Philatelic Riches In Baker Library
To the scholar, the vast collection of old letters and manuscripts in Baker Library's archives can mean many things. To the ardent philatelist, however, it can mean only one thing - the possibility that rare treasure in stamps and stampless covers is hidden away in the boxes of correspondence stored in the Dartmouth Library. It is doubtful whether the materials in Archives have ever been thoroughly examined for their philatelic value. With the vision of hidden treasure spurring me on, I have taken on the task of exploring the contents of the boxes in the back rooms. And the treasure is there.
The first American postage stamp was issued in 1847. Before that time rates were usually marked in pen and the name of the city stamped on the outside of a letter. Such a missive is called a stamp-less cover. The Archives thus unintentionally kept the mark when they kept the letter. There are great numbers and varieties of these stampless covers. There is a complete sequence of Hanover postmarks, for example, starting with a plain straight-line mark in 1797 and progressing through ovals, double ovals, rectangles, and finally circles, in such different colors as black, red, blue, grey, and yellow. There are a great number of New Hampshire and Vermont towns, each with its own distinctive mark, and there are stampless covers from such far-off states as Arkansas, lowa, and Mississippi. Many of the covers are not listed in any of the catalogues, and the resultant feeling of discovery has been my sustaining force for this project.
The envelope came into use along with the postage stamp, as people began to use them for mailing, instead of folding the letter and sealing it with wax. So, when the College kept the letter and not the envelope, the part that is of philatelic interest was lost. Also with our first stamps came our first stamp collectors. Many, many times have I looked through a folder of early envelopes only to find a neat square cut out of the upper right corner of each one.
Yet a few were not cut away, and it is impossible to describe the sense of elation upon finding our country's first stamp. Everybody has some hobby and dreams about it. That little red-brown piece of paper was my sailfish or grand slam doubled and redoubled. There are many copies of later stamps, although these are not nearly so rare as our first ones. There are several patriotically decorated Civil War covers, and some from the Confederate States also.
Hopefully, my efforts will result in other people's enjoyment as well as my own. I would like to see the establishment of a philatelic collection at Dartmouth and possibly participate in it myself. In any event, the enjoyment and thrills received from my hobby have made all the time spent worth while.
If anyone would like to write me about my project or findings, I would enjoy hearing from him. My address is 212 Russell Sage.
