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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
1938 National Air Mail Week U.S. Commemorative Cover
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

1938 National Air Mail Week U.S. Commemorative Cover

Artifact IDMO 1997.15.69
Object Type Cover, Commemorative
Maker
Date1938
Mediumpaper
Dimensionsoverall H 3 5/8 in x W 6 1/2 in (9.2 cm x 16.5 cm )
Physical DescriptionA stamp cover commemorating National Air Mail Week in 1938. On the left side of the white air mail envelope is a blue cachet featuring illustrations of a plane in flight, the interior of a cavern, and a traveling stagecoach. Text on the cachet reads: NATIONAL AIR MAIL WEEK / MAY 15-21 1938 [twice] / ENDLESS CAVERNS AIRPORT / NEW MARKET, VA. / FIRST FLIGHT / MAY 19, 1938 / SHENANDOAH VALLEY AIR MAIL / ENDLESS CAVERNS - NEW MARKET / AND HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA / VIA / WINCHESTER / TO / WASHINGTON, D. C.

The envelope is addressed to (handwritten in ink): The President of the / United States, / Washington, / D.C. Adhered in the upper right corner of the envelope is a U.S. 1934 orange 6¢ Air Mail postage stamp (Scott C19). The envelope is postmarked Endless Caverns, Virginia, May 19, 1938. A red ink stamped message at the bottom of the envelope reads: FROM THE FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT COLLECTION / AUTHENTICATED BY H. R. HARMER INC., N. Y.

On the reverse, the envelope is postmarked Washington, DC, May 19, 1938 with an "AIR MAIL FIELD" cancellation. The circled number "R19" is written in pencil in the lower right corner.
Historical NoteFranklin Roosevelt was an avid, lifelong stamp collector who gathered over 1.2 million stamps into his personal collection during the course of his life. He began collecting stamps at the age of eight at the suggestion of his mother, Sara Delano Roosevelt, who passed on her collection to him.

After FDR's death, his personal stamp collection, including this stamp cover, was sold at public auction in 1946 in accordance with his wishes.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated to the FDR Library by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in 1995.
Credit LineGift of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesStamp Collecting Materials (National Archives Identifier 749938)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view