Yonkers Cover

Our next cover, which was mailed from Yonkers, New York, to East Cleveland, Ohio, features a solo usage of the rotary press-printed 14¢ American Indian stamp. While there’s no indication that it is philatelic in nature, the cover is not quite as special as it might otherwise be.

Here’s why: first-class postage at the time the envelope was mailed in 1934 was 3¢ per ounce, while the special delivery fee was 10¢.¹ That gives a total of only 13¢, meaning the stamp on this cover apparently overpaid the postage due by 1¢. It certainly appears to be a commercial usage, but not one where the stamp exactly paid a specific rate.

Front of special delivery cover bearing 14-cent American Indian stamp — 14¢ American Indian special cover mailed from Yonkers, New York

Reverse of cover bearing New York & Chicago RPO and Cleveland, Ohio, postmarks — 14¢ American Indian special delivery cover mailed from Yonkers, New York (reverse)

In spite of the above, this cover is still rather interesting for a simple reason. The envelope was postmarked in Yonkers on February 17, 1934, postmarked on the reverse with a New York & Chicago RPO handstamp later that same day, and then postmarked again on the reverse in Cleveland at 7 a.m. on February 18! That means this envelope received next-day service for less than five times the normal postage rate.

Next: Osage cover

References

Beecher, Henry W., and Anthony S. Wawrukiewicz. U.S. Domestic Postal Rates, 1872–2011. 3rd ed. Bellefonte, Pennsylvania: American Philatelic Society, 2011.

Published 2024-09-22