Famous American Series. (First Day Covers - Authors' Group) Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Samuel L. Clemens (a.k.a. Mark Twain).
1940. Scott 859-863. 5 uncacheted addressed First Day covers of the Authors' Group. The long anticipated release of the Famous Americans Commemorative Series finally was announced officially in the Postal BUlletin of December 29, 1939, as follows: "COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS—FAMOUS AMERICANS SERIES. Third Assistant Postmaster General, Washington, December 28, 1939. Postmasters and employees of the Postal Service are hereby advised that a special series of postage stamps has been authorized for 1940 in honor of noted characters in the arts and sciences. in its entirety, the series will include a total of 35 stamps arranged in 7 groups of 5 stamps each, classified as follows: (1) Authors, (2) Poets, (3) Educators, (4) Scientists, (5) Composers, (f) Artists, and (7) Inventors. A description of the stamps in the Authors' group, the first to be made available, follows: 1-cent, green, Washington Irving, Tarrytown, N.Y., Jan. 29; 2-cent, red, James Fenimore Cooper, Cooperstown, N.Y.; 3-cent, purple, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Boston, Mass., Feb. 5; 5-cent, blue, Louisa May Alcott, Concord, Mass.; 10-cent, brown, Samuel L. Clemens, Hannibal, Mo., Feb. 12. The new stamps will be 85/100 by 91/100 inches in dimensions arranged vertically. They will be printed by the rotary process and issued in sheets of 70." Postmarked January-February 1940. From the collection of Frederick Langford. Item #59-3069
Price: $50.00