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- Circa - 1939
- Issuer - Postmaster General, Wash.
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- Size - 3.25" x 5.5"
- Price Guide - $20.00- $40.00 (VG-EX)
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Postmaster General James A. Farley
announced at a baseball dinner in New
York on February 5, 1939, that the
department would issue a special stamp
to commemorate the hundredth
anniversary of the national game. He
said he was open to suggestions as to
the design, within the limitation that
there is still a prohibition against
picturing any living person on a United
States stamp.
Soon after suggestions started to flood in. The most popular being Christy
Mathewson. The portraits of both Abner
Doubleday and Alexander Cartwright, who
were given credit at the time for
having introduced baseball into this
country, was also suggested. Many
thought John J. McGraw, who managed the
New York Giants for many years should
be honored. Others suggested a
photograph of the National baseball
Museum and Doubleday field, both
located at Cooperstown, N.Y., should
form the principal feature of the
stamp.
The chosen design was done by
artist William Roach. These official
Business cards were mailed out by the
office of the Postmaster General to
announce the special issue of the
3-cent stamps commemorating the
Centennial of Baseball. The cards
featured a description of the stamp,
and instructions on how to order First Day
Covers. They were
sent out to local post offices, from
the Post Office Department Third
Assistant Postmaster General, Division
of Stamps in Washington On May 19,
1939. The cards read:
BASEBALL CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE STAMP
A special issue of 3-cent stamps commemorating the Centennial of Baseball
will be first placed on sale at
Cooperstown, N.Y. on June 12, 1939. The
central design of the stamp portrays a
game of baseball being played by a
group of boys. The stamp is of the
special-delivery size, arranged
horizontally, and is printed in purple
by the rotary process.
Stamp collectors desiring first-day cancelations of this stamp on June 12
may send addressed covers, not in
excess of 10, to the Postmaster at
Cooperstown, N.Y., with cash or postal
money order to cover only the cost of
the stamps. Postage stamps will
positively not be accepted in payment.
Each cover should be pencil-marked in
the upper right corner to show the
number of stamps to be affixed and
therefore no letter of instructions
will be necessary. Envelopes should not
be smaller than 3 by 6 inches. Requests
for unusual arrangements and plate
numbers cannot be honored.
Requests for uncancealled stamps must not be included with orders for
first-Day covers. This stamp will be on
sale at the Philatelic Agency,
Washington, D.C., on June 13 for the
benefit of collectors desiring selected
stamps. To insure prompt shipment, mail
orders to the Agency should not include
other varieties.
All Requests for first-day cover
service must be addressed to the
Postmaster, Cooperstown, N.Y., U.S.
Government Printing Office
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Baseball Centennial
Commemorative Stamp Official
Business |
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Official Business Card From The
Office Of The Postmaster
General (Front) |
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KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES
RELATED RESOURCES |
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