Unusual Return Address -- To What Or Whom Does It Refer?

I recently purchased the cover below on ebay. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of powered flight, but I bought the cover for its somewhat odd return address. Does anyone know anything about it?

There are a couple of references on Google that suggest JW Philometer may be a type of postage meter or meter imprint. If so, what does the "concern" refer to? Possibly a column about meter imprints in a stamp publication?

All this is speculation and I'm hoping someone may recognize the return address.

Many thanks.

Don

Abebooks has the following book for sale, which might answer your questions:

Philometer Compendium with Price Indications, Vol. I
Joseph Whitebough

Published by J. W. Philometer Concern, 1957

Description:

hardcover without jacket: a man's attempt to interest the rest of the world in collecting meter stamps, or philometers, with hundreds of illustrations of the meter stamps of U.S. Postage Meters; so far as I can learn, volume 2, which the author's friends told him contained more information than anyone else wanted to know, was not published xxv, 209 p. Bookseller Inventory # NL-1004


Cheers, Robert

That's funny. 50 years from now when philometer is the latest fad, this will be the definitive work. Collectors will complain bitterly that the publisher didn't have the foresight to publish volume 2. :)

I believe that, in this context, "Concern" is an older name for "Company".

Donald

The "Philometer Concern" appears to have been a stamp dealer specializing in postage meters back in the 1950s. Several metered covers for the collector are known from this source (some even with slogan cancels). Believe it or not they used to have a publication specializing in meters...called "The Philometrist" -- now that's a term I haven't ever heard of before!

Although this excerpt is dated a year later, you will note that the same meter number (Chicago, IL Meter #228151) which was used for this philatelic metered creation with the acronym CHISPA (Chicago Philatelic Society Annual Exhibition of the Society of Philatelic Americans):

"I believe that, in this context, "Concern" is an older name for "Company".

Judging from WT1's reply, you are correct. I hadn't though of it as a business or 'going-concern' so to speak. Thanks for your response.

Don

Wt1:

You have answered my question and solved the mystery! Many thanks.

Great information! This is just one of many questions that you have found documented answers for. Where and how do you find this stuff?

Don

Persistent searching of different word combinations on various search engines. In the example posted above, "Philometer Concern" produced little information; whereas "Philometer Society" did.

Trainwreck:

Thanks for your response as well. I went to Amazon Books and found a copy three as well of the reference you cite. The Amazon entry descrbes it as "A standard catalogue and guide of 2337 U.S. Philometers listed as to design, type and purpose including 1735 varieties" And confirming the info that you and Wt1 submitted, it lists the author as Joseph Whitebourgh (i.e. JW) and the publisher as JW Philometer Concern.

Don