Show Off Your Crosby Covers

blcjr, many thanks! A new target for me.

Now about that Crosby cover album noted in a cachet (or maybe sticker) on one of the naval covers... ever seen one, anyone?

No, I've never seen one of those Crosby cover albums. I would point out that he started marketing it in 1931 and it had space for 800 covers. He continued producing covers until his death in 1947, so it would hardly hold all the covers he eventually produced.

BTW, here's a set of three Crosby covers of FDR's wartime Joint Chiefs of Staff:

It is missing one, and for the life of me I cannot locate an example of the missing cover even though it is cataloged in Sherman's catalog.

U.S. WWII history quiz: who am I missing?

Basil

Edit: The Leahy and King covers both have VJ Day naval postmarks.

The only one missing is MacArthur!

No, not MacArthur. But I can imagine that MacArthur might be better known to Aussies.

Related factoid: Of the four, two were Army and two were Navy. Both of the Army chiefs ended up on U.S. stamps. In fact, the one I'm missing ended up on TWO U.S. stamps. Neither of the Navy chiefs have appeared on stamps (though some other Navy admirals have).

I have a Macarthur Crosby! And a USS Arizona and a pearl harbor patriotic...I'll whack them up in the morning

blcjr: you are missing George Marshall

Glenn for the Win! Now Glenn, you are not hoarding it are you?

I've been watching eBay for the past 3 years looking for this. That's where I got the other three. Sure would like to have a complete set.

Technically, Marshall was Arnold's superior, because at the time the US air forces were part of the U.S. Army, and not an independent service. But to maintain parity with the British chiefs of staff, where the Royal Air Force was a separate service, Arnold as Commanding General of the US air forces was elevated as an equal in rank to both Marshall and King. All got a fifth star in late 1944, including MacArthur. Arnold went on to become General of the US Air Force after it was made a separate service following WWII, making him the only U.S. general to attain five star rank in two services.

Continuing this bit of U.S. military trivia, ignoring George Washington's posthumous promotion in 1976, only one U.S. general has ever achieved higher rank, equivalent to a sixth star. It wasn't MacArthur, though he was proposed for this rank by Congress in 1955, but the proposal was never approved.

So who is the U.S.'s only six star general?

Basil

Now this I know...Pershing!

some more for you to feast upon!

and a few more






Not too sure if its a Crosby, but it has that feel to it.

I am confident that last one is not a Crosby cover. Mccusker has an example of a cover like that on his website and says that the author is unknown. I've seen other covers of a similar design, with the eagle and "America Will Win" slogan, but with different persons pictured. I am surprised that Sherman does not have anything like this in his catalog of WWII patriotic covers. So for now, "author unknown."

You got my last "quiz" question right: old "Blackjack" Pershing.

I continue to be amazed at the variety of covers in your collection. Did you acquire these by acquiring someone else's collection? I only ask because I note a lot of them have the same PMG signature on them, which suggests to me that they were originally part of a single collection.

In sheer number, I doubt that I can match you on Crosby covers. If I tried to, I'd just be posting a lot of similar airmail FDC's that Crosby did. I think I have Crosby covers for every US airmail issue he did, though I might be off as to having the earliest or the latest.

Basil

hi mate, I like the cancel too, from a town called MacArthur, I remember reading somewhere it was called Hollywood but changed it's name in the late 30's or early 40's I think it was.
The Crosbys' come from many areas in my collecting from a couple of auctions and boxes of unchecked stamps that I have bought over the last few years.
I noticed the coincidence with Mr. Louis too! I have a few doubles to boot!
Maybe it was just dumb luck they came to me, but I believe they were picked up over a couple of purchases!

I just bought another album for 15 dollars which looks interesting...
have a look
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/UNITED-S...p=true&rt=nc

From the online history of Beckley and Raleigh Counties of West Virginia:

Mar. 18, 1942. Postmaster General Walker announces the establishment of a fourth class post office in MacArthur in Raleigh County on petition of the town's citizens who said such action should be taken as an "example of their admiration and respect for General Douglas MacArthur and as being most timely and fitting." [The town was formerly called Hollywood, but a post office named Hollywood already existed in Monroe County.]

Thank you for confirming that Glenn.

If you look carefully at the cancellation on the MacArthur cover, it says "First Day Cover" not "First Day of Issue." That of course is because no stamps were issued on that occasion, it was merely a post office dedication. There is one more example of this during WWII for Admiral Nimitz and here is a Crosby cover that was used for that "First Day" (of service):
Basil