Mourning Covers

There is a club for these.

http://www.mscc.ms/

ebay has over 800 of these.

Thank you for the fast reply! Neat topic.

Here is one sent Christmas Eve.

This cover appears to be more of a memorial cover than a mourning cover. I am puzzled by the fact that it is issued on the 39th anniversary of the death of the person being memorialized. The individual was an interesting historical figure.


https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/cha...binson/11739

There is no set amount of time during which a person would have used mourning stationery - it was for however long the person considered themselves in mourning. In an extreme example Queen Victoria went into mourning on the death of her husband, Prince Albert in 1861 and never stopped mourning for the rest of her 40 more years of life. She wore black all throughout that time. A mourning cover might have included a death notice or an invitation to a funeral or wake, but just as likely it could have been used by that person as their regular stationery for at least a year after such a death (considered proper for widows in most places during those times) or they could have been like Queen Victoria and used it as their regular stationery for 40 more years after such a death. It was up to the individual as to how long they wanted to let the world know that they were mourning a loved one.

This one struck me as interesting and a bit unusual as it was sealed with a blob of sealing wax that appears to me to have a decorative impression.

Came across this unusual item. Looks like a mourning stamp issued after the death of General Mola, Commander of the North.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Mola

Murdered king of Jugoslavia.

Sealing wax cover: The wax seal was originally intended for security but may be just an affectation here; this envelope undoubtedly has a gummed flap. As a further security method, a device (like a signet ring) with a hopefully unique design was impressed into the wax. Sometimes devices were used as a signature of sorts or just to be decorative.

Generally outside the US, wax seals were used well into the 20th century on mail. On SCF we were just shown a Canadian registered cover from 1960 with a wax seal.

This cover has certainly seen better days but still worth showing

Here's one mailed from Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland to Oakland, California postmarked 12 August, 1907. It is postmarked on the back with an Oakland, Ca. Sta. B receiving cancel, but the month and day have been obscured by the mourning band.

From a small cover lot, a diminutive mourning cover from Scranton, PA, 1910.

Kimo,
Thank you for you answered my questions. I think this is a good custom to revive. I know that a pretty envelope, a type of fancy, was sent to someone whom upon opening it found out that a loved one had passed. People need customs to know what to do in such difficult situations.

Here's two more.