "Royal Princess" visit to Stanley on the 25th December but hasn't been postmarked until a few days later owing to the Christmas holidays. The cover is backstamped on arrival in Christchurch on 12 January 2000.

Note: The above Air Polarogramme featuring the British Antarctic Survey RSS vessel "James Clark Ross" has the ship cachet of the James Clark Ross on its reverse as shown at right.

The item is postmarked at Rothera Base and   backstamped on arrival in Christchurch on 14 January 2000.

Note: This Polarogramme does not bear any cachet from the "James Clark Ross". It does however have at top center a BAT cachet from Stanley featuring a seal/penguin design. Backstamped on arrival in Christchurch on 14 January 2000 so obviously brought back to Stanley in the same voyage  as the previous item.

Note: This cover was flown by RAF aircraft and dropped onto South Georgia. It has been postmarked with a special pictorial South Georgia circular datestamp on January 1st, 2000 and backstamped on arrival in Christchurch on February 15th, 2000.

Note: The "Marco Polo" had called into Stanley on the 28th of December and the above postcard comes from that visit. The picture side shows the vessel in Antarctic waters.

Note: The above cover comes from the visit of the "Norwegian Crown" to Stanley on Friday 7th January 2000. It has been backstamped on arrival in Christchurch on 18 January 2000.

The above item has a cachet of the Royal Engineers on it.  The cachet reads;

"QMSI MINES JSEOD 12 JAN 2000 ROYAL ENGINEERS" The item is postmarked at Stanley on the 12th January and backstamped on arrival in Christchurch on 24th January, 2000.

Note: The "Endurance" is an ice strengthened Royal Navy vessel which represents the Royal Navy in the South Atlantic and the areas around the Antarctic Peninsula.

Note: This was the last in the series of Parachute drop mails for the season. The cover subsequently returned to Stanley by ship and is backstamped at Christchurch on arrival 11 March, 2000.