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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.
Vero Beach, Florida 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.

Vero Beach, Florida First Flight U.S. Commemorative Cover

Artifact IDMO 1949.129.2.24
Object Type Cover, Commemorative
Maker
Date1935
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 1935 U.S. air mail first flight from Vero Beach, Florida. On the left side of the white air mail envelope is a stamped purple ink cachet consisting of an illustration of an airplane above a group of hanging oranges inside one of which is a beach image with a sailboat on the water, birds in the air, and people on the beach. Text within the cachet reads: UNITED STATES AIR MAIL / FIRST FLIGHT / Vero Beach / Florida. To the left of the cachet, running vertically, is the original ink signature of the Vero Beach postmaster: John J. Schumann / Postmaster.

The envelope is addressed to (typed): VIA FIRST FLIGHT AIR MAIL / Hon. Franklin D. Roosevelt, / The White House, / Washington, D. C. The return address is printed in the upper left corner of the envelope: VOCELLE AND MITCHELL / ATTORNEYS AT LAW / VERO BEACH, FLORIDA. Adhered in the upper right corner of the envelope is a U.S. 1934 dull orange 6¢ Air Mail postage stamp (Scott C19). The envelope is postmarked Vero Beach, Florida, October 15, 1935.
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 StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
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