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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.
Juneau to Fairbanks, Alaska First Flight 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.

Juneau to Fairbanks, Alaska First Flight U.S. Commemorative Cover

Artifact IDMO 1949.129.2.18
Object Type Cover, Commemorative
Maker
Date1938
Mediumpaper, ink
Dimensionsoverall H 4 1/8 in x W 9 1/2 in (10.5 cm x 24.1 cm )
Physical DescriptionA stamp cover commemorating the 1938 U.S. air mail first flight from Juneau to Fairbanks, Alaska. In the lower center portion of the white air mail envelope is a stamped reddish-brown ink cachet consisting of an illustration of an airplane flying over a scene, flanked by totem poles, of a body of water with mountains in the background. Text above and below the illustration reads: UNITED STATES / Air Mail / JUNEAU – FAIRBANKS/ first flight. On the left side of the envelope is a printed blue halftone photographic image of an airplane flying over land with mountains and a river in the background and the world “Captain” printed below the image. Above and to the left of the photographic image are the original ink signatures and tiles of the Fairbanks and Juneau postmasters, “R E Sheldon” and “Albert Wile” respectively, and the signature of the Governor of Alaska, “John W. Troy”.

The envelope is addressed to (handwritten in ink): Hon Franklin Roosevelt / President of U. States / Washington / D. C. In the upper center of the envelope is the printed return address: PAA / PACIFIC ALASKA AIRWAYS, INC / F.A.M. ROUTES 15&16. Adhered in the upper right corner of the envelope is a block of four U.S. 1937 light violet 3¢ Territorial Issue (Alaska) postage stamps (Scott 800). The envelope is postmarked Juneau, Alaska, May 3, 1938.

On the reverse, the envelope is postmarked Fairbanks, Alaska, May 3, 1938.
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 NoteLent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Charles M. Abbott in 1949. It was donated as a bequest of Abbott to the Library in 1952.
Credit LineGift of Charles M. Abbott
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