Nice cover, Roger. Reminds me of a 69-cent cover I once bought from a postal history dealer that turned out to have the signature of American author/playwright William Saroyan on it; a autograph dealer offered me U.S. $50, which I declined. See William Saroyan Posts a Letter.
Yesterday I won an eBay auction which I certainly didn't expect to win. It was for this cover:
It's from a British freighter, S.S. Eros, which was torpedoed by the German U-Boat U-48 on June 7, 1940, just off the north coast of Ireland.
Here's Eros, probably a pre-war photograph
Eros was a banana boat that had luxury accommodations for wealthy passengers. It was expropriated by the British government, and was transporting a mixed cargo of food, small arms, and fighter plane parts when it was torpedoed. It was saved only because British tugboats that were nearby were able to tow it to a nearby island where it was beached.
I have a couple of other Eroscovers; this new one, from Canada to India, seemed like a nice addition. I didn't expect to win it, because I bid about a third of what similar covers go for, but I won anyway. Maybe the other bidders were Americans celebrating the 4th of July when the hammer fell.
It's a mess, of course, like all of the mail that was salvaged from Eros. A bonus is that a typewritten letter is enclosed, mentioning, ironically, the slowness of mail caused by the war. According to a receiver postmark, it didn't arrive at its destination in India until September 20.
So, did July 4 bring any other interesting items into members' collections?
Congratulations, Christopher. I'd like to be able to complete that set, but it probably won't ever happen. It's interesting that it was so reviled when it was issued. Anyway, a question: Why did you have it certified? Because of the usual cancellation?
I'm originally from Ridgefield Park and moved to Middletown about 20 years ago. My mailing address is out of the Red Bank Post Office 07701. Me and my wife love it here.
Wow! A couple of local guys. I lived in Hazlet from the time I was 14, (except for a short stint in Lincroft, then Maguires Grove when I first got married) only left five years ago for a job opportunity here in Pennsylvania. I worked in Middletown for years. I'm in Exton. I still own a house in Hazlet, where my two daughters live, and we stay often.
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