Interesting Unopened Covers... Is There Value To These?

Found these two covers a bit ago but didn't pay to much attention to them and today I noticed they were never opened and both still have something inside them. I want so badly to see what is inside but do not want to spoil them especially if there might be some value that gets ruined by doing so.

Both of these letter are stamped with Canada Air Mail stamps stating the are of the "first official flight" with one from Great Bear Lake to RAE cancelled at Great Bear Lake on Dec 09/1932 and on the backside of the cover in RAE also Dec 09/1932, and one from Fort Resolution to Great Bear Lake cancelled in Fort Resolution on Dec 06/1932 with a stamp on the back of the cover showing Great Bear Lake on Dec 07/1932.

Can anyone advise me on these? Thanks!

Probably just a stiffener inside, so don't open them.

First Flight Covers, First Day Covers, and similar philatelic souvenir covers made by collectors often have a blank stuffer card inserted into them to give some heft to better survive the mail stream. The fact that the maker did not open the covers when he received them would indicate a high likelihood of a stuffer inside. While some consider cutting the flap as damaging, I see it as the normal way to open envelopes. I would succumb to temptation and slit open one of them out of curiosity as sometimes it contains a relevant announcement flier, newspaper clipping, etc. It will not reduce the value of the cover to the vast majority of collectors.

I sometimes remove stiffeners since many of them are an acidic nightmare and will ultimately ruin the cover. I have hundreds and hundreds of covers which have been ruined by them. Newspaper clippings will also ruin a cover.
Don

Yikes!! Opening them will me me nervous. If I was to do it, should I slit the top or try and open at the seal? Advice?

Hey Hab

That is a nice thing to do for your great grandfather Robert
Always try for stiffness on the cover..Usually letters will bend in the envelope...If it feels stiff, do like everyone says..DONT open it..Better that way.

Robert

You have Scott C3's on these covers..There is a swollen breast variety,
Would be nice for you to pick up a Unitrade Specialized Catalouge 2020 and maybe a N.S.S.C. Newfoundland Specialized Stamp Catalouge also..Lots of info in there.

I do not see where either Don or I said to leave it sealed. I will state very clearly ... I would open it.

Very easy to do with any sharp letter opener or paring knife.

An exacto knife works wonders if you take your time.

Ya..My mistake

Robert..You have a couple of nice (in great shape) covers..If you try to open it to see a if it is just a stiff cardboard, you take a chance of destroying it...Another way is to hold a bright light behind it to see if you can maybe see faint writing...Even if you decide to open it just to read a letter, if it exists, there will probably be no more monitary value..Unless if came from our Prime Minister...haha

Just my opinion Robert
You decide what you want to dowith it..

Robert

I purchased hundreds of these First Flight Covers about 20 years ago. Some were definetly starting to tone from the content be it paper or cardboard, and some from the gum alone because of acidity or they may have been exposed to humid climate or storage where they were kept. Those were opened. Otherwise I left them alone if there was no detremental signs if there were contents inside. In my personal opinion, I find yours are extremely clean and unadulterated looking and I would tend to leave them alone.

Remarkedly there were several that had blotter cards that were used in yesteryear inside. I ended up with a couple different but nice collectable blotter cards.

I used an exacto knife and slowly slit it open on the short side of the cover. You would never even know they had been opened because of the clean straight cut it makes.