Lot #857: 1941 USA Commercial Cover - 1½¢ Brown "Martha Washington" stamps - Jamestown Bridge Cachet - J.M. Fitzsimmons Handwritten Philatelic Offer Sheet

1941 USA Commemorative Cacheted Commercial Cover - Engraved wording "of Jamestown Bridge Dedication, Aug. 3, 1940" with facts about the bridge. Stamped with two USA One-and-Half Cent Cent Brown "Martha Washington" Stamps (Scott #806). Postmarked June 2, 1941 at Newport, Rhode Island. Addressed to Rev. Archie Burdick, Meridan, Conn. Sent by noted Philatelist J.M. Fitzsimmons, 3 Apthorpe Ave., Newpoert, Rhode Island. Includes one sheet of philatelic correspondence, offering First Day Covers of the upcoming June 21, 1941 airmail stamps to the Reverend or persons in his Church. This 1941 Postal Cover is an exceptional piece of local Rhode Island history and a primary document of the pre-war philatelic trade. Unlike a standard mass-produced First Day Cover, this is a "Philatelist-to-Client" communication that captures a specific moment in the professional life of the Rev. Archie Burdick and his connection to the Newport collecting circle. The cachet cover commemorates the Jamestown Bridge, which opened in 1940 to connect Conanicut Island to the mainland. The engraved wording serves as a "fact sheet" for the bridge. In 1940-1941, this bridge was a major modern engineering feat for the region, and its dedication was a frequent subject for local "souvenir" mail. Although the bridge was dedicated in August 1940, this cover was postmarked June 2, 1941. It was used as a thematic envelope for a business letter sent by a local expert. The cover is franked with two 1½ Brown "Martha Washington" stamps (Scott #806) from the 1938 Presidential Series. The two Rotary Press stamps total 3 cents, which was the standard domestic first-class letter rate in 1941. This cover is significantly enhanced by the enclosed correspondence. Based at 3 Apthorpe Ave in Newport, J.M. Fitzsimmons was a well-known philatelic figure. His offer to provide FDCs for the June 21, 1941 Airmail stamps (the 6 Twin-Motored Transport, Scott #C25) shows the active, subscription-based nature of the hobby just months before the U.S. entered World War II. The Rev. Archie Burdick was the recipient fourteen years later of the 1955 letter offered in lot #853 from noted philatelist J.F. Droucette Dias, of Bombay Philatelic Co. It suggests the Reverend was a serious, long-term collector whose interest was well-known among professional dealers. Dimensions: 10 mm x 17 mm Pickup category timeslot {A}