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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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  • 3c Byrd Antarctic Expedition II President Franklin D. Roosevelt sketch
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3c Byrd Antarctic Expedition II President Franklin D. Roosevelt sketch

Object Details

Description
Backing board with original sketch by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and final postage stamp, issued in 1933.
To raise funds for Byrd's trip, the expedition marketed philatelic subscription covers to be serviced at the official USPOD post office in Antarctic, the 'Little America'. All the subscriptions required the Byrd II stamp, for which subscribers (about 150,000) paid fifty-three cents (three cents for the stamp and fifty cents to service the mail). The service fee was justified because the USPOD had no other means to send and retrieve mail to the Antarctic. It was necessary to contract with the expedition to perform this service.
These stamps were acceptable for payment of postage at any US post office. However, only a few post offices, by special request of the postmaster, sold the stamps. Most subscribers could only obtain the Byrd II issue from the Philatelic Bureau.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
April 25, 1935
Object number
0.209045.9
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink / engraved
Dimensions
Height x Width: 7 3/4 x 5 3/4 in. (19.69 x 14.61 cm)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 733
Topic
Maps
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_0.209045.9
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8039956be-c48d-4564-88b9-db70185a719d
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

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