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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 1949.129.1.34
Object Type Cover, Commemorative
Maker
Date1938
Mediumpaper, ink
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 stamped blue ink cachet loosely based on the Seal of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The circular design features an illustration of the port at Gloucester with a sailing vessel visible on the water and a plane flying overhead. Overlapping the left side of the design is an illustration of the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial sculpture. Text in the cachet reads: GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS SETTLED 1623 / OLDEST FISHING PORT- LARGEST SUMMER RESORT / NATIONAL / AIR MAIL WEEK / MAY 15-21 1938 / Special Flight / From Gloucester Harbor. Inside the cachet is the original ink signature of the Gloucester postmaster: Gilbert W. O'Neil Postmaster.

The envelope is addressed to (typed): The President, / Franklin D. Roosevelt / White House / Washington, D. C. Adhered in the upper right corner of the envelope is a U.S. 1938 blue and red 6¢ Air Mail postage stamp (Scott C23). The envelope is postmarked Gloucester, Massachusetts, May 19, 1938.

The return address is handwritten on the reverse of the envelope: Boy Scout Troop No. 4 / Gloucester, Mass.
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)
Not on view