USA C12 & 708 STAMPS JAMES DOOLITTLE AUTOGRAPH LETTER AIR MAIL DROP COVER 1932

Item Specifics

Country

United States

Catalog Number

C12

Stamp Type

Air Mail

Condition

Cover (Postal History)

Stamp Format

Single

Year of Issue

1930

Item Description

Condition: Please see description & scans for condition.

Usa c12 & 708 stamps james doolittle autograph letter air mail drop cover 1932 usa c12 & 708 stamps james doolittle autograph letter air mail drop cover 1932 click images to enlarge description usa scott #708 washington & c12 airmail stamp tied by july 25, 1932 valley forge, pennsylvania machine cancel on james h. Doolittle cacheted cover showing his route for the george washington bicentennial airplane flight and addresssed to mrs. Russell w. Magna, president general, daughters of the american revolution, 17th & d streets, n.W., washington d.C. This cover, which was dropped from doolittle's plane, includes a one page typewritten letter signed by doolittle. The letter reads, "my dear mrs. Magna: one hundred and fifty-seven years ago this week, the continental congress inaugurated the postal service of the united colonies and this later became the post office department of the united states. Benjamin franklin became the first director. Mail, at that time, was carried by post riders and stage coach. No one in the early days of the service had a more appreciative understanding of the advantages of a postal service than george washington. No one did more to give it a firm foundation. In this bicentennial year of george washington's birth it therefore seems appropriate that a demonstration be made of the advance of transportation facilities since those early days. I am making a flight over as many of the routes traveled by george washington as is possible in a single day from dawn to dusk. I am informed that the average speed made by george washington may be considered to be about twenty miles a day. The advance since then can best be indicated by the fact that it is hoped to cover in each hour the distance it took washington nine days to travel. So that you will have a record of this flight, i am dropping several of these letters as i pass over certain cities, and hope that they will all bear the postmark of the same date. Hoping that this demonstration will indicate the great advance made in speed in 157 years and the show the extent of the travels of the father of our country, i am sincerely yours, (signed) j.H. Doolittle" an amazing cover and letter, however the letter and actual cachet is undated. It would be nice to know the actual date of the flight to compare how long it took the cover once dropped to be mailed. Other examples that i have seen all bear the july 25th postmark, albeit from different cities. Purdue university has a cover and letter addressed to amelia earhart putnam. It would also be interesting to know how many covers were dropped and if a census of how many surviving covers exist. The demarcated cacheted map route lays out many possible drop points and seems to suggest that the flight took place in a clockwise direction by the orientation of the planes. If so, valley forge, where this cover was postmarked would have had a drop time later in the day making the 8am postmark unlikely to have occurred on the day of the flight. The map route itself covers well over 1,600 miles. At a speed of 180 mph it certainly could have been achieved in a long day. Doolittle was a holder of many early flight records, leader of the first air raid on tokyo and later commander of the eighth air force in europe. An exceptional piece of air mail history and very scarce! Sent 1932, opened cleanly at top with light general wear & toning. Very fine condition. Letter with normal files folds, very fine condition. Shipping is $2.00 domestic and $3.00 international. Purchases at/over $49.95 must be insured. All items/orders selling for over $49.95 will be based upon final sale price. Seller will combine multiple purchases. Wait for an please invoice from seller before making payment. Please take a look at my other listings. There is a clickable link to view a larger picture. The scans accurately reflect the condition yet if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Check out the other items i have for sale! Images sell!Get supersized images & free image hostingcreate your brand with auctiva'scustomizable templates.Attention sellers - get templatesimage hosting, scheduling at auctiva.Com.Track page views withauctiva's free counter

Seller Information

Seller

postcardplace (854)

Registered Since

09/28/2010

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Store

Postcards & Postal History

Item Location

Florida, United States

Ships To

Worldwide

Returns Accepted

No