This week I have been looking at my Pan Am Test 1946 covers. Ok, some of you out there may not know what I am talking about. About 2 years ago, I was just as confused or curious as some of you out there, each time looking at a similar cover above. It was Roy Lingen’s article about these test covers in stamporama.com that got me interested and explained of what they are.

Basically, a short notice was given to the public by the US Post Office that mailers can send one envelope only to each of the 28 cities listed below here, on November 1st, 1946. Each envelope had to frank with the current airmail rate, which is 10 cents and addressed to "Pan American World Airways Airmail Test" to any of the 28 cities. The sender must also a return sender address at the top left corner of each envelope.

Upon arrival in each of the 28 cities, the Pan American office would immediately apply a dated handstamp and affix the country return postage and re-sendl the envelope back to sender through the regular airmail system.

The routes and cities participating were Miami to Kingston, Jamaica; Port au Prince, Haiti; Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic; St. Johns, Antigua; Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe; Fort de France, Martinique; St. Lucia, British West Indies; and Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Others were from Miami via Kingston to Curacao, Netherlands West Indies; Caracas, Venezuela; Georgetown, British Guiana; Paramaribo, Surinam; Cayenne, French Guiana; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Asuncion, Paraguay; Montevideo, Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago, Chile.

Others went from Miami to Panama City, Panama; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; Lima, Peru; and La Paz, Bolivia; or from Houston to Guatemala City, Guatemala; San Salvador, El Salvador; Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Managua, Nicaragua; and San Jose, Costa Rica.

There are uncommon examples from cities not included in the official speed test that were dutifully franked and returned to senders by Pan American Airways representatives anyway. I have two of these examples, one of them got send to Havana, Cuba and got return to its sender. I like to know if anyone else have any of these example?

Questions with prize: Who can tell me the name of the three White Rajahs in Asia?

The person who emails me with all three correct names, I will send one copy of this Pan American test covers of my choice to you. My email localpcguy at gmail.com