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Post by ohnomrbill on Nov 19, 2020 19:44:49 GMT
I have been working on what started to be a display to put up at the NAPEX show in Fairfax, Virginia when I was living back there. So to make a short story long, as everyone loves to read boring drivel right... I visited the Sagamore Hill national heritage site when I was in the navy and have always loved it. Interestingly enough after I visited it I ended up assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt. So I collected information from the Smithsonian's Postal Museum that contains all the data from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP), got additional information from the BEP history section and other sources. I've been collecting various FDC covers and other related data as I can find them from sellers on-line mostly being able to use Ebay, some other dealers as I can find stuff. So I thought I would start posting some of the interesting and varied items I have come across in my dealings. For the first posting here is what the Mellone's catalog calls M-12. The catalog only has one version, the red one stating Sagamore Hill. Recently I came across the one with the red color missing, the house shading different and the facial tinting different. I'll post more later of other variations of the FDC's. I'm always looking for more variations and oddities when I can find them. Bill   |
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Ryan
Member 
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720 
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Nov 20, 2020 9:23:42 GMT
Your collection matches closely to the interests of our forum administrator - tomiseksj has a collection of Iwo Jima first day covers which can be seen in this thread. He's made a good number of posts showing his covers, hopefully you'll have a similar range of stuff to show! Ryan |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Nov 20, 2020 16:55:27 GMT
Thanks for the reference. I like his collection. As a unrelated side note I have an old neighbor who fought in WW2. He came out to DC when I lived there
to visit the WW2 memorial via the Honor Flight service. We went to spend the day with all the vets. It was fantastic time talking to all of them. One guy I
spent a lot of time talking too was the first Coast Guardsman on Iwo Jima setting up the first radar station. I would recommend everyone visit an Honor Flight some time.
Bill
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Post by ohnomrbill on Nov 20, 2020 17:00:37 GMT
So to carry on with different versions of the Sagamore Hill stamp I enjoyed this version of Mellone's M-3 that is signed by John Gillen and sent to himself. I have seen other versions he signed but were to other people. It also has a large hand cancel on it.  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Nov 20, 2020 19:18:22 GMT
Pent Arts created a series of 5 covers for this issue, though Mellone's only lists 1 of them as M-17. I don't have access right now to the actual covers as I'm moving and building a new house. But here is one representative cover of them. The set of them that I have is double cancelled with both small machine cancel and with a large hand cancel on each FDC.  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Nov 20, 2020 19:23:07 GMT
I was fortunate to be able to come across a copy of Mellone's M-1 that is autographed by Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. He was Theodore's oldest son and won a Medal of Honor for the D-day battles and died shortly afterwards in France and was initially buried there. Again this isn't the one I have but a copy of it without the autograph. Most likely signed at the first day ceremony as she was present that day. Bill  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Dec 1, 2020 18:50:45 GMT
So I have found some of my data for the working on the process to create the stamp. Here is the approval of engraving and color signed by the acting Postmaster General on August 25, 1953  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Dec 1, 2020 18:54:19 GMT
Most everyone that has seen the stamp is familiar with the braided frame design of the stamp. During the work up process the BEP considered using a oval instead of the braided design.  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Dec 1, 2020 18:56:17 GMT
Another option that was considered was placing wild animals around the border.  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Dec 2, 2020 17:32:53 GMT
While not exactly a stamp article here is an interesting letter from BEP declining Hermann Hagedorn's request that the Sagamore Hill stamp be printed in Harvard Crimson.  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Dec 2, 2020 17:39:33 GMT
For the first day ceremony and the cancelling of covers to bear the First Day of Issue cancellation the post office department issued very specific instructions on the canceling dies and creating of the handstamps. I have never seen a cancellation with the short bars. I have seen one second day of issue cover but I think it had regular length bars.  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Dec 4, 2020 17:09:13 GMT
Roosevelt was a Mason. Someone who was a Mason created numerous covers that I believe were all Add-On's. I have not been able to find out exactly who created them or when. So far I have seen pictures of or have in my collection 10 various covers with different inscriptions on them of TR's life events.  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on Dec 4, 2020 20:01:36 GMT
Like most first day ceremonies they produced a nice brochure for the ceremony. Here is a copy of it without any embellishments. I have a copy that has the stamp added and the First day postmark added to it.  |
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Post by ohnomrbill on May 28, 2021 20:20:01 GMT
I obviously never really paid attention to the very first post I made on this posting but the covers have other variations than the missing red in the Sagamore Hill at the bottom. The jacket varies in length and color grading also.
I need to collect all these version together in one spot too compare them as I'm pretty sure there are at least three version in my collection now
Bill
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