Fred Schmitt's
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Often enchanting stories of our country's historic documents and arti-facts (including ones that are postally related)—and how things that mayhave once seemed rather ordinary can turn out to be national treasures.On other occasions, they immediately become artifacts of history the minutethey were created.
America's Archives
Morale Was WaltDisney's #1 JobDuring World War II.
2 • Schmitt Investors Ltd. • Postal History Treasures • Issue No. 6
[Continued from Page 1]I think it's possible, for instance, that there
are more covers in existence that were mailedfrom Honolulu on that fateful day. For onething, several actual examples of such mailpostmarked on December 7th have provedthat, for some strange reason, the Honolulupost office was in operation that day—withat least one clerk using a cancelling machine.
Of course, no Pearl Harbor naval postalstations (including ones on various majorships) are known to have been open andoperating that day.
Over our many years of buying all sorts offamily correspondences, papers and docu-ments, we have found that most people whohave kept such things are unaware that some-thing of serious value and importance mightbe lurking within a pile of old mail. Not only areenvelopes with important postmarks possi-bly quite valuable (i.e., a normally used coverpostmarked from Hyde Park, N.Y. on April 12,1945 (the day FDR died) is something of nicevalue), but if significant covers with their con-tents intact exist, then value can skyrocket.
Recently, on the eBay auction site, a coverpostmarked “Pearl Harbor Naval Base, T.H.”two weeks after the attack contained a letterfrom a sailor aboard the U.S.S. Cassin (a de-stroyer that had been damaged in the attack).Writing to his mother, the young man carefullydescribed what he had done during the at-tack. The letter's interest was so high that itgarnered heavy bidding and was finally soldfor over $300!
Obviously, mail and old family papers yourfamily has been storing for decades couldhave some serious importance. Always feelfree to call me for a chat...and with no obliga-tion whatever. We can help you determinethe value and perhaps purchase them fromyou.
The July 1943edition of TheLeatherneck,official magazine ofthe United StatesMarine Corpr.
A 1945 coverwith a Disneypatrioticinsignia stamp.Very collectableand valuable.
Early maga-zines can bevaluable—especially if thecover art wasaccomplishedby a famousartist. This isthe 1943Halloweeenissue of Libertymagazine.
From special animated motion pictures thathelped train our troops, to assigning some ofhis top artists to design more than 1,200 unitinsignias for our armed forces, Walt Disneyand his studios brought the humor and warmthof the cartoon world to both the war front andthe home front during World War II, 1939-1945.Many of these artifacts have been carefullysaved in family attics and basements over theyears and are now entering the marketplace.Shown here are some examples.
PLUTO on a poster for Disneyfilm, “The Army Mascot.”
Designed by one of the Disneyartists is the Emblem of the 114thSignal Radio Intelligence Company.
Walt Disney'sfamous characteris-tic autograph fromsome war erateenager's autographbook. Value can be ashigh as $500.
Disneycharacterson this 1944War Bondceritificate thatwas used asa mother's giftto a child.Rare.
