JFK Assassination Day Covers
by Alfred "Tag" Boerger
Originally published Apr. 5, 1974 - Mekeel’s Weekly
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On November 22, 1963, I drove from Toledo to Dayton on a routine buying trip to acquire additional supplies of tagged stamps, covers and phosphor airmail labels. On a previous trip, I had left some covers for servicing and had asked window clerks at the area post offices to save surplus plate blocks for me. I also wanted quantities of plate number strips of twenty stamps from the big margin side of the sheet on all of the experimental tagged issues, but more important from the new 4¢ and 1963 Christmas issues.
I had completed the circuit of sub-stations and was making my final purchases in the Main Post Office when a radio news bulletin announced that President Kennedy had been shot. The shock abruptly ended my otherwise pleasant trip. I remember listening to my car radio, still parked in front of the post office, when The Death Report came over the air.
A little church across the street from the post office was comforting that afternoon and while meditating, The Assassination of President Lincoln came to mind. My thoughts turned to creating a memorial cover for this epic event, using the tagged Lincoln stamp. An appropriate cachet would be added later. I had some blank envelopes in the trunk of my car.
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Later with a box of envelopes under my arm, I returned to the postal clerk and paid for five more sheets of the new Lincoln tagged issue. Making use of the lobby desk top, I placed a single or block of four stamps on each envelope. Finishing the job, I drove to The Experimental Postal Annex and asked the foreman to cancel this box of envelopes, explaining their purpose. Without hesitation, he understood the request and cleaned the cancellation die hub, then carefully ran the envelopes through his machine.
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Driving back to Toledo that evening (150 miles), I though of cachet designs. Knowing that a memorial stamp would be issued, I worked out several cachets, while listening to the car radio. The announcement of a 30-day Mourning Period brought another idea to mind. “Why not prepare 500 Mourning Period Covers?” Well, I had a month to do that job. Each cover received the December 22, Washington, D.C. cancellation. Most bore the 1963 Tagged Christmas stamp or the 5¢ flag over Whitehouse issue. Several cachets were prepared for each of the above issues.
The U.S. Postal Automation Program in 1963 gave birth to Luminescent Philately and my interest in first day covers was sidetracked to some extent. The hoard of covers went into storage and has remained in Toledo all this time. In the mean time, we had moved to Florida and plans for semi-retirement seemed more important than covers.
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Seven years of Florida has been nice to us, and last summer, the remaining storage property was moved down to us. We have spent much of our spare time taking sort of an inventory and preparing lots for auction and wholesale offerings. A rather pleasant surprise greeted me the other evening, when a box of JFK covers came to light. Quite a few of them were from the two projects mentioned above.
Used copies of 1963 experimental tagged issues are far scarcer than mint copies. Add to this a nice 1963 cancellation, a memorial cachet and a neat clean envelope, and I’ve decided to list them with my stock of “Tagged Goodies”. I think you’ll agree.
See our John F. Kennedy covers as well as our other Presidential and Inaugural covers.
