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Philosateleia

SS Deutschland Cover

As with the 1934 Swatow cover illustrated in this exhibit, our next example represents the 14¢ American Indian stamp used by itself to pay the four-ounce surface rate in effect to other countries during the stamp’s period of use: 5¢ for the first ounce, and 3¢ per ounce for each of the additional three ounces.1 Unlike that earlier example mailed to China, however, this oversized cover was sent to a very different destination: Iran.

Front of cover bearing 14-cent American Indian stamp
14¢ American Indian cover mailed from New York, New York
Reverse of cover
14¢ American Indian cover mailed from New York, New York (reverse)

The cover bears a New York return address and a Hudson Terminal Annex duplex cancellation dated December 18, 1935, and the stamp has an incomplete perfin, but it is not immediately clear who the sender was. The addressee is far more clear: the Bank Melli Iran, an institution subject to United States sanctions today.2 An indistinct Tehran postmark adorns the cover’s reverse.

A marking on the front of the envelope indicates it was carried aboard the SS Deutschland, which made its maiden voyage from Hamburg, Germany, to New York in March 1924.3 An Allied air attack in 1945 resulted in the ship’s sinking.

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References

  1. Beecher, Harry W., and Anthony S. Wawrukiewicz. U.S. International Postal Rates, 1872–1996. Portland, Oregon: Cama Publishing Company, 1996.
  2. Bank Melli. Iran Watch. 10 Dec. 2018. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
  3. SS Deutschland Archival Collection. Gjenvick-Gjønvik Archives. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Published 2025-01-02