LOT Old Heritage Auctions  /  2007 Feb Americana Grand Format Auction #659  / 

25167

Lincoln in Philately: A Lifetime Assemblage

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:125.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 1,000.00 USD
Lincoln in Philately: A Lifetime Assemblage
<B>Lincoln in Philately: A Lifetime Assemblage.</B></I> Since postage stamps were first printed (the very first issued in England, the famous 1-cent Penny Black, in 1840; the first printed in the U.S. came seven years later), collecting stamps and postage-related ephemera has been a worldwide passion. The field of philately, stamp collecting, is one that encompasses tremendous resources, both in terms of capital investments and the number of obsessed devotees. One field to emerge from the large number of commemorative issues is the subset of "topicals" --collecting based on a theme; be it a category such as flowers or butterflies, a locale or site, or, as in the case here, related to a famous historical figure. The Lincoln Society of Philately was a sizable club that issued a regular newsletter / journal (the <I>Lincoln Log</B></I>) and hosted conventions annually. They linked together collectors around the country long before the internet and mass communications made such contact possible with ease. Sadly, membership dwindled through natural attrition… the old collectors died off and the group ceased to exist more than twenty years ago. The holding offered here represents the assemblage of one of the last Society members. It speaks to both the eclectic nature of collecting Lincoln philatelic material as well as true depth and breadth. To briefly summarize this lot, present are: three binders that include Lincoln issues from around the world, commemoratives, souvenir sheets, first day covers, etc. Countries such as the Republic of Chad, the Republic of China, Ghana, Congo, Cuba, India, Liberia, Rwanda, the Republic of Upper Volta (sorry… nothing found from Lower Volta!!)… even a few countries we have never heard of! (Where the heck is Ajman, the Republic of Dahomey, and Manama?) While honoring our greatest President along with such martyrs as J.F.K. and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. seems to have been a popular revenue source from small countries hoping to make a hard-currency from the worldwide collector market, one thing is certain: their issues are brighter, more colorful, and a great deal prettier than domestic stamps! Another binder is dedicated to issues tied to the Lincoln Sesquicentennial 1958-9. There are FDCs, blocks, commemorative sheets, just about everything you can imagine in the way of cachet designs with Lincoln-related postage and / or cancellation from significant Lincoln sites. There is a similar binder housing canceled FDCs and like material for: the 1960 25-cent Airmail Lincoln stamp; the Lincoln Credo Issue, 1960; and the 1963 Emancipation Proclamation stamp. Another four binders similarly offer a truly definitive collection tied to the 1966 4-cent black issue, an ubiquitous stamp that defines the image of Lincoln in the minds of many baby-boomers. Other Lincoln commemorative stamps are presented as well; a staggering number of covers, cancellations, and Post Offices represented. There is a similar binder with covers related to the 1938 Presidential series and other Lincoln-related issues including the 1948 Gettysburg Address commemorative. Another five binders present miscellaneous Lincoln covers, most 1940-60s, reflecting the passion for great commemorative cachet designs. One small binder presents covers related to John Brown and the anniversary of his Raid on Harper's Ferry. Three binders offer a large number of older commemoratives, mostly 1930s vintage, quite a few related to celebrating new air-mail routes. There are U.S.P.S. Lincoln-postage printed postcards and a binder of commemorative/souvenir American Banknote issues for the American Numismatic Association. One binder with approximately 100 modern, souvenir covers include such series as The Sunset of the Confederacy and the Last Days of Lincoln. There is a small binder of Lincoln-Douglas Debate Commemoratives using older stamps on 1983 covers with cancellations from appropriate cities. In total, there are twenty-two (22!) three-ring binders of material. There is no uniformity to the material and, as such, this massive lot should be seen / examined in person; as with other sizable archives not subject to return; conditions vary on all items but mostly quite fine.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Miscellaneous Collectibles, Larg (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
Sign In to Bookmark Lot