Solo American Indian cover shows fast mail service

Last week, a new addition to my 14¢ American Indian collection arrived in my post office box: a solo use example of the stamp on a special delivery cover mailed from Yonkers, New York, to East Cleveland, Ohio, in 1934.

Although the stamp overpaid the applicable postage rate by 1¢, I see no evidence that this envelope represents anything other than commercial usage of the stamp.

What’s most interesting about this cover to me is it was postmarked in Yonkers on one day and arrived in East Cleveland by 7 a.m. the next day! You’d be hard-pressed to get that sort of service today, and it would cost a whole lot more.

Published 2024-09-22