Description:

Presidents

Comprises:

(1) Cacheted envelope, 6.5” x 3.5”, picturing President and Mrs. Carter, signed “Jimmy Carter” and “Fritz Mondale” as President and Vice President on Inauguration Day, postmarked Washington, D.C., January 20, 1977 Inauguration Day. Signed on verso “Thomas P. O’Neill” as Speaker of the House. Fine condition.

(2) Cacheted envelope, 6.5” x 3.5”, picturing President and Mrs. Reagan, signed “Ronald Reagan” and “Nancy Reagan” as President and First Lady on Inauguration Day, postmarked Washington, D.C., January 20, 1981 Inauguration Day. Fine condition.

(3) Cacheted envelope, 6.5” x 3.5”, picturing George Bush, signed “George Bush” and “Barbara Bush” as President and First Lady on Inauguration Day, pictorially postmarked Washington, D.C., January 20, 1989 Inauguration Day. Mounting remnants on back flap. Fine condition.

(4) Cacheted envelope, 6.5” x 3.5”, engraved in the upper left “The Speaker’s Rooms / U.S. House of Representatives / Washington, D.C. 20515,” signed in ink “Tip O’Neill,” picturing Thomas P. O’Neill, captioned “Sworn In As Speaker / January 4, 1977." The envelope bears O’Neill’s engraved frank as a Member of Congress and bears a bulls-eye Washington, D.C., January 4, 1977 cancellation. On verso is a receipt stamping: “Received / 1977 Jan-4 PM 5:29 / Office of the Postmaster / U.S. House of / Representatives.” O’Neill, a Member of Congress since January 3, 1953, served as Speaker from January 4, 1977 until January 3, 1987; he did not seek reelection in 1986. Fine condition.

NOTE: Each Inauguration Cover was signed before it was postmarked. The incumbent President of the United States has not had the franking privilege since 1873. Former Presidents have routinely been granted the franking privilege by statute, and in 1958 a general statute was passed providing franking privileges for all former Presidents.

Accompanied by:

(1) Photocopy of an April 12, 1978 typed letter from Speaker O’Neill to General Lewis F. Shull. In full, “This is to confirm that you own a Jimmy Carter Presidential Free Frank Cover cancelled on his Inauguration Day. Only six of these exist. These were prepared and cacheted by you and handed to me on Inauguration Day. I had the President frank each envelope with his signature, returned them to you in the Capitol, and you took them to the Benjamin Franklin Post Office where they were canceled. You returned them to me. I gave them to the President, and he kept three and returned the balance to me. Of these, I gave you one. I subsequently had one copy sold in a charity auction. Sincerely, ‘Tip’ O’Neill.”

(2) Photocopy of an undated statement from former Speaker O’Neill headed “Letter of Provenance for / Inaugural Free Frank Covers of 1989.” In full, “The accompanying cover with cachet was signed on the 20th of January 1989 by President George Herbert Walker Bush moments after he was sworn into office as the 42nd [sic, 41st] President of the United States, at a luncheon in the U.S. Capitol hosted by Speaker of the House, Jim Wright. Before a nationally televised audience President Bush signed this, and several other covers, including one signed with Mrs. Bush [THIS ONE!]. This occurred immediately after he signed the book nominating various members of his Cabinet. The covers were returned to me and given to my good friend Lewis F. Shull who went directly to the Postmaster of the House, Mr. Robert V. Rota. Arrangements had been made with the Postmaster General for the special Inaugural cancel to be in his possession in his office. The special cancel was applied over President Bush’s signature. The covers were then returned to me. I presented several to Lewis F. Shull and several to the President. I am giving the remainder of the covers to my grandchildren. The cover attached is one of those signed on the 20th of January 1989 by President George Herbert Walker Bush. Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr.”

Provenance: Directly from the son of Lewis Shull, former President of the American Stamp Dealers of America and a poker-playing buddy of House Speaker Tip O’Neill. Included is a photocopy of an article from the January 10, 1987, issue of “The Stamp Wholesaler,” picturing Shull, O’Neill, and recently retired Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. From the article: “O’Neill was presented with a block of 10 of the 3c Supreme Court stamp (Scott #991 issued in 1950) that had been autographed by the nine active justices and retired Chief Justice Burger and mounted on Burger’s stationery. Burger was presented with two blocks of six of the 3c US Capitol stamp (#992 issued in 1950) mounted on the speaker’s stationery. It had been autographed by the Democrat and Republican leaders of both the Senate and the House … Shull had known O’Neill for many years and helped interest him in collecting covers autographed by visiting dignitaries.”


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