George Washington letter sells for nearly $1.5 million

It’s not often that the sale of an old letter makes the mainstream news. An exception was made for a letter sold last week, however.

According to reports, Christie’s sold the letter written by George Washington in 1788 for almost $1.5 million. In the letter, the first U.S. President explained to the addressee his support for the then unratified Constitution.

This news blurb was not stamp-related per se, and the only reason the sale was noted at all by a major media outlet was because of the letter’s connection to George Washington. Nevertheless, there is a philatelic tie-in in that there would be no stamps, and no stamp collecting, without letters.

Published 2013-06-25