Litera Scripta welcomes this post from colleague and Legal Research Librarian, Matthew Neely, who donated the Alabama American Bar Association’s Diamond Jubilee 3¢ Stamp to our collections. Matthew discovered this stamp at a local consignment shop while on vacation in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.
American Bar Association’s Diamond Jubilee 3¢ Stamp with Commemorative Cachet
This stamp is an American Bar Association’s Diamond Jubilee 3¢ Stamp with a commemorative cachet. A First Day Cover is an envelope bearing a stamp canceled on the date the stamp was first available for postal use. In the United States, stamps are traditionally placed on sale at a site designated as the official First Day Post Office, often at a temporary postal substation created solely to sell the First Day stamps.
Usually, a ceremony is held to dedicate the new stamp. The stamp then goes on general nationwide sale the following day. Many prominent stamp dealers and first-day cover servicers have special commemorative illustrations and captions printed on the envelopes. These commemorative illustrations are known as cachets.
On August 24, 1953, the ABA stamp was unveiled at the Statler Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. This historic event was marked with speeches, music, a radio broadcast, and a special presentation of the stamp to then ABA President, Robert Storey. The stamp’s release was momentous, warranting announcements in the New York Times News of the World of Stamps column[1] and Time Magazine.[2]
The stamp depicts part of the frieze on the walls of the U.S. Supreme Court, which depicts four figures: Wisdom, Justice, Divine Inspiration, and Truth. The cachet depicts Lady Justice with her scales and shield.
Readers who wish to learn more about stamps, commemorative cachets, and stamp collecting generally can consult the Kenmore Stamp Company’s website.[3]
[1] Kent B. Stiles, NEWS OF THE WORLD OF STAMPS; American Bar Group’s Diamond Jubilee Stamp Expected in August, The New York Times, Mar. 29, 1953, https://www.nytimes.com/1953/03/29/archives/news-of-the-world-of-stamps-american-bar-groups-diamond-jubilee.html.
[2] THE LAW: Diamond Jubilee, Time, Sep. 07, 1953, https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,818790,00.html.
[3] What is a First Day Cover, https://www.kenmorestamp.com/first-day-cover.