What an interesting stamps
Kind of a slow day on SOR, so thought I would show some stamps for those that may be interested in labels, cinderellas, etc. Looking for any additional information and value if any. Also because it is 110 F degrees, (43.3 C) outside, I have decided to stay inside and sort some stamps. The following verbage is all copied from various sources and is not original with me. The stamps pictured are mine.
The bottom one is a close up to give a better showing.
These stamps have been associated for many years with the diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska. Diphtheria serum was urgently needed, but since Nome was located 224 kilometers from the Arctic Circle, it was doubtful whether an airplane would make the trip in the harsh Alaskan winter. Bush flying in Alaska was still in its infancy in 1925, and it was limited to only summer months as the planes were open and unreliable in cold weather. A relay of dog teams was finally decided to take the serum from Nenana to Nome, a distance of about a thousand kilometers. The serum arrived in Nome on Feb 2.
Even if planes had been capable of making such a flight, it’s hard to imagine what role stamps could have had in the venture, and there appears to be no evidence to support the notion that these were used as charity labels.
Moreover, the similarity of the vignette at the center of the cinderella to the design of stamps that Norway issued to fund a North Pole flight by Roald Amundsen is striking.
The fact that the Norwegian stamps (SG 167-173, Scott 104-110, Michel 109-115), the same year as the serum emergency, but almost two months after it passed, is a coincidence too remarkable to believe.
If one were to speculate, and apparently in this case, one does, then it is possible that a dealer or collector in or shortly after 1925 was aware of the publicized Alaskan emergency and the design of the Norwegian stamp. Having access to or owning modest printing facilities, he was able to produce these bicolored labels in an amazing array of colors and papers, and in a popular philatelic format (the triangle), seeking to maximize sales of what is, after all, a single design. It is, nevertheless, quite an interesting one.
Triangular Philatelics by Chris Green published by Krause Publications in 1998 covers both postage stamps and Cinderellas. These stamps are covered in some depth but doesn't reveal any further information as to their origin. What it does tell us about is the large variety of paper and border overprints. It lists 10 different color combinations available on white paper with a plain border or silver border overprint or a gold border overprint. That makes 30 different stamps. Then there is a yellow card stock version with the ten color combinations but without any border overprinting. This makes a grand total of 40 different stamps!
re: Alaska Mercy Flight Cinderellas
What an interesting stamps